You must have proof!

One of the more interesting lessons I learned after moving here is that if you have to send anything by mail, you must send it registered mail. Otherwise, the person won't get it. Well, they will get it, of course, but they'll SAY they didn't, thereby buying themselves more time to do nothing about it. Take for example, our letter of cancellation of cable services. We wanted to sever our ties with one internet provided and hire another. Our first cable company, Noos, said we had to send them a letter stating our desire to end our contract with them. Fine. I typed it up and sent it off the next day. Although the following month I noticed our bank statement said we were still being billed for their services. I called them up to ask what gives and was informed they never received my letter of cancellation. So, like a dummy I sent them the same letter, again. And the following month, we again were billed for their services, even though our cable had been switched 2 months ago to another company. Finally, a Parisian friend clued me in to what was happening. By not sending the cancellation letter registered mail, I had no proof I asked them to cancel our service, thus allowing them to bill us for two months of internet use we never received. At that point, I decided to go to the post office to find out exactly what was going on. I shouldn't have even bothered because they are in on it, too. They told me to get lost unless I could produce proof. So, bottom line? Don't send anything more important than a postcard without that little, yellow, registered mail sticker on it.