Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a "boomer" who was being gouged by Comcast for a $200/month "Triple Pay." As I've told them, their pricing games (like an overnight $30 jump in my monthly bill!) FORCE us to look for alternatives. I'll share what I found with you, as I LOVE to encourage people to punish Comcast for their crappy treatment of customers! I looked into VOIP phone systems like Ooma or Vonage but found too many serious complaints to feel safe, and not all would save me much money. Also, I wanted a phone for both home and on-the-go, not just for a replacement of my hard-wired system. After tons of research, I found the friendliest and lowest-priced alternative with the company GreatCall. They appear to be a senior-citizen health support company, apparently, not really a phone company. They just offer this phone that they've sort of "customized" for easier use by aging folks. In most ways, they've accomplished their goal, although people who are suffering hearing loss will be frustrated by the speaker output. I DON'T have a hearing problem, but I wish it were louder. They use Verizon's cell network, so if your phone doesn't receive a good signal, well, nobody has 100% perfect coverage. I have read that Verizon is among the best. Ask other neighbors or relatives who already have cell phones about coverage in your area. I live in a major metro area; if you're out in the sticks, you can't expect the same strong signals we get here. Well, moving into a mobile phone for the first time made me nervous, and I didn't like giving up extension phones around our two-level house. What a drag to learn to carry a cell phone everywhere, all the time, even at home. But then I stumbled across the Panasonic Link-to-Cell Bluetooth system, modelKX-TGE274. This is a feature-rich wireless home system that allows me to have four (or even more) phones around the house! They are "fed" by the heart of my system, my Jitterbug phone. Using built-in Bluetooth, the Jitterbug catches the incoming calls, instantly transfers them to the Panasonic base unit, and I can then pick up ANY phone I'm nearest to! Outgoing calls work the same way. Just pick-up a Panasonic extension and make the call as normal! Of course, you MUST keep the cell phone on to make or receive any calls. Perhaps this seems "jerryrigged." Comcast tried to tell me how "risky" it was to give up a hard-wired phone. Really? The Jitterbug is battery powered, so if your home has a blackout, you still have a phone. If your battery runs low, you can charge it in your car. As for the Panasonic system, it is AC powered in the base and in each wireless handset base, BUT each handset can power the system with its rechargable batteries! You'd have to go through FOUR sets of batteries before it would be useless. Consider this: If an intruder cuts your cable outside, and even disrupts your home's AC power, YOU'RE STILL CONNECTED THIS WAY. Not so with "safe, dependable" Comcast! You'll still be able to grab your nightstand phone and call for help this way. With Comcast, you're dead in the water. Since the GreatCall plans start at $17.48, I'm going to be saving about $80 a month! (My plan is about $25/mo.) The cost of both the Jitterbug (which I own outright, but only can be used with GreatCall's service) and the Panasonic system will be recouped in just a handful of months. No contracts to tie you down, very friendly, INTELLIGENT U.S. based customer support, a versatile home-and-away system...heck, is there any downside? Yes, unfortunately. Neither the cell phone nor the home system has the very bold volume levels of my old AT&T phones. However, every unit of both new phones has a headphone jack...and I just bought a little slip-on audio amplifier/speaker that claims to increase volume by a factor of 30 times louder. This might prove useful in extremely noisy remote location on the cell, or with very low-level calls at home. If both companies can somehow crank up the gain, I would consider this the perfect phone combo that saves you a lot of money and proves the greatest versatility and freedom! Good luck!