General Electric 29869GE2 Digital Answering Machine

Pros: Sturdy, dependable, easy to understand, durable. Can't go too wrong. The price is good too!
Cons: THE BATTERY CHANGING PROCEDURE. UGH!

After having sworn off the local telephone company VoiceMail service many, many years ago after taking inventory of just how much I would spend over the years of use, I've been sticking with answering machines ever since. Starting with my very first ...

Pros: 40 Minutes record time, very reliable, voice clarity, ease of use
Cons: Phone wire cannot be replaced if damaged.

I purchased this machine about 5 years ago and It has always worked perfectly. It is quite durable, as it has fallen several times and I have spilled numerous beverages on it!! The voice clarity is excellent, you can even record music on the out ...

Pros: Okay sound quality for the price
Cons: Doesn't work with my SBC DSL.

This machine worked okay until I had SBC DSL installed. Even with a filter on the line, it absolutely won't record incoming messages. The phone rings the specified number of times, the answering machine begins to pick up the call then beeps and seems to turn itself off, as if it thinks that the phone has been picked up. The same thing happens even if I plug the answering machine into a phone jack different from the one connected to the modem.

Prior to the DSL installation, it worked okay. It was really simple to operate. The incoming and outgoing messages played pretty clearly, but I wasn't super impressed. I'm angry that I was only able to use it for 3 months before needing to find one that is DSL compatible.

Pros: Very inexpensive. 4 Mailboxes. Can have pretty long outgoing message.
Cons: No mailbox specific messages - The sound quality is fair.

Nice unit for not much money ($40 delivered). I needed the multiple mailboxes for my home/businesses and this did the trick. After ordering it I read the reviews here and several said it would not work with SBC (now ATT) DSL and I thought I had blown it. But no problems. Make sure you have DSL filter on the line and then it works fine - at least for me it did.

Pros: It has many features including 4 mail boxes and a battery backup.
Cons: It won't work with dsl broadband.

I think it would be an excellent answering machine if only it would work with broadband internet service. What's more, their tech people do not acknowledge the problem. They finally decided I must have a defective unit. I disproved that by setting it up on a non dsl phone line and had it working perfectly. I am disappointed that ge (thompson, I think, is the manufacturer) doesn't warn customers of this issue.

Pros: Long recording time.
Cons: Power surge will switch the machine off. No indication that machine is offline.

Sound quality is extreamly poor. Often enters a state when power off is required. In this states buttons do not work and there is no indication that machine is offline. It's a shame that GE puts its brand name on this crap. I tried a cheaper GE. It had a really brainless design. The same button was erasing the messages and switching machine offline. I will stay from GE brand from now on.

Pros: Very reliable, compact, great features
Cons: 1 failed after 2-1/2 years

I don’t understand the other two reviews as I have two of these answering machines and they both work great and have for over two year now. I did have one fail about 2-1/2 years ago but it still answered and recorded you just could not record a new outgoing message. It was at least 3 years old when that happened. If you pay $30.00 for the machine and it lasts 2 years that means it will have cost $0.04 per day.

Pros: Battery backup; 40 minute message storage; reliable.
Cons: None

I've had this machine for several years without the first problem. I came back to Epinions because I'm buying another for my mother.

I'm own a real estate brokerage and receive 5 - 10 messages per day. This machine allows me to delete messages after hearing or save. I have had as many as 20 saved messages stored at one time without problem, thanks to the 40 minute recording time. I also have frequent power outages but with the battery backup, I've never lost an incoming message or my outgoing message. The machine is routed through my fax machine and causes no problems.

I give the rating 4 stars because it is a cheap, plastic machine and the sound isn't music quality; however, in relation to the price, I consider the machine excellent.

Overall, it does the job well which is why I'm ordering another.

Pros: Looks Great. Compact.
Cons: See Review...

It took about 3 months of use before the Play button for Mailbox 1 began to stick and eventually the button stuck so I was unable to retrieve messages.

Poor Interface. Not as easy set functions as seen on other machines.

Can only be fixed at Repair Center in Texas. In otherwords, expect to pay mail charges and keep your receipt or you are out of luck.

Pros: 4 mailboxes, 40 minutes of recording time, decent interface
Cons: Unreliable

In terms of features & price, this answering machine is one of the best deals you can get. With 4 separate mailboxes and 40 minutes of digital recording time, what's not to love, right?

Well, after less than a year of use, the answering machine no longer answers incoming calls. After 4 rings, the outgoing message begins to play from the speaker, but the answering machine never picks up! It took my wife and I several days of not getting any messages to figure this out. Who knows how many important messages we missed because of this. Very infuriating.

We have since replaced the answering machine with a Sprint SP-812 that we picked up used from Craigslist.org for $10. The SP-812 only has 1 mailbox and 12 minutes of recording time, but at least it reliably answers the phone... and that's the most important feature of all.