For Those Times When You Don't Feel Like Talking
Written: Nov 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small, Compact, Easy to Use
Cons: Recorded Time Audio sounds too Robotic
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| viper1963's Full Review: 1717 Digital Answering Machine |
Everyone reading this review will agree with me that there are several things in a business person's life that is a requirement. Everyone needs a cellular phone, electronic organizer and last but not least an answering machine.
I never owned an answering machine for several reasons. One, I thought it was very impersonal and secondly, I knew a lot of people who scanned their messages and only picked off calls they wanted to return.
After I bought my current home, I was flooded with telemarketing calls day and night. Home shopping, life insurance, furnace cleaners, chimney sweeps, pool service firms, roto-rooter companies, landscaping, etc. all seemed to have my number. They almost always called when I was busy watching the news, Monday Night Football, taking a shower and/or having quiet time with the girlfriend.
The most aggravating remarks I received from my family was "Geez, Steve, get a answering machine". Everyone wanted to get a hold of me but couldn't. So what was I to do?
One Saturday I visited Circuit City and looked for an inexpensive answering machine that fit my budget. While looking at various models of answering machines, I finally chose the AT&T Tapeless Digital Answering System with Time/Day Model 1717.
THE FEATURES
Time/Day Stamp - Your callers do not have to indicate when they called you! This machine tells you the day and time of the call.
Memo- Leave a message for your spouse or kids or leave a reminder for yourself.
Call Screening - Allows you to listen to callers in incoming calls without picking up the phone!
Call Intercept - This feature allows you to pick up the call during your announcement.
Remote Access - While traveling or away from your home, you can check your messages by calling your home with a touch-tone phone. I use this feature every day.
Message Indicator- Tells you exactly how many messages you have received.
New Message Playback - This useful feature allows you to listen to new messages only and skip over the old messages you have saved. I very rarely used this feature.
Remote Room Monitor - If you are away from your home, you can listen in on conversations and even talk with people in the same room as your answering machine. The reception is that great of you are standing five feet or more away from the answering machine.
Remote Outgoing Announcement - You can change your announcement while away from your home.
Remote Outgoing Announcement Bypass - This feature allows you to skip over your announcement and go directly to your messages.
Toll Saver - When you are away form home, this feature will inform you if there are any new messages before completing the call.
Digital Recording Capacity - Provides up to 12 minutes of total recording time. My messages rarely go beyond five minutes even for business use.
Message Guard - Protects against loss of messages and outgoing announcement due to power loss.
Announcement Monitor - You can turn off the announcement while all incoming calls listen to your announcement. This feature is great for those of you who work odd hours or just do not want to be bothered by the ringing the of the phone. I use this feature quite a lot when I am home.
THE SET UP
Setting the answering machine up was a snap. Just follow these simple instructions:
Make sure your answering machine is located near an electrical outlet and a Modular Telephone Jack.
Connect your telephone to the answering machine via the telephone cord. This cord will be plugged into the "TEL SET" plug on the answering machine.
Connect the telephone line cord from your Modular Telephone Jack to the answering machine. Be sure this is plugged into the "TEL LINE" plug on your answering machine.
Plug in the power cord and insert the power jack into the answering machine.
Now you are ready to proceed to setting your announcement!
WHAT'S ALL THE BUTTONS FOR?
Here I will briefly describe the nine buttons on this answering machine.
To the left are your "Clock", "Set Up", "On/Off" and "Memo-Repeat" buttons.
Dead center is your Display and Play/Stop button.
To the right are your "Volume Adjust (2)", "Annc/Skip" and "Delete" buttons.
The "Clock", "Set Up" and "On/Off" buttons are only used during the initial set up of your unit. My answering machine is always kept on "ON". When setting up your answering machine, I highly recommend you read the instructions very carefully. It took me three attempts to get the clock set correctly.
"Play/Stop" button is the button you are going to use every day. Press this button to listen to your messages.
"Volume Adjust" - Depending upon how big your home is, you can set this high or low. I am usually in the garage or doing yard work when the phone rings so I set this to a higher level.
"Annc/Skip" - Some people never shut up. They leave worthless information when all you needed was a return phone number. Use this button to skip over the nonsense!
"Delete" - I love this feature. It deletes the message. When someone annoys me (like my boss or the ex-girlfriend), I hit this key with a great big smile on my face!
OTHER HELPFUL FEATURES -
Memory- The AT&T 1717 Tapeless Digital Answering System can hold a total of 59 messages including your announcement. When you hit your limit, the display window flashes "F".
Warranty Period - One (1) year. Call (800) 222-3111 for warranty service in the United States.
FINAL ANALYSIS
For an answering machine that cost only $30.00, this answering machine meets my expectations. I have not experienced a problem with this machine as of this writing and I am quite pleased with the features it offers.
One helpful piece of advice, when recording your announcement:
Do NOT mention you are on vacation and announce when you are returning. This is a good tip off for potential burglars. When on vacation, periodically change your announcement.
Never announce your last name. Just keep it simple. "Hello, we are unable to answer the phone right now but if you leave your name and phone number . . . ".
Speak coherently. Don't try to beat the clock. A simple announcement takes about 20 seconds.
Manufacturer Information:
Lucent Technologies Consumer Products
535 Mountain Avenue
Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974
(800) 722-9125 or
(800) 222-3111 Service
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
viper1963
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Member: Steve
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 144
Trusted by: 228 members
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Ua Mau Ke Ea O Kaaina I Ka Pono
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