A Real Time Saver
Written: Jan 13 '00
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When I first heard of electronic postage, I couldn't wait for it to come out. As a writer, I frequently mail letters and proposals to publishers. The time saved at the post office would give me more time for writing. I also buy and sell at eBay.
I didn't immediately hook up to e-stamp.com, only because I knew there was a $50 set-up fee for the electronic vault and software, and I would have to wait for my budget to allow the cost. But I was able to take advantage of a special offer for eBay members, where that fee was waived (special is still on I think!). So the only applicable fee is the 10% handling charge when you buy postage. There is a minimum handling fee of $4.99, so I figured I might as well buy the maximum amount of postage I could get for that fee ($50 worth).
I have only rated e-stamp.com a 4 instead of a 5 because of the installation. The documentation is not very clear. Some questions are not even answered. But since I am fairly computer literate, I was able to muddle through. One step tells the user they "recommend you install the electronic vault directly to the printer cable." Well, let me tell you, it won't work unless you do exactly that. They could have saved me a little bit of time if they had just written, "connect to printer cable." Also, the insert says, if you have a Dell computer you will have to reboot your machine to continue with software installation. In my experience, any time you disconnect a peripheral after you already have the computer up, you will have to reboot anyway. It just so happens I have a Dell, but I don't believe their comment was valid. As you might guess, since the electronic vault is attached to your printer cable, your printer must be on to use the e-stamp system, something that is not very clearly stated in the book.
Installation of the software was easy, compared to the hardware. Nothing went wrong, everything A-OK. But in the continuing trend of putting all documentation in the on-line help, actual use of the package in the documentation is sketchy. I have yet to figure out how to store addresses, but that's okay, I'll get it. Testing and printing postage was easy. But since this system is the equivalent of a postage meter, you have to make sure you print the correct date on the postage for the day you intend to send it. If you don't, that's okay; there is a built-in date correction to print on the back of the envelope so that you don't waste postage. If you accidentally print on paper or print on an envelope upside down, or the label or envelope gets mangled, there is a form you can complete to be reimbursed for your postage. Special labels and envelopes are available for purchase from e-stamp.com but they aren't necessary. You do not have to be on-line to print postage.
This review may seem somewhat negative, but I really do enjoy the program. It was a little bit of a pain to set up, so I just want people to be aware of the lessons learned. For me the convenience and time saved will be wonderful. My post office is already closed by the time I get home from work, so e-stamp will be a real blessing.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Rocketgirl
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 in Books |
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Member: Beth
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
Reviews written: 398
Trusted by: 224 members
About Me:
So many books, so little time.
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