Fax receives long distance calls but not local calls

Hello there! Welcome to the forum!

You have a working fax machine attached to a phone line. The phone line is... say... 555 222-1313. So someone from another area code can send a fax to that number (1-555-222-1313), but if someone from the 555 area code tries to send one, do you or they get an error? Does it show to go through on their end?

Are there settings on your fax machine where you could have inadvertently blocked certain area codes?

The (local) sending fax machine receives the printed error message. Reading the fine print on it, the problem seems to be that the sending machine is told that my receiving fax is busy (but it is not). Problem *could* be the voice message on the landline (which is connected to the fax), although the voice message was there before this problem started, and thus is not something that was changed.

For testing purposes, any way you could disconnect the voice message/ regular phone part and have somebody send you a fax? In other words, get the phone line clean as possible.

Did this change out of the blue? Or was something changed with respect to phone service?

Out of the blue. However, I will try that (getting rid of the voice mail, as a test.) Of course, the next question is "What if that works?" because having a voice mail message is kinda nice. But...maybe try making the message shorter? Or longer?

Hello Robert!

Yea, I agree it would be a hindrance to not have your voice message. You wouldn’t have to leave it off long. Turn it off and have somebody send you a fax and see what happens.

@Drabdr How do I send you a direct message regarding a forum post? I can't figure out how.

guytech2 said:

@Drabdr How do I send you a direct message regarding a forum post? I can't figure out how.

Click to expand...

Hello! If you look at the top of the page, you will see "Inbox". Choose "start a new conversation", and put in my name.

do you have faxes often? When I was helping clients with the same issue, they didn't get faxes often so what I would do is set up their voicemail to pick up after 10 rings, so that way their fax machine can pick up before the voicemail. They would turn on the fax only when they need it.