Pony Express Mailbox and Business Center

Went in to get a quote from Ray on shipping some sensitive camera gear across the country (camera gear I have shipped previously with no issues). From the moment I began to place items on the desk Ray seemed less than enthusiastic about helping me. Firstly he didn’t grasp that I wouldn’t be shipping the gear in a large Pelican case I had brought it all to the store in, even after being told by myself and my wife three times that it wouldn’t be going. He then proceeded to tell us that was a bad idea, even after being informed that was simply not an option as the person we had sold and were shipping the gear to did not want to pay for the expensive case. Instead of listening to what we needed to say, or maybe even offering up some suggestions on how we could pack and ship the gear, he just kept interjecting commentary about what a bad idea idea it was to not ship it in the Pelican case.
We then offered up that we could remove the foam from the Pelican case and use it to ship the smaller items all in one box. He continued to take an extremely negative view of the situation and it was obvious his only concern was for his potential liability and pointed out that he was the owner so it wasn’t going to ship without his ok, as if we had any interest in shipping our expensive camera gear in a way that was less than safe. It really was a remarkable how negative he was during the entire experience. At that point I decided I’d had enough of my intelligence being insulted and being condescended to and decided to pack my stuff up and go in search of someone not at all like Ray. While beginning to pack up I pointed out my displeasure at him acting like he didn’t want to ship any gear. He took the opportunity to admit that he, in fact, did not want to ship it.
We travel full time and thus have to use shipping companies all over the country very often. We go to small shipping businesses like this in order to get expertise, creativity, and good customer service. Otherwise, we might as well go to the USPS if we want crappy service with a side of negativity smothered in condescension.
We’ve been here once before when we needed to mail some postcards and get a few envelopes (another experience that wasn’t great but that passable because it required almost no thinking). If all you need is to buy are stamps or drop off a package, Ray is your man. If you’re expecting to ship something particularly expensive or need some assistance with packing, Ray lacks the requisite people skills to make that experience a pleasant one. He will, in fact, over complicate the situation by making assumptions and jumping to all sorts of conclusions before allowing you to even fully explain your request. It seems he is to shipping what finger painting is to art.

better than 1 star so I am revising. Not «a-​ok» though — so I can’t do 3.

Some frustration with inefficient system, one man operation. In the afternoon, it gets long line and the man working without any concern. Even picking a package takes long time in the line.

I first came here when I moved to Redmond in 2008 to get a mailbox while I was looking for an apartment. The guy who served me, Ray, was super friendly, helpful, and I later found out he is the owner and been in the mailbox/​shipping business for 20 odd years.
Needless to say, 6 years later I’m still a very satisfied customer and always find them to be prompt, fair, reliable and *always* treat their customers with respect. I’ve dealt with Ray, his wife and a guy called Tim and they are all consistently fantastic.
Over the years I’ve referred about ten people here and they’ve also been happy with the level of service they received.
By far I think they are the best value around for mailboxes and offer 24×7 access at no extra charge, they’ll also box up and forward your mail to you while out of town: you can schedule this or ask them to do it with a phone call.
This is one of a very few places anywhere that I consider a: Highly recommended locally owned and run business.

Good People, Good Hours — exactly what you expect.

All I can say about this place is you will get the friendliest and best service possible. These guys are great and they are genuinely nice people that care about your business. If you are in the area and have any type of shipping needs, this is the place to go.

These guys are right by Microsoft Redmond campus. Which is where I do a lot of my work, and it’s by my kids’ dance school Première Dance Center, and by my Rite Aid and Safeway. So, I can stop by this location and ship stuff, and I have a private mail box there for my LLC. I have 24 hour access.
The staff are genuine, competent and surprisingly funny for a bunch of people bravely standing on cement floor all day!