Why your fax failed, and what to do next
A fax can fail for several reasons, and most of them have nothing to do with you. If you sent it with Faxette, you were not charged: we only charge when a fax is delivered, and the hold on your card is released when it fails.
The line was busy
Also shown as: busy, line busy, user busy.
- What it means
- The fax number was already on another call when we dialed.
- Why it happens
- A fax line handles one call at a time. Busy offices can stay busy for long stretches.
- What to do
- Try again in a little while. Early morning and late afternoon are usually quieter. If the number stays busy for hours, ask the office if they have a second fax number.
- What Faxette does
- We redial up to two more times (three tries in all) over about 20 minutes before giving up.
Nobody answered
Also shown as: no answer, no response.
- What it means
- The fax number rang, but nothing picked up.
- Why it happens
- The machine may be turned off, unplugged, or out of paper or memory. Some offices switch their fax off after hours.
- What to do
- Try again later, or during business hours if it is an office. If it keeps failing, call the office and ask if the fax machine is on and if you have the right number.
- What Faxette does
- We redial up to two more times over about 20 minutes.
Something answered, but it was not a fax machine
Also shown as: no fax tone, communication timeout.
- What it means
- The call connected, but the other end never sent the tones a fax machine sends.
- Why it happens
- Usually the number is a phone line, and a person or voicemail picked up. Many offices print a phone number and a fax number side by side.
- What to do
- Confirm this is the fax number and not the phone number. Check the letter or form, or call and ask.
- What Faxette does
- We stop after the first attempt when the number itself looks wrong, so we do not keep calling what may be someone's phone.
The call dropped partway through
Also shown as: call dropped, disconnected, incomplete.
- What it means
- A fax machine answered and started receiving, then the call ended before your pages finished.
- Why it happens
- A noisy line, a receiving machine that ran out of paper or memory, or a fax line that runs over internet phone service.
- What to do
- Try again. If it keeps happening, send fewer pages per fax, or ask the office if their fax line is working.
- What Faxette does
- We redial up to two more times. You are only charged if the fax is delivered.
The machines could not complete the transmission
Also shown as: communication error, negotiation failed, protocol error.
- What it means
- A fax machine answered, but the two machines could not agree on how to send the pages, or lost track of each other.
- Why it happens
- Before any page is sent, fax machines exchange signals to agree on speed and format. A noisy line or an older machine can break that exchange.
- What to do
- Try again. If it fails again, ask the recipient if their machine is having trouble, or if they have another fax number.
- What Faxette does
- We redial up to two more times over about 20 minutes.
The call could not get through
Also shown as: unreachable, network error, timeout.
- What it means
- The phone network could not connect the call to that number.
- Why it happens
- Usually a temporary problem at the receiving phone company or somewhere in between.
- What to do
- Try again later. If it keeps failing, confirm the number.
- What Faxette does
- We redial up to two more times over about 20 minutes.
The number is not in service
Also shown as: not in service, invalid number, unallocated number.
- What it means
- The phone network reports that the number is not assigned, or is not a valid number.
- Why it happens
- The number was disconnected, the office changed it, or one digit is wrong.
- What to do
- Check the number on your letter or form, or ask the office to confirm it. Government fax numbers do change.
- What Faxette does
- We stop after the first attempt, because trying again cannot help.
The number rejected the call
Also shown as: rejected, declined, call refused.
- What it means
- The receiving end refused the call.
- Why it happens
- Some fax lines block callers they do not recognize, or are set to refuse calls at certain times.
- What to do
- Confirm the number, or ask the office if their fax line is accepting faxes.
- What Faxette does
- We stop soon after, because more tries rarely help.
Something went wrong on our side
Also shown as: file error, request error, channel limit.
- What it means
- We could not turn your document into a fax, or our carrier could not place the call.
- Why it happens
- A damaged or password-protected file, a temporary fault in our systems, or a limit on our fax line.
- What to do
- If we email you, follow that note. Otherwise try saving the file as a new PDF, or send photos of the pages.
- What Faxette does
- We treat this as our problem. The hold on your card is released, and we are alerted.
How to tell if a fax went through
A fax is confirmed by the receiving machine. With Faxette, the status page shows delivered and we email a receipt with the delivery time, page count, and destination number. A confirmation proves the pages reached a fax machine at that number—not that a person has read it.