Update: After several months of use, I’ve lowered my review from 4 stars to 2 stars. I removed 2 stars because this mailbox is not really secure. 1) With a small-ish hand and arm, one can reach inside an pick up an item that’s taller, like items mailed in a plastic bag or smaller boxes. With a picking device, anything can be removed with the drop door partly open. 2) Packages and even regular envelopes don’t always drop into the lower portion, making them easy pickings for anyone who wants something from your mailbox. To be honest, it’s not the postal delivery person’s job to giggle the drop door multiple times to ensure the items drop into the mailbox. Even if the envelopes start to drop, almost half the time they get pinched between the back of the drop slot and the anti-hand shield .. making them easier to grab from the drop slot. Overall, it will keep a lazy opportunistic thief from stealing your mail, but anyone with intent can steal your mail from this mailbox. Original review: So after having the same 43 pound 10 gauge steel locking mailbox for 2 decades, after it was purposely run over by vandals for the third time in 20 years, it was no longer able to be locked. I had been able to pound it back into shape with a small sledge hammer in the past, but it was just too far gone. So I decided to look for a replacement. I originally wanted something like what I had, but the post master requirements had changed and they no longer make the mailbox I needed to replace. So after much research, I went with MailBoss. I called them to ensure Amazon was an authorized retailer. They confirmed they were, so I went ahead and ordered a MailBoss Package Master from Amazon. Even though we’re prime members, we waited just over a week to get it. When it arrived, the shipping box had been torn open from top to bottom and a 4x10 inch section of the box had been sloppily taped back on. When I opened it, I found ALL of the styrofoam broken and the side of the mailbox had a 13” long deep scratch. In addition, the door for retrieving the mail was cocked and difficult to open and the bar that prevents the door from being pried open was welded into place such that it hit the top of the mail cavity when being closed. As I had already purchased the Rustoleum Canvas White enamel paint for touch up, initially I was going to paint the damage and use the box. But after trying to open and close the locking door, bending the bar down so the door would completely close and having the door still hit on the top of the closure, I figured I wasn’t keeping a $200 defective and damaged mailbox. So I called MailBoss to see what they were going to do to fix the situation. In a word .. nothing. Per MailBoss, I bought the mailbox from Amazon and it was their responsibility to make it better. So much for MailBoss customer service. So I did an Amazon return with replacement. That went ok. Took another week to get the replacement mailbox. This shipping box was in good shape. Opened the box, removed the mailbox and !!! It was damaged. Not as bad, but still. There was paint damage on the side that obviously occurred when the powder coat was still powder. The locking mailbox door was somewhat easier to open, but there was what appeared to be welding slag on the bottom of the door that was literally gouging a deep groove into the hinge. Also, the paint job on this mailbox wasn’t very good. We wanted the white (it’s really off white) mailbox which has a smoother surface finish. The paint had hundreds of divots on the edges and corners. Again, it’s a $200 mailbox, so I wasn’t going to accept this. I contacted Amazon, they started a return for the second mailbox and arranged to pick up both mailboxes at the same time. Due to my trouble, they gave me a $20 coupon. Only problem was, best I can tell, they tagged my account. When looking without logging in, the white mailbox was $197. When logged in, the same mailbox was $228, but only when logged in. It automatically used the $20 coupon to “discount” the $228 mailbox. So I ended up having to pay $10 MORE for the same item. Humph. I still needed a mailbox, so I ordered a third one which only took 5 days to arrive. This shipping box had slight damage, but overall was okay. When I removed the mailbox, at first it looked to be good shape. Other than one small spot in the paint (obviously done when still powder) that wasn’t all the way through, there were no paint issues and the locking mail door worked properly. Everything was fine until I went to remove the mounting plate. It wouldn’t move. Turns out BOTH rear lower corners were bent inward so much that they were touching the back corners of the mounting plate. There’s no way this happened in the box, this damage occurred prior to being boxed. I’m very handy and able to fix most things. So I took a bunch of thick plastic to protect the paint, placed that inside a large pair of smooth jaw pliers and SLOWLY bent the metal back into shape a little at a time. It took some effort to get the metal to move, ensure the metal was flat and not bending the wrong direction all while not damaging the paint. I was able to get both corners back to their original shape and was able to wipe the paint clean. The only touch up I had to do was there prior to straightening the corners. 3’s a charm. The MailBoss Package Master is mounted on the MailBoss 43” I ground post. Overall, it’s nice, it’s heavy and it’s not likely going anywhere. The next time it’s “accidentally” run over, they’ll likely need assistance leaving. Despite the manipulative video, you can get your hand inside the mailbox, but not deep enough to pickup letters. Boxes, that may be another story. I haven’t tested it yet. Also, there’s no anti-fishing device, so I’m not sure if it’s possible to use a wire and sticky to retrieve the mail. Now that it’s mounted, I’m not really happy with the post and mailbox combo. The reason is the post mount is too small. In the MailBoss instructions for mounting the mailbox to wood, they say to use the points furthest out on the mounting plate. This is to help with stability. However, the top plate on the MailBoss post is small. You have to use holes rather close to the center of the mounting plate. That means the mailbox can wobble a bit with just a little force. If it bothers me enough, I may go the the metal store and get a 1/4” thick stainless steel plate that’s closer to the size of the mailbox’s mounting plate. Mount the stainless steel plate to the post and then the mounting plate to the stainless steel. As long as I tap the stainless steel holes, no one will be able to remove the bolts with the mailbox attached. Overall, I recommend this mailbox, but MailBoss needs to work on their customer service and really needs to work on their quality control. I shouldn’t have to go through three $200 mailboxes to get one that’s mostly acceptable.
