Certified Mail with Return Receipt

[retire-early]

My mother received a letter mailed via Certified Mail with the green Return Receipt postcard still attached to the back.

I have only sent Certified Mail with Return Receipt never received them.

Isn't the postal employee suppose to get her signature on the green postcard?
Or is the tracking number adequate these days?

 

[JRon]

The last time I sent certified mail I had the choice of either getting a tracking number only or getting return receipt (more $). My guess is the postal carrier should have requested the signature unless they use those green forms on all certified mail.

 

[Montecfo]

If they do not get a signature, it defeats the purpose does it not?

Sender cannot say if or by whom the mail was received.

Certified mail is usually bad news. Maybe she dodged a bullet?

 

[pb4uski]

It's been a while since I did this but I received back the green card with the recipient's signature indicating receipt.

 

[euro]

It's been a while since I did this but I received back the green card with the recipient's signature indicating receipt.

Yeah, that's how it is supposed to work. Alas, the post office has a pretty poor track record with it. I send a good number of these (on behalf of a property owners association), and the free card (with signature) makes it back maybe half of the time, maybe less. Some of them get returned attached to the original mail piece (i.e. "undeliverable"), and some of the mailings just "disappear" and never show up again. The court system (at the level of liens, etc) will accept the electronic receipts from the post office as evidence, in my experience.
That said, given the extra fees and the tedious way these have to be prepared (the person at the post office will assist with this if you only send ONE piece, but they quickly lose interest if you show up with a dozen pieces to mail....) it is not a very impressive performance.

 

[Montecfo]

"undeliverable" just means no one rushed to the post office to pick it up or delivery refused.

It works somewhat better if sending to a business.

 

[Aerides]

Isn't the postal employee suppose to get her signature on the green postcard?

There were changes put in place wrt signature deliveries for Covid. IE, they don't get them as much. I'm not sure if this is all carriers, but I think so for at least a while this was the case.

 

[retire-early]

There were changes put in place wrt signature deliveries for Covid. IE, they don't get them as much. I'm not sure if this is all carriers, but I think so for at least a while this was the case.

After calling the local post office a few times and finally having someone answer the phone,
I was told that due to Covid, they haven't been requiring the signature.
However, the green post card was supposed to have been removed by the carrier.
The postal carrier wrote "Covid-19" on the envelope,
he apparently was suppose to put that on he green post card instead. LOL.
So, it would appear Certified Mail with Return Receipt is not very useful.

 

[pb4uski]

I was always skeptical anyway... someone could sign for it and then claim that they lost it or never opened it or the envelope was empty or something along those lines.

 

[ERObjd]

so much turnover among postal delivery people that I dont think most of them know what to do with certified mail. Have found several over the years that were not signed, but you can use the track # and find out if letter or package was delivered.

 

[Montecfo]

I was always skeptical anyway... someone could sign for it and then claim that they lost it or never opened it or the envelope was empty or something along those lines.

Sure, but that it pretty weak sauce. The benefit is it puts the onus on the recipent. It works quite well in court. But it is useless with no signature.

I'm intrigued that USPS continues to sell a product that their Covid guidelines render useless. But perhaps I should not be surprised.

 

[jazz4cash]

I just did this for a friend. I can’t believe the Certfied Mail/Return Receiot form has not changed in 60 yrs but I can no longer print inside those tiny boxes and you can’t do it online. I use an online account to print and click priority mail shipping label with tracking and delivery confirmation but still have to pay extra at the window for CM/RRR

 

[Aerides]

So, it would appear Certified Mail with Return Receipt is not very useful.

They are really relics of the pre-internet days, but the USPS doesn't abandon them because some things haven't caught up, like certain legal things, much like some people still pay for AOL accounts.

Delivery confirmation works for most anything, but doesn't always prove too much, as some carriers scan delivered in batches before it's really delivered.

Signature Confirmation works well (outside of covid exceptions) and lets you see the signature online.