# Have you given up your landline? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133 "2008-11-23T19:49:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/41 "2008-11-24T02:41:06Z")
About 12 years ago. Haven’t missed it once. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/42 "2008-11-24T02:58:39Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > No, I think they’ve removed the old system (they certainly removed the box that the buzzer used to be in, and conveniently replastered that part of my wall.) I spoke to another tenant who wanted to remove her phone, and she was told that she would have to go without a buzzer if she did that. Is it the land line phone that rings, and did you give them your local phone number to make it work? In our condo building in Atlanta the front gate is connected to a local phone number, which rings when someone buzzes our condo (and we press “9” to open the gate). The only requirement was that the area code be local, and it worked fine for us to give our cell number. I wanted to mention that just in case there was a misunderstanding with the other tenant - perhaps she had an out of town cell phone or no cell phone at all. Of course, you may have a weird system that relies on land line wiring and having an active phone connection - in which case, sorry for wasting your time with my post! 🙂 Back to the OP, I have always only had a cell phone (both in the US and South Africa) until our very recent move to Sacramento. I started working from home and needed a more business-like phone line. I use Vonage for this, which I count as a land line. So far, I have been very impressed - it works great, and unlike AT&T, they have impressive proactive customer service. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/43 "2008-11-24T03:03:34Z")
Three years no landline and I haven’t missed it at all. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/44 "2008-11-24T03:15:46Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > … > > My building, for some reason, decided to install a buzzer system (for entrance to the building) that used the landline as a speaker system, … I just recently gave up my land line and only had it because of the buzzer system you mentioned. All other calls were made on my cell phone. My solution was to buy a cheap ($15.00) phone from TracFone and have the buildings buzzer programmed to ring that cell phone. It works great. I was paying 35.00/month (the absolute minimum charge) to qwest for something which was used to let people in the front door. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/45 "2008-11-24T03:15:54Z")
Dropped it about six months or so ago. We were paying about $90 for landline and services. I was paying about $110 for my cell service. The family plan was $120 for more minutes. So we switched, got Lady Chance a new phone for free, and save about $80/month. I, too, was a late adopter. I never needed a cell phone before setting up my own shop. I sort of relied on whatever phone my assistants had when I was out and needed to contact someone. But now that I’m on my own I find it’s a necessity. ---
**Author:** ![quilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/839c29/32.png) [@quilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quilter)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/46 "2008-11-24T03:21:25Z")
One of the conditions of my employment is that I have a land line, in spite of the fact that they supply me with a cell phone and a pager. I’ve got a personal cell phone too. TSA loves me when I travel. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/47 "2008-11-24T03:51:23Z")
just the cell ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/48 "2008-11-24T04:16:32Z")
We dropped our landline about 6 years ago. We each have cell phones (and at the time, both of my sons then living with us did also) and never used the landline, except to answer incoming telemarketer calls. So we ditched it. Don’t miss it a bit. A painting currently hangs over the jack in the dining room. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/49 "2008-11-24T05:23:30Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > I moved about a year ago and never got a landline. When I had to move again this past July, the place I moved to has no cell phone reception unless I go outside and then it’s iffy. I figure the only time I need a phone at home is when I’m home so \*\*I bought a Magic Jack. It’s costs $20 a year and has worked perfectly for me. \*\*The only downside is it only works when your computer is on. What, pray tell, is a Magic Jack? I’d love to dump my land line and its $60 a month charge, but cell reception here is the pits. Would this Magic Jack you speak of help me? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/50 "2008-11-24T05:40:22Z")
No more landline, in my house. I wouldn’t mind having one. The sound quality is so much better than cells. But, we moved and a new phone number is just ridiculous. We got the number of a halfway house for recently released prisoners. I really didn’t enjoy telling those poor souls I couldn’t help them. At all hours. The telemarketing calls were out of control. The worst is the bill collectors. They’re pit bulls who simply won’t believe you aren’t Shaquisha Shenene Rodriquez Chang who owes them money and will not take you off their call list just because you say you aren’t that person. I miss having my old ten-year-old phone number. But you get a new phone number these days it’s just a mess. Cell phones seem to minimize some of the mess. Not completely, but much more so than a landline number. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/51 "2008-11-24T06:02:07Z")
I still have a landline. Mainly because the sound quality is much better for when I’m having a long, detailed conversation. And that, in turn, is mainly because I get only iffy cell reception inside my house, especially on my first floor. Also, I believe that landlines are more reliable in an emergency. They are more likely to be working in a widespread power outage, and they automatically give location information to 911 responders. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/52 "2008-11-24T08:01:42Z")
We don’t. I’ve had a cell phone for about 10 years, but maintained a landline until a couple years ago because it was the sort of thing you just did, without really thinking about it. But both my roomie and I had cell phones, and used the landline so infrequently that all it really amounted to was yet another bill to pay. I nearly hugged my current landlord when he confirmed our intercom system could be routed to cell phones. I also hate talking on the phone, so you’d think I’d prefer a landline. Truth is, cell phones make it so much easier for me to talk on my terms that I’d never go back. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/53 "2008-11-24T08:51:23Z")
Still running a landline but as soon as my son leaves home we’ll get rid of it. The money we save should pay for broadband & skype. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/54 "2008-11-24T09:12:35Z")
One of the key reasons for me for keeping a landline is 911 access. If you dial 911 on a landline and can’t say a word, they still know your address. Cell phones don’t have that service, at least not yet in our area. If they do develop it, I might consider dropping the landline. There was an episode earlier this year where a couple in Alberta called 911 on a cell because their infant son was having trouble breathing. The 911 people contacted their cell phone provider, who gave the couple’s old address in Ontario. Child died. Cell phone service provider, in its defence, said that the couple hadn’t updated their address. But then it was pointed out that the cell phones service provider had been regularly sending the bills to their current address. Just hadn’t updated all of its internal records. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/55 "2008-11-24T11:11:14Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I don’t believe this is the case. Such systems exist, of course, but they don’t generally rely on the _service_ provided by the phone company; they merely take advantage of the wiring that already exists between a central location and your apartment. As long as the wiring remains, you should be able to have the buzzer work while discontinuing the telco service. For some complexes it’s a money thing. If you lose your badge or remote key that let’s yourself in; the complex woud prefer that you buy another one instead of buzzing yourself on your cell phone then hitting 9 or whatever to let yourself in. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/56 "2008-11-24T11:37:21Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I’m the opposite - still haven’t gotten myself a cell phone. > > I really don’t need one. Word. I have a cell phone so I can be pestered by work when I’m away from home (which happens rarely). I prefer the land line. The sound quality is better, the speakerphone is better, and I can’t remember how to do speakerphone on the cell, because I rarely use it. Plus, I don’t want to have to notify everyone of a number change. All in all, the land line is better for me. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/57 "2008-11-24T12:26:26Z")
I got rid of my landline when I moved to my current apartment, back in July 2007. The only people who used it were my parents and telemarketers, and my parents adjusted to only calling my cell. As a side benefit, this eliminated my dad’s calling my landline when he ought to call my cell. I used to get home after visiting them to find messages left after I’d started the drive, asking when I expected to be in. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/58 "2008-11-24T14:32:00Z")
I too gave up my landline in part because telemarketers were so annoying. Anyone who wants to contact me had better be someone who’s in my contact list or the phone doesn’t even ring. (And my contacts all have individual ringtones.) You know what else I could live without - the post office. If I need to send a package I could use UPS. I pay all my bills online. I email regularly (or talk on my cellphone). The 2-3 times a year that people send me cards, it’s only from people I see regularly anyway. Every single other day of the year is just wasted advertising. I loathe the post office. ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/59 "2008-11-24T14:40:47Z")
I live in a rural mountainous area and there isn’t any coverage here unless you go all the way up to the top of the mountain. I don’t have a cell phone because I don’t need one and I’d rather not be called while I’m driving or busy anyway. If I’m going to be driving a long distance alone then I borrow my partner’s second phone. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133/60 "2008-11-24T14:55:35Z")
My Wife and I are thinking about it. But for a different reason than most. Our land line service seems to get worse and worse. The sound quality seems worse, and it goes down a few times a year. Seems the phone company is paying less attention to the land lines. Also, I’m tired of replacing cordless phones. I research them but they only seem to last about a year or so. We’ve replace 3 sets of 3 phones each in 4 years. They’re all crap as far as I can tell. Our latest cordless phone base has to be unplugged and re-plugged in about once a week. I don’t know if it’s static in the phone line or what. People call and it won’t ring. While it does have a dial tone, you can’t call out unless you ‘hard’ boot it. OTOH, our cell service pretty much sucks too. Verizon has the best coverage for where we live, and we do get coverage at our house, but it is poor. 1-2 bars. I’m thinking about getting a cell phone antenna/repeater for the house. I looked into it once, I need to do research again. My Wife ([and I] who generally despises cell phones)has suggested that we look to go to just cell phones. I suspect that within a year we will get rid of our land line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-given-up-your-landline/474133.md?page=4)