Rating: Summary: Excellent phone Review: I've had this phone for about 4 months now and have been very happy with it. The sound quality is very good and the phone has a number of nice features, and also has a nice contemporary design. A previous reviewer gave this phone a bad rating because the memory only allows for 32 digit numbers and the base unit will only accomodate 4 handsets. While this is true and may be a limitation for business use, it is not a limitation for most home uses. Besides the 2.4 GHZ, 3 mailboxes, 30 minutes of recorded messages, and the ability to have up to 4 handsets, this unit also stores a spare battery in the base unit which re-charges it. The spare battery is also used as a backup power source for the base unit if the power goes out in your home so you can still use the phone. I have also been pleasantly surprised with how long the battery lasts. It's no problem getting 5 hours of talk time between charges. And the speaker phone in the handheld unit, while not sounding the same as if you were speaking into the phone directly, works and is a nice feature. The phone is small and light weight which is another plus when clipping it onto your belt for use with the headset. All in all a very nice phone with a nice set of features.
Rating: Summary: Great Cordless Phone I'm Very Happy Review: Hi, I just bought this phone and couldn't be happier. The reception is excellent and the phone is easy to use. One of the best features is that the phone has a built in speaker phone in the handset. The phone is small with a nice feel to it. The base unit doesn't take up much space and there is a compartment for an extra battery that provides power when the lights go out so you can still use the phone. I had a top of the line Panasonic that worked well too but was hard to use re-dail and other phone functions. The handset on the Panasonic is much larger. The answering machine on the Vtech is also excellent. I have no negatives on this phone. I read lots or reviews on this and other phones and either one reviewer loves a phone and then one hates it. I don't know why there are so many strong opinions on these phones. Forget everything you've read. This is a great phone. Don't hesitate to buy it. The Panasonic 2.4 is also another good phone but is much larger, heavier and is more dificult to use with less bells and whistles.
Rating: Summary: Worth Checking Out Review: We tried out this phone because we've had a REALLY tough time finding a decent cordless phone to replace our old main system (too many overhead wires in our home are causing the cordless phones to cut out or even disconnect). After failing miserably trying to find a decent replacement, we just happened to buy an inexpensive zip-o frills "temp" phone by VTech until we could muster up the patience to try looking for a good main phone again. I was shocked -- It actually worked!! So, with this in mind, I thought I'd give the VTech 2.4 GHz a try as our main phone. I'm SO glad I did. After I got over the sticker-shock, I'm happy to report: it's sleek (though the compact size of the handset feels a little unnatural without that belt clip on it), light, VERY easy to program, has all of your standard features, the base unit doesn't take up much space on your kitchen counter, and oh did I mention that it sounds great on either end?! Yeah, yeah! Finally one more thing off my list to do...
Rating: Summary: Arguably the best multi-set 2,4ghz phones on the market Review: At first i was apprehensive on spending so much on a phone based on the VTECH brand. I have used sanyo, uniden, and panasonic cordless phones in the past. Based on reviews here and on epinions.com i decided to take a chance on this model by VTECH. Siemens units have had terrible reviews. ATT, panasonic, and sony all had lower overall reviews on the internet. Make sure you do your homework on which brand to buy. I have one base unit and one additional handset from VTECH. PROS: ----- 1) easy to set up and easy to use. 2) sleek design 3) love the built in handset speakerphone - my #1 requirement 4) i have had no reception or handset signal problems. 5) looks like you can replace battery pack with two rechargable AA batteries. (some self-ajustments required. but saves $$) CONS: ----- 1) expensive. especially when you figure in the cost of extra handsets. 2) non-speaker phone volume seems low. can be adjusted during each phone use. as soon as i switch it to speaker phone, it is too loud. overall this is a good product and you won't regret it. besides, if you are unhappy you can alway return it within 30 days.
Rating: Summary: Almost perfect Review: This phone does so many things so well I hate to criticize it's few faults. The good. 1. Backlit display and keyboard. 2. Easy to add numbers to memory. 3. Easy to edit numbers in memory. 4. Multiple handsets can be in use at a time. 5. Global or specific phone page. Intercom between phones. 6. Nice loud ringtones...many different sounds. 7. Speakerphone is loud and clear...one of the best I've heard on a consumer product. 8. Good range and sound quality. The not so good. 1. Manual a bit confusing and slim. 2. Menus can be counterintuitive. 3. Dialing numbers from caller I.D. easier than from memory (so why use memory???) 4. Must retrieve messages from answering machine...can't get from handsets. Of course you can get your messages from another phone by inputting codes. 5. Can't transfer phone list from phone to phone. 6. Slightly echoy sounding...but not distracting. 7. No speakerphone in base unit. Vtech sells another version with this feature. I wish they had added it to this "higher level version." Overall, despite the shortcomings, this is the best multi-handset system out there. The speakerphone works so well that I can't imagine buying a phone without this feature. I can be in the kitchen, cooking, handsfree, while having a discussion with my spouse on another floor. I want to give it 5 stars because it does so much but there is room for improvement (are you listening Vtech?)
Rating: Summary: I loved it until it stopped working. Review: I bought this system in February 2002--26 months ago. It was excellent while it lasted. The sound quality was good, the memory was useful, the phone was comfortable to hold and to dial, and the anwering system was a great improvement over my old answering machine that used tape. However one day the phone just stopped working. Since it was within the 1-year warranty period I was able to ship it back to the manufacturer and receive a replacement. The replacement phone worked fine--until this week, when it stopped working again for no reason. Now it is out of warranty and the extended warranty I purchased from Sears has also expired and is now useless. Like one of the earlier reviewers, my relationship with this phone has been one of soured love. I am hoping I can find an equivalent phone that will last longer than 1-2 years. I don't think that's too much to ask, but maybe it is. If 2 years is enough for you, than by all means, get this phone, and enjoy it while it lasts.
Rating: Summary: Great When it worked!! Review: I had this phone for about a year when I experienced the same problems others had noted, the 2 flashing "- -". I went through the whole routine with Vtech's tech support, they finally had me return it for a warranty repair, this was great except that I was without an answering machine for 3 weeks! The replacement has worked for about 6 months and is doing the same thing again. Don't waste your time on this system - there are other systems out there that are just as good and a lot more reliable!!
Rating: Summary: Loved it - When it worked! Review: After hating many phones on the market, I thought I had finally found the one when I purchased this VTech phone. I LOVED the speaker phone, the reception was good even outside, and I never had to look for phone numbers with the user-friendly memory function. It was a love story - UNTIL I came home one day to the two flashing lines where the number of messages should have been. It was approximately one year into our relationship and love turned quickly to hate. Now I have NO answering machine, and while in the same room as the base station all I hear is the audible "CLICK CLICK CLICK" of those flashing lines, not to mention the even more aggrivating "CLICK CLICK CLICK" over the phone line. I too called VTECH and got the same "Unplug it for two minutes and plug it back in" spiel. Didn't work. I so want my love affair back, and don't know what to do now that I have the extra phone that won't work with anything else. Now I have to buy two phones at once... Don't put yourself through the anguish. The adage "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" does NOT apply to telephones.
Rating: Summary: Poor quality with garbled audio Review: We had our 2461 system for 9 months when all of a sudden one day the display on the base unit started flashing "--" and clicking. Customer service had me mail the unit in along with all of the auxiliary phones (I had purchased 1 extra unit). It took over 1 month to get the exact same replacement system (2461) and phone (2420) and they did not reimburse my return shipping fees. They told me they wanted the faulty answering system plus extension phones all shipped back so they could ship me a different system that was better. Well - I got the same model back again. The "new" phones BUZZZZZZZ whenever you use a headset with them. The old phones were fine with a headset. And the "new" answering system occasionally erases the OUTGOING message when you erase incoming messages. After this happens, the answering maching picks up the phone but doesn't record anything or beep or do anything - it just ties up the phone line. The audio quality on the answering system is very poor - we have trouble understanding what callers are saying. And if you get callers that assume you will recognize their voice and say "Hi, it's me..." - forget it. The audio quality is very very poor. I would steer clear of this system - it has major quality and design problems and VTECH has been very unhelpful resolving issues. Their solution is "unplug the system and leave it unplugged for 2 minutes and when you plut it in, it will be fine". Sometimes that does work, but I want an answering machine and phone system that works all the time, thank you.
Rating: Summary: Poor quality long-term Review: This is my first Amazon review after being a long-time customer. This item has burned us, so I feel strongly about reviewing it. We have had it for about 2 years. I am having the exact same experience as a previous reviewer who described the answering machine flashing "--" and a constant clicking noise. Vtech wants $75 to repair it or will sell us the same model for $99. Keep in mind that the add-on units (we have 2) don't work when the base is gone for repair! This is our second problem with this unit. The first problem was barely under the one-year warranty. The beep that signaled that a message was waiting quit working and the handset ringer quit. After we sent it in for repair, Vtech only fixed the handset problem. I'm too busy to make a career out of servicing our electronics, so I didn't complain about what they failed to repair. Now that I've seen someone else had the exact same problem, I think I'll invest my money in a new system instead of trying to remain compatible with the 2 extra handsets we already own. (They don't work with newer model base units.) Hopefully I've saved someone else from investing in this system!
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