Telephones

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toad
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Telephones

Post by toad »

I read somewhere that people are answering their phones less and less. I've keep my little LG phone turned off and I only turn it on win I feel the need to make a call. If anybody wants to get in contact with me I tell them to use Email. To many phone calls are people wanting me to take a survey, robocalls , and other pests. It seems the FCC and the phone companies are slowly but surely killing their product. I've signed up for do not call lists state and federal but the pests are given work arounds or call from overseas. :evil:
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Weetabix
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Re: Telephones

Post by Weetabix »

We practically never answer the home phone. Not sure why we keep it.

If my cell rings with an unknown number, I let it go to voice mail. And sometimes remember to check it.

I get lots of recorded calls offering to help me with my credit card balance... which is $0. I suspect they want to help me increase my balance.
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MiddleAgedKen
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Re: Telephones

Post by MiddleAgedKen »

We ditched our land line in 2010 (and cut the cable in 2017). I generally screen my cell calls; if I don't recognize a number, I don't answer (and if it's important, the voice mail will be worth checking).
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g-man
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Re: Telephones

Post by g-man »

The reminder calls, and all calls from inside the Med Center here at Travis AFB show up as "Unknown +00000000000", so at least I know it's them. Anything unlisted goes to voicemail. I've taken to answering the numbers I don't recognize from OH, since they're almost always telemarketers. I just hang up on them and then block the number. I realize they'll call from somewhere else next, but at least I'm blocking every number they call from at the phone, and not having to rely on the "Do Not Call" joke.

If I could ditch cable that would be next, but I just can't seem to get my wife off the network shows, and it's worth the coin for the lack of headache. I know I could probably figure out how to DVR OTA HD broadcasts, but between the upfront costs, my learning curve, HER learning curve, and the lambasting I'd take if (when) something didn't work 'exactly the way she wants it to', I pay for the cable. Home phone went away many moves ago. We're actually considering getting a local-only landline for when we have a babysitter, since cell signal can be haphazard at the house. Which is in the middle of town...
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Weetabix
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Re: Telephones

Post by Weetabix »

g-man wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:10 pmIf I could ditch cable that would be next, but I just can't seem to get my wife off the network shows, and it's worth the coin for the lack of headache.
I noticed that my wife was only watching old shows. I told her if we could ditch the cable, I'd give her that money each month to buy box sets of shows she actually cared about. It's worked great.
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g-man
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Re: Telephones

Post by g-man »

Weetabix wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:21 pm I noticed that my wife was only watching old shows. I told her if we could ditch the cable, I'd give her that money each month to buy box sets of shows she actually cared about. It's worked great.
Unfortunately, SWMBO watches the NEW network shows. Some are available via streaming, some not. Such is my luck.
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randy
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Re: Telephones

Post by randy »

g-man wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:10 pm We're actually considering getting a local-only landline for when we have a babysitter, since cell signal can be haphazard at the house. Which is in the middle of town...
Another advantage is that all the babysitter has to be able to do is pick up the phone and hit 911. If they are able do nothing else, protocol in most jurisdictions is to send a response anyway. Cell phone location has a Loooong way to go to be as accurate, precise and reliable as landline phone location, even with E911.

We taught Darlin' daughter as a toddler when she could speak how to pick up the handset and push 911. That way if the care giver in the house (me, CINCHOUSE or babysitter) was incapacitated, she could get a response rolling to the house.
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randy
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Re: Telephones

Post by randy »

g-man wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:10 pm If I could ditch cable that would be next,
If you are keeping cable, is your internet provider the same? If so, adding in a bundled VOIP "landline" might save you some money as a package deal.

Something to look at. It's what we have now, as the overall cost with a bundle when we switched to VOIP was less than just cable and internet.

VOIP is not as reliable as a true landline (internet down, phone down. Power out, phone dies anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the battery backup), but the advantages for your babysitter scenario remain. The POTS line was becoming too expensive to justify despite my disgruntlement about VOIP reliability in a SHTF situation.
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BDK
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Re: Telephones

Post by BDK »

Carry a flip phone, and use a service which forwards calls to it, if someone listen to the voice prompt and dials the right extension. (I have to change providers between SC and TX)
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g-man
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Re: Telephones

Post by g-man »

randy wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 11:23 pm
If you are keeping cable, is your internet provider the same? If so, adding in a bundled VOIP "landline" might save you some money as a package deal.

Something to look at. It's what we have now, as the overall cost with a bundle when we switched to VOIP was less than just cable and internet.

VOIP is not as reliable as a true landline (internet down, phone down. Power out, phone dies anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the battery backup), but the advantages for your babysitter scenario remain. The POTS line was becoming too expensive to justify despite my disgruntlement about VOIP reliability in a SHTF situation.
Same provider, but because we’re on the ‘basic’ cable plan, I’d have to upgrade plans to get to a tier that offers a discount for the addition of VOIP, thus more than offsetting the VOIP bundle discount. We pay for HBO because that allows us to stream Sesame Street to the 2nd tv via a Roku box, which is cheaper than paying to ‘rent’ the 2nd cable box. Because 4-year-old.

Add in the issues with VoIP that you mentioned, and it’s not worth adding. We haven’t quite crossed the threshold for going back with a landline, but we’re close. I’d probably disable the ringer and thus prevent telemarketer problems, and keep it only for outgoing calls.
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