Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site kestrel.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!Glacier!kestrel!ttp From: ttp@kestrel.ARPA Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: Info on Outlet Capital Of The World Message-ID: <2246@kestrel.ARPA> Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 01:00:55 EST Article-I.D.: kestrel.2246 Posted: Mon Oct 28 01:00:55 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 06:14:15 EST References: <382@mit-bug.UUCP> <800@rduxb.UUCP> Organization: Kestrel Institute, Palo Alto, CA Lines: 40 Summary: my experience with answering machines. I'll submit herein my experience with answering machines. RECORD-A-CALL 675 ($130 from Gemco): The one I had had a beeper for remote use. The features on this were nice--you could hear your messages remotely, and it had the "toll-save" feature: if it hadn't yet recorded any calls, it would wait 4 rings before answering, otherwise 1 ring, so if you call your phone from somewhere else you can tell if it has any messages. Sound quality was good. It didn't use endless tapes, so you never had to wait for the silver part of an endless cassette to come around again. IT FRATZED OUT IN ABOUT 1 YEAR (just long enough for the warranty to expire). You can get it repaired for about $30 (and wait 3 weeks) or exchange it for a refurbished one (about $40 federal express, i.e. 2days). I did the latter. THE NEW ONE LASTED ABOUT 5 MONTHS. PANASONIC 1425 ($95 from E. 33rd St. in NYC, list $170, $200 from Macy's): I heard that Panasonics were ultra-reliable from a friend who had some model or other for years with no problem and listened to my sad story with the Record-A-Call. So I ordered a Panasonic from E. 33rd. IT WAS SOMEWHAT RELIABLE FOR 3 DAYS. THEN IT BROKE--perhaps correlated with me answering the phone when it was too, and maybe turning the machine off at the same time. The local service place will take 3 weeks to fix it. It has a 1 year warranty. It has toll saver (called auto), two digit code remote access code, although I can't say any of the above works. PHONEMATE IQ2845: I need an answering machine while the other is being fixed, so I got this one ($75 from Price Club, list around $130?). It doesn't have the toll saver, has one digit remote access code. IT STILL WORKS AFTER 5 HOURS. Has 1 year warranty. RUMOUR: 3 years ago a friend got a rather simplistic AT&T answering machine, no remote. It is still working... I'd like to hear other people's experiences, too. In general, does anyone have a source of reliability information for consumer products? Even Consumer's Reports doesn't give much information on reliability, except for cars. -tom