Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: I loved this phone at first, even though the sound quality was poor on the answering machine, both incoming and outgoing. Sometimes I couldn't even understand what the caller said the sound was so muffled. Running a business from home, this was unacceptable. But I was willing to live with it because of the investment and I loved the handset caller ID and the directory that was very handy in the handset. Now, however, approx. 9 months after purchase, it constantly does this "channel searching" while I'm talking, and it mutes what I'm saying and what I'm hearing until it "finds" a channel, even though there was no need for the "channel searching" because the connection was good. There is no way to turn this feature off. I even bought a new battery hoping that would solve the problem but it did not. Now the LED readout on the handset is blank sometimes. In short, DONT waste your money on this. What a disappointment from Sony.
Rating: 
Summary: Won't disappoint...
Review: I was all set to buy a Panasonic phone and then went online andfound out through some reviews that it wasn't the best phone to buy.After researching some more, I decided to purchase this Sony. The is absolutely the best cordless phone I've ever owned. The sound is clear and I can be outside in my yard and still hear clearly. The programming is a snap! All in all, if you're in the market for a phone/answering machine...this your phone!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Phone with EVERYTHING!
Review: I was in the market for a phone with everything(Caller ID, Answer machine, etc) and this has it all and it all works great. I have had GE, Lucent, and Uniden phones and this has the clearest signal and easiest set up. The caller ID is the best part with how Sony allows to scroll through with the small wheel on the side of the phone. MUCH easier than how uniden has it by the key pad. I have no idea why there are so many bad reviews about the answering machine? That is how answering machines sound! All in all, a great phone.
Rating: 
Summary: Sony SPP-A973 Revisited
Review: I'm compelled to update my earlier review of the Sony phone. As I stated in the first review, I returned the SPP-A973 because caller ID did not perform properly. I assumed that this was just bad luck and that the next phone would perform as expected. I was wrong. There is something wrong with Sony's caller ID system. Specifically, I found that if I received a phone call, Sony's caller ID would *sometimes* show the call as a new call. But, typically, the call was erroneously included as 'old'. Sometimes, caller ID would not record the call at all. The day I returned the phone, a friend of mine left a recorded message. The message indicator performed as expected (a blinking numerical light) but the caller ID light did not activate. And, as I scrolled the recorded caller ID calls, that particular phone call was included in the old phone call list. I tried two phones and each exhibited the same characteristics. Calls to Sony's customer support shed no light on the problem. I traded the Sony for the Uniden EXAI 8985. Caller ID works perfectly on this phone. Given my experience with the SPP-A973, I can't recommend it. I would be interested in comments from others who have reviewed the phone and whether my observations regarding caller ID can be confirmed. In my view the Panasonic (which I described in a previous review) is the phone to purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Sony SPP-A973 Not Up To Par
Review: I've been a loyal Sony fan for many years which is why I bought the phone. Owning the phone for just over six months, there is some static while talking and occassionally cuts off. Although I have returned the phone to the Sony authorized dealer, they replaced the battery and gave the phone a thorough check. There was no improvement noted. I would pass on this Sony product.
Rating: 
Summary: Quality Product
Review: I've had great luck with a Panasonic and decent luck with a Uniden, but based on bad reviews, I went with the Sony. I've had it about 1 month and it's working great. Caller ID works fine, clear calls, and you can understand messages on the answering machine. I would like to be able to have the names that I enter for cell numbers, etc. appear instead of just the callers' number with the state. The price was also a bit steep, but all in all, I'm very satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Once again, Sony has exceeded my expectations
Review: It takes me longer to learn, I guess... I wasted my money on a BellSouth phone with Digital answering machine only to find I could understand about 25% of my messages, that I couldn't understand the bizarre electronic 'help' voice, and had virtually no other features. My new Sony Spp-A973 has (almost) every feature I could want... caller ID, cordless phone (sounds as clear as a regular phone) with tremendous range and a seemingly never-ending battery, clear digital answering machine (again, clear as the best tape machine), a brilliant jog dial to review caller ID calls and place memory calls (no more remembering who 'memory 01' is)... In a nutshell, this is one of those extremely rare products where I feel like I somehow got twice what I expected for half what I expected to pay. Two things would make it five stars: the ability to turn off the handset ringer (not just the base), and better handling of 'out-of-area' caller ID. My old box from US West could give me numbers for most out-of-area callers, but I've yet to figure out how to do this with this phone. All you get is 'out-of-area'. A speakerphone would sure be nice, too, but I'm not ABOUT to complain!
Rating:
Summary: Surprised
Review: Reviewers who don't like this phone are unbelieveable. I have had this phone for almost 4 years and have never had issue with it. I just wish that the handset ringer could be turned off. That is why I am at this sight. Batteries in all cordless phones need to be replaced at some point. I replaced mine for the first time about 6 months ago. You just go to radio shack, or some place like it, to get a new one.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Poor Product
Review: This is a very poor phone and answering machine combo. Friends complain bitterly about the sound quality of the outgoing message. The sound quality of the phone is also substandard when compared to Panasonic & AT&T models. Finally, the incoming messages are almost incomprehensible. I own a SONY DAT machine and a television with which I am happy. But I have had consistent bad luck with SONY's other consumer electronics and I have recently learned of others who have had similar complaints with this phone. Don't buy this product.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good phone
Review: This phone didn't meet our expectations. We used it in the kitchen for a long time, and found that it is very hard to get clean, even with normal cleaning fluids. Battery life is an issue for this phone. Two new batteries lasted 9 months before they wouldn't hold a charge. When power goes out, there is no electronic memory for time, so when we have a power outage, which is frequent, we have to reset the clock. The outgoing message doesn't erase, so why not the clock??? There is no speakerphone capability either.
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