Omgosh USPS api procedures are annoying.

I have yet to figure out why I'm getting errors but I think I've found out why!  I needed to go http://www.usps.com/webtools/webtoolsapirequestform.htm to request permission to use their api components that are dealt with addresses.

 I'm sending this request


https://secure.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPITest.dll?API=DeliveryConfirmationV3&XML=<DeliveryConfirmationV3.0Request USERID="blah" ><Option>1</Option><ImageParameters /><FromName>John Smith</FromName><FromFirm /><FromAddress1 /><FromAddress2>475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW</FromAddress2><FromCity>Washington</FromCity><FromState>DC</FromState><FromZip5>20260</FromZip5><FromZip4 /><ToName>Joe Customer</ToName><ToFirm /><ToAddress1>STE 201</ToAddress1><ToAddress2>6060 PRIMACY PKWY</ToAddress2><ToCity>MEMPHIS</ToCity><ToState>TN</ToState><ToZip5 /><ToZip4 /><WeightInOunces>2</WeightInOunces><ServiceType>Priority</ServiceType><POZipCode /><ImageType>TIF</ImageType><LabelDate /></DeliveryConfirmationV3.0Request> 

to find out that I get this error

<Error>
 <Number>80040b1a</Number>
 <Description>API Authorization failure. DeliveryConfirmationV3 is not a valid API name for this protocol.</Description>
 <Source>UspsCom::DoAuth</Source>
</Error>

So I tried it with the live secure url instead just to find out I'm not allowed

https://secure.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPI.dll?API=DeliveryConfirmationV3&XML=<DeliveryConfirmationV3.0Request USERID="blah" ><Option>1</Option><ImageParameters /><FromName>John Smith</FromName><FromFirm /><FromAddress1 /><FromAddress2>475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW</FromAddress2><FromCity>Washington</FromCity><FromState>DC</FromState><FromZip5>20260</FromZip5><FromZip4 /><ToName>Joe Customer</ToName><ToFirm /><ToAddress1>STE 201</ToAddress1><ToAddress2>6060 PRIMACY PKWY</ToAddress2><ToCity>MEMPHIS</ToCity><ToState>TN</ToState><ToZip5 /><ToZip4 /><WeightInOunces>2</WeightInOunces><ServiceType>Priority</ServiceType><POZipCode /><ImageType>TIF</ImageType><LabelDate /></DeliveryConfirmationV3.0Request> 

to find out that I get this error


<Error>
 <Number>80040b1a</Number>
 <Description>API Authorization failure. User blah is not authorized to use API DeliveryConfirmationV3.</Description>
 <Source>UspsCom::DoAuth</Source>
</Error>
This was the same issue with testing out my shipping rate class just to find out that it doesn't work on the test server but works perfectly with their live server.  When I emailed and asked  ICCC about the situation all they did was swtich me over to live server and said try again. They never told me why it didn't work on the test server.
If this has been an onging issue, which seems to be from what I've read/searched online, and  a lot of people are having problems with it, then why don't they just start us off with the live server instead?
It seems like a lot of developers are running into this problem. You would think by now they would've acknowledge/act on the issue and update us with it.  Instead they just ignore it and become complacent about their ways and repeat it with the next developer that ask about this problem. 
I'll have to wait and try this again once they grant me permission to use their address api components.  Until then...

Buddha Soumpholphakdy