Dear LPG,

Here is a bit of advice that I think it is worth passing on.

I am sure that I am not unique when it comes to the amount of mail I receive these days.   I seem to get much more than when I was working even though a lot more of it is sort of junk-orientated.   It appears that once you buy something from one of those little catalogue companies they all get on the band waggon and the catalogues arrive through the post thick and fast.  I have found them interesting to browse through and every now and then I order something from one of them. 

Many of them arrive with an order form inside which gives anyone wanting to order three options when it comes to making a purchase.   One can order on line (if you know how), you can order by telephone (which can be a little complicated in my opinion) or you can opt to complete the form that is part of the catalogue when it arrives.  I usually opt for the form filling which works until something goes wrong with your order. 

I am talking about those occasions when it’s the wrong size or gets sent to the wrong address.  When this happens it is really easy for the catalogue company to blame the way you completed the form because you are likely not to have a copy.

I read an LPG article about the importance of making sure that you have a record of written information that you send out and I have found it a really good idea to make a copy of these order forms after you have completed them but before you send them out. 

 I am often at home when I fill out such an order form and It is so much easier to pick up my mobile phone and take a quick picture.  As an alternative, there is the computer scan (if you have a printer), or a visit to the library for a paper photocopy but the picture on your phone will be easy to find if you need it, and save you the trouble of wasting a lot of time digging in draws or going through all your papers.  When you take the picture though, don’t forget to make sure that it is legible.   All you need to do is enlarge the picture and check that you can read the words.

I recently was sent something that I did not want and it was so much easier to prove that they had sent the wrong item to me because I took a picture of the order form before I sent it off to the catalogue company. 

KF, forest Hill

There is a lot more that can be done with a pictured or scanned photograph, they can be sent on the internet and printed very simply.   But the most important aspect of having that picture is that while the paper version of the document can be misplaced or lost when you really need it, you are likely to have your mobile phone with you wherever you are.  While the picture is never going to be the same as the original, as long as you check the quality of the picture you take, signatures and details will be legible.  It is also a really good way to keep a copy of receipts for the bigger things that you have bought where the date that you made the purchase could be important.