While trying to impress his new girlfriend, Newman makes an outlandish statement: “You see, certified mail is always registered, but registered mail is not necessarily certified.” Is Newman just blustering his way through a date with a woman of beauty and brains, or is there something to his claim?
Registered mail is an add-on service to a number of shipping options provided by USPS. With the purchase of the registered mail service, the recipient must sign to accept the package and the sender is able to view the signature for a small additional fee. The true benefit to registered mail, however, is that it offers an increased level of security than normal delivery. Shippers who use this service will receive enhanced security over the course of delivery, as well as insurance coverage of at least $25,000. Additionally, purchasers of registered mail will receive detailed tracking beyond what you might normally expect for those who have ordered something online and received a tracking number. The one downside to registered mail is that the service slows down the delivery process, so as to ensure the security of the delivery service.
With certified mail, USPS will require signature confirmation upon delivery from the recipient and then will keep that signature on file. The sender can also request proof of signature and delivery, for a small fee, to ensure that the package arrived at its intended destination. Nowadays, with the ease of technology, those who purchase certified mail can also track their shipment as it moves along the USPS shipping route.
So what of Newman’s postal flirtations? Well, it looks like Newman is just simply wrong. Our portly, but smart as a whip, postal worker is just trying to impress his date. In fact, registered mail and certified are two separate services and, if anything, registered mail has all the benefits of certified mail plus some additional security and insurance benefits.
So how could Newman get this wrong?
