Off-Topic: Online fax services

[DTS]

I'd like your opinions about which online fax service you are using and would like to hear all your likes and dislikes about that service. I found a comparision of the companies online, which showed services and pricing, but would like your input. This year, my costs for dedicated faxline through the phone company here at the house has almost doubled, so time to say so long.

I send and receive very few faxes. Most documents go out and come in as email attachments now, so I think this would be an easy switch for me.

Thanks for taking your time.

D

[Roberts]

I'd LOVE to use an online service but I still work with people who have difficulty faxing documents. Proposing the idea of scanning them might cause a physical breakdown on the spot.

[David1980]

Well, that's what the online fax services are for. Customer faxes you a document and you receive it in email. You need to send a fax, you send an email to a special email address with whatever coding is required. Or maybe the service has it's own program. The point being, as far as anyone faxing to you or receiving from you is concerned it's just plain fax.

There is potential security concerns with email fax services and I've read people having trouble with the IRS refusing to fax to them.

[gboykin]

I have a dedicated fax line, but I also have RingCentral so I can have the client re-direct something that I may need to see when I'm away from the office. It works very well. The only problem is that IRS documents won't come through since it is an electronic fax. I think there is a way around this, but it's not that important to me.

[erchess]

My Story

I have used three online services. I don't know what the first one was or why I left them. The second was RapidFax and I was happy with them for a long time until I hit a snag. I had scanned in a series of pages with a portable scanner that pulls pages through, always somewhat crooked, and therefore on this one occasion some of the pages were larger than RapidFax would allow. RapidFax sent the rest of the Fax and reported a successful transmission and only acknowledged the problem with page size when I called them due to the client reporting an incomplete reception. I made it very clear that I expected them to physically or electronically cut what I sent to size if the problem was that the non printed on area was too big but the printed on area was within tolerance and that I expected the response email to say at the very top in bold red print if not all pages I sent had gone through. They made it very clear that they were not interested in meeting those standards so I am now with GoDaddy Fax service. I have been satisfied so far. The only problem I have encountered turned out to be a client who has a problem with his line and can't fax anyone. GoDaddy took my report of a problem seriously enough to check all my settings and send me a free test fax to confirm that there was no problem on their end or mine. My only problem with GoDaddy is that when I call them they go through a bunch of rigamarole identifying me before the rep can pull up my file. I even sent them a fax on my letterhead holding them harmless from the results of helping anyone who said they were me to do whatever they wanted and they said no it is their way or the highway. (My basic approach to my own security or privacy is that it is fine as long as there is zero cost in convenience and little cost in money. But I get very upset when I call someone and they waste my time making me prove who I am. And yeah I can only call the taxing agencies with help from pills my Shrink gives me. Go Daddy even makes me prove who I am when they place the call to me. I finally had to tell them they may not call me under any circumstances including to warn of expiring domains.)

[appelman]

I have been happy with TrustFax.

They provide a toll-free inbound fax number (domestic only). For outgoing, you upload any printable document to their web site. Their one drawback is that they transmit the incoming fax to you as an unencrypted PDF file, which could raise security concerns.

[geekgirldany]

Efax

I've been using Efax for years. I use it to only receive faxes. To send faxes I use my Brother All In One. Especially when dealing with the IRS as it takes Efax 5 minutes to get the fax sent to the other party.

[kpangelinan]

Well, that's what the online fax services are for. Customer faxes you a document and you receive it in email. You need to send a fax, you send an email to a special email address with whatever coding is required. Or maybe the service has it's own program. The point being, as far as anyone faxing to you or receiving from you is concerned it's just plain fax.

There is potential security concerns with email fax services and I've read people having trouble with the IRS refusing to fax to them.

I have been efaxing documents AND receiving efaxes from the IRS for over 10 years and haven't had any problems...not sure why you are. How do they know it's an efax?

I have a dedicated fax line, but I also have RingCentral so I can have the client re-direct something that I may need to see when I'm away from the office. It works very well. The only problem is that IRS documents won't come through since it is an electronic fax. I think there is a way around this, but it's not that important to me.

We have a second line that used to be a dedicated fax line (not sure if it's even necessary the last few years), but now use it as an overflow from line 1 calls that get routed and use it as a fax as needed. We also use it for walk in's who want to pay for faxes out. But just about 98% of all faxes incoming and outgoing are done through our efax services.

I have used three online services. I don't know what the first one was or why I left them. The second was RapidFax and I was happy with them for a long time until I hit a snag. I had scanned in a series of pages with a portable scanner that pulls pages through, always somewhat crooked, and therefore on this one occasion some of the pages were larger than RapidFax would allow. RapidFax sent the rest of the Fax and reported a successful transmission and only acknowledged the problem with page size when I called them due to the client reporting an incomplete reception. I made it very clear that I expected them to physically or electronically cut what I sent to size if the problem was that the non printed on area was too big but the printed on area was within tolerance and that I expected the response email to say at the very top in bold red print if not all pages I sent had gone through. They made it very clear that they were not interested in meeting those standards so I am now with GoDaddy Fax service. I have been satisfied so far. The only problem I have encountered turned out to be a client who has a problem with his line and can't fax anyone. GoDaddy took my report of a problem seriously enough to check all my settings and send me a free test fax to confirm that there was no problem on their end or mine. My only problem with GoDaddy is that when I call them they go through a bunch of rigamarole identifying me before the rep can pull up my file. I even sent them a fax on my letterhead holding them harmless from the results of helping anyone who said they were me to do whatever they wanted and they said no it is their way or the highway. (My basic approach to my own security or privacy is that it is fine as long as there is zero cost in convenience and little cost in money. But I get very upset when I call someone and they waste my time making me prove who I am. And yeah I can only call the taxing agencies with help from pills my Shrink gives me. Go Daddy even makes me prove who I am when they place the call to me. I finally had to tell them they may not call me under any circumstances including to warn of expiring domains.)

I might need to look into godaddy...they've been our website and email host for many years and haven't really checked into their efax yet.

I've been using Efax for years. I use it to only receive faxes. To send faxes I use my Brother All In One. Especially when dealing with the IRS as it takes Efax 5 minutes to get the fax sent to the other party.

I have efaxed documents to the IRS where before they can put me on hold, the fax is coming through, literally within seconds if not shortly after a minute. I have never had a problem with this. The only time there was a time delay, say 3, 4 or 5 minutes or more is when I have faxed over 100 pages.....sometimes the receiving end won't print anything out until their machine has received all 100 pages. But I can't get faxes through a phone line faster than sending a pdf document on my efax.

We first started out using J2 Connect over 10 years ago (they were the pioneers in the industry I think) and believe it or not still use them today just because I've been leery about our new service RingCentral which has been just OK.....J2 has gotten way too expensive, but they are ultra reliable. RingCentral has been just ok because we've had a few issues with their service being down every now and then, but other than that, they've worked just fine.

[Brilliant]

i use UnityFax.com i am happy with the service, rates are fair

[DTS]

Fax services

Thanks to all for your opinions. I will check each suggestion out. I tried to take a few minutes yesterday to research the security issue, but got distracted, so that is one area I'll check later on. The main purpose for my fax machine is copying and sending to and receiving faxes from the IRS, so this may be an issue.

Again, thanks to you all.

[David1980]

I have been efaxing documents AND receiving efaxes from the IRS for over 10 years and haven't had any problems...not sure why you are. How do they know it's an efax?

They ask, sometimes at least. It's come up from several people in these sorts of discussions on the forums before. My guess is if you lie to the IRS they'll fax to it though.

[Lion]

Hey, Dennis: I use eFax. Call me.

[erchess]

They sometimes do ask

me and sometimes don't ask me. One agent who wouldn't work with an email fax service had no problem with the idea of me calling in from a cell phone in a Fed Ex Kinkoes to arrange a fax direct to an agent with whom it was contemplated that I would close the deal. I get the impression that the agents go by what they think the rules are without feeling authorized to use common sense or their own judgement. I also get the impression that in this regard they disagree on what the rule exactly is.

[lloydhudson]

Myfax

i have been using MY Fax for a couple of years. Works great albeit a bit slow. However sometime last year the IRS stopped sending it through. I do not know ow they IRS machine knows but evidently it does. Had to buy new standalone to receive IRS fax. I have used K7 before to receive faxes but if you do not use it in a 30 day period you lose the number. Gave up on it after the 2nd time in 5 or 6 years. Yesterday had Practitioners Hot line tell me they could not fax to me unless I was on pone. Se had tried to fax something and I am down to one phone line. I said fine just mail it. As soon as I hung up the fax started receiving. I have more questions than answers now. Gov't bureaucracy and technology. I guess I have outlived my ability to comprehend.

[oceanlovin'ea]

myfax.com

I started using myfax.com a couple of years ago. It is $10 a month compared to $34 I was paying Verizon for a direct line. For receiving faxes, it is fine. People just send to your fax number. No one knows if it is just coming to your machine or to an electronic fax service, I don't think.

Sending faxes is another story. It usually takes 3 to 5 minutes for IRS to get a POA if I send it through myfax.com. A few times it has taken much longer. Sometimes an IRS agent will stay on the phone if I tell them I use an internet fax service and it will take about 3 minutes for the fax to come through. But others won't. So I connected my all in one machine to my phone line. Now if I know I need to send a POA in when I call, I can call on my cell phone and then fax over my phone line.

But when I have called for transcripts, IRS has sent them to my fax number and never asked any questions about what kind of service I have.

I don't know a good solution to the situation. I am NOT going to pay Verizon for a phone line when during off season, I may not even use the fax line or only use it once or twice a month.

Linda, EA