Why a fax fails, and how to fix it
A fax either reaches the other machine and every page is accepted, or it doesn't. When it doesn't, the reason is almost always one of a handful of things. Here is what each one means and how to fix it.
The line was busy
The receiving fax line was in use every time the call was placed. Offices with one fax line and lots of incoming faxes are often busy at the start and end of the day. Faxing a government agency? See what to do when a fax to the IRS isn't going through.
What to do: wait and send again, ideally mid-morning or mid-afternoon in the recipient's time zone. HonestFax retries busy lines automatically several times before it gives up.
The number didn't answer
The call rang but nothing picked up. The fax machine may be off, out of paper, or turned off after hours.
What to do: check the office's hours and send during them. If it keeps happening, call the office and ask whether the fax line is working.
The number didn't answer as a fax machine
A person, a voicemail or a phone menu answered instead of a fax machine. This usually means you have a phone number, not a fax number.
What to do: ask for the fax number specifically. Many offices list a phone and a fax number side by side, and they're easy to mix up. Fax number lookup shows where to find the right one, including a free official lookup for doctors.
The number isn't a working fax number
The call couldn't connect at all: the number doesn't exist, isn't in service, or was dialed in the wrong format.
What to do: check every digit. For numbers outside the US and Canada, make sure the country is right and the leading 0 isn't doubled. See how to send an international fax.
The fax arrived but the pages are hard to read
The fax went through, but the recipient says it's faint, dark or blurry. Fax is black and white at a fixed resolution, so small or light text loses detail.
What to do: rescan in good light on a dark surface, use the app's scanner rather than a regular photo, and avoid colored or grey paper. See sending medical forms by fax for scanning tips that apply to any document.
What happens to your money when a fax fails
In HonestFax, a fax that can't be delivered after all retries gives your credits back automatically. You get a notification either way, and the Sent tab shows what happened.
Frequently asked questions
How many times does the app retry? HonestFax retries temporary failures like busy lines and no answer several times, with longer gaps between tries. Permanent failures, like a number that isn't in service, stop right away so you can fix the number. For how long a normal fax takes, see how long a fax takes.
Can a fax be "delivered" but not received? Delivered means the receiving machine accepted every page. If the office says they don't have it, it may be in a different tray or inbox on their side. You can show them the exact pages that were sent from the Sent tab.
