Ditching your land line and going cell phone only.

[DizMe]

I like the landline. It's bundled with internet and cable, as others have said, so eh. We live where cell service doesn't work for any company but one, so even though our cell provider has a fair signal, most people who visit can't use their phones and I always have to let repairmen, friends, etc use my phone. And yes, that happens more than you would think.

But besides that, I don't find cell phones comfortable to use. They aren't shaped to be comfortable, but I guess I'm one of the few who feels that way!

On a side note, my sister has been without a landline for 3 years and is going back to one. Too many dropped calls and problems in her area. We both live in rural locations with hills and canyons so landlines make more sense for us.

To be honest, if I could ditch my cell phone, I would!!! My bill is up to $280/month. That's just craziness! Unfortunately, I don't have any choice with carriers as mentioned above and we have 4 smartphone users. My twins are almost ready for phones and I don't know what to do...

 

[angierae]

I've tried only keeping it on vibrate along with the DND setting but there have been times I don't notice it vibrate even when it's in my pocket so I feel like I constantly have to check the phone no matter what. At this point, getting rid of our land line isn't an option for us due to the reasons I listed above -- and mostly because the cell service in our house is spotty (and we've had cell service through AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile -- doesn't matter). I prefer to keep my cell phone more for emergency use and limit the number of people who have that number. Everyone else can call the house phone and leave a message. And for the record, I've had a cell phone for over 20 years so I'm well aware that I'm in charge of when I do or do not use/answer it.

I just often see the whole "I don't want to be one of those people who take personal calls in public" and my first thought is ...so don't?

 

[kymom99]

I like the landline. It's bundled with internet and cable, as others have said, so eh. We live where cell service doesn't work for any company but one, so even though our cell provider has a fair signal, most people who visit can't use their phones and I always have to let repairmen, friends, etc use my phone. And yes, that happens more than you would think.

But besides that, I don't find cell phones comfortable to use. They aren't shaped to be comfortable, but I guess I'm one of the few who feels that way!

On a side note, my sister has been without a landline for 3 years and is going back to one. Too many dropped calls and problems in her area. We both live in rural locations with hills and canyons so landlines make more sense for us.

To be honest, if I could ditch my cell phone, I would!!! My bill is up to $280/month. That's just craziness! Unfortunately, I don't have any choice with carriers as mentioned above and we have 4 smartphone users. My twins are almost ready for phones and I don't know what to do...

My son is 15 and still has a "dumb" phone. For 4 years I have paid the bare minimum for his phone service. He is due an upgrade and will get an iphone for Christmas. Not a 6 though, I think the 5s is $99 right now. I only have a 4 so he will be better off than I am.

 

[lvt]

Landlines work when the power goes. 2-3 times a year for me. Usually due to bad weather.
Item 2. I have bad ears and the cell phones are very weak. This low power usage does not play well with hearing aids.

 

[mrsmedamoo]

If you use your cell phone in another city you cell phone will search for the nearest available tower to route your call. .

This is true I live in a small city which is sandwich between two other cities no more then two blocks away. I had to call 911 on my cellphone when the roofing company set a small fire on my apartment building days before Thanksgiving. The person who answered said the routine "911, what is your emergency." When I explained what was going on she told me to hang on and re-routed me to my city's 911.

 

[Judique]

Landlines work when the power goes. 2-3 times a year for me. Usually due to bad weather.
Item 2. I have bad ears and the cell phones are very weak. This low power usage does not play well with hearing aids.

There are/were some cell phones where I found it hard to hear. But - some of them can be very loud and you can hear the other person when someone else is on a cell phone! Perhaps you should go to a cell store or kiosk and check out some different models.

Cell phones work when the power is out also.

When we had an outage that lasted a week on my street, I just charged my phone in my car.

In the event you don't have a car, there are other options such as keeping a spare charged battery and solar chargers.

As an older person I think it is wise to try to adapt to new technology. I don't always love it, such as when I first got windows 8 on a computer last Xmas, but the work around for that was I returned the original and got a touch screen computer and windows 8 was then a breeze! My grown kids are not as good on this thing as I am - they have to plug in a mouse. I've learned to use the touchpad and have no probs.

I wasted a lot of money on 2 lines and Verizon before I kicked them to the curb. Probably enough for a Disney vacation....

 

[Nztara]

We keep our landline for emergencies. I don't always know where I put my cell phone down last but the landline is always in the same place. I also want to be sure the babysitter has a way to call us or dial 911.

I have a wonderful babysitter, but she is a very rare teenager who may go three or four days without carrying her cell phone. Her sister is the same way. They live next door and their parents have knocked on my door to see if the girls are visiting my house because they forgot to take a cell phone when they left the house.

My other sitters, my in-laws, often leave their TracFone at home when they come over to keep our son. They need a way to call in an emergency and I need a way to reach them if we will be late.