Troubleshooting
I sent something by mistake
What to do in the first ten minutes, while it can still be fixed cleanly.
The instinct is to wait and see whether anyone notices. That is the worst option: the sooner it is cut off, the fewer people will have opened it and the cleaner the explanation.
The first ten minutes
- 1
Cut off access
Void the send. The link stops working immediately, even though the email is already in their inbox.
- 2
Check whether it was opened
The case tells you. An unopened email is not the same as a downloaded document.
- 3
Tell them yourself
A short message saying it was a mistake and to ignore the previous one. Hearing it from you changes how it lands entirely.
Depending what was inside
| What you sent | What else to do |
|---|---|
| A wrong document, no third-party data | Void and resend the right one |
| Another person's personal data | Tell whoever handles data protection in your company |
| Bank or identity details | Also tell the affected person |
| A document to your client's competitor | Talk to your manager before writing anything |
Important
If what was sent contained third parties' personal data, it is not merely a work error: there may be specific notification duties on short deadlines. Tell whoever handles data protection in your company that same day, even if you believe it was never opened.
Watch out
Voiding does not delete the email from anyone's inbox. It cuts off access to the document, which is what matters, but the message is still there.
Worth knowing
If the error came from a badly filtered list, review the list before relaunching. Resending in a hurry on the same list repeats the mistake, now with context.
›Can I tell whether they downloaded it?
Yes, accesses are logged.
›Do I get the credit back?
No, the send was already consumed.
›Is my voiding recorded?
Yes, with the time and the reason you write.
A real case
The situation
One employee's amendment goes to another employee's address.
What you do
- Voids the send within five minutes
- Confirms it was never opened
- Writes to the person explaining the error
- Tells whoever handles data protection
What you get
The document was never seen and the notification is made the same day.
The situation
A request goes to the wrong contact.
What you do
- Cancels the send and corrects the recipient
What you get
The error closes before the other side opens it.
The situation
A document is sent with a wrong figure.
What you do
- Warns the recipient and sends the corrected version
What you get
The correction arrives before the confusion does.
The situation
A round goes out to a hundred contacts by mistake.
What you do
- Stops what has not gone yet and warns about the rest
What you get
The error's reach is limited within minutes.
The situation
A draft is sent for signature instead of the final version.
What you do
- Cancels the request before it is signed
What you get
No signature lands on the wrong document.
The situation
The mistake is discovered the next day.
What you do
- Warns anyway and puts what happened on record
What you get
The trail explains the send rather than leaving it without context.
This article answers
- i sent a document to the wrong person
- cancel a send just made
- i sent confidential data by mistake
- recall a send