Answering machines

[karen2205]

BT are introducing a £1/month charge (£3/quarter) for BT Answer 1571 if you don't make 2 chargeable/inclusive calls within a month (six within a quarter for those billed quarterly) from 1st March.

Some months I make no calls, some months I make one call. Some months I make more than one call. But I don't reliably make two or more calls a month from my home phone. I suppose I could take this as an opportunity to start making more phone calls, but I'd rather not. I'd rather cancel the 1571 if it's not free and buy an answering machine.

So recommendations on answering machines please? Is a BT Response 75 a reasonable buy? What do I look for in terms of features?

Comments

[softfruit.livejournal.com]

Oh ffs. 1571 makes BT a nice little profit cos every time someone phones you and you're engaged, they get to cream off the 5p connection charge instead of just giving the engaged tone.

(I have no advice on answering machines made after 2000 so shall keep quiet otherwise)

[bob]

it has to be said why bother. if its important they will ring again or try another means of contact. otherwise its probably just telesales.

i just give everyone my mobile anyway. they dont need to know about my landline.

[karen2205]

I much prefer talking to people on my landline, because I get dodgy mobile reception. But yes, making other people chase me down by trying different numbers is less hassle for me.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Even if you never make two calls within a month, that machine will take 2.5 years to pay for itself, ignoring the cost of the extra power and the hassle of actually getting hold of it.

[karen2205]

Argos sell them, so getting hold of it wouldn't be at all problematic. But fair point re extra power and time taken to pay for the machine. I'm going to try going without any answering service and seeing if this causes any problems before buying one.

[shepline.livejournal.com]

Why are still with BT anyway. Kick 'em where it hurts and leave them. I got away from paying them a thing as soon I could by switching my line rental as soon as it was possible.

[karen2205]

Because I like BT more than the available competition - better the devil you know & all that. I wouldn't touch NTL with the biggest barge pole in existence. TalkTalk would be more expensive for me (yes, I checked 'cos my Mum and sister use them). I haven't come across anyone else I'd even vaguely trust with my telephone service. I also like my ADSL supplier lots and lots and the last time I checked that one out, one had to have a BT line to use them.

I worry that in the event of some event knocking out the telephone service, BT (who I believe are still responsible for the maintenance of the physical telephone lines + poles and exchanges) will concentrate on restoring services to their own customers above other people.

[lovingboth]

Those bits were separated out into 'OpenReach', a company that's expected to treat everyone equally.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

I have no opinion on answering machines specifically, but BT phone hardware in general seems to be fairly solid, if slightly more expensive than the competition.

[lovingboth]

Given that they charge you for a certain level of calls anyway, I'd just make the calls.

[karen2205]

They don't with BT Together Option 1; at least there weren't any inclusive calls the last time I checked.

[lovingboth]

Ah, yes, you're right. It looks like they've ditched the whole concept.

[scat0324.livejournal.com]

Cancel the 1571, and let the engaged tone/constant ringing do their job, without costing anything to either you or the person trying to contact you..

[karen2205]

This is what I've done for now. It may be that I later decide I need an answering machine, but I like the idea of making other people chase me down, rather than me having to find their messages, listen to them and reply.

[scat0324.livejournal.com]

Yay - another luddite joins the group! Now, can I persuade you that you don't need a mobile phone...?

[karen2205]

Maybe. I didn't have one for a long, long time (first got one in September 2002). It's now a PAYG I and make very few calls on it (I put £25 credit on it every six months or so) and often have it set to silent/turned off/run out of charge. I do not like being contactable when I'm travelling; I find it very stressful that other people would want to get hold of me when I'm sitting on a train reading a book.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

£1/month seems like a very reasonable fee for 1571 to me, though I would tend to like it much more if you could control the number of times it let the phone rang before the answering service started. (An enhanced - read, "more expensive" - version of 1571 lets you customise the 'phone message, but I'm not aware of it permitting you to change the number of rings.) While it's possible to save a few bob here, I would tend to regard this as cutting off my own nose to spite my face.

Develop an occasional PhonePosting habit, even if you make the posts private; make the posts a second long each and you get £1 of 1571 service for two minimum-charge (5p?) calls!