I HATE CELL PHONES!

[JimT]

If it didn't cost so much I would have a land line put in and go back to a dial phone with a recorder for messages. We did not put up with lousy connections "back in the day" ... but it's the norm now. My oldest daughter lives in an area where the signal is not great. I live where the signal is not great. We have a hard time talking. But the %&??!!#* spam callers come through just fine and all day long!

I HATE CELL PHONES!

[gcs]

I hear ya, at the house I have so so connections, it was better 20 years ago.
We gave up the landline cause no one called on it anymore, I will say cell phones, especially the smartphones are very handy and can do a lot, even though I have most of the smart options turned off.
couple tips, if you have internet service you should have wifi, that helps connections ,in the house at least, and do not answer the phone unless it's a known caller from your phone "book"
let the calls go to voicemail, you can call them back if you desire, and turn on the spam alerts on your phone, it filters out a lot of stuff and the phone won't ring....don't give up yet!, lol

[JimT]

Yep .. I already do not answer a call unless they are known. Still a PITA!

[Pat C]

I held out for a long long time , didn't get one until 2012 or so . I still to this day buy the cheapest phone I can . Last two LG for $169 and latest Samsung Galaxy $199. All I need.
If I hadn't dropped the LG and cracked screen I'd still be using it. Still works fine.

[GunnyMack]

Same here, terrible service. In the house I get better service than on the second floor under a skylight?!
A few years ago at 2am I needed to call 911 , the landline is via cable/Internet and it was doing an update and out of service. Only other option was to go outside and find the one spot in the yard where I could call out. Dropped twice before it went through.
Within a week I emailed the folks at Verizon with a scathing threat to either fix the service in the area or I was cancelling my contract. They then sent me a FREE cell extender. Yeah it works over WiFi so I'm still screwed at 2am or if the power is out.
Call your provider and raise a ruckus Jim!

[Grizz]

I'm almost there Jim, but Ma Bell? How's your internet connection? We use Signal as our messaging software, and can make wifi phone calls that are clear as a bell whether a local call or somewhere else in the world wide cobweb.

We can have group calls, wonderful to connect the one in the Bering and the one in Japan with the folks in-between.

Plus end-to-end encryption allows us to say bomb with alerting the liar brigades . . . :)

grizz

[stretch]

Can you hear me?!

Cell phones are why they still sell hammers.

-Ken Iddins, Hatmaker

I just bought a cell phone last month. Finally. And I work in IT! LOL!

It just became too inconvenient when traveling to not have one. The
landline is $90 a month, and that goes away September 5th or so.

Mostly what I get on the landline are people trying to rip me off, so I won't miss that.

I think I'll be very careful who I give my new number to. Many of the calls are from
people who want to exploit the fact that I'm over 60. I STRONGLY suspect that insurance
companies have sold my number and demographics - so I'll conveniently forget to update
'em with the new number. We'll see how long it takes for the spam calls to start.

I'm CERTAIN that insurance companies have sold that information
to the junk mail folks. One insurance company gave me a new middle initial by mistake.
I've never corrected them. So, anything coming in the mail with that middle initial
HAD to originate with them.

-Stretch

[Walt]

Jim, for what it's worth this what I do. I recorded a greeting that says, "Please leave a message or I will block your number". If a message is not left I will give it a couple of minutes and if there's no response to that I do indeed block the number. After I had blocked several dozen numbers, the frequency of spam calls went down and then practically disappeared. I very rarely get unknown calls anymore. I may get one or two per month but I immediately block them. Good luck!

[765x53]

I still have a land line. Too much trouble to change numbers with all necessary contacts. My cell phone is sent free after each successive obsolescence.

[JimT]

Jim, for what it's worth this what I do. I recorded a greeting that says, "Please leave a message or I will block your number". If a message is not left I will give it a couple of minutes and if there's no response to that I do indeed block the number. After I had blocked several dozen numbers, the frequency of spam calls went down and then practically disappeared. I very rarely get unknown calls anymore. I may get one or two per month but I immediately block them. Good luck!

I blocked 24 in the last 3 or 4 days.

[4t5]

Land line here, my cell phone stays in my car, my wife’s is in the house, kids know call the house first if they want dad.
If we don’t recognize the # , we let the answer machine get it , most times nobody leaves a message.

[gcs]

I had hundreds of blocked calls on mine, it's like whack a mole, block one, another one pops up!
After a year I clean out the blocked calls and start over..lol

[Griff]

I finally cut the landline last year... went to VOIP... and yes, except when the internet is down, it's way better. I rely on my cell phone, but I still hate it.