Cranky Customer

Sorry RC. I Didn't mean to sound like I was ridiculing you. It's just that I know that respondiing to PB in any way but a legal one, yeilds superficial results at best.

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That I definitely believe! (I'm the owner of this site, if you wondered.) -rc

PB is the worst ever. I have ongoing problems with customer service just trying to get postage refilled into my meter. I don't want to join the program they offer (purchase power) because it's just another way to get more money from you. I send checks in to refill my meter and it never occurs without a glitch and it takes weeks. They tell me they won't call me to tell me about any problems that prevents them from refilling my meter because they don't have any "outgoing" services. It's strange and these are their words...they will bill my credit card for my monthly meter rental but won't charge postage to any credit card. You must open up a "line of credit" to get postage. Absurd...a line of credit for postage!!! Speaking with customer service is like speaking to a child...round and round in a circle. If I knew now what I...

First, I should say that I am a Hasler, Neopost sales rep so that I am not accused of slandering anyone by posing as a PB customer. However, I read that many sales reps for Hasler/Neopost move to PB because the grass is so much greener on the other side but in my experience I have seen the opposite and in fact the owner of my office is a former PB sales rep. I am sure that it can go both ways. I can only attest for how I was trained and what I hear from my customers but, I do hear a lot of propaganda ie. You can't lease this anymore, it has been discontinued- Oh... a Hasler rep is involved, well, we can make an exception for you then... lol. Suuuure we'll set up with no installation- 2wks later you run out of ink because you were given a "demo" cartridge. Look at your bills... that ValueMax fee is for insurance on your machine... anyone who owns a business probably already carries insurance- do you really need more?

To all mail machine customers- Be wary. Don't think that just because PB is the biggest and loudest that they are the best. Hasler is ranked higher than PB in ease of use, Maintainability, Reliability, Service, and overall satisfaction by Buyers Laboratory.... educate yourself before you let someone push you into anything. Mailing equipment is not cheap, DEMAND to be satisfied. Has anyone ever really gotten a "free" trail period on anything? There are a lot of strings attached to that word.

About a month ago our Pitney Bowes Sales Representative paid us a visit. We had not seen anyone from Pitney Bowes since we signed our lease 3 years ago. The rep told us that our lease was up and we needed to renew it immediately or the machine would be picked up. I told my boss and she told me to call and get some competitive quotes before I signed anything.

I got a quote from Neopost, they demonstrated their machine and I loved it. I signed the Neopost lease and we are very happy with the new machine.

I forgot all about the Pitney Bowes equipment. I guess I expected them to pick it up any day as I was told by the sales representative. Then when I got my Pitney Bowes bill I decided to go online to their website to see what was up. My bill didn't say anything about my lease expiring and neither did the information on the website. I couldn’t find any detail about my lease so I called.

After getting a runaround, I was shocked to find out that we had 18 months remaining on our Pitney Bowes lease. Now I have 2 mailing machines and my boss is pissed. I will never listen to another Pitney Bowes sales representative as long as I live. I can't believe that Pitney Bowes would not disclose any detail about our lease on the bill or at that crazy website. I guess keeping the customer in the dark allows their Sales Representatives to lie.

I work for PB and I am waiting for the day to come when I can walk out the door!! They don't treat most of their employees any better than they do their customers!! I know that there are thousands of shady businesses out there but PB is supposed to stand above all that!! It makes me sad to see so many unhappy customers!! IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!!

I worked for Pitney Bowes a few years back and while I loved the relationship I had with my customers, the inner workings of the company and the darn call center were the bane of my patience!

The call center is completley unorganized and hasn't a clue as to what is going on. It is not unheard of to hear a customer has spoken to, and been contacted by at least 1/2 a dozen or more reps from the call center - each unaware of previous conversations!

As for the inner workings - Pitney Bowes used to be a great, wonderful company who did what they customer needed. They had great sales reps who were attentive and could deliver. This was because the company wasn't crooked yet and had the best interest of the customer in mind. It was easy for Sales reps to make the customers happy when the company supported them.

A few years ago, Pitney got wierd - starting changing policies and using slimy practices to seal deals. Corporate office no longer backed up sales reps and often would promise one thing to us and come time to make good - would deny any involvment - leaving us -the sales reps, to deal with the mess.

They are more expensive - Yes. But it was worth it to know your customer service would be great and that if you had a problem w/the machine it'd be fixed right away.

Pitney got greedy, cutting corners. They stayed more expensive, with all these "extra" costs and reduced (eliminated) customer service and tech. assistance.

Is Neo-Post a better route - I'd say so. Is Xerox or Canon, or Gold, or Independent dealers better - that's the way I'd go!

I left because the company was no longer what it was. I could not represent such a cheating company that made it so difficult, in an already competitive world, to satisfy customers.

This is the reason many reps have left - they reason why there are so many "new" people and why you rarely speak to the same person twice! When the rats flee the ship - you know something's wrong (and no - we weren't rats - it's just a saying!)

Now, my mother who is retiring her business after 25 years of using Pitney Bowes' product is having the usual runaround trying to return her PB items as they come off of lease.

Once again I am dealing with P.B, with the usual banter and inefficiency it has come to be known for.

P.B was so interested in Market Share if forgot to pay attention to Market Image. It takes a long time to fix an Image - sometimes you can't even fix it. P.B has let it's image get so tainted, it may be in for some very, very hard times ahead.

Persevere people, if you are dealing with P.B. Stand your ground, and don't let the call centres drive you nuts. Try to find a local rep you can deal with and find out their managers' name - keep on them until it gets done.

To RC & Kevin, Connecticut: With reference to my post in Aug 2008, sorry for not responding earlier as I am not constantly reading this site. The business card of the Account Manager is still in my business card box and I am waiting to see him (or someone) coming again. I expect they would. Having said all these, I am not a cruel person and doesn't want someone to loss his job, so he deserves a second chance. Afterall, I don't think this is one person's sales trick. It is PB's common unethical sales practice. Then PB should know it already. No further discussion from PB Global Ethics required. We would just terminate the lease contract when it ends.

I placed an order online for their very expensive ink for the office I work for.

Five days later, I receive a call that they need my account number. After waiting for the obviously uneducated rep to find my account, I was notified me that the package was not shipped and was, in fact, cancelled because they were missing my account number. Don't you think in the day and age we're in that someone would be able to call or email me to let me know that they needed my account number on the day the order was placed? Or that the order page would require that information?

Then I needed to provide the credit card info- again. It's a corporate card so I didn't have the information on me. I asked if they could just ship the package with the information previously provided. The rep answered that she wasn't going to risk losing her job to pull the card number. "It's a security issue". If they got it right the first time, it wouldn't be an issue.

Sigh...

I called them when I tried to add postage to our meter and it would not accept it they told me they would send me a new meter. I got a call from a guy from the company and said they would let him know when the new machine was sent so he could install it for us, well 2 weeks went by and my meter sat in the floor so I finally called them and they said it showed it had already been installed which it had not so they said I would get a call well guess what no call what a suprise..so I called back after 2 hours of being transfered to India several times to the same department they told me it was a self install meter I had to do it my self...what idiots it took them 2 hours to figure it out like people who run a business have 2 hours to waste with these idiots...so lo and behold I got a call today a week later a man called and said he had been looking for a meter for me since they had not sent me one and he would come to install it when he finds one so I let him know I already had one and installed it myself he was shocked...needless to say when the lease is up they can have it back..its aggravating when you live in the USA and have to talk to people in India that do not speak English and cannot understand you.

Our secretary signed a 7 year lease, without our knowledge, for 4 PB machines. I cannot get out of the lease, and it expires in 2011. Is this legal? Anybody can make the financial decisions for the company?

I despise people that sue for nothing, but I think we have a class action lawsuit here.

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I don't know the answer to your question, but it sounds like it's worth consulting with a lawyer. -rc