HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 13, 2001 12:09:14 PM new
Missing DC Transactions
What I'm hearing from the USPS processing folks is that the data link between the Interet WebTool system (the one used by Endicia) and the main USPS Delivery Confirmation database was brought down for "scheduled maintenance" on Sat and Sunday.
It *should* be back up now and the data which was stored by the Webtools subsystem should have been transferred. Hopefully will be seeing your packages tracked as of today.
Below is the official (and somewhat cryptic) message from USPS HQ:
[i]The Delivery Confirmation program office has approved a 9 hour outage
for database smoothing commencing August 11th at approximately 10:30
p.m. eastern and completing no later than 8:00 a.m. eastern on August
12th.
The manifest extract jobs will be run early on August 11th at 8:00
p.m. eastern. Immediately upon these jobs finishing (at approximately
10:30 p.m. eastern), the outage will commence[/i].
Best
Harry
[ edited by HarryWhitehouse on Aug 13, 2001 12:10 PM ]
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yisgood
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posted on August 13, 2001 12:32:45 PM new
USPS system glitch. Today the packages show as delivered. Just a note for those afraid the using Endicia won't help you with a paypal claim, so far the first 26 packages I shipped have ALL been scanned.
http://www.ygoodman.com
[email protected]
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 13, 2001 01:56:00 PM new
Tracking down addresses that don't ZIP+4 validate
If you have tried "everything" to get an address to ZIP+4 valididate, you can call the USPS Address Managment Systems (AMS) office which handles the destination ZIP5. A list of the AMS offices and phone numbers can be found here.
http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/ams_office_locator.html
Another good diagnostic tool which has been mentioned in other AW threads is:
http://www.endicia.com/endicia-usa/ziplookup/findaddress.cfm
Just type in the ZIP5 of the destination address, and then all or part of the STREET NAME -- and JUST the street name. For instance if you are looking for a HIGH ST in 94301, type in 94301 for the ZIP and HI for the street.
In the result page, look carefully at the street spelling, suffix (was it AVE or DR?), if there are any pre- or post- directionals (e.g. 56 E High St). Very often, looking at this information will give you the key to getting a good ZIP+4 verification.
Best regards,
Harry Whitehouse (Endicia)
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avaloncourt
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posted on August 13, 2001 06:04:12 PM new
Harry: I'm not sure I understand your explanation. The missing DC information for my items occured on Aug 10. Those packages are still AWOL in the database. Packages I sent out on the 11th are showing up just fine. Wouldn't the catch-up from the 10th occur with the next transmission which went out with the 11th's data?
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yisgood
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posted on August 13, 2001 06:08:16 PM new
avaloncourt: I dont work for Endicia but I had the same thing happen. What I suspect occurred is that the Post Office computer went down and as a result, some of the info Endicia sent on 8/10 just never got posted. Today one of my packages sent out Friday is showing as delivered. So unless you have the bad luck of your package not being scanned on delivery, you should be okay. So far, of 28 packages I shipped with Endicia, 27 of them are showing as delivered.
http://www.ygoodman.com
[email protected]
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avaloncourt
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posted on August 13, 2001 06:15:04 PM new
yisgood: I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it arrives without any problems. Fortunately it's insured as well. The buyer on this item was an incredible jerk from start to finish. I just kept gritting my teeth and worked through the transaction. This person seemed like the type that his co-workers probably call him nasty names to his face... frequently. What an incredible putz. He also wanted the DC number and now the number I supplied never made it into the system. I'm amazed I haven't heard from him about that.
I'm just antsy because the day I shipped out high dollar items is the day DC decides not to work.
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yisgood
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posted on August 13, 2001 06:20:31 PM new
I explain to my buyers when I send them the letter with the DC, that I am using Endicia because it lets me print my postage and ship daily. I let them know that until the PO actually scans the package, the DC might show up as invalid or simply say "your item was accepted at 10 PM" but I would be checking on its status and expected it to arrive within 3 days. In 2 years and about 1000 packages, the only one that ever got lost was going overseas and it was insured. I very rarely insure domestic packages. The chances that the next one to get lost would happen to be the one that never got scanned is very small. Then again, that would be Murphy's Law.
http://www.ygoodman.com
[email protected]
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 14, 2001 12:57:42 PM new
Harry: I'm not sure I understand your explanation. The missing DC information for my items occured on Aug 10. Those packages are still AWOL in the database. Packages I sent out on the 11th are showing up just fine. Wouldn't the catch-up from the 10th occur with the next transmission which went out with the 11th's data?
We are seeing the same thing with our shipments here in the Endicia shipping room. Clearly the USPS didn't provide a full explanation to us the first time around. We talked to them again this AM and provided specific PIC numbers (interestingly, some of the packages we created in this time period ARE in the USPS, and others are NOT -- there doesn't seem to be an obvious reason for this type of glitch.)
So we are still awaiting a full explanation from USPS and I'll pass it along as soon as I get it.
And as others have said, don't extrapolate this glitch into a worry that your packages won't be delivered. The delivery process will occur regardless.
One often-overlooked side-feature of PC-Postage is that the address labels are extremely readable, have a USPS-verified addresses, and really "stand-out" amongst the other mail the carrier is handling. All of that contributes to very high delivery performance.
Best
Harry
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 20, 2001 01:25:50 PM new
Missing Delivery Confirm Records
I just got an EMail message from the USPS HQ manager for Delivery Confirmation and here's what he told me:
[i]Harry, you are right about the below DC numbers. Turns out the Code Red Virus
affected routing of MCI internal network which shut down and allowed only
sporadic access to our PTS servers.
Today we are re-sending a number of manifests from the last 2 weeks to ensure
that all DC numbers are in the system.[/i]
So basically, folks should see all the the "missing" delivery confirm tracking numbers in the USPS tracking system this evening. It will be interesting to see if these records no link up with the carrier's delivery scans (as most of these packages will have already been delivered).
Best regards,
Harry
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loggia
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posted on August 20, 2001 08:22:51 PM new
Harry,
I am new to Endicia. I think it's great, but for some reason my postage does not print as crisp and clear as it did with Stamps.com. I can't figure this out. Since Endicia doesn't let me get into the Epson Stylus Photo printer settings when I am printing, I set my default printer settings to the highest quality. Still not as good. And another weird thing - my Endicia labels will print out horribly if I set the printer to black only and not color! How strange.
- Loggia
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richierich
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posted on August 21, 2001 12:05:22 AM new
Thanks EVERYONE for all the helpful hints!
Since I have been on vacation for the past 11 days I did not have a chance to respond to you all, so here it is.
Being gone for 11 days I had a major bunch of packages to get ready to mail on Tuesday. I am glad I read this thread first. I went and purchased the labels recommended by avaloncourt. But I also had a bunch of the FREE priority mail labels suggested by rent20. I took some time and played around and after about ten labels they were set up great! And best of all they are FREE! Since I am only doing priority mail on Endicia right now this is great!
HARRY - Your company is GREAT! You and your people have been there when I was soooo frustrated! (I just wish they were there 24/7 as I work in the middle of the night)The PRINTER you descriped is very much like my printer. I do believe that my problem was the BLUE ARROW labels, they are too thick. Tonight, I printed on proirity mail label #228 Jan 1999 and only one out of over 20 labels had a problem. I will be sending that one in for a refund. It has double printing on the postage, it was caused by a very tiny tear in the label.
Harry - I also downloaded the new version tonight. Did not really notice any difference except the new address icon is missing from the address book. Can you bring it back? Also, the export to Excel on the postage log is wonderful!
One more question for you, Harry. I have requested several refunds from my first attempt and was wondering how the funds are refunded (a check issued or a credit to my CC) and how long does that take?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Auctions are all about 2 people wanting 1 item. The trick is having it listed when the 2 bidders are looking.
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 21, 2001 04:54:28 PM new
RichieRich
I also downloaded the new version tonight. Did not really notice any difference except...
One of the big new features is the single ply Express Mail label. Check out the new media option "Express Mail Shipping Label (bottom or top)". There are some other new media options as well, including some which span two or more labels on a sheet of labels.
And I'll check into what happened to the New Address icon.
I have requested several refunds from my first attempt and was wondering how the funds are refunded (a check issued or a credit to my CC) and how long does that take?
Generally, 2-3 weeks. Historically USPS has required that we refund you the customer via check, and then USPS refunds us. In the coming weeks-- based on our negotiations with USPS - we will stop sending checks (which is very costly for us and awkward for most customers) and issue a credit to your credit card account. The credit has to come from us (Endicia), even though the money was actually posted to the USPS account. We will still have to apply to the USPS for our reimbursment.
Best
Harry
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 21, 2001 06:30:19 PM new
RichieRich
We checked our copies and the "new address" icon still seems to be there. Can you capture a screen of what you are seeing (or not seeing!) and EMail it to me?
Best
Harry
[email protected]
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loggia
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posted on August 21, 2001 10:27:55 PM new
Any thoughts on why I am experiencing a difference in the sharpness of the postage?
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 22, 2001 10:32:50 AM new
Loggia asked: Any thoughts on why I am experiencing a difference in the sharpness of the postage?
That's the first report we've had on "sharpness". We did get earlier reports from ink jet users who said if their red cartridge was out of ink, the indicia printed in a greenish hue. Our assumption on that one is that when the printer driver detects a graphic (which is what the indicium is presented as), it goes to a color mode and then constructs black by combining RG&B.
I'm going to ask one of our folks to get an Epson printer so we can try to replicate this.
Exactly what model number are you using?
Best
Harry
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ezinkjetstore
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posted on August 22, 2001 11:49:44 AM new
Hi Harry,
I have noticed a similar phenom with my Epson 880 on the sharpness when printing to the USPS Priority label. I could correct this if I had access to the printer control panel to select "Quality" instead of "speed" which would make the printout much more crisp. Currently it works fine, but looks a little "Fuzzy" around the edges
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 22, 2001 12:35:47 PM new
ezinkjetstore
I talked with our developers on this and it appears that we set printers to "draft" mode to speed printing up. Normally, this means that text will be printed in a draft mode -- but it appears that the Epson driver applies this setting to everything that's printed (including the graphic indicium).
Based on your comment (as well as the comments of others), perhaps we should make this a user-option.
If you can EMail me privately ([email protected]) I'll see if we can get you a test version which has this new user option. If that solves the problem, we'll make it a feature in the production release.
Best
Harry
[ edited by HarryWhitehouse on Aug 22, 2001 12:36 PM ]
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darrelll
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posted on August 22, 2001 01:00:24 PM new
Harry
Is there a way to disable the pop up window that always asks if I want to archive my postage log?
I did it once and apparently it stripped all info including the name and only left the address in the zip file. Not much use. Plus I need at least 100 left in the log since I ship 10-25 packages per day.
So, it gets irritating to answer no to the archive request every time I need to go to the postage log.
Thanks in advance, your program is awesome!
...and thanks for the green labels too!
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loggia
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posted on August 22, 2001 03:09:58 PM new
Harry, I set my Epson Stylus Photo to default to the high quality mode on my PC, but is Endicia overriding that? My printing is a little fuzzy as Ezinkjetstore reports. Endicia is the only program I have run on the PC that doesn't give you access to the printer's settings when you print. I'll email you as well to see if I can get a test version. This really needs to be added! 
(the model is "Epson Stylus Photo" and my ink cartridges are very full on all colors and black.)
[ edited by loggia on Aug 22, 2001 03:14 PM ]
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 22, 2001 11:07:00 PM new
Is there a way to disable the pop up window that always asks if I want to archive my postage log
You can't now, but it will be in the next release.
Harry
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 22, 2001 11:08:35 PM new
the model is "Epson Stylus Photo"
OK, I'm going to ask one of our folks to pick one up tomorrow so we can see first hand what's happening.
Best
Harry
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 26, 2001 04:19:48 PM new
loggia
Might I ask you to contact me via EMail ([email protected]) so I can ask you more about your printer quality issues?
We bought an Epson Phot0 780 and I've been printing a bunch of stuff on it since Friday. Basically, things are looking great with the standard DAZzle. Maybe it's the media I'm using vs what you are using. Or perhaps something else.
I've already asked the same of ezinkjetstore and we are in Email contact.
Thanks!
Harry
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HarryWhitehouse
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posted on August 31, 2001 02:08:35 PM new
New Express Mail Label
We finally got a bit more information about this up on our Web site. If you are using Endicia and do any Express Mailings, check this out.
http://www.endicia.com/endicia-usa/Site/express.cfm
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peiklk
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posted on August 31, 2001 02:14:04 PM new
avaloncourt!!!
Just wanted to bump this up and thank you again for your templates and labels!
I finally got the labels a couple of weeks ago and have since used the templates.
NOT A SINGLE JAM!!!
It's incredible! And you're right, peeling the labels off instead of trying to crack and peel the backs is a great timesaver.
Plus I don't have to cut them down for smaller boxes.
Very, very much appreciated!
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avaloncourt
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posted on August 31, 2001 04:56:06 PM new
Thank you so much for your comments. I'm glad I was able to help. I love the flexibility of Endicia's software and the ability to format a label sheet in this way.
These days I do many more media mail packages than I do Priority Mail and, even though the MM Delivery Confirmation is 12 cents rather than free, it is so convenient to be able to use one style of label and one format. And, as you have mentioned, they're flexible enough for any sized package. I overlap the white areas when applying the labels for small mailers and spread them wider for larger.
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tjbrocean
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posted on August 31, 2001 05:32:10 PM new
Harry or anybody, I am seriously considering signing up for your service, but sort of confused. I have just always went to the post office so I may sound stupid.
Do I have to purchase a scale to weigh my packages? and if so where?
Do I still have to go to the post office to mail these or are they picked up?
Thanks,
Jen
Jen
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avaloncourt
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posted on August 31, 2001 06:16:25 PM new
You will need to get a scale to make sure your weights are accurate. You don't want something showing up at your buyer's house with postage due. That tends to court negative comments.
Office supply stores such as Staples, Office Depot and Office Max carry a variety of postage scales. You will need to figure out what your typical maximum weights are and base your scale purchase on that. Typically, scales come in 5, 10 and 25 pound maximums. Spring scales are generally good if you don't need to to a lot of mailings. Digital scales are good for those times when it's tough to determine if the weight is on one side or another of the next rate. A digital scale will read in tenths of an ounce and take that guesswork away. I use a digital scale but they are significantly more expensive than spring scales, usually nearly twice the cost.
On your mailing question... You can drop your items into any mail box whether your own, street corner or inside/outside the post office. Keep in mind that your carrier is not required to pick up large volumes of Priority Mail. The post office actually charges a pick-up fee for Priority Mail for large volume customers. I don't think that applies to First Class or Standard Mail, probably assuming that those are much lighter and don't weigh down the carrier as much or load him/her with multiple large packages.
Prior to Endicia we all had to take our packages into the post office for a Delivery Confirmation scan to be sure they got an origination scan but that is no more. Endicia automatically submits your DC numbers to the postal service. Your post office counter people can't even scan them if they wanted to. The electronic DC labels are locked out of their scanning system at the counter.
I generally take one time a day and run through the drive-up mailboxes and dump all my mailers in. If your post office is anything like mine, the mailboxes outside are often full (especially on Saturdays prior to the last pick-up). I will generally take one of the mailers and drop it in the box and listen to hear where it landed. I will not put a bunch of mailers into a full mailbox for fear that someone will reach in and pull out a bunch of mail later on. I've literally seen the boxes so full that the mail was falling out of the opening. That's not a good thing. You'd think that would be an indicator to the post office that they need to install more boxes when it's so consistent since they don't remove the mail any more frequently.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have. There are lots of people here who use the endicia software and are happy to help.
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misscandle
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posted on August 31, 2001 06:29:58 PM new
Jen:
I bought my digital postal scale on eBay. There are several sellers who specialize in these. Look around and compare.
I either give my packages to my mail carrier (he doesn't mind the amount) or I take them to the post office and leave them on the counter. I have to go to the PO anyway to check my PO box, so it is not out of my way. Our postmaster has requested that we not put large packages in the mailboxes.
Good luck!
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jfpnatl
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posted on October 19, 2001 10:29:58 AM new
If I am not mistaken you can still order the 1999 labels at the USPS website. they listed as label # 228. The POs dont stock them any more but still available online
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richierich
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posted on October 19, 2001 02:19:26 PM new
No the labels are not available - Jan 1999 #228. The internet still has them pictured but that is not what you get. You get the new smaller ones.
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