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VTech 2430 2.4 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets and Caller ID

VTech 2430 2.4 GHz DSS Expandable Cordless Phone with Dual Handsets and Caller ID

List Price: $179.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FANTASTIC PHONE GREAT FEATURES EASY TO USE
Review: I go through so many phones. I love this one. It has great features and is easy to use. I also got a great deal. I think you will love it to.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cordless fan
Review: I've had this phone for 1+ years with no problems. I expanded it to 4 handsets, but ultimately needed at least 5 in the house. I can make/receive calls on the handset even when I'm nearly 1,000 feet away from the house (residential neighborhood). I bought a VTech i5881 (2.4/5.88GHz) expandable w/ answer machine to go to 5 phones (5 or 6 if you count the base speakerphone). It doesn't have interference problems with the 2430, the controls are all familiar, and the i5881 can go to 6 phones. I can't imagine needing 10 phones, but between the 2430 and the i5881 I could. Other than the 4 handset limit for the 2430, I'd recommend it highly -- get the extra battery for the base so you have a spare for handsets and the base will function during power outages. BTW, my 2430 replaced a Siemens 2400 expandable. It was hopeless (bad reception, confusing controls, poor battery life when it actually did try to charge and literally 15-20 minutes when it decided (arbitrarily) to not bother charging even though the handset was in the cradle. I'd never buy another Siemens, but VTech hasn't let me down yet.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Features, Great Longevity!
Review: I've had this phone for about a year now.

What I like:
-Great sound quality
-Excellent range
-Very usable speakerphone on base AND handset
-Additional handsets available
-Backup battery available so that when you lose power, you still have phone. Not only that, but you can use the backup battery in the handset if you deplete that one.
-Headset plug. (I use the headset that came w/ my Motorola cell phone and it works great!)
-Caller ID

What I don't like
-Since it's tapered at the top, it's difficult to cradle the handset between your ear and shoulder. I've dropped it several times.
-When you page the phone from the base station (like to find where you left it last), you have to punch just the right key combination to make it stop paging.
-The wall mount bracket is rather cheaply made. One of the tabs broke off right away, but it still mounts fairly solidly.

In summary... I like this phone a lot. I bought the extra handset and extra battery for the base. I've had some serious power fluxuations in my house recently that caused the phone to stop ringing correctly, and I plan to buy another one just like it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thumbs Up.
Review: Just hooked up my new Vtech phone and so far it's great. Nice and clear sounding and very lightweight. I love the handsfree button on the handset. (So if I'm listening to elevator music on hold, I don't have to crush my ear while waiting. I can hook it to my belt and walk around the house.) The only negative thing so far is that with 2 handsets, I had to program numbers in individually, which took forever! I added 38 numbers (so double that). But it's worth it since my old phone only allowed me 10 programmable numbers, not 50 like the VTech! (I wish there was a way to program all cell & landline phones from our own individual master list, so we wouldn't have to enter in each number and name again and again; maybe in the next generation?!) I also find the sickly-looking green display a little "dated," but I can live with it. I like the intercom button ...almost like having a walkie talkie between up & downstairs. The convenience of having two cordless phones in the house is great! And I love how they take up less space than my old phone. I took it next door with me, and the range is great, too! So I won't miss a call if I'm outside. So far I love this phone, but I just got it...I hope I'm not disappointed in the months/years to come.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Drops incoming calls
Review: The design and features of this phone aren't bad. It seemed like a good value at the time. But having had it for a while now I've become dissappointed. The sound quality is not very good. Sound is not clear with a constant background hissing static. And the volume is low even at max volume. But the most significant problem with this phone is that it drops about 30-40% of the incoming calls when you answer them. You press the button to answer and the handset starts searching for the base unit, dropping the call. Problem exists on all my handsets. Will not buy VTech again, as I've heard others complain of same problem.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Nice phone, when it works
Review: The main reason my family purchased this phone is that up to 4 interchangeable handsets can be added. It seemed like a brilliant idea, because we could keep handsets all over the house, but not have to match up a different base/charger for each one.

The black and metallic silver (plastic) phone with backlit translucent keys has an attractive, modern-looking design. The handsets are small and sleek. The "mother ship" (main base) has a speakerphone, its own keypad, and intercom/handset locator, while the satellite chargers have no functions other than charging the handset. These satellite chargers are very small and don't require a phone jack, so they're ideal for placing in various locations around the house. The "mother ship" is also space-efficient, in part because all of the chargers position the handsets vertically.

In addition to allowing for a smaller base size, the vertical positioning of the handsets allows easy reading of the caller ID display without picking up the phone, which can be very convenient. We have one handset in the kitchen, and when someone calls during dinner, we can see the caller ID on the phone from a few feet away without getting up from the table. My parents have a handset in their bedroom, and they can see the display, which lights up when a call comes in or when the phone is turned on, from their bed.

The phones were nice -- until we started having problems. One problem is that the buttons on the handset we use most seem to be worn out, particularly the on/off buttons. It now takes a great deal of effort to press them hard enough to pick up or hang up the phone.

The most frustrating problem, though, is that the handsets frequently "lose" the base, which occurs, on average, a few times per week. It happens either when someone turns on the phone to make a call or tries to answer the ringing phone, and sometimes just randomly in the middle of a call! All of a sudden, the phone beeps obnoxiously and the display says, "Searching for base." The phone is then completely useless for about 15 seconds, and then goes back to normal, but not until after the call is dropped or missed. The worst part is that it often happens when the phone is just a few feet away from the base, prompting my mom to yell at the handset, "The base is RIGHT THERE! Why can't you see it, you idiot?"

I have been disappointed in the quality of this phone, especially since it was fairly expensive. Due to the reliability issues my family has had with this phone, I would not recommend it.



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