Custom Paddle Arrived Damaged? Photos to Send Before Use

If your custom paddle arrives with possible pickleball paddle shipping damage, pause before playing, cleaning, taping, or repairing it. Photograph the package exterior, shipping label, internal packing, both paddle faces, and the visible issue from a wider view and close up. Keep the packaging and send Paddle Tailor your order number, delivery date, affected quantity, and an honest account of any use or changes. The key distinction is between documenting what arrived and diagnosing what caused it. This guide explains which evidence to collect, how to identify a personalized item, and what to ask support before taking the next step.

Quick route: Start with the first-action checklist, use the photo plan, then copy the support-message template. The carrier comparison is there if support asks you to help with shipping documentation. You do not need to complete a carrier investigation before reporting the issue.

1. What should you do before using a paddle that arrived damaged?

Make your first task a condition record, not a play test. Our recommended sequence is to stop unpacking when you notice the issue, photograph what is still in place, and collect enough information for support to identify the order. Then ask for the appropriate next step.

Paddle Tailor's Return & Refund Policy asks customers to inspect orders on arrival and contact the company promptly about damage, defects, or incorrect items. It requests an order number and photos for damage or production-error concerns, and says to request a return before sending anything back.

1. Pause use and modifications. Set aside plans to play, apply edge tape, replace the grip, or attempt a repair while you document the concern.
2. Capture the arrival context. Photograph the outer package and any packing that is still undisturbed.
3. Record the paddle itself. Take full views of both faces and location-specific images of the issue.
4. Save the order trail. Find the confirmation, tracking details, and relevant artwork approval if one exists.
5. Contact support. Explain what you observed and ask how to provide the images privately.

Use the Paddle Tailor Contact Us page to begin. The page provides a message form. If you do not see an image-upload option, describe the issue, say that photos are ready, and ask how support would like to receive them. Do not delay your initial message while looking for an unconfirmed attachment feature or guessing an email address.

If you already unpacked everything, continue from the condition you have now. Explain that the packing was removed before you noticed the issue. Do not recreate an untouched unboxing scene and present it as the original arrangement.

This pause is a documentation precaution, not a statement that any prior use automatically defeats a claim. If you already used or altered the paddle, say exactly what happened rather than trying to make the record sound cleaner.

Next step: Create a short note headed with your order number and the date you first noticed the issue.

2. Is it shipping damage, a production issue, or something uncertain?

You do not need to solve the cause before asking for help. For an initial report, use a description that another person can match to a photograph. “A narrow mark near the upper-right edge of the photo side” is more useful than an unsupported diagnosis such as “the core was crushed during delivery.”

Use the following categories to organize your message. These are suggested reporting routes, not technical diagnoses or eligibility decisions.

For this checklist, treat an intact box as an observation, not a verdict. Likewise, do not treat a crushed corner as proof that every concern with the paddle has the same cause. Let the report show both facts without forcing a conclusion.

Keep appearance concerns separate from structural concerns in your wording. You may be able to show a visible gap or scrape, but this guide does not use photographs to certify playability, identify hidden damage, or diagnose delamination.

The decision tool below helps select an evidence route. Its results are preparation suggestions, not statements about coverage, refunds, or whether a paddle is safe to use.

Decision: Choose the description that best matches what you can observe, and leave the cause open unless it has been established.

3. Which photos should you take for pickleball paddle shipping damage?

Build a small, organized image set that answers three questions: which shipment is this, which paddle is affected, and where is the issue? The following views are our recommended checklist. They are not a universal photo count or a claim that every support case requires identical images.

Photo group A: the outside of the package

Start with a wide view showing the whole box or mailer. Then photograph any visible crushed corner, puncture, tear, open seam, stain, or unusual area of tape. Include an unaffected side when it helps explain the package's overall condition.

Write a short caption for each relevant view. For example: “Outer box, top side, photographed after delivery and before opening.” If it was photographed later, use the correct description instead. Avoid labels such as “carrier impact point” unless you have evidence beyond the photograph.

Photo group B: the shipping label

Take a readable image of the label while it remains on the package. Keep the tracking number and shipment identity available for private support review. If there are multiple labels, capture the overall arrangement rather than peeling one away to reveal another.

Do not publish this image in an open review, social post, or public forum. For this workflow, reserve complete label photos for verified private support or carrier channels. A public discussion does not need your home address, recipient details, or full tracking information.

Photo group C: internal packing

If the item is still packed, photograph how it sits within the container before removing more material. Show sleeves, cushioning, inserts, or spaces as they actually appear. If you have already removed them, photograph the retained materials separately and explain that they have been moved.

UPS's supporting-document guidance specifically calls for views of the damaged item as packed, the shipping label, and the package exterior. It also asks for box dimensions. That is a useful carrier-specific example of why a close-up of the paddle alone may not be the complete record.

Photo group D: both full paddle faces

Photograph each face with the entire paddle visible, including the handle. Give the sides descriptive names such as “name side” and “photo side.” Use those same names in later captions and your message.

For a personalized order, these views should make it possible to connect the item to the correct design without guessing. If several paddles share the same artwork, include the distinguishing name or another order identifier in a separate note beside the paddle.

Photo group E: location and detail

For each concern, take a wider view that shows its location and a closer view that shows its appearance. Keep the same side orientation where possible. If the issue is near the edge or handle, include a side angle without pulling, bending, or pressing the area.

If scale matters, place a ruler beside the affected area without touching or covering it. State the unit and treat any measurement as approximate. Do not use a measurement to declare an allowable tolerance or manufacturing defect.

UPS: photographs and supporting documents

A damage close-up may need shipment context. UPS specifies multiple documentation views; its requirements are not a universal Paddle Tailor checklist.

Open the cited resource

Photo check: Can someone unfamiliar with your order connect the close-up to the full paddle and the paddle to the shipment? If not, add the missing context view.

4. How can you make the photos useful without changing the evidence?

Choose clear documentation over dramatic presentation. Our recommendation is a plain background, steady framing, and light that lets the concern remain visible without filters. You are not trying to create a product photograph or make the damage look more severe.

Take the full-item views first. Then move closer for details. Review each image before putting the item away: can you distinguish the edge of the paddle, locate the concern, and read the relevant name or order identifier?

Use a pair instead of one extreme close-up

A very tight image may leave support guessing about the location. Pair it with a wider image showing the same area. In your message, refer to them together: “Images 06 and 07 show the upper edge of the name side.”

If glare obscures the concern, try a second camera angle. Keep both images if they communicate different aspects of the appearance. Do not digitally paint over reflections or use enhancement tools to create detail that was not clearly captured.

Keep originals and annotate copies

Retain your original files. If you want to add an arrow or circle, make a separate annotated copy and identify it as such. Keep the marker away from the actual concern so that it does not hide the area being reviewed.

We recommend simple filenames such as “01-package,” “02-label-private,” “03-packing,” “04-name-side,” and “05-edge-detail.” These are organization suggestions, not required file names. Follow the actual submission channel's format and size instructions when support provides them.

Do not perform a demonstration to prove the problem

Do not bend the paddle, pull a loose-looking edge, scrape a mark, or hit balls for a recording. If a short video is requested, ask what it needs to show and whether the item should remain untouched. A stationary overview may be more appropriate than an improvised stress test.

If a photo does not show the concern well, say so. For example: “The line is difficult to capture; I have included two angles and have not tried to open or clean it.” That is a more accurate report than changing the object to make the issue obvious.

Mistake to avoid: Never sacrifice the received condition to obtain a more convincing image.

5. Which order and delivery details belong with the photos?

Photos need a short written index. Rather than sending an unexplained gallery, provide a compact record that links the order, shipment, item, and observation. Use the fields below as a preparation sheet, and mark unavailable information as unknown.

• Order number: Copy it from the confirmation rather than retyping from memory.
• Purchaser and contact: Identify who placed the order and who should receive the reply.
• Delivery date: Give the date shown in tracking, if available.
• Opening and discovery dates: State when you opened the package and first noticed the issue.
• Carrier and tracking number: Copy the information associated with the affected package.
• Affected quantity: Specify how many items have the concern out of the total received.
• Item identity: Name the product and the relevant custom name, design, or order line.
• Observed issue: Describe its location and appearance without assigning an unverified cause.
• Use or changes: Mention any play, cleaning, tape, grip changes, or handling relevant to the record.
• Retained evidence: Confirm which package, packing materials, and documents you still have.

Keep delivery, opening, and discovery dates separate. A gift might be delivered to the purchaser before the recipient opens it. Report that sequence accurately rather than using one date for all three events.

Save your purchase confirmation or receipt as well. For example, USPS Domestic Mail Manual section 609 identifies sales receipts and paid invoices among acceptable forms of proof of value for its claims process. This does not mean you must start a USPS claim; it explains why the purchase record belongs with the photos.

If you do not have the order number because the paddle was a gift, ask the purchaser to help locate it. You can still describe the issue and ask what identification support needs. Do not send unrelated financial records, full payment-card details, or account passwords.

Next step: Put the written record above the image list so the reviewer knows what each attachment is intended to show.

6. What extra evidence matters for a personalized paddle?

For a custom paddle, add an identity check to the arrival report. Specify the name or artwork on the affected item, which side you mean, and whether the concern involves physical condition, the design received, or both.

Use the same side descriptions throughout the record. “Front” and “back” may be ambiguous when two people hold the paddle differently. “Portrait side” and “blue name side” are more specific descriptions for your report.

Paddle Tailor's two-sided custom paddle guide discusses planning different visual roles for each face. For damage documentation, the practical extension is simple: identify and photograph each face separately rather than assuming one image represents the whole personalized order.

Include an approved proof only when it answers a question

If you received and approved a design proof, retain the approved version. Include it when there is a concern about a name, image, orientation, or side assignment. Identify which version was approved; do not substitute an earlier concept or a later revision.

If the concern is a visible edge scrape and the artwork appears as ordered, the proof may not be necessary in the first message. Say it is available if requested. A relevant evidence packet is preferable to a large collection of files with no explanation.

Separate physical condition from design comparison

Use two numbered points if both issues exist. For example: “1. A visible mark at the top edge. 2. The name on the reverse appears different from the approved spelling.” This is an illustrative reporting example, not a customer case.

Do not turn a concern about color, cropping, or image appearance into a transit-damage diagnosis. Submit the comparison as a separate question. This article's purpose is to preserve and communicate arrival condition, not to set printing tolerances or decide whether a design meets an approval.

Decision: Attach the proof when it clarifies a specific mismatch; otherwise prioritize shipment identity and condition photographs.

7. What should your first message to Paddle Tailor say?

Make the message short enough to review but complete enough to identify the next task. Start with the order, state the visible concern, summarize the evidence, and ask what to do next. You do not need to argue a technical cause or demand that a specific outcome be approved before review.

The FTC's customer complaint letter guidance recommends explaining the problem clearly, identifying the transaction, describing the resolution you want, and keeping original documents. The template below adapts that communication approach to an arrival-condition report; it is not a required form.

Subject: Arrival condition review — order [order number]

Hello Paddle Tailor team,

My order [number] was delivered on [date]. I opened it on [date] and noticed [plain description of the issue] on [product and personalized name/design]. The affected quantity is [number] out of [number] received.

The concern is located [specific location, using a named paddle side]. The outer package appeared [brief factual description]. I do not know what caused the issue.

The paddle has [not been used or altered / an accurate description of any use or changes]. I have retained [package, internal packing, contents, and other relevant materials].

I have photos of [list the available views]. I also have [order confirmation and relevant approved proof, if applicable]. Please let me know the appropriate private method for sending the images.

Please advise what additional information you need and whether I should continue holding the item and packaging for inspection. My preferred resolution is [state preference or ask for available options]. If a return is needed, please provide instructions before I send anything.

This order is intended for [occasion, if relevant] on [date]. I understand that any available resolution and timing need confirmation.

Thank you, [name and preferred contact details].

Delete fields that do not apply. Replace every bracket with accurate information, and do not say “unused” if you already tried the paddle. If you cannot locate a detail, use “not available yet” and offer to follow up.

When you send images, add a short attachment list. For example: “Photos 01–03 show packaging; 04–05 show both faces; 06–07 show the concern.” These are suggested labels, not a required number of images.

Before sending: Read the message once for facts, once for missing identifiers, and once for statements that sound more certain than your evidence.

8. What packaging should you keep, and for how long?

Keep the shipment together while you seek instructions. For this checklist, that means the outer container, label, internal packing, paddle, included accessories, loose pieces, and packing slip. Avoid deciding on your own that one apparently unimportant component can be discarded.

USPS Domestic Claims guidance says recipients must retain the damaged article, container, wrapping, packaging, and other received contents for an applicable claim. It explains that these materials may be required for inspection. Photographs are not a substitute for retaining the physical shipment.

Similarly, the FedEx claim-filing FAQ directs customers to keep original packaging for possible inspection and not discard it until the claim is resolved. Those are carrier-specific instructions; follow the requirements associated with your actual shipment.

Create a holding arrangement, not a reconstructed arrival scene

After photographing what remains in place, choose a location where the paddle and packing will not be used, accidentally thrown away, or mixed with another order. Keep notes and identifiers with them without attaching new labels directly over an affected area.

If you move packing for storage, note that it has been moved. If a detached piece is present, photograph its location and keep it with the shipment without attempting to reattach it. Do not position it to imply a connection that you cannot establish.

If the package is wet, contaminated, or otherwise difficult to retain, photograph the situation and ask support or the carrier for handling instructions. Do not treat this article as a drying, cleaning, or hazardous-material handling guide.

Ask before returning or discarding

When instructions arrive, clarify whether the entire shipment or only a particular item is needed. If a carrier inspection is also being discussed, ask how that affects the return sequence. Do not assume that sending the paddle away immediately is the same as preserving it for an inspection.

USPS: retain the physical shipment for review

For applicable USPS claims, taking photographs does not replace retaining the package, packing, contents, and damaged item.

Open the cited resource

Checklist item: Keep the physical evidence until the relevant support or claim process tells you what may be returned, retained, or discarded.

9. Should you contact Paddle Tailor or the shipping carrier?

For a Paddle Tailor order, begin with Paddle Tailor's support route and ask who should coordinate any carrier claim. Identifying the carrier is useful; assuming you must independently open a claim is not the same thing. Keep seller support and carrier documentation connected through one accurate shipment record.

The following comparison covers documentation roles, not coverage promises. It does not establish which carrier Paddle Tailor used for your order.

Do not open multiple claims merely because more than one person can access a form. Ask the seller whether a claim is already underway and keep any existing case number in your notes. If someone instructs you to file, request the shipment information you do not possess rather than guessing.

Also distinguish a store order number from a carrier tracking number and a claim reference. Label all three explicitly. A message saying “my number is 12345” leaves its purpose unclear; “Paddle Tailor order,” “tracking,” and “carrier case” are unambiguous labels.

A carrier's published process is not a promise of a particular Paddle Tailor remedy. Avoid treating claim approval, seller review, return authorization, and replacement scheduling as interchangeable milestones. Ask what has actually been confirmed.

Decision: Coordinate the filing role before taking carrier-specific action, and keep the same factual timeline in every communication.

10. How quickly should you report the problem?

Send an initial report promptly, even if one supporting document is still missing. A practical first message can identify the order, describe the concern, and say that additional photos or purchaser details will follow. Do not wait to assemble a polished presentation before making contact.

Do not invent a universal 24-hour or 48-hour deadline. Paddle Tailor's policy calls for contact as soon as possible about damaged, defective, or wrong items. Its stated 30-day return window concerns eligible non-custom items; it should not be repurposed as a custom-paddle damage-report deadline.

Do not borrow another paddle brand's terms

RAD Pickleball's support page has a damaged-on-arrival question that asks customers for an order number and photographic or video evidence. Enhance Pickleball's damaged-items guidance also requests visual evidence and an order number, but publishes its own reporting and return terms.

These examples support the usefulness of an organized arrival report. They do not establish Paddle Tailor's deadlines, shipping-cost responsibilities, response time, or replacement process. Read the policy belonging to the seller you actually purchased from.

Keep calendar facts separate from expectations

Record when you sent the initial report and any follow-up. If the paddle is for a birthday, trip, or team event, provide the actual event date. Ask whether any available resolution can meet it rather than presenting your desired date as an agreed delivery commitment.

If the item was opened days after delivery, explain why and provide both dates. If you do not remember the opening date precisely, say it is approximate. An honest timeline is preferable to making the discovery appear closer to delivery.

Carrier claim periods also depend on the applicable carrier, service, and shipment circumstances. Use the relevant official page when that process becomes necessary; do not use a deadline from a different service as permission to delay contacting the seller.

Next step: Report what you know now, clearly identify what is pending, and save the date of submission.

11. What changes when the paddle is a gift or part of a team order?

Use the same evidence sequence, but make the people and item identities explicit. A purchaser, recipient, team organizer, and person holding the package may be different people. Choose one person to coordinate the report and explain who has the paddle and packaging.

For a gift recipient

If you receive a personalized paddle with a concern, ask the purchaser for the order number or invite them to contact support with your photos. Give them a factual description rather than only saying the gift “arrived broken.” Identify what you can see and whether you used it.

Preserve the shipping materials before replacing them with gift wrapping. If you only have the presentation packaging because someone else unpacked the shipment, say so. Ask the purchaser whether the original container is still available.

For a Paddle Tailor custom paddle gift set, use the order confirmation as your checklist of expected items. List each affected component separately rather than describing the entire set as damaged when the concern involves one part.

For multiple personalized paddles

Assign a temporary identifier to each item in your notes, such as Paddle A, Paddle B, and Paddle C. Place a paper identifier beside an item for photos if needed; do not apply it to the paddle. Pair that identifier with the custom name and the relevant order line.

• Paddle A: Personalized identifier, observed issue, associated photo names.
• Paddle B: Personalized identifier, observed issue, associated photo names.
• Other items: State whether you inspected them or have not yet checked them.

This is an organizational template, not an example of an actual damaged team order. Do not report uninspected items as unaffected. If the order arrived in multiple parcels, keep each item's package and tracking association separate.

Tell other recipients not to discard relevant packing while the shipment is being reviewed. For an event deadline, name the date and number of affected items without promising participants a replacement schedule that support has not confirmed.

Checklist item: Every affected item should have one identifier, one package association, and one clearly named evidence set.

12. How should you organize the files and follow-up?

Use one folder and one running note for the issue. Our suggested folder contains the order confirmation, tracking record, original photos, any separately labeled annotations, relevant artwork approval, and copies of support correspondence.

Inside the note, keep a simple sequence: delivery, opening, discovery, initial contact, requested information, and next action. You do not need a complicated spreadsheet for one paddle. The aim is to make it easy to answer a follow-up without reconstructing the story from memory.

The FTC's guidance on resolving problems with a business recommends collecting purchase documents, keeping notes of conversations, and saving online messages or screenshots. Apply that recordkeeping approach to your support exchange.

Answer the specific follow-up

If support requests a clearer edge image, send that view with a short explanation of where it fits in the existing record. Avoid resending the entire gallery without labels. If you cannot obtain the requested view without moving or altering something, ask how to proceed.

If a shared folder is used, choose private access appropriate to the support channel. Check that the intended recipient can open the files, but do not make a folder containing addresses and order details public merely to avoid an access question.

Keep preferences separate from confirmed instructions

Record your preferred outcome as a request. Record a return address, inspection instruction, or other next step only when it is actually provided. If a message is ambiguous, ask a direct clarifying question before paying for shipping or sending away the evidence.

When a phone conversation provides important instructions, make a dated note and ask for written confirmation of the practical details. Keep the case or order reference in subsequent messages so the exchange remains connected.

Next step: End each follow-up with one clear question about what you should do next, not several competing requests across separate channels.

13. Which mistakes make an arrival report harder to understand?

Use this audit before sending your evidence. These are avoidable communication and preservation problems, not a list of automatic reasons for denial.

Sending only a close-up

Add the full paddle and a location view. A detail image should not require the reviewer to infer which side, edge, or personalized item it belongs to. Keep the original detail image rather than replacing it with an excessively annotated version.

Changing the item before documenting it

Pause cleaning, tape application, grip changes, and repair attempts. If you already made a change, describe it and provide any earlier photos. Do not hide the change or claim that later images show the untouched arrival condition.

Throwing out the package after taking photos

Follow the retention instructions discussed above. Photographing a container and retaining a container are separate actions. Check with support before discarding materials, especially if a carrier inspection may be involved.

Using a diagnosis where an observation would do

Replace “the internal structure is destroyed” with the specific visible concern you are asking someone to assess. If you heard something during ordinary unpacking, describe that observation without repeating it through forceful tests.

Combining different concerns into one vague complaint

Separate physical condition, incorrect personalization, missing items, and timing needs. Numbered points let support see which evidence belongs to which question. Do not let an artwork concern disappear inside a general statement about shipping damage.

Presenting an illustrative reconstruction as an original photo

If packing was moved, say so. If a comparison image is annotated, label it. If you take new photos later, identify them as later views rather than implying they were captured at delivery.

Posting private identifiers publicly

Keep complete label images and order details in the private review process. If you discuss the experience publicly, use a separate copy with personal identifiers removed and retain the unedited original for support.

Final audit: Check that every statement is accurate, every image is identifiable, and no action was taken merely to make the concern appear more dramatic.

14. What should you check before buying or customizing?

If you are researching before ordering, use this guide to plan the receiving process rather than to assume a problem will occur. A few simple decisions can make the handoff clearer: who receives the parcel, who checks it, where the order records live, and who contacts support if something needs review.

Start with the Paddle Tailor custom pickleball paddle page for the current order options. Save your selected configuration and final confirmation. This article does not establish current materials, specifications, prices, production times, or shipping promises.

Make the design record easy to identify

Keep the submitted artwork and any approved proof in a clearly named folder. For two different faces, use names that you can later recognize in a photograph. For group orders, keep a list linking each name to its intended design.

Use the custom paddle FAQ covering photos, names, logos, and gift timing for questions that belong before production. Resolve uncertainty about the order itself separately from planning how you will inspect the delivered item.

Choose a receiving arrangement that fits the gift plan

If inspecting before gift wrapping is important to you, consider receiving the order yourself. If sending directly to the recipient better fits your plans, ask them to keep the shipping package until they have checked the contents. These are planning options, not guarantees about damage prevention or eligibility.

For a team purchase, nominate one coordinator and give recipients the same simple instructions. They should know where to send photos, what identifier to include, and not to mix packing from multiple parcels.

Check policy boundaries before checkout

Paddle Tailor distinguishes custom change-of-mind returns from review of custom items that arrive damaged, defective, or incorrectly made. Do not read the personalized-item exclusion as meaning that an arrival concern cannot be reported. Equally, do not read review eligibility as a guaranteed refund or replacement.

Buying decision: Proceed with clear artwork records, a realistic event plan, and an identified receiving contact—not an assumed remedy or replacement arrival date.

15. What should happen before you resume use or send the paddle back?

Ask for a concrete next step after the evidence is reviewed. The useful question is not simply “Is this okay?” It is “What do you recommend I do with this item now, and is any further inspection or documentation needed?”

If support asks you to hold the paddle, keep it with the associated evidence. If a return is requested, confirm the destination, which components should be included, any authorization reference, and how shipping should be arranged. Do not infer those details from another brand's return process.

Before packing a requested return, consider taking a final set of photographs showing the item and the contents being included. Label them as return-preparation photos, not original arrival evidence. Keep any receipt or tracking record associated with the instructed return.

If you receive an explanation but remain uncertain about the physical concern, ask a focused follow-up. For example: “Does your response address the visible gap in photo 07, or only the printed mark in photo 06?” This helps keep different observations from being treated as one issue.

Do not interpret the absence of a visible problem in one image as clearance to use the paddle. This guide does not certify condition or playability. It gives you a documentation method so the relevant support review can proceed with a clearer record.

Key takeaway: Document an arrival concern in three layers: the package that arrived, the personalized item it contained, and the visible issue you want reviewed. Preserve the link between those layers without guessing the cause.

That framework is our recommended documentation approach. It is not a carrier standard, a technical inspection method, or a guarantee of a particular result.

Decision: Follow confirmed instructions, and ask for clarification wherever return logistics, inspection needs, or the next handling step remain unclear.

16. FAQ: documenting a custom paddle that arrived damaged

FAQ action: If your situation falls outside these examples, describe the missing or unusual detail in your first message rather than forcing it into a category.

17. Your final send-before-use checklist

Before contacting support, make one pass through the record. You are aiming for a clear, honest starting point—not a self-completed investigation.

• I can identify the order, delivery, and affected personalized item.
• I have recorded when I opened the package and noticed the concern.
• I have package, packing, full-paddle, and relevant detail photos, or I have explained what is unavailable.
• I have kept complete shipping-label images private.
• I have described observations without claiming an unverified cause.
• I have disclosed any use, cleaning, modifications, or moved packing.
• I have retained the physical shipment and purchase records where available.
• I have stated any gift deadline as a request, not an agreed outcome.
• I have asked for the photo-submission method and the next handling step.

Send the initial report through Paddle Tailor's contact page, keep a copy, and follow the instructions you receive. If one detail is missing, identify it and follow up. The practical goal is to preserve what arrived and make the concern straightforward to review before use or alteration.