One Ringy-Dingy...

[vacuumlad1650]

"A gracious Hello...this is Miss Tomlin, from the Telephone company...Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"

I figured this would be a fitting title for a Thread regarding Vacuum Collectors and Landline.

It's recently been brought to my attention that people are getting rid of their landlines. We've had the same number since we moved into this house, 26 years ago. My maternal Grandfather is retired from 40 years at Illinois Bell, so Mother's whole family still has, and uses Landline.
I thought it would be interesting to hear who still does, versus doesn't have Landline. I use ours daily, and only use my Western Electric telephones on it. I just prefer it to my oversized, unreliable Cell Phone.
I'm a part of that awkward age group, so many are surprised I prefer Landline. When I was little, everyone had Landline and only adults had Cell Phones. I come from a Blue Collar family, so nobody had a Smartphone until this past year. We didn't need it then, and it's still more of a novelty now. Most people my age prefer their cell...if I'm at home, you're lucky to reach me on that! I'll answer the landline by the 3rd ring!
Anyways, enough of my babbling...
Thoughts?

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Oh, and if people are interested, I can provide pictures of my Bell System telephones, as well as my Servicemans tools. It's all scattered throughout the house! I use those repair tools almost daily too...I'm always tinkering...

 

[tolivac]

I have gone to a smartphone entirely-no more landline for me.And I was paying MORE for the landline than for the cell service.Cell service is more reliable now-so the landline is no longer needed for me.I can do so much more with the smartphone than the old landline.Still have my old Bell and Panasonic phones-just don't use them anymore.I am sure the battery in the Panasonic handpeice is long gone-hasn't been used in years.

 

[rugsucker]

"Is this Mr Hoover,--

--Mr Jedgar Hoover?---I just love your vacuum cleaners!"

 

[human]

I last had a landline in 2008 but the only calls I got on it were robo sales calls. Real people only called my cell so I got rid of the landline and haven't missed it one little bit. I live alone and it just makes more sense to be able to take my phone with me wherever I go. I was a fairly late adopter of smartphones. I stuck with my Motorola RAZR (best flip phone ever made) until the end of 2011 when I got my first Android smart phone. I finally crossed over to an iPhone a year ago and immediately wondered why I waited so long to do so. When I switched to the iPhone, I also left AT&T behind as my phone carrier and dropped them for Internet and TV a few months later. I just got of their lying ways and customer (dis)service. Sadly, Lily Tomlin got it absolutely right all those years ago when she said "We don't care. We don't have to care. We're the phone company".

 

[kenkart]

My Aunt

Has the same number since Lenoir NC put in the dialing system, 1954...

 

[fcs3]

Love the Landline

I had a 1938 Stromberg-Carlson fitted for
a modern Landline wall connection.

It had the most beautiful subtle chimes
when it rang.

But when they went "digital", nobody could
hear me clearly, and they sounded like
they were 10 feet from their phone when talking.

Progress!?

 

[real1shep]

I kept a landline for a long time...suspicious that well, something would happen with cells. But my sons forced me into cells around 2003 or so.


 


I certainly had no love affair with MaBell. I remember the scam about 'renting' phones for virtually forever from them. And the long distance charges I paid to remain 'loyal' to MaBell. I ran a big farm in the 80's/90's with landlines everywhere and a wife who ran up $500/month phone bills. I was one of the first to jump ship when alternate long distances carriers were offered. What a clusterf*** though in the early days of all that.


 


Also, I was in on the early days of message recording machines. I remember buying early Radio Shack versions and MaBell fighting with me over using them on "their" lines. 


 


I can also remember prefix exchanges to help you remember your phone number like; Yorkshire 5677 and operators to patch you through and if you were really rural, party lines.  


 


The ergonomics of cell phones are just not there unless you use a head set. After all, the majority of my life was spent holding onto a phone receiver and dealing with twisted cords...lol. 


 


The companies are still trying to get you to have a landline for 'emergencies'. Whatever...good riddance (from a guy that has a hamset...lol!). I stayed with phone DSL here for a long time with like 4Mb/sec on downloads....on a good day. And before that, dialup which was insanely slow. Now I have 60Mb/sec from cable. Again, good riddance. I just bought an old house riddled with phone boxes outside and phone jacks everywhere....I'm delighting in removing them all.


 


Kevin

 

[cuffs054]

My Aunt had a 'rented' ATT phone for almost 70 yrs. I (the know it all) made her switch to modern phones. The difference in clarity was sad. The boat anchor phones were soooo much better. She wanted (demanded) to go back. But as we all know; there is no going back! Boy just because I forced her to trade cars, screwed up her MT RR dishwasher ( so she says) she never let it go. Oh, there was the issue with the WH front loaders and the WH kitchen load center.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Now it must be fate...I was going to say how we have not received a Solicitation call in months, but we got 4 of them today...I know we haven't gotten them since I'm the primary user of the phone, so I check the Caller ID for missed call...

 

[kirbylux77]

Well, I have stuck to landline phone for now, have not caught the itch to get a cellphone yet. But, with a twist....I have MagicJack instead, which is a ultra-cheap form of VoiP service. $45 CDN a year, all the features & North American long distance included. I use it plugged into my internet router & find it works best that way. You can plug it into the USB port of a laptop & use it with wifi internet, but I have found it's not so clear & crisp using it with wifi....works much better with it plugged into the router, same clarity as a landline. I use it with a pair of Panasonic cordless phones, & I don't think I could ever be talked into going back to a landline, or buying a cellphone.

Rob

 

[real1shep]

I dunno...sometimes I feel like I've been thrown reluctantly into an abyss of technology. It's really only "better" because the corporate vendors say it's so.  I think millennials for the most part, haven't a clue on how savagely they are being manipulated. Like the saying goes, "Our technology has exceeded our humanity".


 


Kevin

 

[luxkid1980]

I think since I have been living on my own, I have had a cell phone. My parents however still hold onto their landline, which is a cordless model. I've had them all (bar phones, flip, android, and the iphone). They are very convenient especially now with the internet available.

Now, with so many other carries, prices have come way down, carries have unlimited plans for less than the landline costs and no contracts. It's a no-brainer.

 

[kenkart]

The problem is

The old Bell System was more reliable and it was so nice to dial 0 and get a real person to help you.Progress is ok but you always lose something, Just as customer service is non existant in stores now days, years ago when you went into a real store such as Marshal Fields, LS Ayers, Lazarus and Riches, you were treated like royalty!

 

[vacuumlad1650]

(talking on the phone with a goofy automated menu)


"Customer Service"


(Robot Response): "Did you say dead end with a rude employee?"


 


 


The Bell system was fairly trouble free...if it wasn't such a Monopoly, perhaps Uncle Sam wouldn't have killed Ma Bell...


 

 

[jimjimmunster]

I still use landline...

My parents don't use the landline, but i do. I keep 4 Western Electric phones, some from Illinois and some from Indiana. I can only receive calls on them. I don't understand why people use cell phones so much for calling. Too bad xfinity doesn't support pulse dialing. Sort of sucks that i have to keep a separate phone to send calls.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

They make a digital converter for the Rotary phones that converts the Pulses to Tone. Send me an email and I can connect you with the gentleman that told me about them.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I STILL have 2 landlines

on the first floor, 2 on the second floor, and the wiring for a wall phone in the second basement. It's all terribly convenient. We've had the same phone number since my parents were married... in 1958.

 

[phaeton]

Going to look like I'm trying to keep up with the Johns&

Hello All,
Oh, it should be with the Jones'.
Well my parents had my number since 1948 and I still have it in the house with 2 phones and lines in all the rooms, but I do use my cell phone all the time.
Picture is of a Princess 702B dated 7-63 of my parents that I still have connected and I really should clean.
I know some time in the 50's they had to add a digit to the number. Ours was also known as Normandy and I don't know what year we stopped using it and just went to 66.
That explains the alphabet on the dial button and touch pad. Now that begs for the question of, do we still use the alphabet on phone for anything today?
Sorry to horn in on the Thread.
Thank you for looking,
Pete