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Both but If Mom goes to a retirement place .. I will get just the bare bones one too keep my Dsl bundle and use the cell more ( I use a pre paid or billed to crt card that I can change plans as needed
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Home phones, do you still have one?
- Thread starter kittylover4ever
- Start Date
I don't have a cell phone. I have a standard lan line with an answering machine connected to it. I figure if anyone wants to contact me while I'm out, they can leave a message on my home answering machine and I'll call them back. I think the Cell phone has got to be the most annoying invention in the last century. It's given a whole new meaning to the terms "rude" and "inconsiderate" when it comes to annoying people.
landline for internet but we never use the phone.Calls via mobiles/cellphones and skype for log or log dist calls.Couldnt live without one.Here compaies presume you have one and in some places(forms,internet)its obligatory to provide a cell/mobile no.
Think i really like cell phones for the ability of sms messaging-cheap not intrusive and easy and quick
Think i really like cell phones for the ability of sms messaging-cheap not intrusive and easy and quick
I have a landline - I cancelled my cell phone last year. I have a bundled package that includes my cable and it includes unlimited long distance (which is why I had a cell). One thing that I learned on Thurs., when I lost powere...keep 1 phone with an old fashioned curley cord handset. Both of my phones are cordless and when I lost power I didn't have phone service. Someone at work told me I could have used my phone with the old handset!
PS I bought a pay as you go phone 1 yr ago, for emergencies and I have never even activated it!
PS I bought a pay as you go phone 1 yr ago, for emergencies and I have never even activated it!
You should NEVER get rid of your land line. The number one reason is this. Emergencies!! Many people do not realize, that if you call 911 from your cell phone, it is useless, unless you are able to tell the 911 operator/dispatcher where you are at. Everyone is told to call 911 in case of an emergency and children are taught this a lot. However, as I stated, this is only good if you are able to tell the person who answers the phone, where you are at. When you call from a land line, when the 911 call comes in to the dispatch center, all of your information comes up on a display. Your name, address and phone number. However, when you call 911 from a cell phone, this is what you get on the display (area code)911-0000 and no address. Now, many 911 calls come in as a hang up or someone calls and leaves the phone off the hook, so the dispatcher can hear what is going on. With the land line, even if I don't speak with anyone, I can send help, because I have the person's address on display. With a cell phone call, if the person sets the phone down or hangs up, I have no way of telling where that call came from or from who. Yesterday, I took a 911 call for a domestic violence situation. I did not speak with anyone, but a child in the home called 911 and set the phone down. I could hear the yelling, screaming and crying in the background. Since they called from a land line, I was able to send the police there immediately. Had that been a cell phone, I would have had no luck knowing where the call was coming from. Another good reason for keeping you land line. What if there is a big storm and the cell tower is damaged? No cell phone, but your land line will still work. Even during major power outages, your land line will still work (regular hard wired phone, not the cordless type), due to the phone comapny having back up power sources. Many cell towers do not have this. Use caution whith internet phone service as well. Most of those do not work with 911 as well. If you have or are planning on getting internet phone service, check to make sure the 911 call works properly. You can call 911 to test your phone. Just tell the person who answers, that you are doing a 911 test. So, it's still a very good idea to keep a land line in your home.
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It is true that most emergencies occur at home, however, I am there so rarely that it seems silly to me to keep it just for that purpose.
To those who think that a cell phone is annoying, well, I disagree, having found myself broken down at night and away from home with no pay phones anywhere in sight. If it weren't for my cell phone, I'd have been walking for a loooooong time to find some assistance.
And having almost lost my daughter to an attempted murder several years ago, I feel more secure knowing that she can contact me from HER cell phone to MY cell phone at ANY time, day or night. That's a big comfort to me, AND to my daughter.
To those who think that a cell phone is annoying, well, I disagree, having found myself broken down at night and away from home with no pay phones anywhere in sight. If it weren't for my cell phone, I'd have been walking for a loooooong time to find some assistance.
And having almost lost my daughter to an attempted murder several years ago, I feel more secure knowing that she can contact me from HER cell phone to MY cell phone at ANY time, day or night. That's a big comfort to me, AND to my daughter.
I have a pay as you go phone for emergencies and a land line. Those digital phone services sure are appealing but even if you do have proper 911 on them, they do not function without power. I know the local cable company gives you a battery box with your system here incase of power outtages, but it's only good for 8 hours. After that you're without contact to the outside world. Maybe I'm just parinoid, but we had some local people without power for 3 weeks last summer, and I wouldn't want to be one of them and not have a phone.
I do wish that the long distance fees weren't the way they are though, since that's the way I make most of my calls. I thought about going cell only, but none of the providers have good long distance plans.
That's my 2 cents
I do wish that the long distance fees weren't the way they are though, since that's the way I make most of my calls. I thought about going cell only, but none of the providers have good long distance plans.
That's my 2 cents
This is me, too. I have Cricket service which works for me since I rarely leave the Portland Metro area. For $50 a month, I get unlimited minutes/texts. A true sanity saver since I no longer have to worry about running out of minutes at the end of the month. Verizon was my first carrier and I loved them but had to pay almost three times as much and nothing was unlimited.
I have Comcast internet so really don't need a home line. If I were to switch to DSL, I would need to pay for the landline plus the DSL service so it averages out. Metro-Fi and Microsoft offer free wireless internet in some parts of Portland - I am in one of those areas. If I can figure out how to get my computer set up to use it, I'll do that. Won't be as fast as Comcast, somewhere between dial-up and DSL, but hey, its free
Some days I am gone from home for 12 + hours and would never know if there was an emergency in my family without my cell. The teen I sponsor also uses it to text me, as do my sister and a niece. My volunteer work is easier this way too. I don't have to wait until I get home to answer calls, making my time at home more relaxing.
I am downtown at night often and it adds to security then, too. I use the cell as though it were my home phone. Only down side is me forgetting to charge it once in awhile before I go to sleep
I have my landline as I have dial up internet service. Also what John says is correct about the 911 service. Plus with my business I can have more people (i wish!!) reach me with two phone numbers and answering machines. I would not give up my landline. And I don't have any extra's either (like caller ID/call waiting).
Remember, this is about replacing your land line at home, not about being able to make calls while away from home. If you do have internet phone service, there is a very good chance it will fail you in an emergency, unless you are able to stay on the phone. Take it from me, I am a police/fire/911 dispatcher. When people call and there is a true emergency, most can't even tell me their name, let alone tell me where they are calling from. If they called from a land line, I can say, Mr or Mrs Smith, you are calling from (address) am I correct? In most cases, this is able to calm them down a bit, because they know the person they called, has control of the situation and can get them the help they need. So far, there is no phone service that is better than your land line..nothing. With cell phones, the batteries die or you forget to charge them, they don't always have the best connection, if the cell tower goes down, you are without service. Cell phones do have their purpose, but in the home, nothing is better than a good land line, for now. I am sure some day, internet and cell phone service will match that of the land line, but at the moment, it doesn't.
I'm going to the dollar store today to pick up a cheep phone just to have one on hand! I never thought of it that way.
Yep, it's still a good idea. To save money, I think you can get a very basic land line service. I think you can even get one with a limited number of calls, but I am not sure. We have both a landline and cell service. The cell is good while out and about, in case we really need to make a call, or if one of us is online at home and we need to make a call. Since I have dial up internet here, (I can't get DSL here) being online ties up our phone line.
LOL...people ask for my home # and I look at them like "umm what??!"
John you are SO right!!! I have both, and for land lines, be sure to have one that is NOT a cordless! If you have power failure & no electricity, what good is a cordless that gets plugged into the wall? None.
My dad was clear that when I first started driving God about 15 years ago, I had to have a cell. There was no way he was going to let his little girl stuck on the side of the road without an emergency contact. I think I had a 100 minute $19.99 plan, it was enough that if I was late I could call, if I broke down I could call, if I was in an accident I could call. And I did break down when I was 16 on the side of a highway.... and I was scared, that is scary enough....but thankfully I was able to call my daddy
& he came & rescued me! I think all drivers should have one, even if it's a prepaid one that stays in the glove box and is just for emergencies...
My dad was clear that when I first started driving God about 15 years ago, I had to have a cell. There was no way he was going to let his little girl stuck on the side of the road without an emergency contact. I think I had a 100 minute $19.99 plan, it was enough that if I was late I could call, if I broke down I could call, if I was in an accident I could call. And I did break down when I was 16 on the side of a highway.... and I was scared, that is scary enough....but thankfully I was able to call my daddy
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I still have a home phone as we live VERY far out in the boonies and don't get reception out here on our cells.
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We have a home phone. We also have a small business in our home, so the home phone is the business phone. Will never be without that home phone!
I have a land line telephone ONLY. Cell phones are too expensive, and they are so annoying. I know I hate to talk to people when they're calling from a cell.
I also have DSL, and you can usually find a good deal on DSL service, where as Cable service is usually always super expensive.
I wouldn't mind having a cell phone for emergencies out on the road, if I could afford one, but I could never see using a cell phone as my only phone.
I also have DSL, and you can usually find a good deal on DSL service, where as Cable service is usually always super expensive.
I wouldn't mind having a cell phone for emergencies out on the road, if I could afford one, but I could never see using a cell phone as my only phone.
I agree with that.
In the past many had a "car phone" that you couldn't remove from the car, for emergencies while travelling. Then came cell phones that were supposed to be for that same purpose.
However, as cell phones became more popular and people started to not only carry them in the car for emergencies, but also in their pockets and purses just for regular use, it's become highly annoying!!!
Now almost everyone including kids carry cell phones with them. Whatever happened to dropping a quarter in the pay phone if you had to call home and tell Mom you were going to a movie with a friend? Geez! I was a teenager and got along perfectly well without a cell phone.
I get so mad when I'm in a movie theater, or concert hall or restaurant, or even church and I hear someone's cell phone ring! Talk about rude and inconsiderate!!!
People have become a slave to technology and what was once developed as a means of emergency safety has become something else entirely.
