GREENSBORO, N.C. — Bob Michalski is a bit of a handyman. When his mailbox started to show its age after about 20 years, he took it upon himself to build a new one.
“I made it out of a plastic composite so it would last a lifetime,” Michalski said.
In theory, it probably should have lasted a lifetime. However, last year, he went to get the mail and the mailbox and the cradle were cracked.
“The mailbox was out of shape, and the stand was bending over,” Michalski said.
It's weird because Michalski looked at the mail a few hours earlier, and the mailbox was OK. So, in a span of about three to four hours, someone or something knocked it over and cracked the wood holding it up.
“I had no idea what happened. I didn’t see it,” Michalski said.
While he surveyed the damage to his mailbox, he noticed his neighbor had security. Michalski asked if he could review the footage, and the neighbor agreed to send it to him.
In the few hours when the mailbox was damaged, only two vehicles came into the cul-de-sac, and the camera detected no one. An Amazon worker dropped off a package at his neighbor's house. The driver kept his distance from the mailbox and drove off without hitting it.
The other vehicle was a USPS mail truck. The driver certainly got close to the mailbox, but the video cuts off before you can tell if the driver hit it.
“It was him. No one else came into the court,” Michalski said.
A few days later, Michalski tried to call the post office to report the incident.
“I tried calling, but they would not answer the phone,” Michalski said.
A few days later, he drove to the post office, and they gave him an email to send a complaint. Michalski said he sent three or four emails but never heard from anyone. After waiting almost four months to hear back, Michalski called News 2.
“News 2 got back to me in two days, unlike everyone else,” Michalski said.
Our Call for Action team contacted a representative with the postal service, and they told us they would investigate the matter. It took some time, but eventually, Michalski filled out a form given to him and sent it back explaining the incident and the cost to repair.
Several months went by, but we continued to follow up with Michalski and the postal service. It took about six months, but one day, Michalski went to his mailbox and found a letter from the postal service acknowledging the situation and a check to repair it.
“I really do appreciate what you did. Without our help, I probably wouldn't have my problem resolved,” Michalski said.
Michalski joked he should use reinforced military-grade steel to repair it. However, the check does not cover that type of expense.