What does a land line cost where you live?

[sheehs1]

In Southern Virginia, base rate is $39.99. It would be $59.99 but I call them every year and ask for the Customer Retention department, threaten to leave and they give me another year's promotion. Taxes and fees add another almost $5.00.

I've considered dropping it many times but I like having a remote phone in every room and don't like always talking on my cell.

 

[scrabbler1]

Including all the taxes and fees, I pay about $27 per month. I have no long-distance service on it because Verizon began charging $1.50 per month about 6 years ago even if you did not make any LD calls. So I got rid of it. I have no cell phone, either, so I can't make any LD calls at all, no big deal. I make some local calls which amount to about $3 more per month and I have Verizon's basic DSL which is added separately to the bill, $25 per month.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Behappy, it is advertised as being able to connect up to 10 devices. My down the street neighbors did a speed test and found it way faster than the satellite Internet they were paying $70 a month for. We are in a weird place, out in the country, so speeds and coverage are not especially great. But it is fast enough for me. What you might be able to do is try it out a couple of days and see if it will work in your situation.

And the pricing...does it ever make sense? I got quoted a price of $125 a month for a smart phone and mifi package for this item, but wound up adding both to an existing plan. When added, the bigger plan actually dropped in price. So I can't even tell you what it costs. But I don't pay for that plan, so all the better!

 

[Texas Proud]

Oh, for those still in dsl--this is off topic but I thought I'd mention we just cancelled the AT&T service at home in favor of a Verizon mifi device that works absolutely perfectly! Very happy to drop the now $30 cost of the dsl line. And we live pretty far out in the country but it seems to have great reception and faster Internet.

Hi Sarah thanks for the tip. What is the download/upload speed for mifi and how many devices can connect to it? I'm planning ahead for when my 2yr contract with Verizon FIOS expires in May 2014. Currently, I'm paying $66.- for a bundled FIOS Internet and home tel line which I don't really need. How much do you pay for Verizon mifi?

rec7, for my house in AZ, I pay $24 for basic tel line only.

Not only that, but how much data can you get at that speed


My DW complains about our DSL and the speed fluxuates all the time.... when she watches video, there are times it works and other times it is buffering all the time.... she does not like it....

 

[FIRE'd@51]

In Southern Virginia, base rate is $39.99. It would be $59.99 but I call them every year and ask for the Customer Retention department, threaten to leave and they give me another year's promotion. Taxes and fees add another almost $5.00.

I'm surprised by this. I'm in central VA, and ours is $28 including all taxes, but not long distance.

 

[Hopeful]

I am in WI. We have TDS and pay $37 after taxes and fees. This includes unlimited long distance.

 

[OAG]

Use Cell F&F for past 7 years on DD Acct Cost is $120 a year and includes long distance roaming VM and Texting. Back in 06 we paid about $35 a month.

 

[Midpack]

It was never less than $31/month when we dropped it more than 5 years ago. No idea what it would cost today, or even if it's more or less...

 

[Sarah in SC]

Not only that, but how much data can you get at that speed


My DW complains about our DSL and the speed fluxuates all the time.... when she watches video, there are times it works and other times it is buffering all the time.... she does not like it....

If I figure out how to test it, I'll let you know. But I imagine it varies a lot, based on the service available where you are. I know that the DSL was always buffering, falling off, and going offline. So far, the mifi dealie has held up for Skyping, videos, and basic web surfing really well. We don't do any long streaming stuff, but I think it is great compared to the dsl, at least out here in the woods. Maybe ask a local Verizon or whoever dealer what speeds you can expect at your location?

 

[Texas Proud]

My cost seems to be the highest...

Total phone and DSL with all fees is about $89... both are about the same...

 

[rbmrtn]

For testing your connection speed you can use this link Speedtest.net by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

On DSL one thing to check is make sure filters are installed on everything connected to the phone line EXCEPT the DSL modem. Check the lights on the modem, see if it actually dropping the connection. Sometimes the modems just get flaky and need to be replaced. If you a have a router/switch between the modem and your lan, try connecting directly to modem with a pc to verify it is not something in your lan.

This site has some more test, Traceroute, Ping, Domain Name Server (DNS) Lookup, WHOIS

Run the trace test to look for any hops that are causing delays. I have seen ATT buffering things intentionally. With uverse I found they block the standard outgoing email port. You have to change your email to a different outgoing port.

 

[Sue J]

We're not big phone users so when we had a landline I always had "limited service" which was 30 outgoing local calls a month (small charge per call after that) and unlimited incoming calls. Most people don't know that you can get that, but if you ask, it's available. It was around $27/mo including all the taxes and fees. We had some low cost long distance service on top of that, like $5/mo.

We had Vonage for a few years but even the basic package for Vonage got to be near $27/mo so we dropped that and got a Magicjack which has been just fine. I don't think I'd ever need to go back to a landline.

 

[sheehs1]

I'm surprised by this. I'm in central VA, and ours is $28 including all taxes, but not long distance.

Update. After looking at my bill to answer this thread I noticed my Verizon promotion was going away next month so base cost for just the landline is going from 39.99 to $59.99 without the taxes.

Called them. They will not restate the promotion even after going to the customer retention department. My cost was going up to over $65/mth just for the land line.

Immediately called Charter cable to bundle my phone with them. Already have their internet and T.V.

Had resisted bundling until now due to wanting some leverage to continue to get promotions but that doesn't seem to be working any longer.

Cost to add the landline? $19.99 a month which includes local, long distance and "some" international calling. No extra taxes.

So for all three ( T.V., Internet and phone) I'll be paying $137/mth.

Will be installed next Tuesday.

What is everyone paying for all three services?

 

[bo_knows]

I have one of these hooked up to a Google Voice number: Amazon.com: OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter: Electronics

Acts just like a landline phone (my mother-in-law has no idea it's "over the internet") and costs $1.50/mo for unlimited domestic calling. The only reason it isn't free is because we wanted e-911 service because we have our child at home every day, and want the MIL to be able to call if needed.

 

[MRG]

Here in MO it is about $35

I was wondering about your price I saved over $50, by cancelation. I'm in one of those lucky areas, have the 'free toll' to call anywhere I need to. So that explains the difference.

M

 

[FANOFJESUS]

I was wondering about your price I saved over $50, by cancelation. I'm in one of those lucky areas, have the 'free toll' to call anywhere I need to. So that explains the difference.

M

Can you go into more detail?

 

[FANOFJESUS]

I have one of these hooked up to a Google Voice number: Amazon.com: OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter: Electronics

Acts just like a landline phone (my mother-in-law has no idea it's "over the internet") and costs $1.50/mo for unlimited domestic calling. The only reason it isn't free is because we wanted e-911 service because we have our child at home every day, and want the MIL to be able to call if needed.

I am a tech newbee. I have a wired modem will that work with the OBi110

 

[DallasGuy]

Paid about $35 per month for local service when I dumped it about 8 months ago. I now use Ooma and pay $3.71/month for unlimited local and long distance. I'd never go back to a land line.

 

[braumeister]

Where I live, there is no real choice of internet service, so we're stuck with the local phone company for DSL. Since DW is unwilling to give up the landline, we get a service bundle from them.

Monthly cost is $73.30 (including all taxes and fees) for:
Basic phone service
30 minutes long distance
Caller ID
Call Waiting
Voicemail
DSL at a nominal 10MB download (actually between 7.5 and 8).

 

[MRG]

Can you go into more detail?

Sure, we're rural from K.C., technicaly it's long distance. So for the extra 'fee', K.C. is local. There may be other ways around this, but we got sold on this years ago, didn't force the issue just dropped land service.

MRG

 

[Larro Darro]

Here in NW Florida, we used to pay $95/month for phone and internet, the cost about equally divided between the two. We had a little talk with them about leaving, and that is down to $75 now. We have to pay with the credit card to get the reduction though.

 

[rodi]

I have one of these hooked up to a Google Voice number: Amazon.com: OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter: Electronics

Acts just like a landline phone (my mother-in-law has no idea it's "over the internet") and costs $1.50/mo for unlimited domestic calling. The only reason it isn't free is because we wanted e-911 service because we have our child at home every day, and want the MIL to be able to call if needed.

I've been looking at this obihai...

I just relooked at my bill (for this thread) and realized I'm paying more than I thought.

I know I was ANGRY the last billing and started looking at solutions to dump the land line - I'd looked at blue tooth gateways, Ooma, and various voip solutions. But the obihai solution was intriguing to me. There are still occasions we need to fax (rare - but some bureaucracies won't give it up)- and it's t38 compliant - so we could still use our fax machine.

Back to the OP - our current landline bill (at&t) is $34.60 - broken down as follows:
$23 flat rate service.
$3 (because flat rate considers 1 mile away to be out of the area... we live on the north edge of a boundary, and friends/businesses are on the southern edge of the next boundary up.)
$6.83 for "surcharges and other fees" - including $1.99 for an underground conversion fee. This one really chaps me because almost the entire city has been converted - except the 3 blocks that I'm in the center of!!!!!
$1.77 "government fees and taxes"

Note - this is exclusive of long distance. We use our cell phones. If we do make long distance on this phone - it's pricey.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

The phone company gets you in a way. When a person drops the land line here the price of the DSL goes up. So the savings is not as great as you think it will be.

 

[travelover]

The phone company gets you in a way. When a person drops the land line here the price of the DSL goes up. So the savings is not as great as you think it will be.

My finding as well, which is one reason why I still ahve a land line.

 

[Al in Ohio]

I remember those.