Faxpocalypse: When Lawyers Demand Records, and You Deliver...50 Pages at a Time (Again, and Again)
There are few sounds more 1990s than the screech of a fax machine, but in some corners of American bureaucracy, the fax lives on—and occasionally, it becomes a weapon of office warfare. Imagine sending sensitive medical records to a lawyer—once, twice, three times—only to receive an ALL CAPS demand for those very same documents as if you’d done nothing at all. What’s a diligent employee to do? Well, if you’re Redditor u/RickRI401, you go full malicious compliance and give them exactly what they (keep) asking for—on repeat, until your fax machine begs for mercy.
This is the story of “Nasty FAX form a lawyer,” a tale that proves sometimes the only way to fight bureaucracy is with more bureaucracy—and a dash of New England “ripshit” attitude.
The Neverending Fax: How One Lawyer Unleashed a Paper Tsunami
It started innocently enough. A diligent records clerk, u/RickRI401, receives a request from an attorney in a neighboring state: please send over medical records for their client. Like a model of efficiency, OP (the original poster) faxes and mails the documents the very same day. Two weeks pass, and the lawyer asks again. No problem—records are faxed a second time, and mailed yet again.
But then, the all-caps fax cover arrives: “THIS IS THE THIRD REQUEST FOR THESE RECORDS.” At this point, OP is “ripshit”—a delightful New England term for “absolutely furious,” as fellow commenter u/beadzy gleefully points out. So what’s the next move? It’s time for a little malicious compliance.
OP gathers all 49 pages of the requested records and proceeds to fax the full bundle out not once, not twice, but four times in a single day. The spirit of the facsimile flood has been unleashed, and the lawyer’s office is about to get more medical records than they ever bargained for.
And just to up the ante, OP discovers later that a coworker had already sent the same records three times, and the billing department had done so as well. If medical records could gain frequent flyer miles, these would be platinum status.
Fax Wars: Community Tales of Paper-Based Mayhem
The Reddit community rallied around this tale of bureaucratic brinkmanship with stories, jokes, and a few cautionary notes. Some, like u/doffraymnd, lamented the lost art of fax-based revenge: “I miss the days you could fax black construction paper to jerks.” Others reminisced about the days of endless paper loops—a trick described in detail by u/KudzuAU: just tape confirmation pages end-to-end and let the fax machine cycle infinitely, turning your adversary’s office into a scene from The NeverEnding Story. (Cue the theme song, as u/DoubleDareFan suggests.)
But the comments weren’t all about nostalgia and pranks. Some, like u/Compulawyer, speculated on the real problem: “I have $1.00 to bet that the attorney’s fax machine is a physical fax that ran out of paper and each fax is sitting in a memory buffer waiting to be printed.” Others, such as u/Special-Original-215, wondered if the records were being sent to the wrong number entirely—imagine some hapless North Dakota refrigerator salesman drowning in HIPAA-protected paperwork.
And then there’s the possibility, raised by u/extralyfe, that the wrong records were being sent altogether—a common mix-up in healthcare admin. “Sometimes the breakdown in communication can be frustrating,” they shared, recalling weeks of back-and-forth over the wrong documents.
Why Are We Still Faxing in 2024? (And Other Existential Office Questions)
If you’re reading this in a cozy, paperless office, you may be shocked to learn that fax machines are still alive—and not just in dusty basements. As several commenters note, healthcare and legal fields in the U.S. cling to faxing for “security” reasons, despite the existence of secure email and digital signatures. As u/ryanlc explained, “Certain industries here (healthcare being one) consider faxes ‘more secure’ than emails,” a sentiment echoed by users from Japan and beyond.
But with great bureaucracy comes great opportunity for mischief. Several commenters gleefully recounted their own tales of fax-based retaliation: from sending junk faxes back to the worst offenders (as u/3amGreenCoffee did with thousands of pages), to looping confirmation sheets until the recipient’s paper tray runs dry.
Still, others pointed out (with the dry wit of the Reddit crowd) that maybe—just maybe—a phone call would have solved everything. As u/Ouachita2022 suggested, “I want to make sure he has that in hand… I’ll wait while you check—thanks.” Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most overlooked.
The Moral of the Story: When in Doubt, Confirm Before You Fax (and Maybe Have a Laugh)
What are we to take away from this saga of faxed fury? First, that malicious compliance is sometimes the only way to keep your sanity—and your sense of humor—intact when bureaucracy goes off the rails. Second, that a little communication goes a long way; a quick phone call might have spared everyone a paper avalanche.
And third? Never underestimate the comedic potential of outdated office tech. Whether you’re “ripshit” in Rhode Island or recalling your days of fax-based shenanigans, there’s something cathartic about fighting nonsense with more nonsense—especially when it leaves a lawyer awash in the very records they so desperately demanded.
Have you ever battled bureaucracy with a well-timed act of compliance (malicious or otherwise)? Share your own war stories in the comments—and if you’re still using a fax machine, may your toner never run dry.
Original Reddit Post: Nasty FAX form a lawyer