Has voicemail killed the answering machine?

The morning DJ's that jolly me through my miserable morning commute—Scott and Todd on WPLJ—had an amusing exchange this morning. Scott, the senior member of the gang and somewhat of a technophobe, said he stopped into some Verizon and AT&T wireless stores to buy an answering machine and was surprised they couldn't help him.

The gang yucked it up over his faux pas, conjuring up images of an answering machine tucked into a backpack and tethered to a cellphone. But then they jumped online to help him find an old-fashioned, standalone machine to hook up to his landline phones, even though they couldn't understand why he didn't use the phone company's voice mail service or buy a phone with an integrated answering function.

Consumer Reports hasn't covered standalone answerers for some time now, but we do report on cordless phones with integrated answerers.

I bought a phone like that but don't use it. I prefer the voice mail that my cable company offers as part of its phone service, especially the ability to go online and listen to messages while I'm at work. The only downside is that I don't get a visual alert when I get a voice mail message—just a stutter tone when I pick up the handset. (There are some phones that have a light indicating a voice mail is waiting, but mine doesn't.)

What are your druthers when it comes to voice mail vs. answering machine? —Eileen McCooey

Comments

[raderator]

Everyone with broadband should be using VOIP if they still want a home phone (check dslreports for reviews). It's dirt cheap ($20 or less) and Voice Mail is almost always free. Unless you screen messages (we don't) VM is way better. I usually get my VM in an email attachment but there are several other ways.

Nearly all the DECT phones CU tested have a VM light on the base unit. Our VOIP service even gives us a free 2nd line so I got a 2-line ATT corded phone with speakerphone and VM light. It pretty much works like an answering machine.

[Flower_Child]

Even though my landline has an integrated (?) answering machine, I have been using AT&T's VoiceMail since the late '90s. As previously pointed out, there's no blinking light or other visual indicator that a message awaits you. This is an inconvenience unless one gets in the habit of picking up the receiver to listen for a beeping sound. (Ok. Technically speaking, it's not a 'beep'.) However, if I'm away from home I am able to check my messages. No long distance charge if out of town. Definite plus. Another definite plus is that messages go to VoiceMail even when my service is out, like when a tree branch recently knocked down wires. The major drawback for me is that I have seen the price of AT&T's VoiceMail creep up to where it's now $10/month with tax. Now that I need a new phone I probably will cancel VM. It just doesn't make economic sense to continue using it.

[Deborah Duch]

Which phones have the indicator light that shows when a voice mail message is waiting? Has CR included any in the reviews?

[Brian D]

I'm staying with an answering machine vs. voice mail because of: 1) the new message light, 2) when out, it is quicker to check for messages (call home, if it rings 3 times, hang up there are no new messages) and it is cheaper. Only real advantage of voice mail for me would be ability to take messages when I am on a call. But, if folks really need to get hold of me, they next call my cell.

[Analog for Me]

I prefer a hardware, analog, stands-apart-from-the-phone answering machine. We like to have the voices of our loved ones recorded onto cassette tape for posterity -- like photographs, but audio instead. Now that I think of it, we probably save the voices of some not-so-loved ones onto tape too.

I'm all in favor of newer technology but only when it's actually an improvement. VoIP, for example, doesn't meet the privacy standards set by a plain old hardware answering machine.

I envy Julie Kosovo who posted on 5/18/09 about a tried and true Panasonic. I stumbled onto this blog post while searching online for a replacement to an analog machine that's finally given up the ghost. Still searching -- not giving up yet.

[khd]

I would really appreciate it if you folks would do a report of answering machines alone and with land lines. As you can see from the comments above, I am not the only one who will be screening my calls for ever. And the fellow has a good point. There is no charge to me if it is a land line. Also, I wish you would review bathroom scales and portable room heaters.

Thank you
khd

[Kenneth Douglas]

The biggest advantage of voicemail over an answering machine is glaring. If your line has trouble which results in a loss of continuity to your equipment. You will never get any messages or if you forget to turn it on. Voice mail will always work regardless of the condition of the physical line. If there is short on the line the caller goes straight to voice mail. If the line is open it rings normally then goes to voice mail like normal. I have worked for ATT for 32 years 20 yrs as a technician.

[JPM]

I just signed up for voicemail with Verizon and, unlike the service offered by the cable company in the article, I do get an alert when I have a message. I have Verizon cell phone service and have been satisfied with it for years, and Verizon offers a feature whereby they send me a text message on my cell phone when I have a voicemail at home. So I know as soon as I have a message at home even if I am away. I really like knowing if I have calls when I'm at work or on vacation. Plus, I can easily retrieve them over the phone.

[Eileen McCooey]

I have voice mail through my cable company's phone service. I can retrieve messages from out of town by calling a number in my home area code (or on the Web site, when I have a computer at hand). That is very convenient, but it is not toll-free.

-Eileen McCooey, Deputy Editor

[S]

WOULD you recommend a system that can RETRIEVE messages when out of town. MCI used to offer a voicemail system that has a toll free pick up your messages number.

* And would you recommend a VOICE MAIL system with TOLL FREE access if there is NO possibility of that with a stand alone answering machine?
NO COMPUTER ACCESS at this time.

[everett whitney]

Which Answering Service ?

Even though our ( 3 ) Credit Bureau Rating records are permanently frozen, our land line has been both unlisted as well as unpublished for years, any thoughts of having a telephone w/o an answering unit would be intolerable!

There are still FAR too many "conditions" / loopholes / exceptions / miscreants simply ignoring these "laws" that constantly make any telephone a horrible nuisance!

All the 'ringers' have been turned off or physically removed.

The answering unit is simply turned off whenever total privacy is needed . . . . someone that legitimately wants to "talk" can call back at another time!

All of these "actions" still always leaves the dial tone active in case of an emergency out-bound call.

everett

[Fred Doyen]

Because we have an unlisted number, we have few callers. I use an answering machine with a blinking light, so I won't have to pick up the phone to find out if I have a message.

I tried the phone company's answering system. I found that I rarely checked for messages, and only learned of one if I decided to make a call. I cancelled the service when the phone company started leaving messages, advertising their services.

[Julie Kosovo]

I use an answering machine, and screen my calls with it. MY landline only costs $12/month + taxes. I have a phone calling card for LD, with the access number programmed into my phones. It's less than $.03/min.

I still have an 18 year old Panasonic machine we keep in the bedroom and turn on if we're having coffee in bed. Our main machine has the feature where you can hear the message being left on all the cordless phones.

[Davide]

For cell phones, I'd prefer the (integrated) answering machine to not use expensive minutes to listen! Unfortunately my phone doesn't have it.

[Val]

If you have broadband Internet, you have no reason *not* to ditch traditional POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) for VoIP. Cheaper, free call waiting/id/forwarding/conferencing... and free voicemail. Some services will even email you transcripts.

Then there's Google Voice. Free, easy to use voicemail with a host of other features that make it idiotic not to sign up.

All that being said, however, if you don't have internet or a cell phone, answering machines are definitely the way to go, as rzrshrp pointed out.

[rzrshrp]

I'll still take a hardware answering machine or one included with the phone over the voicemail service simply because it's cheaper. Voicemail costs, I think, an extra 3-5$ per month whereas an answering machine is a one time fee of usually less than 40$. Considering the answering machine should last three years or so, I'll stick with a standalone answering machine until voicemail is included at no fee for residential phones or standalone machines aren't made anymore.

[John]

I use a standalone answering machine because I don't want to pay for either caller ID or voice mail on my landline. I primarily use my cell phone, and the vast majority of the calls on my landline are spam of some sort. I want to keep the basic landline service (about $20/month), since there are some things for which I don't want to give out my cell number. So, I keep the landline ringer turned off and let calls go into the answering machine. If I am there and it is a legitimate call, I will hear it and pick up. Otherwise I ignore it.