Giving up your landline phone?

[Irin997]

how do you handle giving out the number when you have to provide one, like when you order something? do you end up getting tons of solicitations?

I give my cell phone number and I haven't had any problems. If it's someone or some website I really don't want to give my number, I just change the last 4 digits.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Hmm, a lot of good points on here for both sides. We don't have any kids, so some of those things aren't concerns for us, but interesting to think about if we ever do.

Our land line price has just been slowly been creeping up over the last two years and they keep saying it's new taxes and fees that I can't avoid (probably true, but still annoying). We do get a lot of telemarketer calls...but someone has also been putting my cell phone number down on credit card apps or something because I get daily collection calls for some random person.

Our other option is to keep the landline and get my husband a new phone and just get me a go-phone for emergency use when I am out. But it is technically more expensive than just getting me a real cell phone and dropping the landline.

 

[JB2K]

So has anyone given up their landline phone? Can you tell me the good and bad and if you are happy with that decision?

More and more people are "cutting the cord" -- before I married a few years ago, I only used my cell phone (as did my wife with hers).

What brought me back to the landline is the fact that I am nowhere nearly as mobile as I was in my single days -- I still use a cell phone, but very infrequently.

Plus, I needed a landline for my fax machine (which still gets occassional use) and the home security system.

 

[SDSorority]

Okay I am sorry if this question has been asked a million times.

So has anyone given up their landline phone? Can you tell me the good and bad and if you are happy with that decision?

My DH is trying to convince me to do this. I am all for saving money, but it makes me nervous. I have a cell phone that I keep in my purse and only use for emergencies, I don't give the number to anyone as I don't like to be reached when I am out. I think it would get hard to only use a cell phone and I'll have to always remember to bring it with me and charge it and turn it on and off etc.

Anyone have any advice?

We gave ours up. We were paying $25 a month for only local calls w/o caller ID. NOT worth it. Cell phones only for us! DH and I share a verizon plan. We don't have 'smartphones' or whatever... just normal phoes with a $5 per month texting plan as well. Works out well for us

 

[kaytieeldr]

A cell phone may be handier and if you can use your cell phone, you can tell the dispatcher your address/location.

True. If you're not home a landline wouldn't do you the least bit of good. But when you ARE home - i.e. more likely to be in a place where others wouldn't be around to see you were in distress, aka alone - simply dialing 911 will get help dispatched. It's not nearly so easy to locate someone calling from a cellphone when that person can't speak - even with GPS, whether they're home or away from home. Paraphrased from the March 2010 issue of Reader's Digest.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Totally agree with the POs DW and the former 9 1 1 operator, I was also an employee of a large PD in NY and the frustration all involved when a cell was used in an emergency...again not all calls could be located that easily if at all

The only reason I keep the "landline" is I live in a rural area, when I'm outside with the horse the house phone is with me...God forbid I have an emergency I'm not calling on a cell

 

[kaytieeldr]

I give my cell phone number and I haven't had any problems. If it's someone or some website I really don't want to give my number, I just change the last 4 digits.

Aw, please don't do that. Why inconvenience someone you don't even know - the person whose phone number you ARE giving by mixing up your own digits?

 

[kaytieeldr]

To those of you giving up landlines because of the cost: I was looking on the Verizon site yesterday, and at least where I live, they have something called Measured Circle service. The basic monthly charge is only $12.67 - then of course there are message units of a penny a minute or something, I'm not really sure because I'm happy with Comcast . Even if you don't USE the landline, if you can get it down that cheap in case of emergency, it's a good idea to have. See the posts from the emergency response personnel just in this thread. Then just DON'T ANSWER THAT PHONE. You know that'll be the one used by people looking for money, people who don't actually know you, etc. The people you want to talk to will have your cell number

Just consider it insurance.

 

[deerhart]

we gave up our landline almost 4 years ago. This was when we moved and realized that we hadn't used our landline at all for almost 2 years!

We have a cell phone on permanently at the house and dh and I each carry one. Our city has the upgraded 911 tech so no worries there.

When giving out our number we either give my cell or Dh's cell and we do not get calls on them. We also sign our cell phones up for the state no call list.

Another plus, we aren't listed in the phone book either!

 

[Luvchefmic]

we gave up our landline almost 4 years ago. This was when we moved and realized that we hadn't used our landline at all for almost 2 years!

We have a cell phone on permanently at the house and dh and I each carry one. Our city has the upgraded 911 tech so no worries there.

When giving out our number we either give my cell or Dh's cell and we do not get calls on them. We also sign our cell phones up for the state no call list.

Another plus, we aren't listed in the phone book either!

deerhart...for your peace of mind please contact the PD ( non-emergency #)that would respond to you in an emergency and make sure. I say this only because I worked for a county PD on Long Island and they have enhanced 9 1 1 ...BUT depending on your provider (Sprint, ATT, Verizon, etc) don't presume you're good to go...also contact your provider...as someone else said as insurance

 

[Sunik35]

We gave up our landline last year and went with Magic Jack. It has worked great.. Initial cost 39.99 with a year subscription. Each year you renew for 19.95. You also register your number so when you call 911 your address comes up. I know you can find it at Target and Walgreens.

 

[kacaju]

I am a contact person for my two volunteer organizations. I will not give up my landline as long as I am the contact person!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

We gave up our landline last year and went with Magic Jack. It has worked great.. Initial cost 39.99 with a year subscription. Each year you renew for 19.95. You also register your number so when you call 911 your address comes up. I know you can find it at Target and Walgreens.

What happens with Magic Jack if the power goes out? For that matter, how does Vonage/any VoIP operate - both with regards to power and to emergency services locating the call?

 

[HsvTeacher]

We gave up our landline a few years ago and have never regretted it.

 

[mnrose]

We keep ours for the 911 feature. Cells, VoIP, etc simply are not as reliable in the event of an emergency. To me, the small amount it costs (and ours is part of a bundle, including phone, internet and cable...if we drop the landline we save hardly anything...like $5) is worth it for the peace of mind I have. Also, we retain a phone that is CORDED, rather than have all cordless phones. Cordless phones do not work in a power outage...just as cells and VoIP have limited usefulness in a power outage. Landline corded phones are powered by the phone network itself, and will run for as long as the generators at the central office run...many many days.

Also, for those who live in earthquake country (or hurricane country), as I used to, cell service is easily OVERWHELMED during a natural disaster (or an unnatural one like a terrorist attack). Cells were essentially useless because the design of the network is very different than landlines. Landlines, however, are engineered to handle peak load on peak day...and therefore are much more able to handle the increased volumes during a high demand time like a disaster.

Until these problems are addressed by cells, to me, a cell is a nice convenience but no substitute for a landline phone.

 

[vroomagain]

I had a phone internet and bundle package. DH had a cell phone bc he drove around all day and was hard to get a hold of. We decided to cancel the landline and just add a line on for me when I went back to school (and one for my mom bc she was watching the kids at my house).

*When i went to cancel the landline they offered to let me keep it for only an extra $10. If you are hesitant to give up your phone it may be an option to call and see if they will lower it.

As far as cons, I do sometimes forget to charge my cell or leave it on my purse/on vibrate so I can't hear the phone but it isn't a big thing for me.

 

[mrodgers]

When cell phones become affordable and reliable, I'll think of getting a cell phone and giving up the land line.

I get too many calls from everyone on their "wonderful" cell phones and all my end of the conversation is, "what? Huh? What was that? I didn't hear that. I can't hear you. You're breaking up...." Everyone always says how great their phones are, but I can never understand their in and out garble when they call me at home. How is that wonderful?

 

[sherry7]

I will never ditch my landline.

While many of the newer cell phones have GPS technology that can assist in 'locating' the phone (and the caller), there's nothing like a landline when you call 911 and they immediately know the address you're calling from.

Ditto on that. I work for a major telecommunications company, and the department I am in does this 911 addressing work. If you (or your child) call 911, your address automatically pops up on the 911 operator's computer screen. In an emergency, that is crucial.

 

[marie1203]

We haven't had a landline in year and I never missed it. I never had a problem with people calling of course I don't put my phone number everywhere and you can register in the do not call list.