What calling features do you have on your phone and what ones can you not do without?

**PrairieRose** · 02-01-2006, 06:50 PM

I got a call from a Valor account auditor today. She said that we have caller i.d., call waiting, call waiting i.d., call forwarding, etc... . The problem is that we aren't paying for caller i.d. and call forwarding. I told her I remember signing up for a package deal some time ago where we got all of the aforementioned features for a small monthly fee. She said well I see where you changed a feature pkg. you were on in '01 but there's no note of any new pkg. being added when the other was cancelled.

So after much discussion, trying to decide if it would be worth it or not to add $9 to my monthly bill or not (which we would get a better long distance rate in this new pkg. and all the aforementioned features still) I had her cancel all but call waiting. This costs only $2.50 per mo. and I like being able to talk and not worry about missing calls and Gripey needs this feature during his busy season. Ssoooooo I'm wondering, what features do you have? Have you downgraded? Did you have to re-adjust (like I will not having caller i.d. now after years of having it)?
What features can you not live without?

**homesteadmamma** · 02-01-2006, 07:02 PM

We don't have any. We have an answering machine.

We use to have all the bells and whistles, however it just got too costly. I also did not like call waiting and still don't when I call someone and I'm put on hold so they can answer their phone and then leave me hanging forever.

**juliek** · 02-01-2006, 07:25 PM

Many years ago I had caller ID and liked it, but we have learned to live without it in the interest of saving money.

We do pay $3/mo for voicemail. We had cancelled our second phone line that I used for the internet, so I got voicemail in order to not miss any messages while I'm online.

We also pay .75/mo for an unlisted number.

**YankeeMom** · 02-01-2006, 07:51 PM

We have a bunch of stuff, call waiting, caller ID (that shows up on the tv, love that), etc. But we don't pay extra for anything. It's included in the one price for the digital phone. We also don't pay for long distance anywhere in the US or Canada.

**FrugalMomof3** · 02-01-2006, 07:54 PM

We had atleast 5 features, we changed to just caller ID, I like to know who's calling, our phone bill went from $58 to $38!

You really don't need to many features, but again that's up to your preferences.

~Tracy~

**marym** · 02-01-2006, 08:13 PM

I have caller ID and Call Waiting, its included in our phone package. I never pay attention to the call waiting, the beeping drives me crazy

**sixfreds** · 02-01-2006, 08:40 PM

I couldn't live without caller-ID...... we also have call waiting but I almost never click over I look and see if it is my husband or daughter but if not I don't click over but caller_ID I couldn't live without, I like knowing if I want to pick up the phone or just let the answering machine pick up...

Eileen

**thrifty gal** · 02-01-2006, 10:34 PM

We just have call waiting. Sure we could live without it, but I really like not worrying about missed calls while on the phone.

**Emerald_Mommy** · 02-01-2006, 11:47 PM

We don't have any but I sometimes wish we had caller i.d & call waiting.

**mom2matty** · 02-01-2006, 11:52 PM

I dropped all the "extras" many months ago, the only thing we kept is voice mail since we have dial up internet service!

**schellie69** · 02-04-2006, 11:01 PM

I don't have long distance on my phone have that with cell phone but I do have caller id, I didn't have it for a long time but due to some unwanted calls I got it so I know whos calling also helps when the kids are home alone they know whos calling and with satelight the caller id shows up on the tv so i don't have to look at the phone when it rings if the tv is on and i know whos calling break down of phone bill
basic service is 15.70
caller id is 8.50
surcharges and other fees is 9.26
taxes is 3.32
dsl is 28.12 (service fees and taxes includes. for a grand total of 64.90
thats the as low as i can get my phone bill right now maybe some day I can get rid of the caller id.

**LadybugDreams** · 02-19-2006, 10:16 AM

I have been trying to lower costs by getting rid of packages...but my mom lives over 15 miles away so we pay toll costs....and we like to have line backer since we call out the phone company at least once a year after heavy winter storms-and then we don't pay the $150 charges they set. so, for $27.00 we get Caller ID privacy manager, call waiting.
I did get rid of our unpublished # and set up our listing without an address and under my first initial and hubby's middle name...so, we saved $5. a month there!LOL

**marei** · 03-04-2006, 11:24 PM

We just have basic phone service - no extras at all.

**madhen** · 03-04-2006, 11:35 PM

I don't have any of the services, but I have two lines - one personal and one business. Since they are both on the same phone, if the business line rings while I'm on a personal call, I still get that annoying "burp" in the conversation. My answering machine is my caller id. Just about everyone who calls me knows that I screen my calls (and sometimes, if I just don't feel like talking, ignore them). So I get a lot of, "Hello? Hey, it's me? Are you there? If you're there, pick up!" messages.

**babetteq** · 03-05-2006, 12:16 AM

Internet Call Director. It's the only thing we have on the phone. We have dial-up and it's prohibitively expensive to put in another line and I'll spend a couple hours online sometimes in a row.... or I'll walk away and forget it online! Now people can still get ahold of me.

babs