Blog

The hidden costs of franking when using the wrong supplier

Tips • 24th Oct, 17 • 0 Comments

 

At FP Mailing, we like to go the extra mile and utilise our years of expertise to give you guidance on how to save money on your postal solutions. When using the wrong supplier, there can be hidden franking costs, so we’ve compiled some handy tips and advice to help you spot them.

 

A fragmented invoice

When hidden costs are involved, it is very likely that the invoices you receive are unclear and fragmented. This could be a lack of description for individual fees, or having multiple invoices with different fees detailed on them, never just one concise document with all of the fees listed clearly. A regular hidden fee we see is additional maintenance charges – always make sure this is included in your total fee.

 

Watch out for a hidden credit agreement

A lot of credit agreements from franking machine providers are designed for customers who can’t sign direct debits, and unfortunately it quickly becomes a lose-lose situation. All of your fees will be put onto your account; if you don’t pay then you will be charged up to £25 per day, but if you pay the minimum fee then you will start to be charged interest.

 

Look out for misleading franking machine insurance communications

If you have a franking machine on lease, a lot of providers will send you a letter that looks like junk, but states if you don’t prove that you have contents insurance, they will provide it for you but at extremely high costs, don’t get caught out with this one as it just gets added to your quarterly bill.

 

Is there a transaction fee?

Downloading postage onto your franking machine should be a straight forward task, however, some franking machine providers will charge you a transaction fee on top of the amount you are downloading for postage. This fee isn’t always obvious either, it can be hidden within the cost of premium rate telephone numbers.

 

Double check the reset value fees

When your reset value reaches over a certain amount, some providers will begin to charge you 1% of the value, and if you’re a big company downloading larger postage fees then you will most certainly feel the impact.

 

Don’t miss out on Mailmark

For an average saving of 4p per frank, make sure that your providers use Mailmark. Not all providers have been approached about Mailmark, so definitely consider this before entering a lease. Our blog on the advantages of Mailmark should get you up to date.

 

If you have any further questions about potential hidden costs, would like us to review your current agreement or would just like some friendly franking advice, give us a call on 01925 820 638.

<< Back to Blog