Return Receipt Abuse

The RR or Return Receipt feature in your e-mail program is basically useless as far as I am concerned. Being one can disregard the request for a return receipt as I do for every request I get, what's the point?

I don't particularly appreciate someone wanting to know when I opened their e-mail -- that is my business. Especially when it comes to day-to-day communications. Note I said opened. RR does not mean the e-mail was read.

Then you have those who have an RR request with every single e-mail they send as though they have to baby sit you. One excuse I was given is the RRs allowed this person to organize follow-ups. And even after asking they refrain from having an RR request on every single e-mail so I wouldn't have to decline the request each time, they continue to do so anyway. Why would you have to use an intrusive feature that you've been asked to refrain from using to keep yourself organized? How about simply putting a copy of the e-mail you sent in your follow-up folder?

Back in the day, RRs could serve a purpose on important and legal e-mails where it was critical to one side or the other knowing the e-mail was received because they knew the recipient would acknowledge the RR request. However, today, when most simply decline these requests, know you are being more of a nuisance and risk being annoying by having this feature engaged for your every day communications.