P.O. Pack

I had to get a document notarized for a friend being admitted to the New York bar. Here’s my view of it: the notary gets money for very little effort (and yes, most of their fee probably goes further up the pyramid to someone who exerts even less effort). I mean, what if I needed to pay the bouncer $ 10 to check my ID before I got into a regular bar? That’s pretty much how I see this transaction. So, I’m about to give the Notary at PO Pack his free money, but he also has a tiny bit of power. Let’s watch the power go to his head, ready? «This form is not good enough. Tell the New York State Bar Association that PO Pack of Shattuck Avenue says their legal documents are wrong.» Wait, really? Yup. At this point, I’m willing to pay my $ 10 for the sake of having a good laugh. I’ll re-​print the documents and go to a different notary. Three star review, and not even worth discussing, really. However, I opened my big mouth like usual, and tried to convince him otherwise. I’m not surprised that that didn’t work. I am surprised, however, at how quickly the Notary became angry and accusatory. This didn’t need to be a fight. I guess the moral of the story is that this fellow has lost all his patience. I wonder if it could be from daily dealings with the post office and North Berkeley privilege…

I have a mailbox here and I could not possibly imagine worse mailbox service. I will be canceling my service early and requesting a refund. It’s simply awful and a tremendous inconvenience.
My first clue should have been that it took weeks just to receive a key for my mailbox.
Within a short time of renting a mailbox, mail and packages (with proof of delivery) both have been lost. There was no explanation for this from the manager, even after requesting one verbally and in writing.
It’s worth noting that the business — including private mail and packages — are frequently left unattended. The owner has an accounting/​tax business next door, where he often spends his time, leaving no one to look after customers mail or packages. One can enter and leave never seeing anyone in fact. I’ve done so on more than one occasion.
On one recent occasion, seeing a package slip in my mailbox, I had to help myself to my package. This was easy — they’re left out in a big pile on the floor in front. I retrieved my package and left without interacting with anyone (it seems like a great place for someone to steal packages or mail from, if you’re into that).
Also notable — I have observed customers walking straight back to the area behind the mailboxes, unattended, and taking their mail without a key. Presumably, one could therefore help themselves to someone else’s mail. Essentially there is little or no security for your mail or packages here.
Another time, during the recent holidays, no package slip was issued for my package. I received said package only after asking for someone here to find it — six days later. They were surprisingly unconcerned by the oversight.
Most recently I went by to get my mail and they were closed during their posted business hours. Wow.
If you value your mail or packages, methinks this is not the place to do business.

This is a friendly business that really looks out for the local community.
Our office needed to ship an iMac internationally, and we were worried about it being damaged during shipping. The local shipping service told us that we would have to wait until the next day for them to finish packing our computer. We needed the computer shipped out immediately — so we had to look elsewhere.
Thankfully, PO Pack was nearby, and they assured us with their timely and secure packing service. I dropped off the computer in the morning and came back after my lunch break. Lo and behold, it was safely packed and ready to go. They even gave us a shipping quote from their FedEx account. This included a detailed breakdown of the costs, including the computer insurance cost and an explanation of the dimensional weight, which are both used to calculate the total.
I am grateful for their attention to detail, and I felt safe shipping through their service. Even though we have our own discounted FedEx account, we will be back here for our larger shipments. Thanks PO Pack!
PS I’ve read many misinformed comments regarding their «high» shipping prices. Do not be misled, these comments are comparing the shipping costs of FedEx/​UPS to USPS. Premium couriers like FedEx/​UPS will always be more expensive than USPS, since your shipment will be expedited and secure. Our office’s FedEx account already ships at a discounted rate because we ship quite frequently, but PO Pack’s FedEx cost was even LOWER.

I had a very frustrating experience. I went in to get a state-​level background check to teach English in Korea through a government run program. The people running the place did not really seem to know what sort of background check I needed. They were trying to have me fill out a form for Foreign adoption. My friend had already undergone this process for the program and had no issues, so I couldn’t figure out why this business was having so many issues figuring out what I needed. After the longest 45 minutes of back and forth, debating, the man calls his friend who runs a similar business in Oakland. Turns out the form they wanted me to fill out was incorrect. They found the correct form online. I filled it out and got my finger prints scanned. I was nervous about getting the background check done here since the people running the store really seemed to have no clue about how to do it. In the end, it was all fine. My background check came in the mail, I got it apostiled and mailed to Korea. But it was a pretty nerve-​wracking process. They got the job done but I wouldn’t come back here again.

Well … I don’t often give 1 Star reviews, and before I do I’m willing to recognize that my experience may have been an anomaly.
So before posting, I checked the other reviews.
And several people commented upon being charged too much, which was my experience too.
I went into the shop with a mounted photograph to be shipped to the east coast. My guess … the cost of a box with shipping would be about $ 15 – 18.
No rush … what’s the least expensive way? About $ 50. I ask again. $ 50, then when I said no, they offered to do it for $ 35.
We’re talking about a 12×12 photo mounted on styrene. Weighs about ¼ lb. Not fragile — no special packing or peanuts needed — just needed to be kept flat.
Now, I know that I can keep the print I have, order another print for $ 12, and have it shipped directly from the printer for the same amount, so said no. As I was walking out I realized they still had the label … when I went get it back I got another request for the job.
Went back to my office, turned the cardboard box I’d received this print in around (I’d ordered several prints in the package) taped it shut, put my label on it, and brought it to the good old United States Post Office for Priority Shipping.
Cost? About $ 12 and about 3 minutes to pack it myself.
Not going back
And all those $ 12 costs … just a coincidence (or perhaps not)

There was a previous reviewer who states that they charged an absurd amount for shipping a package. I had the exact same experience. I shipped a 2 lb. box (12“x8“x6″) and they charged me $ 23.36 (including the $ 2.50 box and a $ 2 «packing» (really just taping) charge) to ship it via parcel post. The USPS site indicates a cost of less than $ 10.
Also, I had indicated that I wanted the cheapest option available. He told me that it would be $ 30, including tracking and insurance. This was clearly not the cheapest option, and I had to squeeze it out of him. I feel this business depends on dishonest upselling and overcharging. I will not use this business again.

I needed to have some documents notarized and sent in an overnight envelope. The service here was fine, and there was just a short wait. Would use again.

Have you ever wished you had a sweet Indian Aunt who you could tell your troubles to and she would smile at you sweetly and fuss over you?
The lady at the counter is my fantasy aunt. I came here for live scan fingerprinting and she was just so damn cute I wanted to take her home and ask her to cook me some dal and gluten free samosas (wha? I’m from Berkeley).
Super service, very kind and frendly. Much recommended.

I want to give them zero starts. They lied to my older parents about Post office Rules, causing my parents to pay to return an opened box of merchandise that they did not order. Lying to elderly people in order to make money is disgusting. I will be reporting this business to the BBB.

It’s nice that they’re open until 5 PM on Saturday, but that’s about it. They grossly overcharged me for a package and I will not be back.

I think the world of this store.
I use them for shipping computer parts around the country. They offer more customer service than a regular UPS or FEDEX store. They make it easy to bring my package my shipment properly and they dont make me repackage something if the box I used says FEDEX even though Im shipping using UPS. They have even called me to tell me my tracking info after I forgot to call them to ask for it. They are always friendly and their prices are right. I will continue to use them whenever I have something to ship.

I really like these guys. They’re very helpful an accommodating, and they always go out of their way to give me extra service.
It’s true, you will pay more if you ship here than if you go directly to UPS or the post office. That’s true of any 3^rd-​party shipping contractor. But hey, they have to pay their rent too, you know? And it’s worth if for the convenience of being able to drop off an unboxed item, and have it packed and shipped.
Jefferson D gave them what I consider an unfair review. He’s blaming PO Pack because the computer was damaged in shipment. Sorry, bro, but there are so many places your shipment could have gone wrong. You can’t point the finger at PO Pack.

I would give them 0 stars if possible.
These people are Thieves, pure and simple.
They overcharged me for shipping and insurance. I delivered to them a perfectly working Mac Mini to ship across the country. I know it was working perfectly because I thoroughly tested it before sending. The salesman talked me into letting them pack it for «extra» protection. Total Cost: Almost $ 70. Well the computer arrived DOA, I filed a claim and then the packing shipper denied the claim because the box was intact. They sent the computer back to PO pack, where they told me to come pick it up AND they wouldn’t even refund the shipping cost, EVEN AFTER THEY BROKE MY COMPUTER!
Karma is a bitch.

This was the only place I could find notary services in the immediate neighborhood. Nice guy running the place, fast service. The store is very clean and tidy. It also carries a wide variety of greeting and postcards and can take care of all your mail needs – it’s basically a good, independent version of a UPS store.