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  • Cutting the cord

    I think it may be time to get rid of my land-line phone. Everyone in the family has a cell phone number so what is the point? But looking at the rates, it appears that I will only save $15 or so per month by dropping phone service from my bundle. Then again, fifteen bucks is something.

    Is there some good reason for keeping a land line that I haven't thought of?

    (Yes, I am aware that many of you have already done this. Fee free to mock if you like)
    "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
    "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
    "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

  • #2
    911?

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
      I think it may be time to get rid of my land-line phone. Everyone in the family has a cell phone number so what is the point? But looking at the rates, it appears that I will only save $15 or so per month by dropping phone service from my bundle. Then again, fifteen bucks is something.

      Is there some good reason for keeping a land line that I haven't thought of?

      (Yes, I am aware that many of you have already done this. Fee free to mock if you like)
      Church. I hate when people from church call me on my cell. Though I set up a google voice number for that.
      "Nobody listens to Turtle."
      -Turtle
      sigpic

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      • #4
        I thought this was going to be a thread about DDD moving out of his In laws basement. What a disappointment.

        MJ and I both only have cell phones. There are no drawbacks since all our babysitters also have their own phones.
        "Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessing of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not primary way of worshipping." -Pres. Uchtdorf

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        • #5
          Your name won't be in the phone boom anymore.
          Get confident, stupid
          -landpoke

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          • #6
            I didn't have a land line for the longest time, but about a year ago I was talking to a Comcast Rep who told me if I added a land line to my cable/internet service, the package would be cheaper than what I was currently paying. I only use it for conference calls, but I'm glad I have it.
            "The mind is not a boomerang. If you throw it too far it will not come back." ~ Tom McGuane

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            • #7
              When there is a natural disaster and the power is out...the land line works while the cell/VOIP doesn't.
              "Don't expect I'll see you 'till after the race"

              "So where does the power come from to see the race to its end...from within"

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              • #8
                Land lines don't cause cancer.

                We still have a land line. But our kids don't have cell phones. Also, if I am home, I use my land line, as I have limited minutes on my cell phone.
                What's to explain? It's a bunch of people, most of whom you've never met, who are just as likely to be homicidal maniacs as they are to be normal everyday people, with whom you share the minutiae of your everyday life. It's totally normal, and everyone would understand.
                -Teenage Dirtbag

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                • #9
                  Ditto for conference calls. When the meeting is over an hour long, I'd rather have the option of easily muting my microphone.

                  We are also bundled with Internet and cable. I know the price would go up, but I'm not sure how much. It just seems that we still use the land line enough to keep it.
                  "...you pointy-headed autopsy nerd. Do you think it's possible for you to post without using words like "hilarious," "absurd," "canard," and "truther"? Your bare assertions do not make it so. Maybe your reasoning is too stunted and your vocabulary is too limited to go without these epithets."
                  "You are an intemperate, unscientific poster who makes light of very serious matters.”
                  - SeattleUte

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                  • #10
                    Fax

                    I never had a land line hooked up at this house. Every so often I miss the ability to fax something.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Shaka View Post
                      Fax

                      I never had a land line hooked up at this house. Every so often I miss the ability to fax something.
                      I've got efax. It works pretty well.
                      If we disagree on something, it's because you're wrong.

                      "Somebody needs to kill my trial attorney." — Last words of George Harris, executed in Missouri on Sept. 13, 2000.

                      "Nothing is too good to be true, nothing is too good to last, nothing is too wonderful to happen." - Florence Scoville Shinn

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                      • #12
                        I cut the cord some time ago but replaced it with an Ooma box. Space Ghost told me about it. The quality is very good and the monthly fee can be low as $3 something per month (including domestic long distance). I pay $10 per month for the premier features including a second number, conference calling, personal and community blacklisting (go straight to voicemail), anonymous call reject (again, sends them straight to VM), etc. Like others on here I use it mainly for conference calls and other times when the voice quality on a cell phone just doesn't cut it.

                        TIP: when buying a box call them up and ask for a refurb. You can save quite a bit buying a refurb.
                        "If there is one thing I am, it's always right." -Ted Nugent.
                        "I honestly believe saying someone is a smart lawyer is damning with faint praise. The smartest people become engineers and scientists." -SU.
                        "Yet I still see wisdom in that which Uncle Ted posts." -creek.
                        GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

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                        • #13
                          I pay $10.00 a month for a landline simply because my wife always loses her cell phone.

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                          • #14
                            I've been using Vonage since its inception but the price has gradually increased over the years. I am currently trying out the Obi100 which can be used with Google Voice for free (no taxes either) if you have broadband:

                            [ame="http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O"]Amazon.com: OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter and Voice Service Bridge: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21zVbEl8mLL.@@AMEPARAM@@21zVbEl8mLL[/ame]

                            Definitely not as good as Vonage but for a $40 investment with no monthly fees or taxes (I think you pay taxes with Ooma), it has been pretty good. If Google starts to charge for Voice--they have committed to being free for at least 2012--then you may have to find another VOIP option.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by doctorcoug View Post
                              When there is a natural disaster and the power is out...the land line works while the cell/VOIP doesn't.
                              Even most land lines today (those that are left, anyway) require some kind of electricity, so the power goes out, you're still screwed. Having lived through two hurricanes, though, we found that people who did have land lines they could use still couldn't get through to anyone because everyone ELSE needed electricity to use THEIR phones

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