What Happens If Scanbacks Are Requested After the Documents Have Already Shipped?
What Happens If Scanbacks Are Requested After the Documents Have Already Shipped?
By Christine’s Signature Spot | The Signing Journal
You finished the signing. You checked the package. You sealed it up, dropped it at FedEx or UPS, uploaded the tracking number, and mentally crossed the assignment off your list.
Then your phone goes off.
“Please upload scanbacks before shipping.”
Except there’s one problem.
The documents are already gone.
If you work as a loan signing agent long enough, some version of this situation will probably happen. Maybe the original order said no scanbacks. Maybe the requirement was buried somewhere in the instructions. Maybe the signing service sent an updated request after the appointment. Or maybe you simply missed it.
Regardless of how it happened, once that package is moving through the shipping system, you usually can't just reach in and grab it back.
So what do you do?
First: Don't Panic—and Don't Disappear
Your first move should be communication.
Contact the hiring party as soon as you realize the package has already shipped. Be clear about what happened and provide the tracking information if they don't already have it.
This is not the moment for a five-paragraph explanation of why it happened.
Something as simple as:
“The package was dropped before I received/saw the scanback request. Tracking is active and the documents are currently in transit. Please let me know how you'd like me to proceed.”
Then wait for instructions.
The mistake—or miscommunication—has already happened. What matters now is how quickly and professionally you respond to it.
Can FedEx or UPS Give the Package Back?
Sometimes people immediately wonder whether they should race back to the shipping location and try to retrieve the envelope.
You can certainly contact the location if the drop was extremely recent, but don't assume the package can be recovered.
Once a shipment has entered the carrier's system, intercepting it may not be possible. And as a signing agent, you should be very careful about making changes to the delivery of a client's loan package without authorization.
Your hiring party should be involved in any decision about attempting to redirect, hold, or recover the shipment.
Don't Try to "Fix" It Without Telling Anyone
This is where a small problem can turn into a much larger one.
Don't quietly attempt to reroute a package, change delivery instructions, recreate documents, contact the signer for another appointment, or make other significant decisions on your own.
The documents don't belong to the signing agent.
Your job at this point is to report what happened, provide the information you have, and follow the hiring party's instructions.
Sometimes the answer may simply be: let the package continue to its destination.
The receiving party may decide they can review the originals when they arrive.
Other times, they may have a different solution.
Let them make that call.
What If You Were Supposed to Scan Them and Forgot?
Own it.
There is a big difference between an instruction changing after you shipped the package and an instruction that was there all along but was missed.
If you missed it, don't blame the platform, the signing service, the borrower, Mercury being in retrograde, or the FedEx employee who was trying to close the store.
Just communicate.
A professional response doesn't require a dramatic confession. It requires accountability and a willingness to help resolve the problem.
Loan signing agents handle time-sensitive documents. Mistakes are going to feel enormous in the moment, but making yourself difficult to reach usually makes the situation worse.
This Is Why I Don't Rush the Drop
There's a temptation after a signing—especially a late appointment—to get that package out of your hands as quickly as humanly possible.
But I've learned that there is value in giving yourself one final checkpoint before the envelope disappears into the shipping system.
Before dropping a package, I want to know:
Are scanbacks required?
Has the package been completely checked?
Are there any special shipping instructions?
Did anything happen at the table that needs to be reported?
Is the shipping label correct?
Am I actually cleared to drop?
That extra minute can save an enormous headache later.
If This Happens to You, Your Reputation Isn't Automatically Ruined
I think newer signing agents especially need to hear this.
You can do hundreds of signings and eventually encounter a situation where an instruction gets missed, changes, or simply isn't communicated clearly.
Professionalism isn't pretending that nothing ever goes wrong.
It's what you do when something does.
Respond quickly. Tell the truth. Don't make unauthorized decisions. Follow instructions. And once the situation is resolved, figure out what you can change in your process so you're less likely to encounter the same problem again.
Then move on.
Because if you're going to stay in the loan signing business for any length of time, you'll eventually collect a few stories that begin with:
“Everything was fine until I dropped the package…”
A Note from Christine
The thoughts shared in The Signing Journal are simply my own opinions, observations, and experiences as a professional Notary Signing Agent. Every signing, client, and situation is different, so nothing here should be considered legal advice or a substitute for your own professional judgment.
Want to keep the conversation going? Follow me on Instagram @christinessignaturespot. I’d love to hear your take or your own signing experiences.