My Mail Center

[DRAFT FOR LEGAL REVIEW. This is not final and has not been reviewed by an attorney. Do not publish until counsel has reviewed and approved it. Items marked [DECISION: ...] need a business decision from the owner. Items marked [VERIFY] need a check by counsel.]

My Mail Center Terms of Service

Last updated: [DATE] Effective date: [DATE]

These Terms of Service ("Terms") cover the My Mail Center digital mailbox service. That includes our website at mymailcenter.net, our web app, and our iOS and Android apps (together, the "Service").

The Service is provided by [Legal entity name, e.g. My Mail Center LLC] ("My Mail Center," "MMC," "we," "us"). We are a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency ("CMRA") registered with the United States Postal Service ("USPS").

Our locations:

  • 332 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60604
  • 5508 S Lake Park Ave, Chicago, IL 60637

By creating an account, signing up for a plan, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy and Data Retention & Deletion Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Who can use the Service

  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must be able to enter a binding contract.
  • If you sign up for a business, you confirm you are allowed to act for that business. The business is also bound by these Terms.
  • You must give us true, current, and complete information, and keep it up to date.

2. What the Service does

We receive mail and packages for you at one of our locations. We then help you manage it online. The Service includes:

  • Mail logging. We photograph the outside of every envelope or package we receive for you. We log it in your account.
  • Actions you can request:
    • Open & Scan – we open the item and scan the contents.
    • Forward – we ship the item to an address you choose.
    • Shred – we securely destroy the item.
    • Pickup – you collect the item in person at our store.
    • Archive – we keep the item, subject to storage limits (Section 7).
  • Package alerts. We tell you when a package arrives.
  • Mail rules. You can set rules that tell us to take actions automatically (see Section 5).
  • AI features. We use artificial intelligence to sort mail and summarize scans (see Section 6).

Processing times

Requests received by 3:00 pm Central Time on a business day are targeted for completion the same business day. This is a goal, not a promise. Volume, staffing, holidays, carrier schedules, and other factors can cause delays. Business days are [DECISION: business days and hours, e.g. Monday–Friday excluding federal holidays].

3. Plans, fees, and billing

Plans

Plan Monthly price
Personal $50 per month
Business $60 per month

[DECISION: Confirm what distinguishes Personal from Business plans, e.g. number of names on Form 1583, business-name mail, scan allowance.]

You can choose a term of 1, 3, 6, or 12 months. A 2-year term is also available. [DECISION: Confirm whether multi-month terms are paid up front or monthly, and whether any discount applies to longer terms.]

One-time fee

There is a $25 one-time application/setup fee when you open your mailbox. [DECISION: Is the setup fee refundable in any case, e.g. if your Form 1583 cannot be completed?]

What's included

Each plan includes:

  • 30 content scans per month (Open & Scan requests). [DECISION: Do unused scans roll over? Default assumption: no.]
  • Shredding
  • In-store pickup
  • Package alerts

Extra charges

  • Extra scans. Scans beyond 30 in a month cost [DECISION: price per extra scan; prototype shows $2.00] each.
  • Forwarding. You pay the actual postage or shipping cost. [DECISION: handling fee per forward, or none.]
  • Storage. Storage beyond the free period may cost extra (see Section 7).
  • Late fee. If a mailbox payment fails and is still unpaid 10 days later, a late fee is added, once per missed payment: $15 on Basic, $25 on Personal, $30 on Business and $50 on Business Pro. We tell you when a payment fails and again if the fee is added.
  • Other services. Notary, fax, printing, shipping labels, courier, package storage and similar services are charged at our posted prices when you use them. Recurring services you sign up for, such as registered agent, bill to the same card on their own schedule.

We will show you any fee before you confirm a paid request in the app, where possible.

How billing works

  • We bill through Stripe, our payment processor, to the card you keep on file.
  • You authorize us to charge your card for your plan, the setup fee, postage, extra scans, and any other fees you incur.
  • Usage charges (like postage and extra scans) are billed [DECISION: when usage charges are billed, e.g. at the time of the request, or on the next invoice].
  • Prices do not include taxes unless stated. You pay any taxes that apply. [VERIFY: Whether Chicago or Illinois taxes apply to mailbox or scanning services.]

Automatic renewal

Your plan renews automatically at the end of each term for the same length of term, at the then-current price, unless you cancel before the renewal date.

  • You can turn off auto-renewal or cancel at any time in the app under [Account > Billing].
  • We will send you a reminder before a renewal of a term of [DECISION: e.g. 3 months or longer] at least [DECISION: number of days, see counsel note on Illinois law] days before it renews.
  • If we change the price, we will tell you at least [DECISION: e.g. 30] days before the new price applies to your next renewal.

Failed payments

If a charge fails, we will try again and notify you. If payment is still not made within [DECISION: number of days], we may pause the Service. While paused, we will keep receiving and holding your mail, but we may not scan, forward, or release it until your balance is paid. [DECISION: What happens to mail if an account stays unpaid for a long period, e.g. treated as termination after X days.]

4. USPS Form 1583 and your mailing address

USPS rules control how a CMRA like us may receive mail for you. You must follow them.

Form 1583

Before we can receive mail for you, you must complete USPS PS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent.

  • You must give two forms of acceptable identification. One must be a photo ID. USPS sets the list of acceptable IDs.
  • Your signature must be witnessed by our staff in person or by a notary. You may use an online notary through our provider.
  • We keep copies of your Form 1583 and IDs as USPS requires.
  • We submit your information to USPS's online CMRA system as USPS requires.
  • If your information changes (like your name, home address, or the people listed on your form), you must tell us and update your Form 1583.

Who can receive mail

We can only give mail to people and businesses listed on your Form 1583. Each additional person must be listed and must provide ID as USPS requires.

Mail addressed to someone not listed on your Form 1583 will be held for a short time while you update your form, or returned to the sender. [DECISION: How long unlisted-person mail is held before return, e.g. 7 days.]

Your address format

You must use your Private Mailbox ("PMB") number in your address, like this:

Your Name
332 S Michigan Ave PMB [number]
Chicago, IL 60604

USPS also allows the "#" sign in place of "PMB." [VERIFY: Confirm current DMM address-format language.] Mail without your PMB number may be delayed or returned.

5. Mail rules (automatic actions)

Mail rules let you tell us in advance what to do with certain mail. Examples:

  • Auto-scan mail that looks like it is from a government agency or a bank.
  • Auto-shred marketing mail.
  • Create pickup codes for packages.
  • Send a weekly consolidated forward.

When you turn on a rule, you authorize us to take that action without asking you each time. This includes charges (like scans over your limit or postage).

Please understand:

  • Rules rely on how mail looks from the outside, and sometimes on AI. Rules can misclassify mail. For example, an important letter could look like marketing mail and be shredded.
  • Shredding cannot be undone. If you are unsure, do not set auto-shred rules for that type of mail.
  • You can change or turn off rules at any time. Changes apply to mail logged after the change.
  • We are not responsible for an action taken correctly under a rule you set, even if the mail was misclassified by the rule. [VERIFY: enforceability of this allocation; consider whether to exclude items like checks or government notices from auto-shred by default.] [DECISION: Should certain mail (e.g. checks, certified mail, government mail) never be auto-shredded regardless of rules?]

6. AI features

We use AI to help run the Service. Our current AI provider is Anthropic (Claude), accessed through its API.

  • Mail sorting. AI reads the envelope image to help match each item to the right mailbox. Our staff [DECISION: confirm whether staff review AI matches, e.g. always, or only when confidence is low].
  • Summaries and due dates. When an item is scanned, AI may create a short summary and detect due dates or deadlines.

AI summaries are for convenience only. They may be wrong or incomplete. They are not legal, tax, financial, or medical advice. You must review the full scanned document yourself. Do not rely on a summary or detected due date to meet a deadline. We are not responsible for losses caused by relying on an AI summary or due date.

Our Privacy Policy explains how mail images and contents are shared with AI providers.

7. Storage

We store mail and packages for a limited time.

  • Letters and flats: free storage for [DECISION: number of days].
  • Packages: free storage for [DECISION: number of days].
  • After the free period: [DECISION: choose one or more: storage fee of $___ per item per day/week; automatic forward at your cost; shred (letters only); return to sender; or disposal after notice].

We will notify you before free storage ends. [DECISION: how much notice, e.g. 7 days.] We may refuse or return items that are too large or heavy for our space. [DECISION: size or weight limits for packages, if any.]

Archive means we keep the physical item longer at your request, subject to the limits and fees above. Digital images and scans are kept as described in our Data Retention & Deletion Policy.

8. Things you may not do

You may not use the Service or your address to:

  • Do anything illegal.
  • Commit fraud or identity theft, or mislead anyone about who you are or where you are. This includes presenting our address as a residence or physical business premises where that is misleading or not allowed.
  • Receive items that are illegal, hazardous, or restricted. This includes items USPS or carriers prohibit, such as explosives, flammable materials, illegal drugs, and [DECISION: any other items you will not accept, e.g. live animals, firearms or ammunition, perishable food, cash].
  • Receive mail for people who are not listed on your Form 1583.
  • Avoid legal process, creditors, or law enforcement.
  • Send spam or harass anyone.
  • Interfere with, hack, scrape, or reverse-engineer the Service.
  • Share your login with others not authorized on your account.

We may refuse, hold, or return any item we reasonably believe breaks these rules. We may report suspected illegal activity to USPS, law enforcement, or other authorities. We may suspend or end your account for a violation, without refund where the law allows.

9. Opening mail and legal requests

  • We only open mail when you ask (Open & Scan), when your mail rules tell us to, or when needed to identify a damaged or unmarked item. [VERIFY]
  • We may inspect or refuse items that appear dangerous or damaged.
  • We must comply with valid legal requests, such as subpoenas, court orders, and requests from USPS or law enforcement. Where the law allows, we will try to tell you first.
  • USPS can request your Form 1583 information. We will provide it as USPS rules require.

10. Your account and security

  • Keep your password and devices secure. You are responsible for activity on your account.
  • If you think your account has been accessed without permission, tell us right away at [support email].
  • You can turn on extra login security in the app, such as Face ID or fingerprint login where available. That is handled by your device (see our Privacy Policy).

11. Text messages and notifications

If you opt in, we will send text messages only to alert you about your mail and packages (arrival alerts and pickup codes). We don't send billing, reminder or marketing texts, and replies to our texts aren't monitored.

  • Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.
  • Reply STOP to opt out. Reply HELP for help.
  • Consent to texts is not a condition of buying the Service.
  • Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

You can also manage email and push notifications in the app.

12. Cancellation, termination, and refunds

You can cancel

You can cancel anytime in the app under [Account > Billing], or by contacting us at [support email]. Cancelling stops auto-renewal. Your Service continues until the end of your paid term.

Refunds

[DECISION: Choose a refund policy. Options include: (a) No refunds for partial terms; service continues to end of term. (b) Pro-rated refund of unused full months on multi-month terms. (c) Full refund within X days of first signup if no mail has been received. Also decide whether the $25 setup fee is ever refunded.]

We can end or suspend the Service

We may suspend or end your account if:

  • You break these Terms or USPS rules.
  • Your payment fails and stays unpaid.
  • Your Form 1583 or ID cannot be verified or is not kept current.
  • We are required to by law or by USPS.
  • We stop offering the Service. If this happens, we will give you at least [DECISION: number of days] days' notice and [DECISION: refund of unused prepaid fees?].

Before your account closes

Before your account closes, you should:

  1. Update your address with everyone who sends you mail.
  2. Request forwarding, pickup, or shredding of any items we are holding.
  3. Download any scans you want to keep.
  4. Pay any outstanding balance.

Mail after your account closes

After your account closes, we will handle mail that still arrives for you as required by USPS regulations. In general, this means:

  • If you and we agree, we may forward mail to you for a limited period (USPS currently allows up to 6 months) [VERIFY], at your cost. [DECISION: Will you offer post-closing forwarding? If so, price and how it is paid.]
  • Otherwise, mail is returned to the sender with the endorsement USPS requires (for example, "Undeliverable, Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, No Authorization to Receive Mail for This Addressee"). [VERIFY]
  • Items we are holding at closing that you do not collect or ask us to forward within [DECISION: number of days] days will be [DECISION: returned to sender, shredded, or disposed of].

We may also be required to tell USPS that our relationship with you has ended.

13. Biometric screening services are separate

My Mail Center also offers health-related biometric screening services. Those services are not part of this mailbox Service. They have their own terms and privacy notices. Nothing in these Terms applies to them.

14. Our responsibility for mail and packages

We take reasonable care with items in our custody. But please understand our limits:

We are not responsible for:

  • Delays, loss, or damage caused by USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Amazon, or any other carrier, before an item reaches us or after we hand it to a carrier for forwarding.
  • Items that arrive already damaged, opened, or incomplete.
  • The contents of your mail, including whether they are accurate, legal, or safe.
  • Mail that does not reach us, or is sent to the wrong address or without your PMB number.
  • Mail returned, refused, or held because the addressee is not on your Form 1583.
  • Actions we take correctly based on your requests or mail rules.
  • Errors in AI summaries, AI-detected due dates, or AI mail matching, where you have the scan available to review.
  • Delays in meeting the same-day processing target.
  • Missed deadlines, late fees, penalties, or other losses because mail was delayed, misclassified, or not reviewed in time.

If you want extra protection for valuable items, ask the sender to insure them, and buy insurance when we forward them.

15. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied. This includes warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not promise that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or always available.

16. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows:

  • We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. This includes lost profits, lost data, missed deadlines, or business interruption.
  • Our total liability for all claims about the Service is limited to the fees you paid us in the [DECISION: number, e.g. 3 or 12] months before the event that caused the claim. [DECISION: Consider an additional per-item cap, e.g. $___ per lost or damaged item.]

Some laws do not allow these limits. In that case, the limits apply only as far as the law allows.

17. Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless My Mail Center and its owners, employees, and contractors from claims, losses, and costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that come from:

  • Your use of the Service or your address.
  • Items sent to you.
  • Your violation of these Terms, USPS rules, or the law.
  • Information you give us that is false or incomplete.

18. Disputes

[DECISION: Choose one:

Option A – Courts. Any dispute will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois. You and we agree to the jurisdiction of those courts. Small claims court is always available for claims that qualify.

Option B – Arbitration. Any dispute will be resolved by binding individual arbitration under the rules of [AAA / JAMS], held in Cook County, Illinois, or online. You and we waive the right to a jury trial and to bring or join a class action. Either side may use small claims court instead. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of signing up by emailing [support email].]

Before filing any claim, please contact us at [support email] and give us 30 days to try to resolve it informally.

19. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Federal law, including USPS regulations, also applies where relevant. For any dispute that goes to court, venue is in Cook County, Illinois.

20. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. If a change is material, we will notify you by email or in the app at least [DECISION: e.g. 30] days before it takes effect. Changes will not apply retroactively. If you keep using the Service after the change takes effect, you accept the new Terms. If you don't agree, you can cancel before the change takes effect.

21. Other terms

  • Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the Data Retention & Deletion Policy are the whole agreement between us about the Service. Your Form 1583 is a separate USPS form and remains in effect as USPS rules require.
  • Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.
  • No waiver. If we don't enforce a term, we have not given up the right to enforce it later.
  • Assignment. You may not transfer your account without our written consent. We may transfer these Terms as part of a sale or reorganization of our business, subject to USPS rules.
  • Events beyond our control. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events we can't reasonably control, like severe weather, power or internet outages, carrier disruptions, or government action.
  • App stores. If you use our iOS or Android app, Apple or Google is not a party to these Terms and is not responsible for the app. [VERIFY: Apple's minimum EULA terms if using a custom EULA.]

22. Contact us

[Legal entity name, e.g. My Mail Center LLC] 332 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60604 Email: [support email] Phone: [support phone]

Notes for counsel

  • CMRA rules (DMM 508.1.8). Please check the current text of DMM 508.1.8 for: acceptable ID list and witnessing/notarization rules (including online notary acceptance), PMB/"#" address format, CMRA reporting through USPS's online system, delivery only to persons listed on PS 1583, and handling of mail after the agency relationship ends (forwarding period and return-to-sender endorsement in Section 12). The forwarding period and endorsement text in Section 12 are from my understanding of DMM 508.1.8 and should be confirmed verbatim. Sources: USPS DMM 508; Federal Register, 88 FR 32117 (May 19, 2023), CMRA final rule; Federal Register, 88 FR (Jan. 12, 2023), proposed rule.
  • Illinois Automatic Contract Renewal Act (815 ILCS 601). The Service auto-renews. Please confirm required disclosures (clear and conspicuous auto-renewal terms, cancellation method), the advance written notice requirement for longer terms (generally contracts of 12 months or more that renew for more than one month; notice window 30–60 days before the cancellation deadline), and the requirement to allow online cancellation when the customer signed up online. Section 3 reminder timing is a placeholder. The Act has been amended several times recently; please check the current version. Source: 815 ILCS 601.
  • Federal negative-option rules. The FTC "click-to-cancel" amendments were vacated by the Eighth Circuit in July 2025; please confirm the current federal status and ROSCA (15 U.S.C. 8401 et seq.) compliance for the online signup flow.
  • Card-network and Stripe rules on recurring billing disclosures and pre-renewal notices.
  • Mail rules / auto-shred allocation of risk (Section 5). Please confirm the disclaimer for AI or rule misclassification is enforceable and conspicuous enough, and whether certain mail types should be excluded from auto-shred by default.
  • AI disclaimer (Section 6). Confirm adequacy under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (815 ILCS 505) and FTC guidance on AI claims.
  • Limitation of liability and indemnity (Sections 14–17). Check enforceability against consumers in Illinois, especially for gross negligence or willful misconduct carve-outs.
  • Arbitration (Section 18). If chosen, confirm class waiver and opt-out language, and mass-arbitration provisions.
  • TCPA / 10DLC (Section 11). Confirm opt-in language matches the registered 10DLC campaign with Twilio and CTIA guidelines.
  • Taxes. Confirm whether any Illinois or Chicago taxes apply (e.g. Chicago Personal Property Lease Transaction Tax on cloud/software services).
  • Apple App Store. Confirm whether to use Apple's standard EULA or include Apple's required minimum terms.