Comments on: Cutting The Home Phone Cord Is Not Always Easy

By: Andrew Burt

Andrew Burt — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:05:00 +0000

Love my cell for all it can do, but still got a landline for the simple reason that voice quality is better. Cell phone carriers don’t care about sound quality, and it shows.

By: U999nik

U999nik — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:34:00 +0000

1. Verizon charges more for DSL without land line.
2. Unlimited cell plan is still more expensive than land line.
3. I have phones in every room for one land line. If cell phone is charging I have to run to it when some body calls.
4. Smart phones usually have short battery life. If you forget to charge it you miss calls.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:19:00 +0000

Haha – welcome to 10 years ago! Geez.

With the extra monthly cost of land line why would anyone be paying for one? Maybe it’s a generational thing, but the only person I know who still has one – my parents. Not a single reason given in this article rang true to me for an arguement to go back to having one. As someone who moves apartments almost every year to follow my job, there’s just no sense in it.

By: Toxteth

Toxteth — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:47:00 +0000

One additional factor I find is that it’s just more pleasant to talk on a land line than it is on a cell phone. The home phone is typically larger and fits better in your hand, making extended conversations much more comfortable. And then there’s the sound quality of a land line, which is still noticeably better than a cell phone, and has no echoes or lags. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not giving up my cell phone. But, there is definitely something being lost when you give up the home phone.

By: blueroo

blueroo — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:04:00 +0000

What about replace the home phone with a google voice phone number which will then ring to all the family members at the same time?

By: Al Balboa

Al Balboa — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Do you see an increase in unsolicited calls on your mobile phone now that you are giving that out as your point of contact?

By: Sasha Sasha Mo Masha

Sasha Sasha Mo Masha — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:21:00 +0000

We’ve been without a landline for 10 years now. We’ve survived area-wide power outages (a car charger is a must). We’ve handled 911 calls (just give the 911 dispatcher your address). We got our 11 year old daughter a cell phone (about $10 extra a month with our cellular plan). We even got my mother-in-law a cell phone (again about $10 a month on our plan) so she could get rid of her landline. Our only problem was DirecTV which required a phone line at the time — so we had the installer set up the box at a neighbor’s house with a landline, then brought the box back to our house when it was configured (but that was many years ago… now DirecTV doesn’t need a phone line).

By: ScooterFive

ScooterFive — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:37:00 +0000

We have been without a home line for 2 years now. It has never been an issue. My son was 10 at the time we stopped using it, and we got him a cell phone which was cheaper than paying for a land line. Last year, my daughter turned 10, and we bought her an inexpensive cell phone, and it is still cheaper. Now my kids call and text their grandparents directly. Power outages aren’t an issue because if you have a car charger, you can always charge your phone in your car temporarily. Cell towers have back up systems for power outages as well. As far as security systems are concerned, the most secure ones use cellular service anyway, so no need for land line. DSL is on the phone line, but you don’t have to have the phone service with the internet access. We have never regretted not having a phone line.

By: Hissaint

Hissaint — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:40:00 +0000

What about computer DSL needs a landline? Unless you use cable but you would still have a bill.

By: atomic1fire

atomic1fire — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Just keep one old phone on hand, if you still have a landline,
as long as it can use power off the phone line, it won’t matter that it’s not wireless, as you will probably only use it when you don’t have power.
Just keep it acessible but out of the way.