Traditional home phone service

[powersmo]

Hi all. Hope your day is going well. My question for the group is regarding traditional home telephone service. My mom has home phone service through Spectrum currently and I'm trying to help her stretch her meger monthly income. She is looking to find another home phone provider that she can port her telephone number to since she has had the same one since about 1977. I had tried to do so with Consumer Cellular using one of the ZTE base station devices but getting CC to work with Spectrum was a nightmare and ultimately a lost cause. She currently spends about 135 dollars a month for just home phone and basic cable service...1/10 of her monthly income. If she was a computer person it might be worth hooking up internet to get a better deal, but for her (age 97) even a smartphone would be too difficult to manage.
Looking forward to your thoughts and recommendations.

 

[Sunset]

I have obihai plus google voice, and I plug the obihai device into the internet and have free phone service. Ooma is a similar thing.

We stopped using cable and use free over the air TV, we get about 25 channels, using a roof top antenna.

We subscribe to simply for internet, which we use for computers, subscribe to netflix, and I use for the obihai phone

Have you tested what she gets over the air for TV, people just pay and stay with cable often out of habit. That would seem to be the big bang for the buck.

 

[njhowie]

Have you searched online for what other providers offer to her address? You can go to any of the major phone/cable company websites, fill in her address, and they will say what they offer, if anything, at her location.

It might also be worth the phone call to Spectrum's customer retention department and advise them that unless they can provide a lower cost package they will be losing the customer. I am certain they can do better than the $135/month. Tell them she's 97 years old, that she's on a low fixed income and cannot afford the service any longer. There should be some super basic package they have that is under $50/month. You can still look for alternatives, but in the mean time, whatever Spectrum can do to lower the cost immediately can only help.

 

[powersmo]

thanks for the replies. I just talked with Spectrum and they have gotten too big. The didnt seem to care about her age or whether or not she was retained as a customer. I even called ATT as much as I dislike them and they said they don't provide traditional home phone service for her address. They quoated internet/ voip and tv service for 90 dollars a month. Not what she wanted at all.

 

[easysurfer]

Of the 3 services (phone, basic cable TV, internet) which does she require?

 

[Another Reader]

Call them back and see if they have mandated services for low income people. She may qualify.

 

[njhowie]

Sorry to hear that. It really is a sad state of affairs with these companies. We need a good recession to put some of them back in their place.

Don't give up. Maybe try calling Spectrum back during the week during business hours - maybe you reach a more sympathetic rep who will work with you. I learned long ago with these companies that it's simply a matter of who you reach. You reach the right person, you're golden - they'll do whatever you ask.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Transitioning to cellphones can be difficult for elderly. I wonder if something like this would help. It works like a traditional home phone, but talks through cellphone service. You would need to buy a cheap cellphone also, but then can you use a cellphone plan for maybe $15/mo. For tv, could she use off-the-air? Or maybe the cheapest cable plan?

 

[GrayHare]

If a smartphone's complexity is a problem, check out greatcall.com. They specialize in simple flip phones for seniors.

 

[Bamaman]

I just use MagicJack which comes through my Wifi system--less than $4 a month. Unfortunately most of the truly elderly don't have a modem, etc. or use Wifi for anything.

 

[gauss]

FWIWI - Around here, the local telecom baby-bells are getting the regulations changed so that they are no longer required to offer traditional phone service over a copper pair.

As such, all phone service is transitioning to VOIP technology.

My DM, with mid-stage demenita, lovers her cable TV. I added an internet subscription on top of that. As such, I can get her phone service with a OBI110 box (~ $20) and a monthly calling plan subscription to callcentric (~$6/month). Since the OBI110 box back feeds her phone wiring in the apartment, to Mom, it appears to be traditional phone service. It works for us.

-gauss

 

[njhowie]

FWIWI - Around here, the local telecom baby-bells are getting the regulations changed so that they are no longer required to offer traditional phone service over a copper pair.

As such, all phone service is transitioning to VOIP technology.

Will be very interesting to see if that happens in my area. We have traditional POTS and DSL from the phone company and we're very happy with our "Price for Life" plan. The phone company does not offer anything else in our rural neighborhood. If they pulled out, that would leave only the one cable company that most folks detest. We are wired for them, as I took them up on their cheap 1-year internet offer maybe 15 years ago (then promptly terminated), but would definitely not be happy to go back to service with them.

 

[gauss]

Will be very interesting to see if that happens in my area. We have traditional POTS and DSL from the phone company and we're very happy with our "Price for Life" plan. The phone company does not offer anything else in our rural neighborhood. If they pulled out, that would leave only the one cable company that most folks detest. We are wired for them, as I took them up on their cheap 1-year internet offer maybe 15 years ago (then promptly terminated), but would definitely not be happy to go back to service with them.

Here is a link, from back in 2017, describing these type of changes occurring in 20 states. Not sure how it has rolled out in the past 3 years since then.

-gauss

 

[Cobra9777]

DW and I use an Obi-200 VoIP adapter with a Google Voice number for free landline phone service. But of course, this requires a broadband internet connection. So if OP's Mom doesn't need internet for anything else, then this probably makes little sense.

Although... internet plus YouTube TV would probably be around $100/mo, which would save a little money. Then use one of the free or near-free VoIP phone services like Ooma or Obi+GV.

If she gets OTA for free, then maybe use Philo instead of YouTube TV. Philo has a nice line-up of cable channels for only $20/mo, but has no broadcast networks or sports, which is why they can offer it for $20.

My 86-year-old DMIL still lives on her own and, since DFIL died, her expenses are considerably higher than her meager SS income. So she is rapidly burning through what's left of her savings.

One thing we did to help out was we canceled her $175/mo triple play and replaced it with internet and phone for $71/mo, all in. She's reasonably computer literate for her age, and she needs the traditional phone service for a caption phone due to severe hearing impairment. Then for TV, she uses our credentials for Prime, Netflix, and YouTube TV. So yeah, DMIL is a "deadbeat" according to a discussion about password sharing in another thread here.

 

[JackJester]

My elderly parents switched to cell phones and abandoned the land line. They use the very simplistic Jitterbug: here's a run down on cell phones made to accommodate seniors (e.g., big buttons) and simplistic intuitive interfaces: https://bestchoicesforseniors.com/best-big-button-cell-phones-for-seniors-elderly-people/

 

[cranberryjoe]

I recently got an AT&T IFWA-40 wireless home internet/phone hotspot device to replace my DSL/landline that Centurylink refuses to upgrade into this century, and no other wired provider available. The AT&T device connects to LTE cell service and provides phone and internet service. It has a battery for service during power outages. You plug in your regular landline phone which works the same as if it's plugged into the POTS line. The internet side provides Wifi and an ethernet connection and so far has been reliably 10x faster then my poor DSL service. YMMV.

Cost: Device is $200 to purchase outright or $6 or $7 per month, $20/month for the voice service, and choice of data service (cheapest seems to be $30/month for 10GB, I went for the 100GB plan for $80). Plus the usual taxes and fees. I haven't gotten my first bill yet to see what the damage is.

Might not be a direct fit for OP's purpose. Not sure if the data piece is optional, but the $20 voice line is mandatory even if you don't want to use it for voice. A big advantage is that as long as you have a decent AT&T LTE or HSPA cell signal you can set it up by yourself. Just place the device in an area of the house that gets a strong signal, usually near a window. No need for AT&T to officially support landline service in the area, which they don't here, or for them to send out someone to install it for you. I simply ordered it online and made it work on my own without ever talking to a human. You can specify a phone number to port to the service during ordering, although I didn't port my landline number pending to see how reliable the voice service is in my area. Apparently this is a popular device with RVers who travel around the country.

 

[mountainsoft]

My mom is in assisted living and gets Wi-Fi at no additional cost (baked into the ridiculous facility price). I set her up with an Ooma Telo-Air for her phone service. She only pays about $6 per month for the taxes, and she can use her old ancient phone she already knows how to use. She is very illiterate when it comes to technology.

Unfortunately, all she does is watch TV which the AL facility does not provide. So she has to pay about $120 for her Xfinity cable package.

Here at home I get Xfinity internet for about $70 a month, just internet no cable TV. I use an outdoor antenna for over-the-air broadcasts, and use streaming services like Netflix for anything else.

Our home phone service is through 1-Voip which costs about $14 per month, including a great array of call blocking and filtering options.

 

[FIREd]

FWIWI - Around here, the local telecom baby-bells are getting the regulations changed so that they are no longer required to offer traditional phone service over a copper pair.

As such, all phone service is transitioning to VOIP technology.

This is the case in France as well. Traditional home phone service is being phased out. Operators stopped offering new landline plans back in 2018 and by 2023 phone services will be VoIP only. There is a big push to bring fiber internet to all parts of the country by 2022.

I have fiber internet and an assigned VoIP number but I haven't bothered installing a home phone. I use my cell phone exclusively.

 

[frank]

I use centurylink 45 a month for internet price for life and ooma for voip about 5.82 month. the question I have is that if you have netflix, hulu, and other streaming services, why not add her to you account for a small upcharge for additional user? we do this and it works. as far as cable I don't know of any company that gives a good deal after the initial teaser rate.

 

[Tracer]

I've used Ooma voip phone service for years. Buy the console (something like $79) and you get free calls anywhere in North America for free (International calls are dirt cheap). As long as you have internet, it is easy to hook up. Calls are crystal clear and it has shown to be very reliable.

https://www.ooma.com/home-phone-service/

 

[W2R]

for her (age 97) even a smartphone would be too difficult to manage.
Looking forward to your thoughts and recommendations.

Here's another approach to the problem. If you live in the same community, could it be possible perhaps to troubleshoot and fix any problems she encounters with a cell phone, as they happen? You could get her a cell phone with big keys like that Jitterbug phone they used to advertise on TV so much.

My late mother lived in Hawaii until she died in 2007, at age 98. Although she only had a regular phone, my brothers set up a computer and e-mail system for her in her room at the assisted living facility. My brothers would troubleshoot her computer setup for her when they visited Hawaii (several times a year, each), and also set up larger and larger monitors for her as her vision got worse. She got a big kick out of sending me e-mails at work during the day.

 

[Trawler]

Had same situation with elderly Aunt. Was paying about $40 month for land line and 50 bucks for internet only cable. Thru Verizon bought a phone modem for $30 and plugged in old land phone added her to our Verizon family plan $20 bucks per month. She does use mobile smart phone and showed her how to use Verizon hotspot on her phone and cancelled internet only cable.