Faxes without a fax machine

MSE_Martin

Free Fax Receiving For Web Users

For those people who want to receive faxes, it is possible to do so without a fax machine.  

How? Download the software from http://home.efax.com/s/r/FreeUK this should take you directly to Efax Free, but do ensure it is that and not Efax Plus.  You will then be allocated your own number for peopel to fax to.  

How do they make money? The system is completely free for you to use.  The key to the company's revenue raising is the phone number.  The number you are allocated is a 0870 national rate number.

This means whomever is faxing you pays roughly 8p/min during the day, and less at evenings and weekends.

It's therefore a more expensive call than normal, and efax gets a cut of this revenue.  However as a cheap system for those who need to receive faxes on occassion, its a useful tool.

gt94sss2

http://home.efax.com/s/r/FreeUK is a better/more direct link to sign up for a UK 0870 number and its quite a reliable service

However, before you sign up please read the "Customer Agreement" carefully.

For instance, if you receive more than 20 faxes/month they will ask you to upgrade and they will also occasionaly email you adverts.

Regads
Sunil

MSE_Martin

Thanks Sunil - have updated the top post with your link

LincsLad_3

It might be worth mentioningthis link, for those who want to just send the occasional fax, but have no need to receive them: http://www.tpc.int/

Ickle_Steve

An alternative is YAC Number Basic http://www.yac.com.
As efax but the fax is sent to your email address as either a PDF or TIFF document. This means there is no software to download.
From their home page choose "YAC Number", then "Try our YAC Number BASIC service for free" icon.
Depending on how you set it up, this service also offers voicemail to email.
I've used the free fax to email service for over two years with no problems.

peter_the_piper

Please be aware that once your fax/phone number gets out into the real world you are open to junk faxes at all times of the day(and night). No great problem when the computer is on but not so nice at 2o'clock in the morning. We had a spell when the phone rang up to 4 times a night , the computers sending the junk don't give up.

MSE_Martin

Thats one of the advantages of this fax. It doesn't ring you it rings your special number and you just get an email so even junk faxes dont wake you up

Matt_F-Smith

how about this one instead?
It allows you to SEND faxes for free (7day trial) just cancel before the time is up

the system works by sending emails as a fax message

https://www.pumafax.co.uk

Matt

derrick

Am surprised at Martin endorsing 0870 numbers

MSE_Martin

Actually I have no problem whatsoever with 0870 numbers. My problem comes with two things

i. People call them national rate numbers without explaining how expensive that is - i'd prefer them to be called premium national rate numbers

ii. The use of these revenue making numbers by companies on their customer service lines and complaint lines. Thus meaning if you complain they make money

In this case it is a totally free service, with no other way of making revenue, i wish they explained it better in their literature, but i don't really have a problem with 0870 in this context, as long as people are aware of it.

martin

Ted_Hutchinson

I haven't used this Free Fax but it seems it may be useful for those who just want to send a fax rather than receive one.

http://www.burnham-on-sea.co.uk/fax.html