Mail Boss “On the House”

The Carey Brothers rave about the Mail Boss locking mailbox on air

While I was at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas last month, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on the air by James and Morris Carey (better known as the Carey Brothers) – home improvement gurus with their own nationally syndicated radio program “On the House”.

The segment has already aired, but is available here for your listening pleasure. (Side note: It’s so weird hearing your own voice on the radio!) Also, the transcript from the program is available below.

Part I of II: Mail Boss “On the House” with the Carey Brothers

Part II of II: Mail Boss “On the House” with the Carey Brothers

Click here to read the Show Notes for May 9, 2009

On the House with the Carey Brothers – Mail Boss Locking Security Mailbox

Part I

James Carey: Identity theft is a big problem I tell you, you gotta protect yourself and people are shredding paper like crazy but you need to do more than that because if you’ve got outgoing mail at your mailbox in front of or near your home, or you have incoming mail dropped off by the Post Office, unfortunately recently in my very own neighborhood a number of my neighbors were victims to identity theft because someone got in and took a bunch of mail which had credit card numbers and what have you. Checks and you name it. So its increasingly becoming a problem unfortunately, but fortunately there’s somebody that’s doing something about it and Jenny DeRaspe-Bolles is here and she is with Mail Boss Locking Security Mailboxes. Welcome to the program, Jenny!

Me: Thank You!

James Carey: And you’re very passionate about this. This is a family business?

Me: Yes it is.

James Carey: Tell us a little bit about the family business first.

Me: Well we’ve been making furniture for about 12 years and then our family had our mail stolen about 3 years ago and checks washed for $10,000 and all sorts of problems. My parents spent hours and hours trying to reconcile the problem and went to go buy a locking mailbox at the local hardware store and could not find one with any true security features. So we bought out the product line, took them back to our “lab” and came up with a great patented security mailbox that offers a real solution to identity theft.

James Carey: Now you did quotation marks when you said, “Took them back to the lab.” I’m envisioning either a barn or a shed or a maybe a garage?

Me: Or a warehouse, yup.

James Carey: Or a warehouse, something like that – it’s cool. And so you developed the Mail Boss, which is a locking security mailbox. Describe it if you will.

Me: Well its not just a locking mailbox. Most locking mailboxes on the market can actually be fished by hand or opened with a screwdriver in just a couple seconds. They are not truly secure. And our mailbox has patented security features, a patented locking mechanism, and a patented Fast-Trak Mounting Plate for easy installation, so a lot of features that are great for the homeowner…

James Carey: Yes…

Me: And you cannot get into it, so…that’s the best part!

Morris Carey: Well, I think I should say something about that Fast-Trak Mounting system because I was very impressed by that. You know, when you install a wall safe, for example, you have to reach inside this little compartment and do this lag bolting with an extension, and its very difficult to even get your hands in one of these safes, let alone tools. This thing has a mounting bracket that you can put on a steel pole, a wood post, you know, whatever you want, and then you slide the box onto the bracket and then lock it in place… screw it in place actually.

Me: Mmhmm

James Carey: So the mounting system is – Do all the bolting you want, it’s a nice heavy plate. Do all the bolting you want, slide this 40 pound mailbox onto the bracket, and then lock it in place from the inside with a couple of screws… that’s amazing!

Me: I can actually do it myself in just a few minutes, so that’s saying a lot!

James Carey: Ya, well I’ll tell you… I like this 7-pin tube lock. Now a tube lock is like what you’d see…

Morris Carey: That’s what I have on my motorcycle!

James Carey: Right, you’re seeing more and more of these. This isn’t the standard key, it’s the tube lock which makes it much more difficult to jimmy and to mess with. But the construction of this is pretty substantial. Listen, we’ve gotta take a quick commercial break. When we come back we’re gonna talk a little bit about what separates the men from the boys when it comes to locking mailbox construction, and what makes them pretty and last a long time, and also where you might be able to find one. As “On the House” continues live from the National Hardware Show 2009 right after this!

Part II

James Carey: Before we went to the break we were chatting with Jenny DeRaspe-Bolles who is with Mail Boss Locking Security Mailboxes and more. And we talked about identity theft. It’s becoming a growing problem. I know you thought you solved the problem when you bought a shredder. That’s only part of the problem. That’s the material that you get in your hands, but if you are leaving mail in your mailbox and putting the flag up for the mail carrier to pick up mail, or if you’re receiving mail and there are credit card bills and what have you. Personal data, social security numbers, and bank account numbers and what have you, your bank statement. It’s a growing problem so the locking mailboxes are becoming especially popular. And before we went to the break we were talking about what sets locking mailboxes apart from one another in terms of construction, and this is pretty substantial.

Me: Right, 12 and 14-gauge galvanized powder-coated steel, so definitely could take a baseball bat.

Morris Carey: No, no – you could do something more than a baseball bat with this.

Me: Probably an M80.

Morris Carey: Yeah, a baseball bat is nothing. This is, this is really heavy steel.

Me: Oh, yeah.

James Carey: You drove.. in your booth I looked at your video and you drove a truck onto this.

Me: Yeah, a MAC Truck. We rolled the wheel over the mailbox and I actually like the comparison. We do it with one of our competitor’s mailboxes and it just…

James Carey: I saw that. It just smashed.

Me: Into smithereens…

Morris Carey: This would break a baseball bat.

Me: Yeah, probably.

James Carey: It’s industrial strength, but it’s attractive! Tell us a little bit about this finish and some of the other finishes available.

Me: Well, we offer a standard black finish and white and granite as well, and then we have a really pretty hammered copper bronze finish that’s very popular. And they’re all very durable – powder-coated, weather resistant, rust resistant, so a lot of options.

James Carey: And really easy to install.

Me: Very easy to install.

James Carey: And you have a post system as well. If you don’t have your own post, you’ll supply the post as well and it anchors right onto a plate and then there are 2 screws that are concealed behind the locking door which fasten it into place, just like that!

Me: Right, and we also actually have wall-mount applications if you receive your mail at your house itself so you can just mount the same security features, the same construction but right onto the side of your house.

James Carey: Wonderful. And the other thing is for our friends that have monument mailboxes, which are decorative either stone, brick, or stucco or what have you, these can be inserted into that arrangement and have the built-in look as well.

Me: Mmhmm

James Carey: What’s the price range for the product and where may our listeners find them at retail?

Me: For the curbside mailbox you’re going to probably pay $159-$179 in a retail store. And you can ask for the Mail Boss by name at any local Ace Hardware or True Value, or to find a store near you, you can go to our website and use our store locator.

James Carey: And it is…?

Me: Our website is MailBoss (B-O-S-S) dot net.

James Carey: Wonderful. She is Jenny DeRaspe-Bolles, part of this wonderful family business. Thanks so much for sharing your experience and your passion for your product. You guys are living the great American dream. And we wish you all the best!

Me: Thanks for having me!

James Carey: Alright dear, good luck!