Panasonic KX-TG2740S 2.4 GHz DSS 2-Line Expandable Cordless Speakerphone with Answering System and Caller ID

Rating:
Summary: Bad batteries small display
Review: Worked (OK) for a couple months. Batteries got progressively short charge. Display is so small and poorly lit. Tried to contact tech support - no response. Hard to find a good pickle!

Rating:
Summary: Maybe I was just lucky, but this just works
Review: I have had this system in place for nearly two years of daily use. I'm sure these other folks have had the problems they say they have, but I can't echo any of them.
1) All my phone handsets (3 270S,2 272,1 270purple) all still have the same battery they started with rangng in age from the original handset (almost 2 years) to just over six months.
2) Range, for me, hasn't been a problem. I can talk anywhere in a 4000 sq foot single level wood construction house.
3) Sound quality has been much better than the Siemens I replaced, and definitely acceptable.
4) Answering function: Well I don't even have to think about it.
5) In the interests of full disclosure, I have had one handset fail. I cheaped out and bought a 270S on ebay. Worked for about a month and then the LCD died. The phone otherwise worked perfectly. I sent it to Panasonic for repair, and nearly stroked when they sent me an estimate HIGHER than the cost of a new handset at Circuit City(plus shipping).

Why am I doing well with the system? Here's what I do:
The base is on top of my entertainment center, which I guess helps range, but was really intended to keep the rug rats from playing with it. I do actually follow the instructions to let the battery charge before use-not saying everyone else doesn't-just that I always do and have (so far) had no problems.

Beyond that, well maybe just dumb luck. Maybe I just got the good battery....7 times over two years, and maybe I got the one good base, and maybe I just have a particularly radiotransparent house. Or maybe.....

I really have only good things to say, and I recommend the system.

Rating:
Summary: Batteries go dead after 4 months
Review: We have had this phone since November of 2002 when it came out. Since then, every 4 months we have had to replace the batteries. Not only do the reviews at Amazon document this problem, but just put in KX-TG2740S in the internet explorer search bar and there are scores of complaints from other unhappy users.

The rest of the phone was terrific in all respects, but at approximately $40 every 4 months (to replace the batteries), we could buy a new phone every year, which, actually is what we just did.

I spoke to the Panasonic rep over the phone, and she had a canned response to all my questions, as if she had had numerous complaints regarding this issue before. If anyone would like to start a class action lawsuit regarding this defective product (or know of a class action lawsuit already in progress) I would be happy to join!



Rating:
Summary: Do not buy. Batteries go dead
Review: I have base+phone and one extra handset.

After using intensively for 6 months, one phone can only be used for 2 minutes, the other for 30 minutes and going down.

Very disappointed that Panasonic puts out a low quality product like this.

Rating:
Summary: very unreliable phone
Review: i agree totally with customers like K.LoSapio in the reviews.i bought the phone and it used to die on me in just five minutes and i had to return it back to panasonic they mailed me back a refurbished set..well it went well for just couple of months and i thought everything was fine, went ahead and bought an expandable set(alarm set) to it, only to find out later that the refurbished set is dying out again in about 5-10 minutes after sitting on the cradle even for 2 days.i am frustrated in buying it for $129.00 and $79.00. i was later told that for the refurbished one i have to buy a $29.00 battery, which is ridiculous...rather i would go ahead buy a different set. i really liked the set compared to others in the market but now i've no choice but opt for a different one. also i noticed the answering machine is not clear....tried to hear at max.sound (8)doesn't produce clear sound. i wouldn't recommend for anyone

Rating:
Summary: Just get new batteries immediately!!
Review: This is a great phone system with horrible batteries. Get the Energizer p-511 and put them in immediately. If your battery says Panasonic- dump them- they are no good- your phones will just go blank at some point. Buy the new batteries at Target for $10 each and the system is great.

I love it. I can put an extension in every room with 2 lines and never have to mess with jacks again. Good features and the whole system cost under $200 for 3 phones. Good deal and cheap for my business budget.

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating experience with this horribly unreliable phone
Review: I have had this phone for about a year and a half. I love the functionality but if you can't use it because the battery is always dying, then all the cool functions are useless. Read the other reviews...all the reviews about terrible battery life are true. I have literally had the phone die on me less than 5 minutes into a call, even after the handset had been sitting in the cradle overnight.

I also often get the message "No Link to Base, Move Closer" even when I'm standing 2 feet away from the base.

Another frustrating thing that happens every now and then -- the phone is ringing and I try to answer it but the phone displays the message, "The system is busy," and the call goes to the answering machine.

I also think the voice quality on the answering machine is poor. It is difficult to understand a message unless someone speaks loudly and clearly into the phone when leaving their message.

Again, echoing other reviews -- Panasonic customer service has been no help at all on the battery issue. I'm ready to trash the phone but having a hard time after spending over $200 on the base and extra handset.

Bottom line -- I would absolutely discourage anyone from buying this phone.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of features-Poor range and batteries
Review: This phone has a lot of features. It means well but fails in execution. The range is not all that good and the battery performance is dreadful.

Rating:
Summary: Worst experience with this crap
Review: Bought the phone and 2 handsets. Same battery problems as everybody. The battery lasts only for a 30min call or something. But the worst is here:

Often this sh.t dies and the display shows "NO LINK TO BASE. WALK CLOSER AND TRY AGAIN" even if you are NEAR the base.

Other problem:

Only one "low battery warning" beep...so if it sounds you have to run to get the other handset or you will lose the call.

I said I'll never buy any other Panasonic TV but with this I WONT BUY ANY OTHER PANASONIC DEVICE

Rating:
Summary: excellent phone (with er-p511 nimh battery)
Review: after reading reviews re poor ni-cad battery performance and resulting handset-blank-screen artifacts, i simultaneously purchased this phone and an energizer er-p511 nimh battery (from vh1shop.vh1.com for $9.99). the result is an excellent phone. with the energizer nimh battery, talk time is hours and standby time is days. all you folks experiencing poor battery performance and blank screens or loss of signal between handset and base because your batteries are performing poorly, go get the energizer nimh battery and start enjoying your phone.

i also bought an additional white handset (kx-tga271w). this version of the separate handset comes with a nimh battery included -- go figure. i have no idea why panasonic ships the original phone with the garbage ni-cad battery.

i only looked at panasonic cordless phones with two antennas on the base unit when shopping this time because of my previous experience.

previous experience: about 5 years ago i tested about 10 cordless phones in my house, taking every one back because they all performed lousy, most with an annoying echo resulting from interference of signals between handset and base units. the panasonic two-antenna models transmit to the handset on one frequency and receive on a different frequency, thus avoiding interference effects. the result is the cleanest and clearest sound you will get with a cordless phone. so do like i did when shopping this time: don't look at any cordless phones except the panasonics with two antennas on the base unit.

i have noticed two weird things -- both may be quirks related to odd testing conditions, so i still give this phone 5 stars, as i'm not convinced these are real problems. i list them here only in case others encounter these oddities so they can see my solutions. hopefully they will work for you too.

1. echo on line 2: i noticed that every call from line 2 was echoing when i spoke. i unplugged line 2's telephone wire while speaking (to my office answering machine) on line 2. when plugging line 2 back in, i got a dial tone, and the echo is gone. i suspect the problem was faulty connection of the telephone-wire contacts. all clear now. no echo.

2. dropped answering-machine (short) messages: i have done tests leaving myself messages on the answering machine. i've noticed that every once in a while (very) short messages (like "test message", then hang up) are not saved. since i noticed this accidentally, i repeated my tests with very short messages. perhaps 10 to 20% never got recorded. i decided this was a stupid test, as how useful is a 2-second message? so i started leaving longer messages (of sensible length). every one of the longer messages has been recorded correctly.

it has been about 5 years since i bought my first panasonic two-antenna phone. back then i gave up on getting a speaker phone, as all the ones i tested (none panasonic) were terrible. this phone's speakerphone performance is excellent. absolutely superb.

bottom line: buy this phone (and the nimh battery from energizer) and don't look back.