Rating: 
Summary: Save your money!
Review: I purchased this phone from SAM's Club - the one they sell is actually the 2489 which comes w/ an extra handset. The phones have great features, but the handsets are terrible. The sound quality comes and goes and sometimes when you try to turn the phone on it gives you a "system busy" message.
The speakerphone quality is pretty good and feature-wise the phone is great. If you're looking for a good cordless phone, this is not it!
Rating:
Summary: Poor quality answering machine
Review: I would not recommend this product. I am returning it, because the quality of the answering machine is very poor. The playback sounds like a robots voice instead of a crisp digital quality recording. I am also not impressed with the sound quality of the handset, but I would have kept it but for the terrible answering machine quality.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost pleased
Review: Most of the features of this phone worked satisfactorily. Sound quality was adequate, but not excellent. However, I could never get caller ID information to display. I tried all the remedies suggested in the manual and by VTech's technical support representative, but nothing worked. The support rep suggested I replace the system, which I will do. In the meantime, I am disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: VTech 20-2481, Not Perfect, But Good Phone System
Review: Not a bad phone, no real big issues. Very limited choices in 2-line expandable handset group. Although from the following it would seem that the Cons are overwhelming, in reality, they are somewhat nitpicking however they do sigificantly take away from the overall package of the device being user friendly. Pros:
Very very nice voice quality I'm told (in my ear though there is a hint of hiss which apparently others don't hear). Size is small enough to fit in pocket and very comfortably fits on a belt clip. However, it's smaller then most phones, about the size of a candy bar sized cellphone and takes a day to get used to. I find the phone to be very ergonomic and of a nice physical design. Very nice feature mix on this item. Battery life has been really great after living with this phone for about 3 weeks. Transmit/ receive range seem to be good. I've noticed no degradation in comparison to other cordless phones I own. Cons:
Can't change almost any features on all phones/ base at the same time. This in and of itself makes programming a big chore. Memory programming has to occur on each phone and base independently. So, to program a bunch of numbers etc is a big pain in the you know what. Additionally, to clear the caller ID log which is the top display on all handsets and base is another big hassle for the same reason. The relatively humongous red light showing that status of the answering machine is annoying to say the least especially when the answering machine is enabled for 1 line only and this thing flashes making it a major distraction when it's on a desk or in a bedroom in this mode (what were they thinking?). Answering machine rates a 8 out of 10 in voice quality to the caller. It's not as crisp as I would have liked but it's definately not annoying or a big issue. Summary: I would buy this phone again if I had to make another buying decision. SHORT UPDATE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF USE:
Voice quality of callers leaves something to be desired... My voice quality Im told is very good. Default display on handsets and base showing call history is lame and a big pain to clear out. Programming system is also difficult as previously mentioned, each device must be programmed indvidually. Another poor item. Large red flashing LED is distracting and is a useless feature. OVERALL:
I would look elsewhere that perhaps there's new options in this catagory. The only contender I'm aware of (multi handset 2-line) is the Panasonic but that has the issue of lousy battery life from a lot of users. The deminished quality on received calls on this phone is very annoying. (I wonder if it's just mine but it's on all the handsets I own and I may try to get it serviced). It's not noticed when you use this phone all day but switch to another and then back again and it's very visible.
Rating:
Summary: Great features / poor quality audio
Review: The features of both the handset and the base-unit are excellent, it seems that they've thought of everything you could imagine. And the full-text displays make it rather easy to use. Some people may find the handset a little too small. A larger handset would make it a little easier to press-against your shoulder (so you have both hands free) - but it can be done. The audio quality of the answering machine is rather poor. Has that tin-ish, echoey sound. And, the answering machine doesn't let you rewind/fast-forward within a message. You can either go back to the beginning, or skip to the next. But, if you need to hear a certain part over-again, you have to hear the whole thing over again. In one questionable design item, they have a very large light (about the size of a dime) that indicates whether or not the answering machine is enabled (even more annoying is that it blinks if you've only enabled the answering machine on one of the two lines). But, the really important light (that tells you if you've got a messaging waiting) is the size of a pencil point. They should've reversed the size of these two lights. And they really could've done without the first one.
Rating: 
Summary: Great phone system
Review: This is a terrific, well-priced, and reliable phone. Reception is clear, battery life is adequate and it is simple to use. I have tried many, more expensive systems and the v-tech 2 line is the best. Additional phones can be added seamlessly and you do not need an outlet in every room. The answering machine can be acceseed from any handset and the paging functions work quite well. I now have 5 phones using 2 lines on the system and am very pleased.
Rating:
Summary: Personal Rating of the vTech 2.4 GHz Multi-handset System
Review: This is a very good phone by vTech (TM). However, it could greatly improve mostly on the manual that covers EVERY ITEM. One item I did not see, for example, is on the CALL SCREENING function on the base phone. Another is to clarify that one should first ERASE an OGA **BEFORE** re-recording. The manual is also not clear about the battery operation in regards to the "BATTERY LOW": does this mean that one is to recharge it for 12 hours as when it cames new? Overall, one should have very few problems with set-up and use. I've yet to see the type of headset seen on p. 44 offered on the mfgr's website: I do not see it--photo in the manual may be misleading. Perhaps, if one really does call the 800- number mentioned, one could refer the company representative to that page and ask specifically for that type of headset if that's the one desired? The photo clearly displays an over-the-ear headset--no band over the head. Moreover, I'd like to know if there is a way to turn on/off the answering machine remotely, whether away from home or from the handset. Also, why should it matter whether an answering machine indicator be a bliking light (for one line using the answering machine or a steady one. Regardless, it can be a steady light to indicate that AT LEAST ONE LINE is taking calls. One can tell easily enough if only one or both lines are using it by pressing the button to note which ones are ON and OFF. The rating of this system is a "4." It is the manual that needs a good deal of improvement. The phone is excellent. My recommendation to you, the buyer, is to consider this phone because it is a 2.4 GHz phone; one can add up to 8 handsets. This makes it easy and convenient for a large family; I do not see to many companies offering this. Another great plus is the capability of adding a headset either to the hands set or the base. It is possible to charge a spare battery, as well. What I also don't see on may phones is the a numeric keypad on the base. This one has it such a feature. It's handy when either the handset is unavailable or it's really an urgent matter to contact someone. Paging handsets are not a problem, either. I hope you enjoy the vTech 2-line, 2.4 GHz Multi-handset System.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Buy This Phone
Review: Whatever you do, don't buy a Vtech phone. But especially don't buy this one. We got 3 of these phones for our 1500 sft. appartment. At first we loved them (I think this accounts for the favorable reviews). They seemed to have good signal and we loved the features. However very soon after putting them in we started having major problems. The biggest problem is that 50% of the time when the phone rings and you go to pick up the call, it will not give you the call. Instead the handset beeps, displays the vtech logo and then tells you it's looking for the base. This happens even when you're using the base phone! We contacted Vtech about this and they gave us a list of things to check for. We followed all their instruction to the letter and it is the same as ever. There is nothing more frustrating than to not be able to answer your own phone. We've had other Vtech phones and they also had similar "signal" problems when sitting right on the base! I've also talked to friends with vtech phones that report the same problems, so I don't think that we simply got 2 sets of faulty phones. These phones look nice, but for such powerful phones it is a mystery why 50% of the time 2 feet from the base unit they can't seem to find the signal.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Buy This Phone
Review: Whatever you do, don't buy a Vtech phone. But especially don't buy this one. We got 3 of these phones for our 1500 sft. appartment. At first we loved them (I think this accounts for the favorable reviews). They seemed to have good signal and we loved the features. However very soon after putting them in we started having major problems. The biggest problem is that 50% of the time when the phone rings and you go to pick up the call, it will not give you the call. Instead the handset beeps, displays the vtech logo and then tells you it's looking for the base. This happens even when you're using the base phone! We contacted Vtech about this and they gave us a list of things to check for. We followed all their instruction to the letter and it is the same as ever. There is nothing more frustrating than to not be able to answer your own phone. We've had other Vtech phones and they also had similar "signal" problems when sitting right on the base! I've also talked to friends with vtech phones that report the same problems, so I don't think that we simply got 2 sets of faulty phones. These phones look nice, but for such powerful phones it is a mystery why 50% of the time 2 feet from the base unit they can't seem to find the signal.
Rating:
Summary: echo, static, poor mic volume
Review: When using the handset there is an intermittent reverberation. When using my plantronics headset, which has performed well for 3 years with a different phone, people complain of poor mic volume and/or static. They keep asking if I am on a cell phone. Its going back.
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