Letters: French lettres recommendées are by no means infallible
Reader points out two failings of France's omnipresent system of registered post
Registered post is a requirement in many official communications and declarations
Philippe DEVANNE / Shutterstock
To the Editor,
Your recent article on the difference between lettres suivies and lettres recommandées [registered post] was helpful and informative.
I would note that the tracking of such letters and parcels does not guarantee that they will arrive, merely that one will know when and where they were last seen, although one can insure tracked parcels for up to €1,000.
Some legal and government websites state that the excuse that a lettre recommandée envelope was empty will not be accepted: apparently this ploy to avoid the contents of a letter was employed in the past, hence use of bailiffs to deliver important letters.
Simon Croxon, by email
What is your experience of using lettres recommandées in France? Does the system work as intended? Let us know via letters@connexionfrance.com