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Should You Drop Your Landline? The Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Phillip Dampier May 13, 2010 Consumer News, Video 8 Comments

One out of every four American families has now cut the cord on their landline phone service.

With cellular bills increasing, many people are deciding the traditional phone line that has been them for decades is no longer worth the expense, especially if you spend most of your time reaching for your cell phone to make or receive calls.

But is dropping landline service such a great idea?

Here are some things to consider:

PRO

  • Reduced expense for the family budget
  • If you don’t use it much, why pay for it?
  • Many cable companies offer less expensive “digital phone” products that can be bundled with your cable and broadband service
  • Skype, Google Voice, and Voice Over IP services can often knock phone service costs down to just a few dollars a month
  • Portability

CON

  • 911 emergency services have a harder time identifying your location
  • Call sound quality is usually lower than traditional landlines
  • Your telephone directory listing will become unavailable unless you make special provisions to keep it
  • The costs for cell phone service are often higher than basic landline service
  • Monitored alarms and certain other services require either a landline or added-cost wireless technology
  • During periods of unrest or bad weather, call volumes can increase exponentially causing disruptions to cell phone service

Telephone companies are increasingly desperate to hold on to their customers, and many remind departing customers the chance to retain their landline service at dramatically lower pricing.  Many companies offer budget, non-flat rate calling plans for less than $10 a month, but you’ll pay between 8-11 cents for every local call.  Others offer calling allowances of 250 or fewer local calls per month.  A few larger cities have calling plans that charge by the minute.

If you are considering dropping your landline, be sure to consider all of the options and alternatives before disconnecting service.

[flv width=”480″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WCPO Cincinnati Pros cons of dropping your landline phone 5-12-10.flv[/flv]

WCPO-TV in Cincinnati provides additional insight into landline disconnections and your alternatives.  (2 minutes)

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PreventCAPS
PreventCAPS
13 years ago

I have been landlineless for years now and have not had an issue. My biggest concearn was being able to reach 911, and the one time I needed to, I had no problems. If I am able to whip out my cell, dial 911, I can also clarify my location.

Andrew Madigan
Andrew Madigan
13 years ago

When I moved out and got my own place, I decided not to get landline service. Sure, I may be running a small risk with 911, but that’s just about the only realistic disadvantage. I’m not going to call friends or family with a landline since then they would call back to the landline, when it’s always more likely that they can reach me by cell. Frontier is the local phone monopoly, they don’t publish the price of their most basic plan. They have other plans for $25 (local + 100 mins long distance), $30 (unlimited in-state) and $40 (unlimited).… Read more »

James R Curry
James R Curry
13 years ago

“Many cable companies offer less expensive “digital phone” products that can be bundled with your cable and broadband service”. This seems like a non-argument, as most consumers would consider these to be land line services, even if the underlying technology is different.

I switched to Vonage years ago, but I still call it my “land line”. Would I ditch it entirely? If it weren’t for that UK telephone number and free calling to Europe which keep me in contact with my friends and family back home then yes, in a heartbeat.

BrionS
Editor
13 years ago

I have to say I’m a little surprised by this article. It almost sounds like Phillip is advocating in favor of Frontier land line service and only a cursory glance is given to VoIP providers besides your local cable co. (TWC here). This is anecdotal but I think it’s a fairly accurate picture of many cities. Frontier, the local telephone carrier, on their basic advertised plan charges somewhere around $20/mo for the plan with no calling features and no long distance. Then you get the bill and it’s closer to $30 or $40 after adding in all the surcharges and… Read more »

Ron Dafoe
Ron Dafoe
13 years ago

What service are you using right now? I am using Vonage and it is about $35 a month with those features with 1 phone line.

Larry
Larry
13 years ago

We had our house alarm monitored via a digital phone line from TWC for two years. So, the monitoring will work with them, but your mileage may vary. When I cut my digital telephone service, we called the monitoring company to see what alternatives we could use. They specifically said Vontage would not work. I did some research and found that it was very hit or miss with Vontage and alarm monitoring. The compression used to decrease the bandwidth usage kills the alarm’s message signals. There is an option that Vontage can set on your account to decrease the amount… Read more »

Earl Cooley III
Earl Cooley III
13 years ago

I went pure mobile many year ago, but I see no compelling reason to drop my mobile service in favor of cable bundle digital phone. Why make all of my information services (television, internet, phone) vulnerable to being cut by a rogue backhoe? I can’t afford both mobile and digital cable phone service at the same time, either.

Ian L
13 years ago

Nobody I know at college has a landline. It’s cells only for everyone. If a long call needs to be made it’s in-network or during nights and weekends…or you have an unlimited plan or one with enough minutes to cover. Back home, landlines are more prevalent, though there are plenty of folks who have gone cell-only. Parents still have their zero-feature unlimited-local landline though ($20 per month including all taxes and fees), plus a cheap long distance provider (roughly 3 cents per minute direct-dial). I’m the only one in the family with a postpaid cell, so everyone else’s cellular bill… Read more »

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