Thread: What Fax Service do you use?

If we get one (real) fax a week I would be surprised. So the $40/month we spend on the dedicated fax line is being wasted.

We want to convert to a FAX SERVICE that will deliver our faxes to our Emails... We can always send on our regular line if we need to, but most fax services allow you to send as well.

I have seen services from a LOW of $4.95/month to more than we spend now, and even some that will take our old number over...

QUESTION:

What Internet fax service do you use, what do you pay for it, and what grade (ABCDF) would you give the service?

Thanks for the information...

Bob of Inspections by Bob
Gaithersburg MD

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I'm like you, maybe even less. Probably one or two faxes every three months. I just use my windows application, which is free. I can receive on my computer, and fax out as long as I don't need a signature. If I have to fax a signature back I have a scanner, and I just scan and email back to the people.

You probably have a fax program in your computer, just connect the phone line to your computer and send and receive faxes that way.

I used to leave my computer on 24/7 as it was my fax and I would received faxes in at any time that way. Then fewer and fewer people used faxes and started using e-mails, reducing the need for it (but I still left my computer on 24/7 'just because').

After I retired from inspection I've received 3-4 faxes in the past three years for specific things, I turn my computer on (if not already on,) start my WinFax program and the people send me their fax. Most people have scanners and can send it in an e-mail. When I bought my Jaguar last February the dealer wanted to send be a fax with the information, I told him I don't uses faxes and send it via e-mail. Turns out that he was sending it electronically from their computer via fax to my computer ... huh? ... wait, why not just attach the file to an e-mail??? Oh, yeah, they didn't think of that.

Why pay monthly for a service you can do yourself from your computer? Not only saves paying (not the main reason as 5 bucks a month isn't much) but it puts the fax directly into your computer without any need to scan it in. Now you can attach it to documents, e-mails, reports, etc., as needed. Besides, why print it if it is already in your computer?

Can't remember the last time I faxed or recieved a fax. Scan it and email it.

rick

Modem, what is that... I haven't had a modem in any of my computers for YEARS...

If I get a fax that I need to reply to I typically sign it, scan it, and send it as a PDF...

there are a FEW places that will only take a FAX for a variety of reasons, typically security or legal. (A Fax is considered an original) I don't know if a PDF scan has been challenged yet...

I still have the fax machine and can use my normal line to send...

There are also a few places that insist on sending me a "fax" to sign... again typically for security or legal reasons...

It is for those rare occasions that I am thinking of one of the cheaper options, "just to have..." There are some that are like $24/YEAR...

Originally Posted by Bob Sisson

Modem, what is that... I haven't had a modem in any of my computers for YEARS... .

ALL my computers, the newer ones even (bought last one 2 years ago if that is "new enough") have come with modems BUILT-IN.

Can't imagine a desktop computer coming without a modem, *there still are* places without broadband connections and they require *modems* to connect to the internet with.

I 'would think' the same would apply to notebooks ... ?

You 'sure' your computer does not have a modem?

Thus, fax to or from your computer.

Nope...when they were built for us I left them out...

Don't trust Modems either... lost more computers to "surges" coming/leaving via the phone lines than anywhere else... even behind my phone system...

So far, the $24/year service is looking the best for what we want...

We discontinued all land line service to the house about 8-10 months ago. Now all family members carry cell phones. Cost about the same per month. No more chasing down the person who is not there to answer the phone or taking msgs and forgetting to pass along.

I send faxes about 3-4 times a year for legal stuff. I drive to the shopping plaza up the street and they charge couple bucks.

I email contracts to the client and copy the agent. 95% of my clients attend inspections and they sign at the inspection. The remainder sign and have delievered to the inspection via agent.

Laptop may have a modem but we don't have landlines to use. I guess I could get a cell phone attachment for the laptop but cannot justify the cost vs. need.

I used to have something called a "Cell Socket" that when my cell was plugged in to charge rang all the phones in the house...

I could answer my cell or make outgoing calls on my cell from any phone in the house...

101fax.com. They give you an 800 number free. All incoming faxes are free. You only pay for out going faxes and they arent much. I put a $20 deposit down and they deduct from that if there is ever a charge. At my rate, it will be 3 years before I need to make another deposit.

When someone sends you a fax you get an email with an attachment. You can download it and save it to file, print it, whatever. To send a fax I use a flat panel scanner I bought new for $49. I scan the document, save it a PDF, upload and send.

I use my home phone for the fax. We have basic no frills service for about $17 a month, and after 4 rings the fax picks up. We want a landline for 911 and alarm service.

I hate the landline for my office number, but you do what you have to do. Seems like folks in my area still use the phone book a great deal. Now if I could only get a cell number in that phone book that would solve many problems!

I just hava a fax scan copier printer. I want to send a fax I plug it in. If someone is sending a fax I plug it in. I don't and would not have a fax line for the sinple reason is all the garbage you wind up getting on them. I fax a copy of termite reports so they can see whats going on if the clients don't come to the inspection and then throw the original in the mail if necessary. Most folks don't even ask for the original anymore the fax is good enough.

Speeking of which I just reminded myself to send one off. Thanks for the remind!!!!!!!!!!!!

I forgot to mention, one of the benefits of online fax services such as 101fax.com is you can recieve your faxes anywhere you have internet access. You're not limited to just the "office".

101fax.com is as low as $1.50 a month. It's all you need if you dont use it much.

I have used the ComSwitch 5500 for a while now. I use my home phone number so if somebody is calling our house (mainly to talk to my daughter in the evening and weekends), then it automatically goes to our home phone. If somebody is faxing my company something, it goes directly to my fax machine. It works great and the one time cost is nice.

ComSwitch 5500 CS5500

I bought mine at Office Depot.

I tried the internet fax service, and did not like it. So I added dinstintive ring to the phone line. I have 1 phone line with 2 phone numbers, 1 for the phone (voice) and 1 for the fax. Each number has a distintive ring. The fax machine has distintive ring capability also, so it picks up only on the fax number. I cannot send/receive faxes while I'm on the phone.
Cost for 2nd number and dinstive ring, about $5-$7 a month.
Works well for me. I would not even consider ever going back to an internet fax services.
The fax I use is an HP 6315 (?) all in one;
photo printer, color scanner, fax, color copier, and it will fax straight from the print menu.
Cost was about $200.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

I tried the internet fax service, and did not like it. So I added dinstintive ring to the phone line. I have 1 phone line with 2 phone numbers, 1 for the phone (voice) and 1 for the fax. Each number has a distintive ring. The fax machine has distintive ring capability also, so it picks up only on the fax number. I cannot send/receive faxes while I'm on the phone.
Cost for 2nd number and dinstive ring, about $5-$7 a month.
Works well for me. I would not even consider ever going back to an internet fax services.
The fax I use is an HP 6315 (?) all in one;
photo printer, color scanner, fax, color copier, and it will fax straight from the print menu.
Cost was about $200.

I have a 6110 and a 7110 all in one HP. So few faxes it more than serves the purpose and no second line. Only have 2 of them because I let family borrow one and figured it was gone for good so I bought the 7110 then got the other back.

I signed up with MyFax.com while I was on the road to Chicago last August. I have been very happy with it. Most of the faxes were junk until then but I still had the occasional sign the form and fax it back. The better part for me is I am on the road all day, so I can know that I have the fax, go to my computer in the truck and pull it up, and if I need to sign it, I flip my tablet around, sign it and send it right back. It is only $10 a month but it saves me about $30 a month otherwise.

I still have my main line that I have hooked up to the fax all in one machine if I need it otherwise. Probably more for my wife as she does not like technology.

Originally Posted by Mitchell Meeks

I signed up with MyFax.com while I was on the road to Chicago last August. I have been very happy with it. Most of the faxes were junk until then but I still had the occasional sign the form and fax it back. The better part for me is I am on the road all day, so I can know that I have the fax, go to my computer in the truck and pull it up, and if I need to sign it, I flip my tablet around, sign it and send it right back. It is only $10 a month but it saves me about $30 a month otherwise.

I still have my main line that I have hooked up to the fax all in one machine if I need it otherwise. Probably more for my wife as she does not like technology.

Just wondering what you do for a living where you need a fax available all the time. I could not even imagine that great of a need.

For sending a couple of faxes a day I use Free Fax • Free Internet Faxing It requires no registration and you can send files directly from your computer.

Also $40 a month sounds expensive. I have a no frills line in my home that I use that costs me about $12 a month total. the phone companies always want to sell you all the bells and whistles, but do you really need call forwarding and 3 way calling on a fax line?

Just guessing here because I've never tried it, but, if you are on the road all of the time and need to receive faxes instead of e-mails, your air card has a phone number, why not try to fax to that number?

Try it from your home phone: Start up your computer's fax program, dial your air card phone number from your home phone, when it rings at the computer, either select manual receive now or have it set to automatic receive, when your computer fax picks up you will hear the fax screeching sound in your home phone. Then simply hand up the phone. May take a few tries to work out any complications, if there are any, but worth a try if you get faxes.

I am first a GC, then a HI doing consulting. But all of my work is about 1 1/2 hrs from my home. I am tapped into my pc with gotopc.com. I rarely get faxes but when I do it is generally my waste removal company and some legal stuff. They need me to sign and fax back so being out of town it makes it easier. I will probably keep it a couple more months and then reevaluate it. At least I can still fax in and out with my regular line.

I hate the landline for my office number, but you do what you have to do. Seems like folks in my area still use the phone book a great deal. Now if I could only get a cell number in that phone book that would solve many problems![/quote]

Scott, I got a listing in the phone book for my cell a couple of years ago. $6 / mo. (AT&T)

I use an online fax service called Popfax.com and it surely beats the cost and accessibility of traditional faxing method. No wasting of paper and inks for those unwanted documents or those doesn’t need to be printed out. You can also be anywhere and still has access to your fax as long as you have internet access.