Anyonw else unplug their landline for the duration?

[IronWing]

We already never pick up incoming calls until we hear someone we want to talk to. We already turned the ringer off so the answering machine is the only evidence of incoming calling. Tonight, we unplugged it. Once the polls close tomorrow, we'll maybe plug it back in. The final straw was getting a recorded message asking us to vote for a ballot proposition affecting a school bond in Yuma, AZ. We live near Tucson.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Yeah, about 10 years ago.

http://time.com/2966515/landline-phones-cell-phones/

 

[Brainonska511]

What about signing up for Nomorobo? It's free on your personal line. My mom put it on her home phone - robot calls ring once at most. She says it's greatly helped cut down on the recorded phone calls.

 

[sactoking]

I haven't had a land line in at least 5 years...

 

[Markbnj]

A few years back, yeah. We had one copper pair hanging on for awhile because my wife just couldn't get comfortable with relying on mobiles for emergency situations. But when Embarq (Sprint) had us paying something like $40 a month just to have their obsolete wires plugged into one obsolete handset that never rang or got used... she finally gave in.

 

[T9D]

Land line? r u like 80?

I literally cut all the wires out of my house and off my house to the pole.

 

[bbhaag]

Not yet but the answering machine picks up on the third ring. Despite the close gubernatorial race here in Illinois we haven't received many political calls.

 

[John Connor]

What about signing up for Nomorobo? It's free on your personal line. My mom put it on her home phone - robot calls ring once at most. She says it's greatly helped cut down on the recorded phone calls.

That's interesting. I use a program I have on a Netbook that is on 24/7 called Phone tray. You need a dial-up caller ID capable modem and I can add numbers to the block list and have special rings. caller ID names like NA and blank caller ID data is blocked along with a known database of callers that are spam that automatically blocks the calls. I hear one ring and that's it.

I'll add this service on top of what I got.

 

[John Connor]

What's an answering machine?

 

[bbhaag]

What's an answering machine?

It's a device similar to a DVR but instead of recording both video and audio it only records audio over a telecommunications network. You millennials think you're so smart but us old timers know some things to.

 

[Carson Dyle]

It's a device similar to a DVR but instead of recording both video and audio it only records audio over a telecommunications network. You millennials think you're so smart but us old timers know some things to.

Man, do you have any idea who you're talking to? John's old. Like old old. Like on death's doorstep. He could go at any minute. In fact, we almost lost him today.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

landlines are nice to have for emergency, but the practicality has really tanked

 

[John Connor]

LOL I used to have an answering machine, but that's old hat and hacker prone when you can get voice mail. It's free with Comcast voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq6aV0Cxhl0

The password for my voice mail is the longest I could use and the Comcast account is password protected. Everyone should password protect their utility accounts. It's very easy to get info. from companies.

No landline here so to speak. Got Comcast voice back in circa 2006.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't have a true land line anymore but I do have POTS through my fibre ONT which has like 8+ hours of battery backup, so it's almost as good as a real land line.

I actually don't get too many telemarketers on mine. I hope I get another one of those fake MS support calls though... I got Team Viewer to work in Ubuntu. The regular Ubuntu, the one with Unity, which is actually worse than Windows 8/metro. Yeah they'll have fun with that. LOL

 

[Carson Dyle]

No landline here so to speak. Got Comcast voice back in circa 2006.

Wait... Wouldn't voice over cable qualify as a landline? It's digital, but you're just changing the carrier from the old telco network to the cable company's network. It's still hardwired.

 

[John Connor]

I guess your right. POTS would be the term I should have used.

 

[John Connor]

What about signing up for Nomorobo? It's free on your personal line. My mom put it on her home phone - robot calls ring once at most. She says it's greatly helped cut down on the recorded phone calls.

Well this fucking sucks. I tried to sign up, I have Xfinity voice. It said I need a stupid smartphone and I need to log into Comcast this and that and have Android or what ever. I don't have a damn smart phone so screw this! I guess I'll just use what I have using a netbook that's on 24/7 and running Phone Tray.

 

[lozina]

No I dont get voter bullshit calls.

And I do keep a landline because talking on a cellphone for an extended period of time sucks. It's like using a port-a-potty instead of a proper toilet and trying to fool yourself into thinking it's all the same thing.

 

[XavierMace]

I haven't had a land line in 10 years. If for some reason I need to make a long call, that's what a headset hooked to a computer is for.

 

[Bateluer]

I haven't had a land line since 2005.

 

[lxskllr]

I haven't answered a land line since the 90s. For a bunch of years it was solely used for dialup internet, then gone forever in 2006. If your number isn't in my cell's contact list, I don't answer that either. If it's important, a message will be left.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Yeah, about 10 years ago.

http://time.com/2966515/landline-phones-cell-phones/

10.5 years ago...


Brian

 

[Blanky]

What about signing up for Nomorobo? It's free on your personal line. My mom put it on her home phone - robot calls ring once at most. She says it's greatly helped cut down on the recorded phone calls.

Wow, I'm about to get some more cred with some people at work who just yesterday were looking forward to elections being over because they keep getting calls--and their phone provider does support nomorobo.

I stopped paying for landline years ago. It's one of the quickest ways the average person can drop $30+/month off their home bills without any meaningful impact on what they are doing (I use OOMA).

The fact that in 2014 people are still able to receive telemarketer calls is absurd.

OOMA doesn't support nomorobo, but I receive virtually no telemarketing crap through it anyway (and I don't pay for the premier account, which has a group blacklist).

 

[IronWing]

When your only option for higher speed internet is DSL then you might as well have a landline.

 

[PottedMeat]

if i don't recognize the number, it doesn't get answered. messages get listened to a few times per day