Declining Return Receipt Requests

Return Receipt or RR, is an e-mail program functionality that let’s the Sender of an e-mail know that an e-mail has been received and/or opened by the other side. Notice I didn’t say read… There is no way to prove that the recipient read a single word. Opened does not mean read.

RRs should be used on those rare occasions where you need to try to have some form of acknowledgment that the other side has received the e-mail. Such as for very important communications like legal or business issues. RRs, in my opinion, are pretty useless because they can be declined.

I decline every RR request sent my way. It is no one’s business when I’ve opened any e-mail! I look at RRs as a privacy issue — one that infringes on my privacy! That’s why this feature has to be used sparingly if at all. There are those who send an RR request with every single e-mail they send — basically they are being nosy and intrusive. Stop that!

In Eudora, the e-mail program that I use, I get asked about acknowledging a return receive request and I decline every time. Because this seems to annoy others as well, on a regular basis I’ve been asked how to turn off RR in Outlook so you don’t have to deal with these ongoing annoying requests. Here you go:

Click on Tools > Options

Select the Preferences tab from the multi-tabbed dialog box.

Click on E-Mail Options.

When the E-Mail Options dialog box appears, click on the Tracking Options button.

Click on the radio button, “Never send a response”.

Click on OK.

I recommend not sending a RR request unless the other side is expecting you to and is waiting and willing to acknowledge their receipt so you are both on the same page.

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