Has Anyone Used the Neat Receipts method of organization? If so what was the outcome-like or dislike?

September 19, 2009 08:47PM

I am looking for methods to bring more organization to my mystery shopping efforts. Has any of you veterans purchased the Neat Receipts Hand-held scanner to organize your receipts so that you can get those reports in faster and perhaps use the library in cases where I am having computer problems? I am considering the purchase of one for my husband and myself to use. The best price that I have found on the model with the latest softwqre is $149 at Costco. How's that price? Thanks for your replys!

A Sunny View from the Western NC Foothills
I like calling North Carolina Home!
Thanks for sharing, Cathy McG

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September 19, 2009 11:12PM

I do not have one and have not used one. Several years ago a shopper friend mentioned trying one and found it slow, awkward and overall a useless toy. The technology may have changed drastically since then. I have not read any reviews of them in a long while.

What I find works quite well is that my HP all-in-one printer has the ability to scan as sheet fed any receipts except the smallest ones or business cards. These easily tape to a piece of scrap paper and scan. I have the printer set up so it can be used wirelessly by any computer in the house, so if one computer is bombed or in use, another can control the scan and save the file to a thumb drive to get the info to the uploading machine.

I have thought the receipt scanner could be a winner on purchase and return shops where you need a copy of the unmolested/unmarked receipt. I have found, however, that a digital photo works just as well taken in the car and if the receipt is not returned when I do the return or is all scribbled up before being returned, I still have my needed clean copy. I have also been known to stop into a nearby office supply store during my waiting period before returning the item and buying a cheap copy of the receipt on their copy machine.

September 20, 2009 01:58AM

David Pogue of the NYT wrote and informative review of this product on August 20th. You can find it here: [pogue.blogs.nytimes.com]

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September 20, 2009 04:08AM

Flash, I too have a All-in-One that I scan receipts into, but my set-up is not as convenient as you have made yours. My scanner connects by USB to my laptop that is on a home network where we hook into the internet by sattelite.

Since we live out in the country, and have to drive about 20 minutes to the nearest interstate highway, my husband and I try to arrange a route. Sometimes he several shops in one day- as do I. So when we get home we keep our scanner buzzing and have to wait for our turn.

I was thinking that the Neat Receipts would be a workable solution to this situation and at least there is a copy, if the original were to get lost on the way home.

Dee, I appreciate so much you placing this link on the forum for me. I read it with anticipation. It sounds "Neat" LOL! I am tickled to have found it for much cheaper at Costco than at any place I had priced.

I hope to purchase one in a couple of weeks, I will report to the form when I have the opportunity to figure it out and see how well it works.

Thank you both!

A Sunny View from the Western NC Foothills
I like calling North Carolina Home!
Thanks for sharing, Cathy McG

September 20, 2009 05:42PM

If the issue is a traffic jam at the scanner, may I suggest a whole lot cheaper option is to check Big Lots for a flat bed scanner and operate 2 scanners? We have one in the computer room that is sort of my 'backup' if other things fail. It was about $30 bucks at Big Lots, is an old HP and is expensive to maintain as a printer but is great to just use as a scanner. I have been known to either tape multiple receipts/business cards to a single sheet to use in the sheet scanner or lay them out over the flat bed and then use my editing software to isolate the cards/receipts one at a time to save for upload. The flat bed also works well for brochures and folders that won't go through the sheet scanner.

September 20, 2009 06:17PM

I am rather interested in this myself, though more for the SW than the portable scanner. I can take decent pics of receipts on the go using the iPhone. And I own a photo scanner with all kinds of attachments that is for my art practice and is overkill for this, so I don't really need the scanner. But I like the SW package that comes with it. Turns out the company sells it separately. If I get it, it will not be till the end of the year, as it is not in the budget right now.

September 20, 2009 08:03PM

I had an old HP scanner that was as simple as can be and it just died one day. I bought a new one a few months ago, that really does everything. That is the problem, when I scan something, it is difficult to use, especially when you need a paper reduced. I have found it easier, it companies will just accept a fax.

September 23, 2009 04:15AM

Tiger Direct has one on sale for $100.

[www.tigerdirect.com]

If you need only to scan the receipt on the road, perhaps a digital camera would suffice. I have taken many a photo of receipts and so I can do the return the same day without driving an extra trip. Especially some say you may return the item in only after 15 or 30 minutes.

If you want a full page scan such as a your signed invoices, then a digital camera may not suffice.

If you do choose to go with the higher price at Costco, they have a better return policy than Tiger Direct if it does not work to your liking.

September 23, 2009 05:43AM

QuadOpteron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tiger Direct has one on sale for $100.
>
> [www.tigerdirect.com]
> s/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3327596&sku=N199-1008
>
> If you need only to scan the receipt on the road,
> perhaps a digital camera would suffice. I have
> taken many a photo of receipts and so I can do the
> return the same day without driving an extra trip.
> Especially some say you may return the item in
> only after 15 or 30 minutes.
>
> If you want a full page scan such as a your signed
> invoices, then a digital camera may not suffice.
>
> If you do choose to go with the higher price at
> Costco, they have a better return policy than
> Tiger Direct if it does not work to your liking.

Thanks a bunch for the TigerDirect Tip--that might certainly be the way to go---I know I'm not paying $289.00 at my local Best Buy.

A Sunny View from the Western NC Foothills
I like calling North Carolina Home!
Thanks for sharing, Cathy McG

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2009 05:48AM by asunnyview.

October 04, 2009 06:44AM

Did you end up getting this, Sunny? If so, did you like it?

October 06, 2009 02:33PM

"Neat Desk" was being talked about on Public Radio last evening. It is apparently a business card system that scans about 10 business cards per minute and use OCR to translate the info into text. Apparently moderate accuracy unless the card has dark background colors and/or elaborate scripts. A $400 system and not useful to shoppers, but it is interesting what is 'coming down the pike'.

October 08, 2009 04:43PM

I got a "Neat Receipts" for free last year. It's still in the box on my office shelf. I, too, take digital photos of receipts, and find that it's perfectly acceptable. I can save it in almost any format required by the MSC, and I have it backed up if there is ever a dispute, or, like so many receipts now, it's printed on thermal paper, and the "printing" fades over time.

Lee

October 08, 2009 09:55PM

I got one on Woot a few months back. The software is horrible but the hardware is kidna cool. If the objective is to scan in receipts for uploading, it is WAY easier for me to do that with my digital camera. If the objective is storage, it might be a solution but I'm still using folders.

I have yet to have to go back to find a receipt (only been doing this for 10 months) but I have them all just in case. I am about to convert, in 2010, to a monthly file instead of a company file. Too many companies.

If NeatReceipts made a more attractive software product instead of a database/spreadsheet looking thing, it might be more attractive to me. Actually - They HAVE upgraded their software, but I have not seen the upgrade.

November 10, 2009 08:31AM

Circuit City has this for $89 this week...

[www.circuitcity.com]

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Has Anyone Used the Neat Receipts method of organization? If so what was the outcome-like or dislike?

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