Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Almost 100 years ago, Thomas Riley Marshall, vice president of the U.S., said, "What this country needs is a good five cent cigar." Well, times have changed and what this country needs now is a good 2-line phone, with a built-in digital answering machine and caller ID. I'm in small business and have searched for years trying to find one. I've been stuck using my Lucent 1872 phone, which was fine, except it didn't have caller ID and had to use a separate Radio shack 2-line caller ID box which consumed eight AAA batteries. I've purchased several phones, all with no luck because of ridiculous and quirky features, and user un-friendly formatting and programming. Here's the problem: The people who design these phones NEVER use them in real life. So how would they ever know how these things work sitting on your desk? They don't. That being said, I have used this AT&T ML17939 for a couple of weeks. I think I'll keep it. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: 1) Tremendous value for the money. 2) Intuitive programming and good instructions. It's easy to use. 3) Feature-rich options. It can do a lot. Cons: 1) Goofy keypad design. The huge number buttons are like what you would find on a Fisher-Price toy for children. If you have bad eyesight they would probably come in handy. 2) The whole phone is propped up at a 70 degree angle. So every time you dial a number it's like punching the phone. And with every punch, the phone moves back slightly. You could actually dial the phone off your desk if you aren't careful. I'll probably attached some velcro to the desk so the phone doesn't constantly move backwards while I'm dialing. (If you just have the phone flat on your desk, you can't see the Caller ID, so it needs to be propped up at an angle.) Why will I keep the phone? Because I need that built in Caller ID which will save me a fortune in batteries. Overall, I believe it's the best 2-line, digital answering machine, caller ID, phone on the market today. If you are shopping for a 2-line, digital answering machine, caller ID phone -- this is as good as it gets. It's not perfect, but believe me, there is nothing out there that's better for the price. UPDATE: I am writing this over two years after my initial review. I am still using the phone and am very happy with it. It has held up very well. I'd order it again if I needed a new phone. ADDITIONAL UPDATE: After 3 years, the screen stopped working. This is the small screen where you see the Caller ID. I purchased another one and I'm back in business. I've grown to like this phone and if I need to buy a new one every 3 years, I will happily do so. The price remains very reasonable and because I was used to the phone, the set up only took me 5 minutes.