Awkward Document Submissions: Tales from the Freelance Trenches

As a freelancer, we’ve all experienced the occasional hiccup in communication with clients. However, some document submissions leave us scratching our heads in disbelief. I wanted to share an amusing yet frustrating instance that happened to me, and I invite you to join in the conversation.

I once had a client send me a document that baffled me. Instead of forwarding the actual file, they took a photograph of a PDF displayed on their iPad using a Samsung phone and then emailed that image to me. This quirky approach meant that I still had to manually process the invoice, which added unnecessary effort and complication to the task.

Have you ever encountered equally bizarre or frustrating document submissions? Perhaps you’ve seen handwritten notes that are nearly illegible, upside-down scans, or files named “Image(345).jpg.” I’d love to hear your stories and experiences!

I’m collecting these anecdotes for a project aimed at addressing the chaos that can arise from unconventional document sharing methods. Rest assured, there’s no pitch here—just a desire to know that I’m not alone in dealing with these chaotic submissions.

Feel free to share your most memorable or head-scratching encounters in the comments below!