On the run. No time for a blog post. I need an eFax like yesterday. Can anyone give me experience, cost comparisons, any info they have on this service.
Thanks!!!
Rain City Guide
Your Guide to the Seattle Real Estate Market
On the run. No time for a blog post. I need an eFax like yesterday. Can anyone give me experience, cost comparisons, any info they have on this service.
Thanks!!!
Have e-fax and have had it for about 4 or 5 years. It is cost effective (I think I pay $170 for the year), easy to use and I love the convenience of receiving the fax on my computer, saving it in a file and being able to e-mail it out rather than waste paper. I use it constantly when dealing with contracts – saves the contract from looking like one big blur on the paper from being hard faxed a million times.
I am an e-fax fan! Hope that helps.
Has always worked fine for me. I’m a little annoyed that there aren’t good (read: cheaper) competitors, but nothing else to complain about.
I don’t receive more than 5 or 10 faxes/month, and I send using my regular phone line at home, so I can’t comment on the sending ability.
Pfax can’t be beat. Will run you $48 for unlimited faxes…have used it for years….
http://www.packetel.com/Fax/faxServicePricing.asp
That was $48 per year…..
I love it. The best thing is you can “print” emails received or whatever(mls data) into efax and then convert and save it as a PDF file. Then you can save it on your hard drive or email it on. I don’t use the efax that much since I do most of my docs via email but use the conversion feature all day long. Love it and couldn’t live without it.
You might want to give k7.net a look. It’s a freebie that I’ve been using for 4 years or so. Advertising on the k7.net site pays the bills somehow. You are randomly assigned a 206 area code. Calls outside Seattle have stand LD charges. There have been a few occasions when someone had trouble connecting but generally trouble free.
We use RapidFax.com. And likely couldn’t live without it. 30 day free trial, $10/month (I think we pay 20 to avoid overages, but they aren’t that expensive if they happen).
And a toll-free fax number is included.
I have efax, for at least 4 or 5 years now, and love it. Occasionally it is slow, but then I can use my old-fashinoned fax if needed.
I have my efax set so the faxes come to me as a pdf (instead of a tif), so I can email to everyone, makes it so easy to get a good, clear readable copy to all parties. You can even use a yellow highlighter editing function to indicate where people should initial/sign/date, and make changes.
You can have your efaxes go to several email addresses, and you can access email from any computer anywhere. I also use gotomypc.com, which I love as well.
In fact, so clients don’t have to download the viewer program from Locator, I efax MLS docs to myself, they are a pdf, which then I email on to my client if we’re not meeting in person. I use my efax a ton, partially because that way I have easy to get at records for when I am at another computer.
Most people are already aware of this, but I would still like to point out that email is not secure unless it is encrypted. Please do not send any personal or sensitive information via email and attachment in email.
I’ve used myfax.com for a few years – $10/month for a toll free number that comes with 100 sent and 200 recd pages. I don’t have any complaints about them. It’s a pretty quick turnaround from someone sending to hitting my inbox. I only use it to receive though, and send out via my home fax machine.
ARDELL – one other thing I will add from the AR comment I made is that when you go to print a document – any document, you can send it to your eFax software and fax it – very, very cool. Hope it works for you!
I prefer pfax because of it’s ability to deliver pdf ready attachments
Try Packetel.com. It’s only $3.85 a month.
Ardell:
Loads of advice!
I have not shopped around, but I have used efax for over 3 years, and cannot imagine life with out it.
I receive and send faxes from Outlook, all in pdf format. Pay $19.95/mo base, usually pay another $10 for volume, so probably $360/yr.
Thanks everyone! I got an eFax today and already used it for a contract emailed to all parties. When I was at Brio for six months, the copy machine would send it to me by email and then I would forward it. Now that I’m back in my home office I was going nuts the last week without the ability to email contracts easily.
One you have it…you HAVE to have it! So I have the eFax this month and will check out the other options and read all the recommendations and decide at month end whether to keep the eFax or try another.
I really appreciate it! Especially Courtney who emailed me all the info, contact info, cost info, etc… Thanks Courtney! Took me 10 minutes to actually have it because of the detailed email you sent.
Thanks everyone!!! My life just got a little easier…just in time…my daughter (the pregnant one) just got off a plane and is on her way to my house. I need a time saver…just in time!
Ardell,
Hello I feel your pain! I use Faxage and have a link to them on the main Apella web site (order page) they are out of CO and have been great. I have been with them for about two years now. Check them out and let me know what you think. Here is a link to a page that you can find the button – see mid of page. http://apella.org/orderform.aspx
Good Luck!
I use k7.net for faxes…it’s worked just fine, 206 area code and it’s free.
Hi.
This is Greg Smith, Director, Web Marketing for “The eFax” (owned by j2 Global Communications). eFax is the world leader in internet faxing. We are the gold standard as you have probably heard, but do not take my word for it – have a FREE TRIAL on me. Click (or go) here: http://home.efax.com/s/r/efax_youarehere and put your name in the “GREEN promo code box” on the left and click the RED “Try it FREE” button. I hope you love eFax.
Packet8 has a new efax system. It is just $14.00 a month works great at our office.
I have used maxemail for about two years. It has worked great. The faxes come in pdf format. I have been able to get faxes and keep track of them. I used to use efax. At the time the had a their own way of encrypting the faxes. I couldn’t read them on just any computer. Also their rate increased so I changed. So far I have been happy with maxemail.
So far I’m having trouble with eFax, so will likely try another of the suggestions.
It seems to change it’s mind at whim as to whether to send it as a pdf or tiff file.
I use http://www.faxaway.com. It’s easy, its quick, and it’s cheap! I only use it to receive faxes though. I use a landline and fax machine to send. You can send out, I just don’t (old habit I guess). Cost’s $1 a month, and has free incoming faxes.
Thanks Christian. I’m still not totally happy with my eFax, but I think it’s because I need a desktop scanner vs. my 3 in one fax, scanner, printer. It does help with my disc space problems a little, as the large files are held in my eFax account for two years, instead of in my laptop. But that’s an age old problem I think I need to solve with suggestions from another post. I haven’t had any problems since i wrote that post months ago, but since I started using eFax…disc problems again 🙁
I’ll have to cook dinner for all of my young guy friends and have a round table discussion to come to a concensus of how to fix ARDELL’s tech issues 🙂
Hi Again.
This is Greg Smith, Director, Web Marketing for “The eFax
Greg,
It’s come in handy, but I can’t say that I love it. One problem is trying to find a file since it doesn’t look like I get to name the file. I like the online storage, but retrieving a file is almost impossible. I have to keep opening them all and not that I have lots, that is very cumbersome.
Also I bought the larger package and still got charged an extra $10 in the first month for usage. That surprised me.
Hi Ardell,
I understand your concerns regarding retrieving files from online storage. We are always working to improve our products.
Let us do this – call customer service on Monday and tell them you spoke with me and have them walk you through saving fax files. With some Q&A I think you will really enjoy eFax and be able to take advantage of all the amazing features. Unlike the other fax providers our eFax solution is the most comprehensive. Have you downloaded eFax Messenger? If not here is the link http://www.efax.com/en/efax/twa/page/download if will unleash all the great features – like the ability to sign your faxes.
When you call customer service please asked them to credit you that $10. If you run into trouble I will have it credited for you.
Stay in touch.
Greg
Does efax address HIPAA compliance? I thought that email receipt was not HIPAA compliant. Also, I read a couple of responses with concerns over overage charges. What type of throughput limits do you hvae with eFax? Is this a small business solution or does it also fit Mid-tier and Enterprise spaces?
tim,
I’m very happy with my eFax to the point where I don’t know how I lived without it in the past 🙂
The overage and limits depend on which plan you have. The cheaper the plan, the higher the overage cost in heavy months. Mine runs $20 a month fairly consistently. Not sure which plan I have. The plan also determines the amount of “storage”.
I don’t know what HIPAA compliance is. When I email a contract to an agent, I also fax it to the agent’s “broker” office, as email to an agent is not delivery to “the broker” in my opinion. It’s a duplication, but one I’m comfortable with.
Overage charges is like having the right cell phone plan. If you have the wrong plan for your usage, the overage will kill you. I do wish they had “carry over” for unused amounts from month to month. Some months I use a lot, some months very little. I haven’t checked into it as the cost has not been an issue for me, as it has been well worth the cost to me, by far.