SingPost vBox - Pros & Cons

[Sg Girl]

I'm thinking of applying for SingPost's vBox service and giving up my P.O. Box.

Does anyone here have a vBox? Is it any good?

From the FAQ on SingPost's website, having a vBox shouldn't see any delays in the local postal service and the big advantage is supposed to be that I don't have to notify anyone of a change of address.

But can I use a vBox address for more the important correspondences listed below or do I still have to go through the tedious process of change of address notifications?

For instance:
(a) Government bodies - IRAS, ROC, AVA, Road Tax, Judiciary, etc
(b) Banks/Credit Card companies - for monthly billings, notifications, etc
(c) Singapore Power, mobile phone companies
(d) Insurance companies

Advise?

Thanks so much

[Yutenji]

Does anyone here have a vBox? Is it any good?

From the FAQ on SingPost's website, having a vBox shouldn't see any delays in the local postal service and the big advantage is supposed to be that I don't have to notify anyone of a change of address.

But can I use a vBox address for more the important correspondences listed below or do I still have to go through the tedious process of change of address notifications?

Hi. I use a mailbox at MBE (MailBoxesEtc) which provides a very similar service. Pluses and minuses (some of which you probably already know about, if you're using a PO Box) ...
- The redirection to your 'real' address is a fantastic advantage, no matter which company you use.
- Problem with addresses containing "P.O.Box ###" and (i suspect) "Vbox XXXXX" is that many companies won't deliver to these, and you'd have to use your real address for those. With MBE the address looks like this "Suite XXXXX" and I've never had any problems with rejected mail.
- MBE is definitely more expensive than vbox; about S$300 annually.
- Unless you change your NRIC address to the Vbox address (which I kinda doubt they'd allow) you're always going to have some confusion when trying to 'prove' your address. Again, the MBE address was ok to use as my NRIC address when I moved abroad for a while.

So, imho, it sounds like vbox would be easier / better than a PO Box, and cheaper than an MBE box, but it comes down to personal preference.

Good luck

[Sg Girl]

Hi Yutenji,

Thanks so much for your reply. It really helped. I was starting to think, too, that the vBox is basically like the P.O. Box, except for its convenience and slightly cheaper cost.

I wrote to SingPost last week. When I received no reply, I forwarded my post to them again on the fourth day and finally someone emailed asking for my contact number so she could call me about the enquiry, which I found quite annoying. If they were going to be giving me such a helpful, short reply why make me wait almost a week for it? I guessed right then the replies were going to be a bunch of "No, it can't be used for this and that".

So it looks like I'm going to just let the subscription for my P.O. Box run out before considering the vBox after

Thanks again

[Yutenji]

So it looks like I'm going to just let the subscription for my P.O. Box run out before considering the vBox after

Sg Girl,

Wondered how you got on in the end? I'm also interested to hear whether anyone has found alternatives to PO Box, vBox and MBE.

This is mainly due to the fact that MBE are now closing their Suntec Branch at very short notice. To say I'm about this would be something of an understatement, having spent the last 4-5 years cleaning up the vast majority of my contacts to go through MBE.

Cheers