If you have cable tv, you can expect to have about the same service problems and interruptions with cable phone as with cable tv. If power goes out in your area periodically -- in storms or just because of inherent marginal standards, your phone will not work during a power outtage. With a regular phone service from a baby bell or AT&T or one of the other service providers, if you have an old fashioned cord phone (not cordless), you can still use it during a power outtage.

If these issues do not concern you, then maybe cable or digital service is worth a try. But be sure you understand the up-front costs and the contract obligations -- how long is the original commitment and what it will cost if you break the contract. AND, when the contract expires, what will the new rate be?

My verizon land line has static for the past 4 years and each time the repair people come out they tell me my phone is ok and charge $300 for the visit. Sometimes the line is so staticy I can't hear the conversation.
Meanwhile I took a digital phone (voip) and the line is clear,I can call Canada and Puerto Rico for the same price unlimited. The bill is much less and the service is better.

You need the landline for an emergency in case your power goes out.

Lookup www.whichvoip.com.

It details all the companies prices, features, etc. so you know what its all about.

We're using T-mobile's @home phone service, which goes through the internet. It costs $10 a month (but you do have to buy their special router, which costs $50). Since we very rarely use our home phone, and are basically just keeping it for those few family members that still call us on that number (you can transfer your old phone # over to this system), it works well for us. We were paying $25 a month before through AT&T for regular phone service, that again, we rarely use -- for $10 a month, this setup just doesn't seem like as much of a waste. And for only $10 a month for unlimited local and long-distance (not including international calls), it's a better deal than Vonage.

I have fiber optic via Verizon FIOS. I also have TV and internet with the phone as one large package.

Phone service...ugh!

I ONLY have landline phone.
Never had a pager, never had cell phone. (Yes, I live in a cave)
I see the ads on TV. I get TONS of 'JUNK MAIL' almost daily...advertising "SAVE MONEY"!
EVERYONE wants to "package" this and that - to 'SAVE' you $$$.

I don't 'buy' into any of that.
"IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE..."

I've been having problems with my cable for YEARS (LITERALLY!).

After numerous phone calls to "Customer DIS-Service",...numerous appointments of "REPAIR PERSONS" trapsing in our home (IF THEY SHOWED UP!), and ME needing to be at home for a specifice time-frame of 4-6 hrs on those days, (HECK, they don't consider some people need to go to WORK, or otherwise...)

So the "repair people" come into your home, pull a ladder out to climb up on outside of your home, maybe unscrew and REscrew that little connection, come back inside, use their little 'codes' to check things out...make a phone call to "Central Headquarters" - Good or Bad, "CENTRAL" says they will fix...LOL! NOT!.......

It goes on & on... I did call the "Franchising Authority" - (it's in litle tiny print on statement - possibly going by a different authority name now?) - at one point, and OH MY! The reception suddenly was GREAT again...for awhile.

THE PROBLEM IS: They KNOW they have a bad deal going on, but they refuse to admit it. Answer to everything is to make an appointment, be home for several hours, and we'll send a repair man out.
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I KNOW the OP had questions about TELEPHONE.

What I'm saying (MY point of view), If I cannot get decent service on just ONE of the products, WHY WOULD I WANT TO DIG DEEPER INTO THAT GRAVE? NOT!
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BTW - someone mentioned VERIZON. I need to review, because "I" have Verizon also! (and stuff to say about THEM, too!)
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DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...DON'T DO IT!!!...

LOL! Don't do the "Package thing" - UNLESS...you love a challenge!!!

P.S. - Those wonderful SAVINGS RATES?...ONLY temporary - they (COSTS) WILL go up!

READ THE FINE PRINT OVER AND AGAIN!!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! DON'T BE SHY - QUESTION EVERYTHING!!!

Another thing to consider: How good is 'Customer Service'? (I would SERIOUSLY try to call....see where/what you get))

Sorry about that...but EXPERIENCE has made me bitter.

Several years ago, I switched all our phones (2 home lines and 1 business) to Vonage (VoiP). Excellent service, no charge for extras like call waiting, call forwarding and - my favorite - SimulRing, where they ring *both* your Vonage line and up to five other lines you've specified. I specified my cell phone, so my cell phone became, in effect, an extension of the Vonage phone for incoming calls.

BTW, the VoiP companies have you specify a backup number so that if cable service is out and VoiP won't work, you'll still get your calls. I worried a bit about this up front, but it wasn't a real issue.

The cost was $15/month plus tax for 500 minutes, which was way more than we ever used. It's an excellent value, and the only thing I ever regretted about getting Vonage was that we hadn't done it sooner.

About a year ago, I realized that we weren't getting our money's worth on the home phones, even at those low prices, so I ported the home numbers to our cell phones and got rid of Vonage, except for my business.

I do agree with the poster above who said that if you buy a package deal from the cable company or whatnot, you should check how long the prices are valid and what things will cost after the package deal is over. I discussed this with my cable company once when they were trying to sell me a package, and when I asked what it would cost after the first year, all they would say is, "Well, most people just buy another package."

And about keeping a landline for emergencies, I just figure that you can't insure yourself against every possibility. The chances of both cable or FIOS being out *and* the cell phone infrastructure not working is so low that I didn't think twice about taking whatever residual risk there is. (You do have to keep your cell phone charged, which is just another routine to get into.)

BTW - i completely agree w/what " haus_proud" said in initial post.

We have att phone and dsl; but our long distance is through opex. We don't have any of the added services like call waiting nor a need for cell phones. I have 4 phones throughout the house, 2 corded and 2 cordless; so if the power goes out i move one of the corded to a central spot.
Also, we have an 800 call in number so our grown kids and grandkids & MIL, Brother, etc can call us without charge to them (if they use a landline) That is pretty cheap at $2/mo plus 3cents min.

I use AT&T landline only at home. Like others said, I had Cable but when the power goes out, so does the cable.
I wouldn't trust a cell phone to be my only way of communicating in an emergency. Besides, I like to use my rotary-dial Western Electric phones with REAL bells!

We have Qwest for the hard line at home. We also keep an old style phone that can be used when the power goes out and the cordless phones become useless. Our cell phones are Verizon on the family plan...we can call and talk as long as we want to each other.

Casey

"http://www.driverdb.com/Sean McDonagh"

We bought telephone bundled with internet and cable service from Comcast. The telephone part costs $33 a month. Works just as well as service from the non-cable telephone company we used to use, at half the price. If the power goes out, we use our cell phones instead. That only happens once a year or so.

Beyond my company's phone systems (entirely VOIP on fiber optic,) Wifey & I each had cell phones only for years now... whatever the cheapest coverage was that she could cutthroat negotiate (she's a monster in nickel & dime negotiations!!!)

NOW, we just also added MagicJack. http://www.magicjack.com/9/index.asp
"MagicJack"

A little box the size of a small matchbook plugs into your PC or notebook USB port, and any telephone line then plugs into the little box. Chrystal-clear sound (unlike jittery Vonage and the like of skinny broadband pipes.)

$45 per YEAR!, ZERO monthly costs...
Free local unlimited, free U.S. & Canadian long distance unlimited, international way dirt cheap...

Check it out... we're really happy with it so far.

Here is a link that might be useful: MagicJack

gitananoel,

I had a similar situation a few years ago with SBC (now Ameritech). I ended up filing a complaint with the state of Ohio public utilities commission. The problem was with their line to the house, static so bad I couldn't hear the caller, but they kept telling me it was my phone. Since it happened on multiple phones in the house I knew that was not correct. After my complaint it was fixed and they refunded the previous service charges. I believe that shortly after that they had to pay a large fine because of the frequent issues with poor service.

I still have my landline, but I use measured service that is only $14/month & rarely if ever exceed that; I buy phone cards for my long distance that runs $.03/minute. I have a prepaid cell for emergency or essential use--I'm not one who wants to be in constant contact with my family & friends! Last week I had no power at home for 7 days, so I was glad to have the land line.

I used to have AT&T until I had a billing problem with them that they wouldn't correct. It was over a $150 bogus charge, and I spent hours on the phone and even had two calls with the CEO's special assistant after sending a letter. I'd been a customer for over 20 years, but they refused to resolve the issue. I finally told them that, if they didn't fix the problem, I would cancel my AT&T local and long distance service, my AT&T cell phone account, and my AT&T Internet service, and sell my At&T stock. The best they would do was half credit on the bogus billing. To me, it was a matter of principle, not the money, and I was really annoyed at all the time I spent with their incompetent customer service and their unwillingness to listen to reason. I followed through on my promise to have nothing more to do with them. That was about 10 years ago. Maybe they've changed, but I will never give that company another dime. The irony is that, after they lost my business, they kept sending me monthly inducements to "come back" and offered big credits to sweeten the deal. I don't know how much they've foregone in profits from losing my business and that of the many people I've steered away from them, but I simply refuse to support any company once it's proved itself to be so consumer unfriendly.

raee-----interesting solution. I will try it. Let's see what happens. My problem is in nyc and I live in an apartment.

When we moved (about 5 yrs ago) - didn't have option for company on landline phone OR cableTV.

We needed 2nd landline phone for Hubby's business.

Long/short: Verizon hooked up second line, but 'MY' line then, did not work at all.

I was on phone (hubby's, who's DID work) for almost TWO MONTHS telling them "MY" phone does not work. They kept insisting it DID work. (from their little desk & computer somewhere)
I actually got a bill from them for 'monthly service charges' - even tho phone had no connection.

SEVERAL weeks later, FINALLY they send a "repair man" out - (OH, but -'someone needs to be home all day long' on a work day...)
WAIT, but that's not the end...they 'threaten' it will cost some $80+ just to have a repair man come out...(hello? YES, but we DO pay for the monthly 'repair service' INSURANCE?!) ...for some reason, they NEVER can see that in their computer...

Anyway, after fighting on the phone with various people almost daily...staring out the window almost daily from 7am - 7pm...with 'no-shows'....fighting with the company...

FINALLY after about 7 weeks of this nonsense, a repair person shows up.

Guess What? Well, my phone might have been "activated', but there was NO PHONE LINE connected from the pole to the house!
Needless to say, I did get my account adjusted proper back then, but geez, what a headache.

Not the only headache either. About a year or so ago, hubby decided to eliminate some of the 'extra features' he had on his phone - simple, right? - They messed that up SO BAD...took several MONTHS to clean that up, AND, he ended up with a different phone # for landline.

HOW these companies get away with the BS is beyond me.
Does not *surprise me*...Just really "IRKS" - (to put it mildly)- me that one has to fight like crazy to get a problem resolved these days.

SO, both my cable tv & my landline phone company have a history of being incompetant:
I will NEVER do a package deal with either (which, they both offer).

(and that's "MY" story, sticking to it)

I had SunRocket (I think I was the only one who liked their service). They I went to ATT CallVantage (another VOIP). I recently found out that they aren't taking any more subscribers.

I just moved and I signed up w/ Verizon FIOS for a TV/Internet/Phone bundle. They guy came out to set it up on a Sunday. After he left I realized I never checked the phone line. When I checked it, it didn't work. He was back in an hr or so and fixed it. I haven't had any problems. I probably would have stayed w/ AT&T but adding phone to my package only cost me an extra $10/month or something (so I couldn't get any cheaper than that).

I like them. The picture from FIOS TV is much clearer than my old digital cable w/ Comcast (although the cable box is much less responsive). Internet is fast and doesn't give me any issues. I like it.

i had a cable phone with wide open west, was ok, some static. now my company provides a cell phone for so thats the only phone i use, its thru sprint great service and sound. have no idea what it costs, only that it doesnt cost me anything.

I kissed ATT goodbye and never looked back. I had to LOL at the comment that they never seem to notice that you have the 'insurance'. Heard that one before, and they are the worst spammers I have ever seen. Since you 'do business' with them, they can bypass the "no call" rules and hound you to death.

I have phone through my cable. I have a cellular, the cheapest prepaid you can get for backup when the power is out. Works for me.

We have had phone service through Comcast and now with Verizon FIOS. No issues, except with the alarm system. Some alarm companies want a hard wired phone attached to the security system. Some don't.

Just a note about what joann23456 said about cable and cell phones being out, I guess it depends on where you live whether you want to take that risk. After Ike, I sure don't. Cell phone communication was nearly impossible for the first 4 days and we didn't have power for 2 weeks! We aren't even what most would consider a "danger zone." I'll keep my land line for now.

Rachelh, I know that it *does* depend on where you live. I'm in an urban area just outside Boston, and the cable almost never goes out. I can't remember the last time I had an issue with cable service. Many of my neighbors and friends use VoiP phones, and I never hear anyone complain that they lost service. I'm sure it happens somewhere around here, I've just been lucky.

It's definitely a case of how risk-tolerant you are. I agree that the most risk-free course is to stick with a wired land line, but I'm not willing to pay $30 a month (for the cheapest phone service I could find, plus taxes and other charges) as insurance for the chance that both cable and cell phones will be out at the same time that I have an emergency. That insurance might be worth $5-$10 to me, at most. Even at that, I probably wouldn't buy it.:)

It also depends on how reliable your wired land line is. We are rural and lose our electric often, but not nearly as often as we have lost our land line service. It had always been poor and always been glitchy and getting it serviced was always a hassle, and the repair crew were dispatched from another blinking county. More than once they didn't have a clue what was causing the problem, and blamed it on faulty phones. I believed them the first couple of times and disposed of some decent phones until I got wise that was a cop-out. I put the rest of the 'faulty' phones on a shelf and am using them with no problem now that I am on cable phone. The service is never any better than the provider. If your provider is stinky, sooner or later your service will be too.

So far we have had good service, pricey but I don't many calls. Our phone company is a coop and we get a check every year depending how long we have had the phone and how many calls we make. I do also have their email which is pretty good.

We've used VoicePulse (a VOIP provider) for over four years now.

Very few issues ... no more than we had with Verizon.

$15.89 total bill ($14.99 + $.90 USF) for Local + 200. This is Unlimited 'local' calls - where my local area is all of Eastern PA - and 200 minutes long distance. I don't think we've ever gone over the 200 minutes of long distance. If we did, it would be 3 cents / minute.

Their service includes pretty much every add-on you could think of: Caller ID, Anonymous Call Block, Call Filtering, Identa-ring, etc. They also have E911.

Considering we used to pay $50+ / mo with Verizon, we've saved around $1500 since moving to VP.

Here is a link that might be useful: Voicepulse

We had AT & T for what seems to be decades. However, after we moved from one town to another, in the same state mind you, AT & T made a complete mess of everything. The didn't get the transfer time right, let alone have a new number ready for us. We had no phone line for two weeks. They forgot to disconnect our old number and land line.

Fortunately we both have cell phones so we could at least make the necessary calls.

To make along story short, we went with our cable company, Charter. We canceled AT & T and Charter had us up and running in less than 24 hours. We have had no problems with their service at all. Our cell phones are on Verizon and again no problems at all.

Enjoy the Journey.
eal51 in western CT