I've always had a cell phone and a land line. I used to have SBC DSL internet service, so I always had to have an active land line. Now I've just moved, so the decision has come up. Currently, I just have the cell phone (for the last 3 days), but I feel a bit empty without my land line! I think that having both would allow me to limit who gets my cell phone number better. Has anyone experienced pros/cons of having one or both? Any problems with just having a cell phone? Any advice???
I keep both because I've had issues with my cell phone not working right after they do upgrades in their system, and having to call in to get the problem fixed (this happens about every six months or so)...sitting on a pay phone while they try to figure out something that happens on a regular basis is too annoying for words. I also don't like to provide my cell phone number as my main number because of telemarketing calls. I tend to use my cell phone more as an emergency phone (i.e. I have a flat tire and need to call AAA) than my main source of communication, and I keep the minutes down on it as much as possible.
I do know people who have just a cell phone and seem to have no issues. I think it may depend on how much you actually use your phone(s) as well -- my landline is unlimited, and the combination of land + cell (with low minute package) is less for me than the cell at a high-minute package that will cover how much I'm on my phones.
I use just my cell. I actually got a second line (since it was only $10 a month) that I use as my official contact number on paper, so any telemarketing calls go to a phone that I rarely carry. I finally made the switch when I realized the only people who ever called my home phone were ones I had no desire to talk to. Everyone else knew to call my cell. Basic landline service was costing me $50 a month, so this is a much cheaper alternative for me.
Me, DH and DS all three have cell phones and we have one land line now. But, everyone is right. The land line is the one I get all the telemarketers and such on. We used to have 2 land lines, one was used for the computer. Our home line is for people to call us, we don't call long distance on it unless it's an emergency because it will cost extra. We now have DSL. We pay $150.00 per month for all our phone services. I guess I'm kind of old-fashioned but I do prefer to have a home line. Since our home line is for local or incoming calls, I think we only pay $10.00 a month for this service.
It costs a lot for "not so important" people to leave those rather lengthy messages or call me on my cell phone...You could also have a "No solicitors" notice on your phones to avoid high bills.
We have both cell and land line. Land line is the only way we cn connect our security alarm to and really necessary in case of emergency as we hve MIL and PIL living with us atleast 2-3 months a year! I wouldnt want to stay waiting on the cell phone, describing my home address to 911 in case of an emergency!
I prefer having a land line because it's easier to hold while doing other activites like cooking....also, I have a couple of trouble spots inside my house where the cell cuts out. I usually have to go outside to talk on my cell, and I don't like to have to do that. Also, my doorbell/intercom is connected to my land line, so I have to keep it for that.
No land line for us. We just have the cell phones, have been doing this for about a year and a half... and it's working just fine. Cell phones aren't on lists for telemarketing usually.. I've never had a single telemarketer call me on my cell... Plus I have the added bonus of seeing who is calling me and deciding whether or not to answer. (i didn't have caller id before and we would screen every call and people always had to leave a message and we'd call them back. not the most effective way to have a social life)
Anyway, I'm for it but only because I don't have to worry kids and things. Plus free long distance is nice. Phone service in my area for a land line is like $27.00 without any extras.
I was cell-phone only last year when money was tight. It worked fine, especially since I don't spend a lot of time on the phone during the day.
I recently moved to a different area code than my cell phone, and wanted to keep my cell number the same because my work is there. I decided to get a landline, both for people who want to call me who are local, and for DSL. The landline seems completely useless right now. I get maybe 1 call a month on it that I actually care about. The rest are just telemarketers. Most people who I know and I actually want to speak to will just call my cell.
I'm glad you brought this up as we will be moving soon and were thinking about doing away with the land line. After reading this I think we will keep it. We do get a lot of calls even though we are supposed to be on that list for no telemarket calls. Family and friends have our cell #'s, we never answer the land line either.
If you go with a land line, ask your service provider about a metered phone line with no long distance. Often times they won't even advertise their metered phone lines because they are so cheap. My phone bill is around ~$10/month in a major metropolitan area.
I have both the land line and my cell phone. It's not a regular "land line," though--I use Vonage service, which goes through my cable internet connection. It's $24.99 per month with free long distance, unlimited minutes, free caller ID, free voicemail, and free call waiting. I wouldn't suggest it if you live out in the middle of nowhere where your internet connection may be flukey, but here in a major metro area, my internet is pretty reliable. Plus, you can pick any area code you want--when I lived in VA and my bf lived in MD, I had an MD area code on my phone so it wouldn't cost him anything to call me from his land line since it was a local call (even though we were not in the same local area).
I couldn't do the metered line like nelie mentioned only because I am always on the phone with my sister in Va Beach, my best friend in Delaware, my family in Connecticut, and my boyfriend's family in Maryland, so I need the long distance. If most of your calls are local, though, then that sounds like a good idea.
We have only cell phones - never had a problem and we call long distance on them. We use them ALL the time, well I use mine a lot my boyfriend not so much - we share a plan. 911 is fine on cell phones, they can track the call.
We are going to switch one cell phone to internet phone when Shaw offers it in our area - in terms of Vonage (Shaw might be a bit different for us cuz its local... but living in Canada if we called 911 on vonage we would end up in the US) I have heard its not that great to call 911 on because you end up in one center they can't really track where you are.
All cell phones activated now MUST be 911 compliant. If your phone is 2 years old or less, it has a 911 chip in it.
I have Vonage and a cell. We ditched the regular land line a few months ago along with about $ 50.00/month. Vonage uses the internet and our internet service is reliable and we pay for it anyway. In the rare instance that it might be down, we have cell back-up. I was able to keep my old phone number when I switched to Vonage, so I still get annoying calls even though I'm on the "do not call" list.
I have had my land line number (land line? heck, we used to just call it...are you ready for this?...the telephone) since 1970...I have moved three times since (last move 1979) but have always been able to keep the number. I got it in high school when my dad was getting too many calls at home instead of his office. That was about when answering machines first came out, he hooked our home phone up to it, got a new number and had a phone put in my bedroom and another next to the other phone. When I moved out they let me take the number. I can't imagine not having it. I prefer using it around the house too...bigger and easier for me to handle...and the numbers are BIGGER!...some of you will understand
Personally, even though I think cell phones are a big convenience and handy to have...and I have one....and I use it.....but really, they annoy the @#$%^&^%$ out of me and so do many of their "owners"!
HELP!!!???Cell phone only vs. Land Line too????
(i didn't have caller id before and we would screen every call and people always had to leave a message and we'd call them back. not the most effective way to have a social life)
