The postal service has a near monopoly of sorts on registered letters. So naturally they charge high prices, at least in some regions, e.g. the cost of a Big Mac.

To save money, I hand-deliver letters and ask for a signature. Most businesses go along with this and sign for delivery just as if I were a postal worker. But there are some baddies. And it’s not mom-pop shops. It’s banks and utility companies who refuse to sign for a delivery based on who is doing the delivery. They say they would sign for a post office-delivered registered letter. But they discriminate against individuals.

When a legal matter ends up in court, the winning party is generally denied their costs in registered letters. So when a bank or utility company refuses to sign for letters not delivered by the post office, it drives up non-recoverable costs. It’s also anti-competitive because the post office has no pressure to charge a reasonable price.

Refusing a post office registered letter usually means the recipient is still legally responsible for the contents of the refused letter. But individuals are at the disadvantage of being unable to get the benefit of the refusal (no witness to the refusal).

So new rule:

• refusal to sign for a letter triggers a liability of $/€ 250.
• an NGO, consumer protection agency, or the post office shall be designated to proxy refused letters to record the refusals and give recipients a 2nd chance to avoid the fine.