We hear this often, and we get why it's frustrating. Here's the short answer and what to do.
Why this happens
Fax.Plus uses the global telecom network to deliver faxes. When your fax connects to the recipient's line — even if the document doesn't successfully transmit — telecom operators charge us for the connection time. We pass this cost on as credit deduction, which means you can be charged for a fax that ultimately didn't deliver.
This is true of all online fax services and was also true of physical fax machines (your phone bill charged for the call regardless of fax outcome).
When you are NOT charged
- The line rang but no one picked up: **no charge**.
- The line was busy and your fax never connected: **no charge** for that attempt.
When you ARE charged, even on failure
- The line picked up but the fax handshake failed.
- Your fax started transmitting but dropped mid-way.
- The line is a voice line and someone answered (no fax machine).
- The recipient's machine started to receive but disconnected before completion.
What to do when this happens
- Verify the recipient number. Make sure you have the correct number with country code (e.g., +16695551234). One of the most common causes of charged-but-failed faxes is sending to a number that's actually a voice line.
- Check the cost breakdown. In Fax.Plus, go to **Sent → click on the fax → Fax Status**. You'll see exactly what was charged and why.
- Use auto-retry. Enabling auto-retry means our system retries failed sends at smarter intervals than you would manually. See Auto-retry article. This is especially valuable for IRS and other government agency faxes during peak periods.
- Wait between manual retries. If you re-send immediately after a failure, you may pay twice for the same connection issue. Wait at least 15 minutes.
Check the fax status:
- If status is **Successful**, our system received confirmation from the destination machine. The fax was received. If the recipient says it didn't reach them, it may have been received on their end but not forwarded internally.
- If status is **Partially Sent**, only some pages went through. Re-send the document.
- If status is anything starting with **Failed**, the fax did not deliver. Try again.
"I want a refund"
Per our Refund Policy, credits used for failed faxes are not refundable in normal cases, because we incurred the actual telecom cost from operators. We do refund in cases of clear billing error on our side. If you believe your case fits that description, contact support with details.