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AT&T EP5962 - 5.8GHz Expandable 2-Line Corded / Cordless Answering System | List Price: $199.95
Discount Price: $157.24
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Brand: Lucent
Binding: Electronics
Release Date: 2005-11-01
Warranty: 1
Features: - 5.8 GHz Digital Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping Technology
- Corded Base & Cordless Handset
- Expandable System
- Dial in Base Speakerphone
- Last 5 Number Redial
Well designed, a few problems [Posted on 2007-06-30]
I've probably purchased about 10 2-line phones over the years. The category is always pretty severely hampered in terms of features and usability, and I'm guessing that's because it's in between home use and office use. Nonetheless, two lines can't be that uncommon can it?
Anyway, let me start with the good.
* This is the first 2-line answering machine phone that I could set up completely without a manual. The base station has lots of dedicated buttons that are big, and obvious.
* The corded base combined with a cordless handset is a great idea. It means I don't have to hunt down the handset to use it.
* Decent sound and tone quality when talking to folks, although some describe the sound as a bit "hollow". However, I found that older folks who are hard of hearing can hear my voice very well with this phone.
* There is an option for the answering machine to "chirp" when it has a saved message. Very handy when you walk in the door, you know you have a message without looking at the machine.
* You can charge a 2nd battery in the base unit, this doubles as a battery backup if power goes out. Unfortunately, the 2nd battery is not included.
* A mute button for speaker phone. How many phones don't have this?
* The wireless handsets can be speaker phones as well.
* Overall, the thing feels "natural" to use.
Now the not-so-good:
* The Answering machine works well enough, but sound quality is really marginal. I haven't tried the outgoing message, since I prefer the anonymous outgoing message. But the saved messages have fairly poor quality, like the sampling rate is way too low.
* Entries in the phone book cannot be selected once the phone is off the hook. That means you have to select an entry from the phone book, hit either line1 or line2 speakerphone and then pick up the handset. It's not horrible, just awkward.
* Why will no machine maker include a "save as new" option for messages? This should be a no-brainer, since it's value is immense. Maybe it's too costly to implement.
* Phone book entries put in the base are not pushed out to the handsets and vice-versa. The manual tries to turn this into feature, but it's not.
* speaking of which, why will nobody offer an ability to transfer phone book entries to/from a PC? Or do people like entering phone numbers and names repeatedly?
Overall, you realize you pay huge premium for that 2nd line, and there are tradeoffs, but this appears to be a decent choice given the alternatives. Phones are sort of personal in terms of what you do and don't like, so pay attention to the negative reviews as much as the positive.
User unfriendly [Posted on 2007-07-30]
Sound quality is good & the portable unit works great but the base unit is so user unfriendly it is not worth owning. I'm going to end up putting the base in the basement, so I can still use the cordless unit, and putting my old two-line at&t back in my office.
Substandard warranty arrangement [Posted on 2007-10-22]
I generally like the phone. However, one problem has been that about 5% of the time when I try to use the handset, either starting on the speaker-phone or picking up the handset initially, the other party can not hear me, even though I can hear them. Even if I switch to speaker-phone, the other party is still unable to hear me.
AT&T agrees the phone is defective and can be replaced under warranty. However, they require the phone and all original components be shipped to them in Texas, and then (sometime later) they will send a working phone back. Why they think that a business is able to go several weeks (or more) without a phone is a mystery to me. I called back to ask specifically if they could charge the replacement to my credit card and send it to me before I send my existing one back (most electronics manufactures seem to do this). The rep informed me that they don't have any such capability and cannot send any replacement phones out until the phone being replaced has physically been returned. Fortunately, I am still able to return the phone, but it will be for a refund, not for warranty. And its replacement will not have AT&T on it.
AT&T [Posted on 2007-10-31]
I purchased this product for home office use. I found the cordless phone to be very clear when talking. Very easy to set up. Plug and play. Does not have voicemail light for services provide by your LEC>
DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE -- a 1962 rotary would make you happier [Posted on 2008-05-22]
This phone is, simply put, a disaster. One of the worst designed, most poorly thought out products I have ever had the displeasure to own. I actually look forward to it breaking so I can just throw it away.
I was told -- and like a sap, I believed it -- that I needed a 5.8 ghz phone so it wouldn't interfere with the wireless router for the computer. There were few options in the 5.8 field.....so I bought this.
God, how I hate it. Here's why.
Nothing is intuitive. Let's say someone calls you and and you want to call them right back -- which I need to do several times a day. When you just hit the button to see the list of recent calls (called CID, for whatever reason), it dials the 10-digit last number WITHOUT THE '1' FIRST.
SO......THE CALL CANNOT GO THROUGH. EVER.
THANKS AT&T!
You can find a "dialing option" by scrolling through the commands, and then when you find it, you can find the option you want....and it's the very last one: the 10-digit number plus a 1, which, btw, works even if it's a local call. The number of keys you have to dial to get to this option? 9.
You'd think it would be easier to just dial the number yourself --- BUT YOU CAN'T, BECAUSE THE CID SCREEN WON'T KEEP THE NUMBER UP WHILE YOU DIAL IT!
I could go on and on, but I have a life. There are a million little MORONIC things like this supposedly advanced phone that are just not thought out, all of which make you really admire the iphone for really avoiding bad design like this, and thinking the dumb stuff through.
DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE.
Unless you need to get in touch with your anger.
Click here for more details and discount information...
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