Bizarre Document Submission Stories: The Strangest Ways Clients Send Files

In the realm of client communications, we often encounter moments that leave us baffled, amused, or downright exasperated. As a professional, I’ve seen my fair share of unusual document submissions, but one incident stands out among the rest.

Let me share my experience: I once received an invoice from a client in a rather unconventional manner. Instead of attaching a digital document or sending it through a standard method, they opted to take a photo of their PDF displayed on an iPad—using a Samsung phone, mind you. They then emailed this snapshot to me. To add to the absurdity, I had to manually process that invoice. It was a puzzling yet oddly memorable moment in my professional journey.

This got me thinking: what are some of the most bizarre ways you’ve received documents from clients? Have you encountered handwritten notes, upside-down scans, or files whimsically named things like “Image(345).jpg”?

I’m currently gathering tales from around the industry as I work on a project aimed at addressing these chaotic submission practices. I’m not here to promote any solution—just eager to learn from your experiences and to realize that I’m not alone in this curious landscape.

So, I invite you to share your stories. Let’s come together to commiserate, chuckle, or simply shake our heads at the peculiarities of document submissions in our line of work!