Photo: LisaCarter (Shutterstock)
This one goes to everyone who has come to terms with the fact that the gym they haven’t been to in years is withdrawing a bunch of money from their checking account every month for the rest of their lives. Many gyms require would-be terminators to cancel their membership by showing up in person or sending a certified letter, fitness gods seem like your only option.
It is not! You don’t have to live like this. Sending a certified letter is really easy.
When do you need to send certified mail?
Certified mail isn’t just for gym cancellations. Tax returns and legal notices as well as all types of sensitive documents can also be sent with it. The benefit of paying for a certified letter is that you get a receipt and, for an additional fee, get a copy of the recipient’s signature once they get it. It helps you cover all of your basics in situations where you may need to prove that you really sent something and the other party really got it – or not.
A certified letter is a form of registered mail. Registered mail gives the sender a receipt and records of the post office’s location, but costs more than registered mail. There is a little more security associated with registered mail. So always check which option is best for your particular situation. Also think about the economy – registered mail is insured, registered mail can be insured for a surcharge. Add up the various fees required for both options to figure out which one suits your needs, considering security and cost.
You can send certified mail from any post office
Your first option for sending registered mail is the old-fashioned one: go to your local post office and request a 3800 registered mail. You can recognize it by the green and white sticker that contains a barcode that will help you track your package.
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Fill out all the information in the form carefully and properly. They will write down the recipient’s name and address, so make sure you write correctly and that your writing is legible. Then turn your attention back to the green and white sticker. You have a few more decisions to make, but they are clearly outlined for you. All you have to do is check boxes and enter your initials to determine whether you want a restricted delivery service – which ensures that a specific person receives the mail and signs for it – or if you want to buy a return receipt service to get a copy of the recipient Signature.
Affix the sticker on your envelope above the recipient’s address, but leave space for postage on the right side. Add your stamps or postage, then pay the certified mail fees. These may include the $ 3.35 certified letter mailing fee, the return receipt fee known as PS Form 3811, which is $ 2.75, and any other option you choose. (These prices are of course at the time of this writing.)
Inside is a perforated receipt. You will see it so don’t worry. You have to keep it. That’s kind of the whole point.
How to send certified mail online
Of course, if you can’t find time to go to your old gym and cancel your membership, you don’t have time to go to the post office to do so. Don’t worry – we live in the future, baby, and you can send a certified letter online.
There are several sites that offer this service. They have pretty obvious names, like onlinecertifiedmail.com. Labels that you can print at home are an option. You can find them again on websites by name like certified maillabels.com.
As with any website, check that the website you choose is legitimate and has what you need, such as: B. USPS Next Day Tracking and Proof of Delivery.
Now write your letter in Word or a similar program or fill out the form that you should send. If you need to sign it make sure you do. There’s no point in paying to send a document that you didn’t fill out correctly! Use DocuSign or a similar program, or print, sign, and even scan a physical document. Whatever you do, make sure you have your is dotted and your Ts crossed, figuratively and literally.
Upload the document to the certified mail website you have chosen, fill in your payment details and follow the steps as you would for any online purchase. The letter should be addressed, printed and sent by the service on the same working day you upload it.
Now just keep updating this tracking page until your little nightmare ends.
