Poll Do you still have a Land line Phone?

[summer2007]

I see a good amount of interest on this topic so I thought it would be a good poll.

I still have a land line phone and I bet I'm in the minority.

I just figured that since I would be charged minutes for 1-800 calls and for people who call me that in MY case I would not come out ahead.

Also I get better reception and a nicer phone.

I'm also a little phobic about the brain cancer connection with cell phones.

I saw a segment with Dr. Sanjay Gupta from CNN and he is a brain surgeon and does not hold a cell phone to his ear!

When I heard this I thought WOW! He seems like a good honest guy to me and to hear him say that made me think that he thinks there probably is connection there! Especially since the network sponsors were probably totally upset that he said this!

Jim

 

[bssc]

Yes, but then I don't have a cell phone.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Yes. I use the number to give out to businesses that insist on one and to make calls while I am sitting at the computer. The ringers are turned off on that phone and a cheap answering machine handles calls. It is worth the $21/month to only give my cell number to friends.

 

[RunningBum]

I'll be shocked if you're in the minority in this crowd. Ask a bunch of 20 somethings, and you'll probably get a different answer.

 

[Cattusbabe]

I have a land line and always will. It is my primary means of communication. The main reason is reliability, its always there ready. My security/fire alarm system is tied into my land line for that reason and as we get older and the need arises so will an EMS service. I also have a fax machine hooked up to it that I use on occasion.
The cell phone is more of a back up and a convenience while we are out and traveling. It is also a means for family to get a hold of us in case of emergency. No matter where we are there is only one number for my parents to remember. However the fact that one has to remember to charge a cell phone as well as the problem with dropped calls and dead zones makes cell phones less than reliable when it comes to emergencies in my opinion. At this point I am only paying $10.00 per month for the cell so as an expense it is minimal. I will keep both.

 

[Midpack]

I don't have one, will save me about $12,000 over the remainder of my life. With all due respect, many (not all) at our age have one because we're just creatures of habit. There are indeed legitimate reasons to have a landline but if you have a cell phone (I have to have one for business), you probably don't need a landline too.

 

[Moscyn]

I voted yes because I keep the land line for late night work conference calls. My Nokia mobile gets really hot when used for too long like even 20 minutes. When I stop work, I'll cut my land line.

 

[BUM]

DW and I kicked the land line 2 or 3 years ago. Our combined cell charges are $60/month. For the most part we only call the kids and each other, all of whom are on the network. If I get another land line it will be on of those $20/year VOIP deals like magic jack. I won't care if its crappy, it will just be a backup.

 

[Lakedog]

I still have a landline but only because I am in an area with somewhat limited cell coverage. When I called last year to cancel the landline (was going to try it with a cell only), they knocked $10 per month off my bill if I would not cancel. I now pay only $16/mo for the landline so worth the cost for incoming and 1-800 calls. If I move to an area with better cell coverage, I will not have a landline.

 

[Walt34]

We have a land line with unlimited long distance. DW talks a LOT on the phone with family, all of whom are long distance from us. An average call with her sister is usually about an hour - what they talk about that takes that long is a mystery to me, but there it is. Or before her mother passed away, she'd spend the day at her mom's house and then come home and talk with her mom for another hour on the phone. What could have happened in the hour it took to drive home that takes another hour to discuss will always remain a mystery. It's just one of those things that women do. No one knows why.

So in this house, unlimited phone time is, apparently, a necessity. And I loathe the idea of committing to long term contracts with cell phone companies whose service is at best spotty and unreliable.

 

[LOL!]

We have a kid in the house without a cell phone.
The 20-year old phone has a handset with a cord.

And I am amused that one talks about the "land line". Isn't your internet connection a "land line"?

 

[kumquat]

Yes. The landline is our main number. We have a pre-paid cell that is used when travelling. Only our kids know that number and it is almost never turned on.

 

[Rambler]

We have landlines at each of our homes and prepaid cell phones in the US. Our internet connection, on the other hand, is called fire2wire...some kind of radio connection to a tower somewhere. We are too far from the substation for DSL, and I am too impatient for dial-up.

R

 

[mickeyd]

I have no need for a cell phone, but a LL comes in handy from time to time, so I have one.

 

[FUEGO]

Vonage land line for us. We each have Prepaid cell phones as well that cost around $80 a year for the both of us. Mine stays in the glove box turned off. Hers stays in her purse mostly. Rarely do the cells get used other than "where are you, I thought we were meeting at noon?" calls and "Oh yeah, did you want white or wheat bread?" while at the store. All in, our telecom bills total around $300 a year. Internet on the other hand is around $600 a year, but we use it much much more for communication and entertainment.

 

[Darryl]

Yes, wife has a cell, son has a prepaid cell no cell for me.

 

[Purron]

Finally a poll where a simple yes or no covers it! Yup, still have a land line but have considered dumping it since DH and I have cells.

 

[Khan]

Yes
The landline is also DSL
Have a cell

Sep '08, my electricity was off for 6 days, but the land line stayed up.

 

[GoodSense]

No landline here. I have 2 cell phones, one for work and one for personal use, so I figure that's enough of a backup. DH also has a cell. For overseas calls, I usually use Skype or a phone card. Skype is great if the other person also has internet. Their international Internet-to-phone rates are pretty competitive, too. I especially liked Skype when I was traveling in Central America. I could call anyone from my computer at pretty good rates as long as I had wi-fi.

 

[youbet]

Yes. The landline provides me with cheap ($10/mo) DSL and is an inexpensive way to have an alternate number to give to folks I'd rather not have calling my cell phone. If $17/mo ever becomes an issue, and if I can find a different source of cheap internet access, I'll consider dropping the landline. But, for now, it's a good value for the utility it provides.

 

[REWahoo]

No, we did away with the land line three years ago and probably won't ever have one again. Everyone in our family has cell service with the same carrier so 90% of our long distance calling uses no allotted minutes. Our land line became a wasteful duplication.

 

[REWahoo]

And I am amused that one talks about the "land line". Isn't your internet connection a "land line"?

Mine isn't. The only "land line" internet service available out in the sticks is dial-up. So, just like my phone service, my internet is via a cell phone (air card). And just like my phone, it goes with me wherever I go - I'm sending this from Corvallis, OR...

 

[ERD50]

We have a kid in the house without a cell phone.
The 20-year old phone has a handset with a cord.

And I am amused that one talks about the "land line". Isn't your internet connection a "land line"?

Mine isn't. The only "land line" internet service available out in the sticks is dial-up. So, just like my phone service, my internet is via a cell phone (air card). And just like my phone, it goes with me wherever I go - I'm sending this from Corvallis, OR...

And I'm another variety of "phone in the house that is not a cell phone" - I have VOIP through internet, but my internet to my house is wireless. Antenna on the roof picks up a signal from a tower a few miles away.

So, I don't consider it a "land line" phone, it is VOIP. I think we had this discussion recently - there is "POTS land line" (Plain Old Telephone System), there is DSL, and there are other ways to have a POTS-style phone in your home, like connecting it to a VOIP adapter to your internet connection.

-ERD50

 

[Westernskies]

Finally a poll where a simple yes or no covers it! Yup, still have a land line but have considered dumping it since DH and I have cells.

...and there I was, looking for that alternate response- like
"Yup, still have a land line but have considered dumping it since DH/DW and I have cells."

 

[Glo]

We just went back to a LL when we retired. For about 10 years before retiring, we had only cell phones. The cell phones were costing us $120/month for unlimited long distance, which I swear we needed. Now we're paying $50/month for AT&T with unlimited long distance. Its rather freeing to be in the car or shopping and no one can call you!