In short
Most often, the number: either it is wrong, or it rings a telephone rather than a fax machine. Next come a busy or unanswered line, a receiving machine that is powered down, has a paper jam or an empty tray, and lines running through an internet box that distorts the signal. Check the number, then try again a little later.
What usually gets in the way
Top of the list is the number: a typo, an outdated entry, or a line answered by a person or a voicemail. A fax needs a machine that picks up and whistles back. After that come busy lines, calls nobody answers, and machines that are out of order or out of paper.
Lines moved onto internet boxes cause a growing share of failures: voice-over-IP compression distorts fax tones. That setting lives on the recipient’s side; you cannot fix it from yours.
Reading the status
The tracking page, refreshed every five seconds, shows each stage up to the final result. If the fax fails, the receipts option is not charged, since it is only billed when the fax is delivered.
Before you try again
Compare the number digit by digit with a recent source and make sure the right country is selected. If the line was busy, give it some time: office hours concentrate traffic. If the failure repeats, phone the recipient to confirm the number and the state of their machine.
A PDF full of photos or dark solid areas makes the transmission longer and more fragile. A stripped-down version in crisp black and white stands a better chance of getting through in one go.
Key points
- Leading cause: a mistyped number, or one that rings a phone.
- Busy line, machine out of paper, a box that distorts the signal.
- Live tracking shows the failure; the receipts option is then not charged.
- Check number and country, wait, call the recipient.