Poll:Telephone Landline - do you still have one

[Just_Steve]

My cell phone resides in my car for the most part so I still use a landline.

 

[easysurfer]

Yes, with unlimited local and long distance .

 

[Dreamer]

We have Ooma landline. I do not care to talk for long periods of time on a cell phone. We got the Ooma, when we cut cable and went to PlayStation Vue.

 

[athena53]

I have a landline with MagicJack. My cell phone service (Ting) charges for extra voice minutes and, although I'm very happy with the service and the total cost, I don't want to jump to the next price range because the mechanic who serviced my car gave my cell number to a company calling me with a satisfaction survey (happened recently). I was annoyed to find that, after DH died and I reported his death to the credit bureaus, the credit report one bureau sent me had MY cell number on his credit report. DH rarely used my cell phone and I think he provided it only as an emergency contact with his doctors.

I also like having a landline to use when calling my missing cell phone.

 

[FIREd]

No land line for us. We use our cell phones for local/long distance calls and Skype for international calls.

 

[fritz]

Triple play deals were often cheapest, so that was the only reason we kept it, but didn't give the number out. Last go-around, Verizon Fios double play was cheaper, so switched to that. Hardest part was weaning people off of using the landline. At the time, we ported the landline to DW's cell and that took care of it. I do have a google voice number so I can use the internet voice when my cell coverage is spotty in the house.

We only have internet service, as we use cell phones and OTA TV. When we cut our landline service in 2013 - we ported the home number to a cell phone to keep it. We then ported it to Google Voice (GV didn't/doesn't allow porting of landline numbers). Porting the landline in a two-step process to Google voice keeps everyone familiar with your old home number current for as long as you keep your GV. You can port that number from GV if you no longer want to use the service.

Google Voice allows you to ring "any" number simply by adding it to your account. It will also ring all numbers if you choose to do so. We do not give out our cell numbers and instead call out on them using the Google Voice app installed on each cell phone. This app shows the Google Voice number on Caller IDs so no one captures your cell number. Family only has to remember the old landline number to catch up with us anywhere on any of our phones.

You can change cell services and just remove the old number and add the new number to GV. No hassle with giving everyone new numbers - it's a permanent one number system. It takes voice msgs and will transcribe them and send them to your cell phone/email.

The 2nd best thing about GV is that it allows you to set up your contacts to ring directly through to your phone(s), and to stop/screen all other calls. This pretty much stops spammers/robocallers in their tracks (you get a lot of hangups but no voice mails). Legitimate callers will easily go though the process and you have the option of accepting or rejecting the call. You can also block any call on GV, but FYI most con calls are using spoof numbers so it's pretty much a wasted effort as the next time they call it will be a different number.

We use Republic Wireless which uses a combination of cell and wifi to make calls. This is especially nice if cell service in your area is weak. We actually turn off the cell function (airplane mode) and use them on wifi only at home (saves on cell phones battery usage). Still using Republic's older version of wifi only phone at home for $5.00/mos. Sorry, this service is no longer available from Republic and we'll miss it when our older phones die and have to upgrade to newer Republic service (but we'll most likely still use Republic). Some other phones/services allow internet calling.

The best thing about GV is that it's free. GV has been ignored by Google for a long time, but some changes have been implemented and hopefully they will improve on this great idea.

 

[sheldon cornped]

One of the best things we have done is dropping the @%$%^@@$%!! landline. We don't get nearly as many "free" cruise offers, though.

 

[aaronc879]

I cut my landline when I got my first cellphone in 2001. The cellphone is less expensive and far more useful. I can't imagine why anyone would have a landline these days with the lower cost options for cell phones.

 

[RetireAge50]

What is a landline?

 

[ejman]

If getting it thru cable vs. a telephone company, then we have a ll.

uh?

 

[athena53]

Another thought on not having a landline from the part of my brain shrouded in tinfoil: your cell phone number gets attached to so much these days that it can "unlock" a lot for the wrong person. I don't pretend to be an expert hacker, but when the cell number is on your credit report, SS and your bank use it for a second-level on-line verification, etc. It just seems like too many things get tied together. No one can text to a land line, hacking into your land line phone would be a useless exercise, and it just seems like fewer things can go wrong when you supply a land line number to people and businesses you don't know well.

When a web site requires authentication, I always go for the e-mail to my spamcatcher address instead of a text.

 

[SheitlQueen]

I hadn't had a land line for several years until last year. Trees around property grew up so high they were blocking my then current internet provider. Had to go to Frontier, the only provider around here, so back came the phone line. I don't mind though because the cell phone coverage has gotten worse and there are on occasion times when they just don't work.
So nice to have a back up in case of emergency.

 

[Rambler]

Yes, we have full service. But, it has been on the fritz for over a year...I keep meaning to have them come out to repair the line between the pole an the house (this happened before, so pretty sure of the issue). But really, I have enjoyed not being disturbed at night, every night, during dinner time. Seriously, the reason I have kept it and still want to is because my wife is not a native English speaker, and also gets into a panic when things go haywire, and can then suffer a seizure. If I were to have a heart attack or something and needed an ambulance, we are still not sure in our neck of the woods if the ambulance would come if we were not able to state the address on a cell phone...and if I was down for the count, it's likely my wife could not handle the stress, and go down as well. So in reality, I need to get it fixed, but turn off the ringer at dinner time. At least then, if DW could keep it together long enough to dial 911 on the house phone, we might be able to survive. Please, no offense to my DW is intended. I love her dearly. But she does have some physical problems that stress exacerbates and causes her to have seizures. It only started a year ago, but she's had six of them. She's mostly able to avoid them now as she's learned the triggers, but some stressful situations simply cannot be avoided.

 

[Koogie]

Seriously, the reason I have kept it and still want to is because my wife is not a native English speaker, and also gets into a panic when things go haywire, and can then suffer a seizure. ... At least then, if DW could keep it together long enough to dial 911 on the house phone, we might be able to survive. Please, no offense to my DW is intended. I love her dearly. But she does have some physical problems that stress exacerbates and causes her to have seizures. It only started a year ago, but she's had six of them. She's mostly able to avoid them now as she's learned the triggers, but some stressful situations simply cannot be avoided.

Sorry to hear that. My DW also gets seizures but it is related to her neurological disease. Knock on wood, she hasn't had one in almost two years.

Scary has hell when they happen (especially at night). Do whatever it takes to avoid them ! Hope your wife continues to be able to control them.

 

[Toocold]

We have had OOMA VOIP for about 8 years. Paid $150. Zero monthly payments. One of the best investments ever.

 

[brucethebroker]

No LL since 1999 (except for first year MIL moved in until she got comfortable with cell phone).

 

[rodi]

I have magic jack... works out to less than $5/month. Only use it for dialing out sometimes. Incoming calls are mostly telemarketers so I forward the magic jack line to google voice...

I have the old landline number tied to several accounts - so it's cheap enough to use this... and still have phones throughout the house if I need it in an emergency.

But -as someone hinted at - it's VOIP - which means the "landline" comes through the broadband/internet... not through the phone company.... But since it's hard wired inside the house I still call it my landline.

 

[Silver]

I thought the correct last poll option was always suppose to be "I like pie", so I voted "You made the poll wrong....blah..blah..blah."

 

[Paracelsus]

I still have my landline and use it primarily for internet DSL service. I do have a limited local landline attached as I can hear better through the landline than through a cell. I use a calling card to make long distance calls. I do have a cell phone I use for traveling, but frankly, I hate it - it's a cheapie TracFone so only costs me $6.41 a month to keep the line connected.

 

[Koogie]

I thought the correct last poll option was always suppose to be "I like pie", so I voted "You made the poll wrong....blah..blah..blah."

No, I think this forum skews a little older, so more of a soup crowd...

"The sea was angry that day, my friends - like an old man trying so send back soup in a deli"

p.s. Pie > Cake

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I just realized that I get poor cellular reception in my house, especially in the basement TV room, but my cell provider supports wifi calling. Maybe in a way I'm back to a sort of land line after all.

 

[6miths]

Went to cable internet phone a few years ago and finally convinced DW to ditch that and transfer old home number to her mobile phone.

 

[Katsmeow]

First, I assume by landline you don't really mean POTS but include VOIP. I had a hard time answering the poll but finally selected full service.

We got the service because it came with our cable package. It was cheaper to get the internet/TV we wanted with the phone service than without. So we got it.

Theoretically, it is full service. We could use it all the time. But, we don't. And, it some ways it makes sense. We get terrible cell service in our house (and, no, the other cell providers are worse than the one we have) and get lots of dropped calls. Or we get a notification of a missed call...a day later. Etc.

So, I do occasionally use the VOIP when I want to call someone and not take the chance of a dropped call. But, it is rare enough that I don't actually know our telephone number. I have no idea what it is. I do keep it in my contacts list in case I need to know it, but I have no reason to memorize it since I give it to no one.

Having a telephone number that is tied to a phone in a particular location (my house) seems anachronistic to me. I don't want to give that number to other people and then have them call and I not be here. Yes, I have voice mail but it just seems weird.

Once our contract is up in 18 months or so, we probably won't renew so it will probably be going away. Before getting it from our cable provider I had been without a landline for years already.

 

[jebmke]

VOIP with ISP. Cell service isn't good enough to rely on solely.

 

[Alan]

Another thought on not having a landline from the part of my brain shrouded in tinfoil: your cell phone number gets attached to so much these days that it can "unlock" a lot for the wrong person. I don't pretend to be an expert hacker, but when the cell number is on your credit report, SS and your bank use it for a second-level on-line verification, etc. It just seems like too many things get tied together. No one can text to a land line, hacking into your land line phone would be a useless exercise, and it just seems like fewer things can go wrong when you supply a land line number to people and businesses you don't know well.

When a web site requires authentication, I always go for the e-mail to my spamcatcher address instead of a text.

FYI

Landlines can be used to receive "text" authentication codes for various sites. Vanguard for instance does not have an email or other 3rd party authentication but if you provide a landline number then the authentication code comes as a phone call and robotic voice instead of a text message.

Before we moved to England I realized I needed a US phone number for various financial institutions such as our bank, pension provider, and ex-employer so I pay ~$50/year for a US number through Skype. Works great.