You are here:
- Home
- Business
- Small Business Information
- Telecom (Phone, Fax, E-mail)
Telecom (Phone, Fax, E-mail)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Inexpensive flat rate phone service | 12/30/2009 | Stephen W. Leslie |
| Q: I’ve been using Cox Communications for my phone and Internet but it’s getting to expensive. Do you ... A: It depends on where you live and your local provider. A few years ago, the Public Utilities ... | ||
| Fax problems with AT&T | 9/11/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I need help please. I have an AT&T land-line. I have AT&T DSL too. I have one phsyical line and I ... A: Joseph, I'm not versed in "ringmaster", I would check my fax settings to make sure it's not factory ... | ||
| Spencer Holcombe | 8/28/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: Is that you Mr AT & T? Worked with you and Peggy & the Dutch gal in Pleasanton. You used to go to ... A: Yes it's me. lol, and yes I still sing - although I have a larger group to sing to now (Internet ... | ||
| Phone/Fax Link Blockage | 8/12/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I use the same line for fax and phone. Since I am working from home, I want them both to be blocked. ... A: Allie You didn't state your area or phone company, or the type of blocking you want on your line, ... | ||
| 2.4 g panasonic cordlessphone/ answering machine problem | 6/28/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: As soon as I plug in the base unit to the main phone line, it gives a normal dial tone and then ... A: Bryan, Check to make sure all the handsets are fully charged and off. Recheck the base unit and ... | ||
| unblock call | 6/16/2009 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: I've heard about the "trap call" program who would unblock the call received on a cell phone (would ... A: This would all depend on your local phone service. Call their sales department, and see if there ... | ||
| Telephone problems | 5/14/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: Ever since we moved into our duplex a year ago, we have had these problems: We have a new DECT ... A: jenny, Without being able to test your line in person I'm going to give you two options: Change ... | ||
| Dial Tone and Fax sound | 5/11/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: We moved into a brand new house about a year ago. We have a two handset v tec telephone. During ... A: Russell. Check your cordless phones channel code. It sounds as though its picking up on a ... | ||
| Fax question | 3/8/2009 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: Right now I have a phone line (voice)with distinctive ring(fax) line with a fax machine hooked up. I ... A: There are many more questions here: 1) With T-Mobile will you have an analog dial tone? If yes, ... | ||
| vtech cordless multiset | 1/30/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: i had a vtech 2.4 gh multi set that i am replacing with a vtech 6.0gh multi set. i plugged the new ... A: Michele, Thanks for reading the instructions about the info i need to answer your question -you ... | ||
| Fax sound on phone line | 1/29/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: Phone acting like a "FAX" line ... A: Cathy, What else do you have on your telephone line? A computer? Dsl service? Make sure that you ... | ||
| Problem with caller id | 1/24/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I recently bought a talking caller id box which I wanted to use with my bedroom phone. I removed ... A: Connie, Great, thanks for filling in my questions so fast. make sure your caller id unit has a ... | ||
| Problems with caller id | 1/23/2009 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: I recently bought a talking caller id box which I wanted to use with my bedroom phone. I removed ... A: Interesting problem. Plug in the old caller ID box and see if it works in the kitchen. Telephone ... | ||
| Problem with caller id | 1/23/2009 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I recently bought a talking caller id box which I wanted to use with my bedroom phone. I removed ... A: Connie, I can't give you much help as you weren't to informative as to brand of your device, ... | ||
| oomswitch compatability with baja broadband | 12/31/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: We recently switched from a separate Qwest phone line and a separate highspeed (DSL) internet ... A: This is analog connection for the fax machine. From the modem you must connect directly to the fax ... | ||
| small business phone system | 12/25/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: i am the owner of a small trucking company in chillicothe, mo. We are limited to the amount of phone ... A: Excellent Question What we see many times is that a business cannot obtain additional analog phone ... | ||
| Two fax devices on one phone line | 12/16/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: Spencer - Is there a line splitter that will allow two faxes (a machine and a PC fax) to share one ... A: Alex, If you're using a standard pots line you can't use two fax machines on it at the same time, ... | ||
| Can't get fax to work with AT&T internet line | 12/15/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: We have AT&T service with voicemail and bought HP Officejet Pro L7590. Have set-up fax and ... A: Carroll, Yes, reset your voicemail to pick up calls with more rings than your fax answers. (this is ... | ||
| Can't get fax to work with AT&T internet line | 12/15/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: We have AT&T service with voicemail and bought HP Officejet Pro L7590. Have set-up fax and ... A: Carroll. You didnt say if you had DSL service, so I'll assume you don't. Try setting your fax to ... | ||
| Connecting VoIP to house RJ11 wall jacks | 11/20/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: I asked Spencer this, but he said it was beyond his expertise. Maybe you might know. I just ... A: Great questions, hard without a site visit. Here are a couple of things. Even though your telecom ... | ||
| Sharing a line with a fax machine | 11/17/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: We subscribe to ATT We have a fax machine (HP laserjet m1319f/MFP)sharing the telephone line. We can ... A: Good Question. The fax machine must be set in TAD mode to tell it there is a Telephone Answering ... | ||
| Constant busy signal | 11/13/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: My phone has a busy signal when I try to call out and incoming callers either get a busy signal or a ... A: Since you have AT&T, why not call 6-1-1 (repair service) and have them check your line? They'll ... | ||
| Cordless phone | 10/1/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I have a Panasonic 5.8 GHZ cordless phone. I have dial tone and can make outgoing calls. But I ... A: Phil, Why don't you believe Verizon? Telephone companies make their money on people using the ... | ||
| Telecommunications | 9/25/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: my business gets 5 to 10 phone calls from a number in New Jersey per day and when we pick up the ... A: Walter, Try using the following site to block those calls: www.phonetray.com although your phone ... | ||
| Telecommunications | 9/23/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: my business gets 5 to 10 phone calls from a number in New Jersey per day and when we pick up the ... A: Walter, Who is your provider? I've never heard of a TELEPHONE company NOT being able to provide ... | ||
| Speakerphone interference | 8/19/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: One of our Nortel telephones which is being used on a landline has a lot of interference whenever ... A: Robin, Based on the information you provided, let's start with the other devices near your phone. ... | ||
| Bad TR message on Fax Machine | 8/11/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: I have an HP T45 all in one printer/copier/fax machine. I can send out faxes, but when someone tries ... A: Donna: Good question. There are several items to check. Number one, is there DSL on the same ... | ||
| Bad TR message on fax machine | 8/11/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I have an HP T45 all in one printer/copier/fax machine. I can send out faxes, but when someone tries ... A: Donna, I'm guessing that you only receive faxes from 1 person and that's where you're getting the ... | ||
| faxing from MFP (copier) on digital line | 8/11/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: Customers are switching to VOIP, digital lines and we are getting weird reactions on our optional ... A: Can you connect an analog phone to the fax machine and complete a call? Can you dial out from the ... | ||
| Local Exchange | 7/15/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: My office building has a contract with the local cable company for phone service. They assigned my ... A: This is a very good question. It appears on the surface that the building management is operating ... | ||
| Cordless phones | 7/11/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I have a base unit and two handsets. Occasionally the base unit went totally dead for a few ... A: Billy, Without knowing more about your wireless system -ie the brand model, setup etc... I'm ... | ||
| Connect fax through cordless phone | 7/10/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: My husband usually handles all this stuff but since he chose to kill himself this year in the middle ... A: Susan, There are several "devices" on the market today that should be able to fill your need. Most ... | ||
| Phone interference | 7/2/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I read you response to interference. I found my HVAC to be the problem/a heat pump. Can I get a ... A: Pat, Yes, have an electrician do the job. (he/she can also pin point where the problem lies. ie ... | ||
| Phone interference | 7/1/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I read you response to interference. I found my HVAC to be the problem/a heat pump. Can I get a ... A: Pat, You have two choices depending on the TYPE of phone (cordless or standard) If the problem is ... | ||
| DSL | 6/20/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: What is the difference between DSL and Cable Internet Service? A: The difference between DSL and Cable Internet DSL is provided by the telephone company or ... | ||
| fax through computer | 4/5/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: I have been trying to send a fax through computer, but it has never worked. The message always says ... A: Has the modem ever worked? If this is a MS Windows system, go to Hyperterminal from START, ... | ||
| Faxing and AM | 4/1/2008 | Marvin Tanner |
| Q: I have Time-warner Cable, and I also have a printer/fax/scanner thingy...and I have my answering ... A: You are asking an excellent question. Cable telephone service converts the signal to analog ... | ||
| Unblocking outgoing calls | 2/28/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: I have my landline phone number blocked so that the recipients do not see my number. I know there ... A: Cheryl, The "code" to dial is *82 (or from rotary phones dial: 11-82) You can find this ... | ||
| how to buy a 1-800 number | 2/25/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: i followed the thread on how to buy a 1-800 number, but there is no mention of how to find out who ... A: Ken, Fax the number and see if they respond. Carriers can tell you if the number is theirs, or ... | ||
| FAXING with TIME WARNER CABLE | 2/13/2008 | Spencer Holcombe |
| Q: i have time warner TV cable, Cable Internet, and phone service. They call their phone service ... A: Regi Lynn, If it's just a problem of having to unplug the phone, and plug in the fax to the port, ... | ||
Stephen W. Leslie
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Expertise in finding and selecting lower cost in-state and interstate long distance plans for businesses of all sizes and individuals. Contract features and billing practices to watch out for when selecting long distance phone service. How to avoid monthly minimum fees and find the best "800" service. Most useful for small-medium businesses and seniors but can also provide advice and suggestions to larger businesses. Questions should be limited to selection of carrier, not technical issues of service.
Experience
I have been working in this area as a consumer advocate for several years. Began as a challenge to help some local seniors save some money, but has become more of a crusade. Virtually all standard phone companies' long distance service is overpriced, particularly in high cost states such as Nevada, Arizona and Missouri. Have published a consumer's guide to longer distance phone service in major newspapers.
Education/Credentials
10 years of post-graduated training in science and technology field. Highly skilled in computer and IT. Developed and runs a large, national clinical research database. Researcher in clinical studies in collaboration with Harvard and Wake Forest Universities.
Awards and Honors
National Community Service Leadership Award for Community Service activities.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.