We are in the process of buying a Renault car and the leasing company have sent through a contract which seemingly we have to sign electronically. It seems as if we have to buy an electronic signature from someone like Adobe - minimum of 25 signatures for a year - really?
Anyone any suggestions please what to do? Thanks as always.
Hello, I signed a picee of paper, took a picture and saved it. I then use that to sign PDF’s.
Probably a better way that will be shared!
What document format?
Likewise, I use a photo of a signature to electronically sign work documents.
Billy’s question is sensible however. You could also ask if they don’t have an office nearby where you could sign a hard copy.
Pdf. Not sure how we can sign it though with a photo, we only have capability to read pdf files, not edit.
I use Adobe Sign because I already rent their Creative Suite software for my photo business, but here are some free services for e-signing PDFs (which is what it’s likely to be)
Depends what they want really - if they want a “digital signature” adding then look at the apps above.
If they just want it “signing electronically” then you can do that in Acrobat
At the top there is an icon in the form of an ink pen nib
Click that and there are various options including importing an image or free form typing.
That might be all that is needed.
You can then save the PDF and mail it back to them.
Thanks everyone, OH had gone round to talk to garage where we are buying the car.
Although it is (seemingly) a PDF the layout is that of the leasing company software, which doesn’t help.
We are in our 70s, reasonably computer literate and cannot believe how appallingly challenging scenarios like this have become in recent years. As OH has just said, if HM tax office is happy to accept an electronic signature created using a Word font, why aren’t these guys!
Specifically, the free Adobe Acrobat reader, you don’t need the paid-for version (which creates and edits PDFs).
I had Credit Agricole refuae my signature directly onto pdf document done on my phone sceeen with Samsung pen. No other finance provider nor anyone legal nor others has ever refused this as an acceptable signature… Who does Cr Ag think they are?
We’re at a stalemate as I do not have a working printer currently. But I am heartily sick of Credit Agricole’s poor systems generally so they’ve got a cheek.
sounds ghastly to me… would put me off leasing… unless I could do it through the garage and I would expect them to have the necessary gadgets…
If it’s a PDF the other option is print the signature page sign it and scan it.
I think this is important. As I understand it, an electronic signature, in the sense of an actual physical signature where you write your name and transmit it by electronic means, is not at all the same thing as a digital “signature” which despite being called a signature does not involve writing your name at all, instead it involves using a secure digital system to verify your identify by using PINs, codes etc.
Thanks everyone for your comments / suggestions. Unfortunately all of this is well beyond our paygrade. We are not talking about anything as simple as printing and signing or taking a scan of a signature. Like doing our tax returns online, the space where we have to sign is within the electronic copy, but it’s not just a matter of typing in our names.
Fortunately the garage is happy to take our electronic contract which OH has emailed to her (all 69 pages!) and they will sort it out for us. We’ll get there, but it’s frustrating that it is so complicated.
I was able to cryptographically sign a document for my French bank about 6 months ago using Adobe Acrobat (Free edition). Not sure exactly how I did it now. It was done from a JPG of my real signature, but it was cryptographically signed by Adobe to verify it was from me. It didn’t cost me anything … that I know of. TBH, I was expecting it to stop and ask for money when it got to doing the signing, but it didn’t.
Edit : Just checked, and all you have to do is create an account, which is free and log in. From then on you seem to be able to create a cryptographically signed document for free.
Yes that’s right. In my Adobe account I have a JPG of my signature stored which I use to countersign client contracts.
It is, as long as you use Acrobat Reader and click the pen icon as I described - you can even “write” your signature with a mouse or other input device, though when I try the resultant scrawl bears only an extremely passing ressemblance to my actual signature.
You can edit and add pictures (of signatures etc) using this web site:
I’ve been using it for years and highly recommend it.
I guess that’s useful if you have a platform where you can’t use acrobat - but TBH I’d rather keep an instance of Windows around so that I can use Acrobat and not transmit PDFs with potentially sensitive content to a random web platform.
Hi @SuePJ - the document the companies sends you should have the software inside that does all the work that allows you to sign digitally.
There should not be a need to install any other 3rd party software or buy anything either.
Also Adobe has free versions if you wanted to use their scanner function for example.