Comments on: Residents Dumping Landlines And Going Wireless Only

By: susan odom

susan odom — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:44:31 +0000

Jerry A. I am in EMS and have been for 10 years. My husband is a police officer here. Trust me in that time and time again, Cell phones are NOT reliable in an emergency where the location needs to be pinpointed right away. It does NOT happen. Over and over, cell calls for 911 are sent to far away places and precious time is lost trying to figure out who and where they are. A lot of places dont have enhanced 911. I cant tell you how many times we are left hanging trying to figure out where someone is that needs us. Maybe one day cell phones will work that way but it does NOT happen now I assure you. maybe wher e you are it does work, but in the atmore, brewton, bay minette, mobile area it does not, certainly not efficiently enough in an emergency. Sure wish it did because it would make mine and my husbands jobs a lot easier and more efficient. I would LOVE to be rid of my landline but my peace of mind is worth it. as far as late night or sales calls, i just keep the ringer on my phone off. Problem solved!

By: sam

sam — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:14:53 +0000

got a cell phone, also a landline, and dsl. that landline always works, never has poor quality and is very dependable even when the power is off. my kids text can’t carry on a conversation. keeping my landline. if anything goes it will be the cell.

By: Chad

Chad — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:38:05 +0000

I have a land line because I actually use phones for voice conversations. Yes, some people actually use phones for talking. Of course, phone conversation seems like something that is a lost art. I’ve noticed that “Cell phone only” people don’t really talk on their phones- they text, send photos, facebook messages, etc. I personally hate texting, but for many people it seems to have replaced talking. Notice that cell phone companies brag about having “fewer dropped calls.” Not one of them claims to have “zero dropped calls.” That’s because cell phones are not reliable. Period.

By: Jerry A

Jerry A — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:18:44 +0000

@William – Yes I agree there are still some glitches in the system, but I can tell you from experience that there are a heck of a lot more successes than there are failures.

By: A-Z

A-Z — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:54:14 +0000

We also cut our landline after noise in the lines drove us crazy and price and fee rises. We just recently went with Walmarts Straight Talk at $45/Month and Samsung Proclaim which is a verizon service straight talk android phone which recently came out. Transfered our phone number in 15 minutes. Best deal we’ve done as we traded in our old cell plan. For those that want an Android Phone on Verizon, The Samsung Proclaim is a great deal. The negative is you have to buy the phone for about $180 but for those of us in the rural communities where ATT is poor, this is a good option. There are several Samsung phones on ST that sound similiar but use ATT networks so make sure you get the Proclaim if you need verizon

By: just me

just me — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:50:21 +0000

landline and cell phone is just as good you can do the same thing but landline is most of the time always on cell phone you can lose connection.

By: William

William — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:41:19 +0000

>>> With the technology built into cell phone systems today and with Enhanced 911 system, the 911 operator can pinpoint your exact location using GPS that is built into cell phone.

Don’t count on it working. I’ve listened to dozens and dozens of emergency responses to 911 calls from cell phones were dispatchers only had GPS information from the cell phone. Deputies, fire trucks and ambulances respond to the wrong house, to empty fields, or on many occasions the cell tower itself because the GPS coordinates are wrong.

And what’s worse are the 911 only or prepaid phones with no minutes — emergency dispatchers can’t call the phone back to get more information.

By: Jerry A

Jerry A — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:14:53 +0000

@susan odum. With the technology built into cell phone systems today and with Enhanced 911 system, the 911 operator can pinpoint your exact location using GPS that is built into cell phone.

By: Jerry A

Jerry A — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:09:36 +0000

For those complaining about landlines and getting all those sales calls, well you have the option of answering it or not, that is pretty simple solution if you ask me. I have caller ID and if I do not recognize a number, if it is a toll free number or ID shows Out of Area, I just simply do not answer. If whomever is calling thinks it is important they will leave a message. My phone system also has the capability to block these call. SO if the caller does not leave a message, I put a block on the calling number.

As for cell phone, there is no protection from them either for sales and campaign calls. My daughter has a cell phone and she is constantly getting sales and campaign calls and her number is registered with the Do Not Call registry, but like e with my ID, she does not answer with unknown numbers.

What it boils down to is nothing more than personal preference.

By: MM

MM — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:24:57 +0000

I agree with Jes below. I got a new house phone and with it a pile of calls from people asking for money. I cancelled it in 1 month.