I think we've all got this option already.
At the foot of every New Message, there's an option to tick
Request Read Receipt: Allows you to check whether your message has been read by the recipient.
My experience as well.
I only noticed a PM from Turkey last night because I happened to check just before logging off.
And the teaboy hasn't responded to a PM I sent him three days ago. I guess he hasn't even seen it.