Any reason to keep landline?

[GHoosdum]

Due to another increase in taxes on phone service, my phone bill jumped up another 10 bucks a month. When I received the bill, I started thinking: do I even need a landline? The only calls I typically get on the home phone are telemarketers anyway. My friends all tend to call my cell phone for some reason, and they always have, even when I was living with CB - they'd call the apartment landline if they wanted to talk to CB, and my cell if they wanted to talk to me. :scratch:

Anyway, I know that cable phone service is big these days, and they managed to lobby successfully to not be regulated like the telcos are, so they can sell phone service for a cheaper tax-free price, however I can't go with that option because my mother works for the phone company and going to the competition would be like stabbing my mother in the back.

I am considering scrapping a landline altogether, but I'm wondering if there are any regulatory or practical reasons to keep it.

[primesuspect]

I haven't had a landline in three years. We each have cell phones. Everything's great. End of story.

[Gargoyle]

I'd like to have a landline to save some of my cell phone minutes, but it's not worth paying for. I could get like a thousand more cell phone minutes for the price of a land line. I've been without one for a couple years now and I haven't really missed it.

[gtghm]

The only reason to keep a land line these days is only if you have a phone that is the old style that does not plug into the wall power outlet and just uses the phone line to power the ringer, ala the old princess type or old desktop ma bell phone... in most cases if you have a land line and one of those types of phones in the event of some kind of power outage you could in theroy still make a call... I won't give up my land line just because of that fact however the reality is that even if you have a phone that is land line powered you are likely on some kind of remote switch that might go out of service if the power went out. The phone company has generators and batteries in place to keep that from happening in theroy but things in the field are much more relaxed than they used to be, that and most of the switches are almost overloaded now to the point that any real problem would cause them to be overloaded and you probably still wouldn't get a call out, that's the infamous "all circuits are busy, try your call again later" message...

However, in theroy the only true service that is supposed to uneffected by major power outages are land line type phones. Even your Cell phone won't work in a major power outage because most cell sites do not have their own power.

But reality is that most people can get by with out a land line phone... For a young adult that is on the go, probably does not make much sence to have both...

GL,
"g"

[Leonardo]

The only reason I can think of to save your landline service is if you make a lot of long distance calls that are not free/included with your cell service. Through Sam's club are available long distance calling cards for 3.2 cents/minute, any time, anywhere in the US, all 50 states. We've kept our landline not for that reason, but because it's part of our ISP TV-DSL2 package. Yup that's right, television through the phone line.

[GHoosdum]

Long-distance is counted toward our base minutes of our share plan on the cell phones, and while the home phone currently comes with 500 minutes free long-distance, we don't actually use much at all. I would love to get the TV through DSL. Unfortunately, I can't even get DSL where I live, so I'm stuck with the cable company that I hate for internet. That gives me one less reason to keep the landline, though.

[RADA]

I haven't had a landline in three years. We each have cell phones. Everything's great. End of story.


Ditto, been almost 5 years since I "cut the cord". Don't miss the cord at all...

[RWB]

I can tell you Verizon is already in the process in some states of getting DSL out to it's customers without a landline. Well technically you still have it, but no service on the line except DSL, from that point you can use your cell phones or use the VOIP type stuff for actually speaking to your freinds and family. :thumbsup:

[profdlp]

...cable phone service is big these days, and they managed to lobby successfully to not be regulated like the telcos are, so they can sell phone service for a cheaper tax-free price, however I can't go with that option because my mother works for the phone company and going to the competition would be like stabbing my mother in the back...
If your mom was the vice-president of CompUSA would you stop shopping at Newegg? ;)

[GHoosdum]

If your mom was the vice-president of CompUSA would you stop shopping at Newegg? ;)

If she was VP of CompUSA, I'd buy Newegg. ;D

On a more serious note, there is no way in hell I'm going to give the cable company any more money than I already do, especially for a service that the company provides and promotes by engaging in underhanded business practices such as bribery, lying, and downright being jerks. I'm not saying that all cable companies do this, but this one has in our local area. In fact, I am trying so hard to avoid doing business with them, that when I found out that the phone company does not currently and does not plan to offer DSL to my neighborhood, and I was forced to go with cable to get high-speed internet, I went through Earthlink (who leases this cable company's lines) instead of going to the cable company themselves. When the cable company rep asked me why I went with Earthlink instead of the cable company directly, I told her it's because the cable company's management is a bunch of lying, theiving SOBs who are trying to put my mother and her friends out of a job.

[profdlp]

My dad signed up for Sunrocket (http://www.sunrocket.com/) earlier this year. If you already have broadband access it's a great deal.

Besides unlimited long distance within the US & Canada, he gets several hours of overseas calls per month. I have a niece who lives in Japan and the money they've saved on long-distance calls to her paid for the service in a few months.

In addition to that, he can get a second phone number in any area code he wants. He set it up so he has a 440-xxx-xxxx number, meaning that I can call him anytime I want as a local call. They have ten-digit dialing in the Washington, DC area. Ironically, if I lived next door to him I'd have to use the area code; calling from 400 miles away it's a seven-digit number.

Having said all that, I'd drop the landline no matter which route you go.

[Khaos]

My girlfriend and I both got cellphones and ditched the landline a couple of years ago.

Since we would have cellphones anyway... Yeah. No problems.

I am so used to putting down my cell number as "home" these days that I don't even think about it.

[Clutch]

The only reason I would have a landline is for DSL. We do not have cable internet where I live, so we have to keep the landline for DSL. Other than that I would not have a phone at all. I don't like talking on the phone, and no one ever calls me. Become a hermit, so much cheaper.

[Thrax]

The only reason my house has a landline is because my mother refuses cells.

[profdlp]

How cellfish of her... ;D

[Jengo]

if you have cable internet i cant think of any reason to keep the landline... i know if i had cable internet we wouldnt have the home phone, i'd make our family switch to vonage or something. But... since we have DSL we gotta keep the landline :(

[madmat]

If your mom works for the landline company dropping it and going wireless is as much an attack on her company as going with cable phone service is since even if her company has cell service the landline part and the cell part are 2 halves of one company.

If they lost all their landline service all those people would still be out of a job since the cell part already has their counterparts doing their jobs.

Just a point to ponder.

[GHoosdum]

If your mom works for the landline company dropping it and going wireless is as much an attack on her company as going with cable phone service is since even if her company has cell service the landline part and the cell part are 2 halves of one company.

If they lost all their landline service all those people would still be out of a job since the cell part already has their counterparts doing their jobs.

Just a point to ponder.

That's a very good point, and yes, the cell service is another part of the same company, but even prefer to give my mother $50 per month than use it to pay for something I don't use. ;)

Technically, my mother would be one of the last people to go, if the company had to go through layoffs, because she works the 'save desk' - the folks your call goes to if you say you want to cancel service.

Paying for cable phone service would just be putting extra money into the cable company's pockets directly, however, and that is a mistake I really don't want to make.

For the record, no, I don't have cable TV, just cable internet - and I wouldn't have even that if the phone company provided DSL to my location.

[sectorz715]

I can think of a few reason... 911 emergercy calling, and also this was already mentioned, if the power goes out then unless u are using a cellphone that is battery powered, u cant call anyone.

[Nightwolf]

if the power goes out then unless u are using a cellphone that is battery powered, u cant call anyone.
Uhhh??? :scratch:

[profdlp]

...Paying for cable phone service would just be putting extra money into the cable company's pockets directly, however, and that is a mistake I really don't want to make...
Only if you buy the service from them. My dad gets pestered all the time by Comcast to sign up for their Internet phone service. He just laughs and tells them he already has something better.

Something like Vonage or Sunrocket only uses some of the Internet bandwith you're already paying for. It's the same thing as subscribing to ESPN Insider or whatever - it doesn't put a dime in the pocket of the cable company, it just gives you an additional service over the existing connection.

[sectorz715]

Uhhh??? :scratch:

Srry, I dont kno what I thinking what i posted that, I meant that unless u have a cellphone, u wont be able to call anyone if the power went out and u dont have a landline. Like Voip wont work if the power goes out, there we go.

[Donut]

In your case I don't see any reason to keep it. In my case I have to no cell reception, no cable, no DSL either! (I've only lived here about 6 weeks and had the landline go out 4 times. May as well be an old party line for the signal I get. ;D )

[profdlp]

...Like Voip wont work if the power goes out, there we go.
The first thing I told my old man to do when he dropped his landline was to get a robust UPS to power his cable modem and Sunrocket gizmo. For once the old dude actually listened to me. :D

[CB]

I've dropped my Landline for cable phone, but only because they offered it to me free for a few months. When those months are over in January, I'm switching to SunRocket. That way I don't pay the cable company any more money. SunRocket is the service Zanthian is using too, and it only costs about $19/month if you pay for the year in advance.


I keep a home-phone for two reasons only:

I like for there to be an extension in every room (not possible with cell)

I would never remember to turn my ringer back off when going to the college, so I have to keep it on silent at all times. (That would make it hard to use at home)

[GHoosdum]

I've dropped my Landline for cable phone, but only because they offered it to me free for a few months. When those months are over in January, I'm switching to SunRocket. That way I don't pay the cable company any more money. SunRocket is the service Zanthian is using too, and it only costs about $19/month if you pay for the year in advance.

I keep a home-phone for two reasons only:

I like for there to be an extension in every room (not possible with cell)

I would never remember to turn my ringer back off when going to the college, so I have to keep it on silent at all times. (That would make it hard to use at home)

Does SunRocket interface with the home's telecom infrastructure, or require a single box connected to the cable modem - which would, in other words, require a multi-handset phone setup to get handsets in multiple rooms?

On another note, I figured out why I came up as "Thomas Cooper" on your caller ID the other day when I didn't before - I have an unlisted number, so the cable company has outdated information on my phone listing.

[CB]

I wish sunrocket interfaced with the existing system...

You buy the multi-cradle phone system from SunRocket. They often run sales on their phones, though, and Zan said that he'd give me a couple of his extra cradles and handsets, so it should be good.

I get a flier every few months from them, advertising a free phone system with activation of new service. Hopefully, they'll be doing that again in January.


So, are you gonna start calling people and telling them that you are this Cooper guy? I could think of some uses for that. :D All of them have to do with running refrigerators, however... :o

[Zanthian]

Actually, If you guys sign up for sunrocket Click the link on the front page that says Refered by a friend and enter my phone number. It will give you the free multi-phone system, anytime.

I have used Sunrocket for about a year and it is the only reason I still have a land line.
I pay monthly and it is $25.00/month. Free long distance and 1 free number anywhere in the country. Rob, you could set one up in georgia, so that your family could call you as a local call.

They recently upgraded their system so that you can call local with 7 digit dialing also versus the full 10 digit dialing.

The phone call quality is great and I haven't had any problems with their service. My cable has not gone out since I have subscribed to TimeWarner at my house, but the only thing you have to worry about is a power outage. If you have your internet router and the main phone on a UPS, you will be covered for a while in an emergency at home. Their customer service is great too, when I first sign up for the service I missed a notice when i was porting my number and hadn't used the new service the first month. I called and they removed my first months bill since there was no usage and helped me finish porting my number.

[profdlp]

I wish sunrocket interfaced with the existing system...
Do you mean the existing house wiring? If so, all you need to do is make sure that the outside line from the telephone company is disconnected, then plug the hard-wired port from the gizmo into the telco box inside your home. I moved two plugs in the box in my dads basement and every existing phone in the house was instantly connected. I think Sunrocket doesn't advertise this because too many people would forget to unhook the outside phone cable and end up frying their gizmo, or just wire everything semi-buttocked and have the whole shebang stop working.

[GHoosdum]

I wish sunrocket interfaced with the existing system...

You buy the multi-cradle phone system from SunRocket. They often run sales on their phones, though, and Zan said that he'd give me a couple of his extra cradles and handsets, so it should be good.

I get a flier every few months from them, advertising a free phone system with activation of new service. Hopefully, they'll be doing that again in January.


So, are you gonna start calling people and telling them that you are this Cooper guy? I could think of some uses for that. :D All of them have to do with running refrigerators, however... :o

Let me know when you get one of those fliers - I might pick up their service too - how many handsets do they give free on that package? I've been wanting to pick up the 4-handset phone package that is at Costco for $90 or so, but if they SunRocket gave it for free, I'd definitely be inclined to pick up their service rather than just have no home phones at all...

Anyway, I probably could pass myself off as that Cooper guy. I keep getting calls for him from collections agencies and all the local auto parts stores have him in their systems under that number.

//edit: saw both above posts after posting this (It was sitting on the post entry screen for a while) It's definitely something to ponder. Thanks for the info guys.

[profdlp]

Just FYI: My dad got the four handset deal. It's really nice since between those and the existing five hard-wired phones he and my mom now have a phone in every room of their three-story home. Except the bathroom, thank goodness - I don't really want to dial up the old guy when he's on the can... :eek3:

[Clutch]

Bacon

[sectorz715]

Here is the link (https://www.sunrocket.com/sign_up/signup.do?tcd=Webppwh) :thumbsup:

[profdlp]

Bacon
Francis? Or Kevin? :p

[CB]

Hey! I'm only three degrees from Kevin Bacon!

[profdlp]

Hey! I'm only three degrees from Kevin Bacon!
Downright crispy! :mullet:

There was a one-hit-wonder group by that name. (http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/three_degrees/365024/album.jhtml) I will probably regret admitting this here, but their song When Will I See You Again was a recurring theme of my adolescence. ;)