Dear OCD Client

[RitaB]

Dear OCD Client:

     Thanks for the fax which included:  five forms, one unnecessary cover sheet, seven pages of instructions for recipient, the facts about your Social Security Benefit Statement, and the page from your investment company that served as their mailing slip.  Got every thing I need.  Thank God, dunno how I would do your return without all this.

     P. S.  Sorry I missed your call asking If I received everything.  I was at Staples buying paper and ink.

[Possi]

OH MY ACHIN' BACK!!! I KNOW!!!

[ILLMAS]

At least they didn't fax 30+ pages backwards which results in 30 blank pages

[Abby Normal]

This is why I use a fax service and get my faxes as PDFs. I can delete, rotate, rearrange and save just what I need.

We use MaxEmail, in case you're interested.

[RitaB]

27 minutes ago, ILLMAS said:

At least they didn't fax 30+ pages backwards which results in 30 blank pages

That was yesterday.

[jasdlm]

I think MaxEmail sounds fabulous.  I just entered my zipcode in the website, and it says there is nothing in my area.  Does anyone use a similar service with which he/she is pleased?

[Cathy]

1 hour ago, Abby Normal said:

This is why I use a fax service and get my faxes as PDFs. I can delete, rotate, rearrange and save just what I need.

We use MaxEmail, in case you're interested.

I use Nextiva for my faxes that come and go out through my email.  The best part is not hearing the fax machine ringing!!!   The cost of printing the copies on my laser printer is way cheaper than my fax machine used to be. 

[Lynn EA USTCP in Louisiana]

I have my scanner software set up so that the faxes are forwarded to an email address, specific for the fax machine.  That way I can go online, view the faxes, delete the ones that are junk, save whatever I think should be saved, and print only the pages I need.

 

[Margaret CPA in OH]

I still have a separate fax line which costs $10 monthly and is connected to a refurbished ($99) very basic computer networked to my main computer.  The ringer is set for 1 time and all faxes are saved as pdfs.  Like Abby, I print what I need but the vast majority are saved (after selective 'pruning') right into the client file folder on my main computer.  Each client has a folder and separate file for each tax year and one for permanent or other documents.  I have one real file drawer with an empty folder for each client just in case I get real paper occasionally before I scan and save.

[GeneInAlabama]

I use MetroFax.com.  $8.95 or $8.99 per month.  Works great for me.

 

[Lion EA]

I use eFax.  And, it doesn't wake me up like my free-standing fax machine does when that client just has to fax me at 5:30 a.m. before they go to work -- and I just went to bed!  Can delete, save electronically, &/or print.  Send and receive.  Got to pick my own fax number, too.

[michaelmars]

I use Ring Central, has been flawless for almost 2 years,  I think its $88 annually.

[Abby Normal]

4 hours ago, Cathy said:

I use Nextiva for my faxes that come and go out through my email.  The best part is not hearing the fax machine ringing!!!   The cost of printing the copies on my laser printer is way cheaper than my fax machine used to be. 

We never rarely print our faxes.

[Abby Normal]

20 minutes ago, michaelmars said:

I use Ring Central, has been flawless for almost 2 years,  I think its $88 annually.

Their sites says $25/mo/user. That would cost me at least $1,500/yr! It looks nice though.

[Abby Normal]

4 hours ago, jasdlm said:

I think MaxEmail sounds fabulous.  I just entered my zipcode in the website, and it says there is nothing in my area.  Does anyone use a similar service with which he/she is pleased?

We've never had a local number. Calls are forwarded to our assigned fax number, so it does cost me a few cents of long distance for each fax, but I only pay $70/yr for the Lite Non-local service. But I think I'm grandfathered in because, the new lowest cost plan is $7/mo, if you pay annually.

I get 500 pages per mo, that rollover and I've accumulated over 35,000 pages. We get our voice messages thru them too, but they don't mention that on their site. We also get 1 year storage on our faxes and messages.

 

[jklcpa]

14 minutes ago, Abby Normal said:

Their sites says $25/mo/user. That would cost me at least $1,500/yr! It looks nice though.

This is the Ring Central pricing for fax-only service:  http://www.ringcentral.com/plansandpricing/ringcentralfax.html

The base price starts at $7.99 per month for one fax number and the first 500 pages.

[Terry D EA]

I too have been using Ring Central since 2008 and it is indeed flawless. The others have given you the pricing.

[kcjenkins]

eFax always worked great for me, 

[RitaB]

Wow, I had no idea so much faxing was going on!  I get three to five sheets a month from one contractor who sends his invoices to me to pay for my bookkeeping client, and then twenty sheets from this out of town tax client in February.  That's it.  I feel like the luckiest person in the world now. 

[mcb39]

4 minutes ago, RitaB said:

Wow, I had no idea so much faxing was going on!  I get three to five sheets a month from one contractor who sends his invoices to me to pay for my bookkeeping client, and then twenty sheets from this out of town tax client in February.  That's it.  I feel like the luckiest person in the world now. 

I feel lucky with you.  I have an old-fashioned fax machine with the ringer shut off.  What really drives me nuts though are the folks on the opposite end of the chain who come in with a handful of envelopes.......none of them opened.  Thankfully, we have an outside wood burner.  Hubby takes all the junk to the incinerator.

[KINGCHUCK1971]

I use voipo.com

They have cloud voip which allows you to receive a email with a PDF attachment of your fax. In order to send a fax you will have to scan your documents and you can save it in a number of different formats. The cost is only $36 per year. I've used them the past 5 years and the price is still the same. The service has been very dependable. You can port your number or choose your own number. You can even choose a 800 number if you want. 

[Abby Normal]

The thing about electronic faxes is you learn to hate clients who fax things so they show up on your screen upside down! Fortunately, my new pdf software (Nuance Power PDF Standard) allows me to rotate all the pages of the pdf at once.

[Abby Normal]

14 hours ago, jklcpa said:

This is the Ring Central pricing for fax-only service:  http://www.ringcentral.com/plansandpricing/ringcentralfax.html

The base price starts at $7.99 per month for one fax number and the first 500 pages.

That looks really good, if you just need a fax service. It's more money if you need both fax and voice message service.

[JohnH]

37 minutes ago, mcb39 said:

I feel lucky with you.  I have an old-fashioned fax machine with the ringer shut off.  What really drives me nuts though are the folks on the opposite end of the chain who come in with a handful of envelopes.......none of them opened.  Thankfully, we have an outside wood burner.  Hubby takes all the junk to the incinerator.

Those clients provide a nice comic diversion during the day.  I like to engage them in conversation while I sift through the envelopes, pulling out the one piece of useful info, and shoving all the boilerplate stuff & envelopes into the shredder.  I always make sure the shredder is sitting where they can see it gobbling up the paper.  The look on their face a while I'm talking over the noise of that shredder loudly grinding away is priceless.  

[Jack from Ohio]

I have a 4-in-1 machine.  Second "distinctive ring" phone number on my main phone line ($10/mo.).  I have a MagicJack second phone line ($23/year unlimited) that I use when things get busy.  This has worked for me for 7 years now and the 4-in-one machine is still cranking along!  Cost per page of printing, not including the paper, is $.002 page.  Not changing anything till this machine dies.  7 years (I think that is 70 printer years) and going great.