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Cell phones and home phones

post #1 of 17
10/23/08 at 3:16pm
Thread Starter 
They're trying to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century and get a cell phone. So my question to all of you, is: do any of you still have a house phone or do you only have cell phones. If you only have a cell phone have there been any issues by not having a house phone?

My son has one, and if we get one it will probably be for my wife and myself as well.

Thanks for your help.
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post #2 of 17
10/23/08 at 3:43pm
Nope, don't have a cell, still have a land line. I don't use it much, but the answering machine does come in handy as a "screening device".

I've heard tell that getting your first cell phone is about the same as converting a bull to a steer......
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post #3 of 17
10/23/08 at 3:53pm
I have both. If it were just me and my wife, we'd do cell phones only. But having kids, a land line phone is the cheapest solution on a phone only consideration. But we also use a very cheap pay as you go cell service as the phone isn't a big part of our lives.

But you also need to consider bundling issues. TV, wireless, and phone are often discounted and sold in bundles that complicate the decision. My internet is DSL and that affects my land line and bundled pricing. Or you might be part of a HOA that contracts certain services at other discounts. Lots of variables.

Also consider what service has the best coverage for where you live and where go. There are a ton of dead zones in my state and my particular neighborhood has crappy cell service (and over the air TV reception).

Land-lines with a cord are the most reliable phone. They work in power outages when cordless phones won't. Cell phones might work depending if you're in range of a tower that has power.

In a big disaster, the cell phone probably has more usefulness, as it's likely to be restored sooner (assuming you have a way to keep it charged) or be useful if you're out of the disaster area.

Phil
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post #4 of 17
10/23/08 at 5:06pm
Though both my wife and I have cell phones she refuses to give up our land line. Not exactly sure why, but she insists so we keep it. If it was up to me, I'd get rid of it, though I admit it is nice when family calls and we can both be on the phone.
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post #5 of 17
10/23/08 at 5:18pm
Cell service relies heavily on landlines as links. Landlines go down cell service goes down. That happened here when the Minnesota River took out a major land line hub in Granite Falls.
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post #6 of 17
10/23/08 at 5:31pm
We have both - Our land line is bundled with Road Runner internet service and our cable. The feature we like is no extra charge for long distance which comes in very handy since we talk to our daughter in Vegas on almost a daily basis. I've always had a cell since I was on the road selling although now that I'm retired I'm not always sure where it is. They're nice to have for emergencies and car trouble.

Willie
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post #7 of 17
10/24/08 at 5:36am
My husband and I each have our own cellphone and we also have a landline. I would get rid of the landline but I keep it because I have many international calls to make. Otherwise it's kinda useless.

Cell phone pros:
-Easy and instant communication especially if you're meeting someone in a crowd
-Emergencies such as flat tire on the road or you get lost.
-Text messaging for people like me who hate talking on the phone but you still need to get in touch with someone.

Cell phone cons:
- You're always within grasp wherever you go
- Dealing with cell phone companies... oh don't get me started but I will say one thing.. the lawyers that come up with cell phone contracts must be gazillionairs.

I suggest you make up your own pros and cons list with your family and then decide. I do quite a bit of driving for my jobs and I no longer want to be stranded on the side of the road waiting for someone to help me without a cellphone.
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post #8 of 17
10/24/08 at 5:40am
I counldn't have said it better myself!!!!;):lol:
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post #9 of 17
10/24/08 at 6:05am
We have both at this time. Les's phone has more extras than mine. His is used a lot more and more of a necessity than mine with him being out of state so much. Mine is for emergencies.....more to give me peace of mind when I am away from home. We have to keep the home phone because our cells get horrible service where we live. If someone calls mine, I might hear it ring but I lose the call when I pick it up to answer. I have to put the phone in a north facing window and use the earbuds (need a Bluetooth), or go outside in the front yard to use it.
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post #10 of 17
10/24/08 at 6:08am
Cordless phones and cell phones communicate via radio transmissions, & offer no promise of privacy, so your personal information is fair game for any low-life with the equipment to eavesdrop and collect your financial data to use for their own purposes (identy theft is big business). I will always maintain a landline for security.

Cell phone reception in my area is patchy at best (high mountain, rural area), but both hubby and I have cell phones to use in town and when traveling. (Cheap, shared minutes plan). Has anyone tried to find a pay phone lately? Mission impossible. Don't get stranded in the dark in a strange place without a cell phone.
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post #11 of 17
10/24/08 at 3:52pm
Just cut the land line last month.
My sister and her family have been using only cell phones for years, and they love it.
So my wife and I finally decided to go the same route.
When we had the land line, we never answered it, always let it go to machine.
The hardest thing to get used to was not looking for the blinking light when we walked in the door.

I have to say, I'm not regretting this move.
We've even gotten better at texting, which is umlimited for us, mostly because of our daughter.
I do not regret paying less overall a month for phone service.
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post #12 of 17
10/24/08 at 6:00pm
Just be careful what info you broadcast. There's all sorts of creeps trolling the airwaves. :)
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post #13 of 17
10/24/08 at 9:49pm
I gave up my land line long ago, and only have a cell. My internet is through my cable company. No regrets. I do miss having fax abilities though.
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post #14 of 17
10/26/08 at 9:08am
both.....DSL and landline for business listing in phonebook.

Cell....I was a confirmed ludite, it makes it so easy to stay in contact with family. Or when I'm on long trips it's time to catch up on calls, or long waits etc.

For catering it's a time saver, your lost staff can be guided in, your host has no ice....staff can pick it up on the way.....really has become important. Clients can reach me quickly.
Ditto crowds, ditto emergencies...you may not have them often but if you do it's value cannot be underestimated.

My brother and nephew bought cheap phones on the internet and pay month to month $10 a month for 80 minutes. The 4 women in his family are on a family plan with 3000 minutes/my mom's Verizon account.

Verizon techs are pretty good about providing tutorials and quickly fixing repairs.
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post #15 of 17
10/27/08 at 9:54am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the thoughts. I am old school ( a fancy way of just saying old...) and so we have decided to keep the land line as well. We got a family plan with my son who already had a phone and so whoopie. I have a cell phone and no one to call :D
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post #16 of 17
10/27/08 at 6:44pm
one of the really cool things my techno brother has is specific call "rings' for people.....when my father calls my brother, his phone will start saying "who's your daddy", when my mom calls my bro....it's "this is your mother calling pick up the phone", his wife Sherry has Sherry Baby, each of his kids has a special one.....not sure what mine is, it would be interesting to find out.:crazy:
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post #17 of 17
10/28/08 at 12:01pm
i only had a cell phone only until i moved and since i work for a telecommunication company, i have a landline because it's comp'd. the only calls i get on that line are from telemarketers.
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