Data Age's 'Pawnmaster' Hypocrisy
From the horse's mouth:
- "Pay close attention to the total cost of ownership with other software vendors. Make sure you do your homework and ask the right questions. There are often hidden fees and additional service charges that are not initially mentioned."
- It's impossible to 'pay close attention to the total cost of ownership' of "Pawnmaster" because its fraudsters purposely avoid disclosing these very same costs ANYWHERE! - certainly not on the website, as you may know, and not in any pre-purchase disclosure statement. "NOT INITIALLY MENTIONED!"
- "We make it simple – we're your one-stop-shop for getting everything you need to reduce your costs."
- Just farcical - coming from the very vendor of pawn software who has every intention of raking you for, seriously, thousands of dollars over time. Come on. Get real.
- "With PawnMaster there are no surprises when it comes to costs."
- We're playing the bullshit card and we'll prove it.
- "The cost of support, ongoing development, software updates, compliancy, account oversight and online training are all included in your Customer Care Agreement."
- So why bury these costs in an 'agreement' that you know is seldom read? With your accusations against your competitors for hiding fees and your obvious effort to rake people. honesty and full disclosure, why not put them in plain site PRIOR TO PURCHASE?
- Why require new purchasers to sign an agreement to not dump your software for 3 years? If you enter into a contract that fails to disclose any material fact, the contract is not only not enforceable, it's grounds for a refund and a law suit for fraud.
Version History
7-16-11 / Version 5.1.6029
Added Partial Payment on Principle.
Created several new format file codes.
Fixed date discounted filter for inventory reports.
Fixed error message when trying to save a new-sale record when a new sale is also open on another new-sale page.
Fixed loss of pawn fees when selecting an item category on the new pawn window.
Fixed price field not saving on batch inventory edit window.
Lost-ticket fee will not increase loan amount.
New-pawn window stays open until the user has printed both a barcode and a pawn ticket or clicks OK.
Ticket printed from the new-pawn window shows non-prorated interest for the 1st period.
6-12-11 / Version 5.1.5876
Assign Consignor % per category.
Assign Tax % per category.
Discount Schedule date/price on price tags 1.5" or taller
Fixed duplicate ID error when doing a batch delete.
Fixed error message saving new categories.
The check number on the Edit-Disbursement can be changed.
5-7-11 / Version 5.1.5714
Added Gold/Not Gold to Pawn Reports Designer
Adjusted position of page number and far right column on police reports
Buy Outright can now be chosen as the default for new items
Change default program installation directory to C:\PPSS
Consignor filter for the Disbursements Report Designer
Fixed Gold/Not Gold, Gun/Not Gun filters for the Pawn Report Designer
New-sale documents load selected Pawner info in the Pawners Work Area or selected buyer info in the Buyers Work Area
Pawn History is available for Pawn records
PPSS Intro for Charlotte is now Charlotte Police Reporting Software
Print Preview now defaults to 'off' for Florida PPSS users
Specify separate printers for documents and pawn tickets
Updated Account History and Current Item functions for Pawners
4-3-11 / Version 5.1.5544
Fixed multiple items on a pawn ticket
Added file codes 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107
Fixed separate pawn ticket series for direct buys
Fixed jewelry weights not appearing on pawn tickets
Fixed reading FL non standard birthday format on drivers license
Fixed doubling pawn redeem amount on due date
Fixed opening extended UDG's from new pawn ticket
Fixed filters not working with barcode selection list
Fixed closing the select labels to print window
Fixed printing vertical zebra labels from the select labels window
12-6-10 / Version 5.1.5022
Added 3.37" x 1.1875" vertical 2-across thermal tag support
Added Send-today/since-last to Charlotte version
Added Star TSP100 receipt printer support
Dollar sign will be ignored if entered in Program Setup
11-7-10 / Version 5.1.4855
Error message when creating a pawn removed
Separate number sequence for buy tickets
Specify a non-prorated interest for the first 5 days, and periods thereafter
9-3-10 / Version 5.1.4699
Added 2.25" x 1.37" non-adhesive thermal tag support
Added buy outright custom pawn ticket form for Charlotte
Added Charlotte custom pawn form
Added export-police report as text file for Charlotte
Added inventory reports for PPSS Intro
Added pawn variable fee schedule for WA State
Added under 18 notice for Charlotte new pawners
Charlotte report now uses 24 hour clock
Fixed error message starting new pawn
Fixed error message when filtering pawn reports
Fixed error when using the client filter on pawn reports
6-9-10 / Version 5.1.4585
Current items list error fixed
Fixed file-in-use error when importing inventory csv
Registration fixed
5-17-10 / Version 5.1.4505
Batch Settlement Window duplicate entries removed
Checks printing error fixed
Inventory reports and labels now has a secondary sort by item number when using the Consignor Filter
Label option added for Zebra printers: 2.25" x 1.25" adhesive
5-7-10 / Version 5.1.4479
Fixed program not running after trial period
Internal Consignor IDs now appear on add/edit screens
Fixed inability to delete items
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main criticism of Pawnmaster software pricing?
The main criticism is that Data Age (the company behind Pawnmaster) allegedly doesn't disclose the total cost of ownership upfront. The page argues that while Data Age warns about competitors hiding fees, they themselves don't clearly present all costs on their website or in pre-purchase disclosure statements.
What specific claims does Data Age make that are questioned?
Several claims are questioned, including: "With PawnMaster there are no surprises when it comes to costs," "We make it simple – we're your one-stop-shop for getting everything you need to reduce your costs," and statements about transparency regarding the total cost of ownership.
What contractual concerns are raised about Pawnmaster?
The page claims that Pawnmaster requires new purchasers to sign an agreement not to abandon their software for 3 years, and suggests that costs are buried in a Customer Care Agreement that "is seldom read" rather than being disclosed prior to purchase.
What kind of information is provided in the version history section?
The version history section provides detailed information about updates and fixes for multiple versions of the software, dating back to 2010. It includes information about new features, bug fixes, and improvements made in each version.
What features were added in Version 5.1.6029?
Version 5.1.6029 (released 7-16-11) added several features including Partial Payment on Principle, new format file codes, and various fixes including date discounted filter for inventory reports, error messages for new-sale records, loss of pawn fees when selecting item categories, and price field saving on batch inventory edit window.
What printer support improvements were made in the software updates?
Several printer-related improvements were made across different versions, including support for thermal tag printing (3.37" x 1.1875" vertical 2-across thermal tags and 2.25" x 1.37" non-adhesive thermal tags), support for Star TSP100 receipt printers, and label options for Zebra printers (2.25" x 1.25" adhesive).
What customizations for Charlotte were added in the updates?
The updates included several Charlotte-specific features, such as a custom pawn form, buy outright custom pawn ticket form, export-police report as text file, under 18 notice for new pawners, and changing "PPSS Intro for Charlotte" to "Charlotte Police Reporting Software."
How were consignment features improved in the updates?
Consignment features were improved by adding the ability to assign Consignor percentage per category, adding a Consignor filter for the Disbursements Report Designer, making Internal Consignor IDs appear on add/edit screens, and adding a secondary sort by item number when using the Consignor Filter in inventory reports and labels.
What interest calculation improvements were made?
The updates included the ability to specify a non-prorated interest for the first 5 days and periods thereafter, and fixed an issue where tickets printed from the new-pawn window showed non-prorated interest for the 1st period.
Were there any improvements to reporting capabilities?
Yes, several reporting improvements were made, including adding Gold/Not Gold to Pawn Reports Designer, adjusting the position of page numbers and columns on police reports, fixing Gold/Not Gold and Gun/Not Gun filters for the Pawn Report Designer, and adding inventory reports for PPSS Intro.