1726 Digital Answering Machine

Pros: Man's voice, fast/slow playback, call recording, call screening, remote access, 3 mailboxes, 40min
Cons: Retrieving old messages requires pushing button for an extended time.

After reading reviews complaining of poor sound quality and excess complexity, I was pleasantly surprised with the unit. The number of buttons is few compared to the number of features. A little study makes them perfectly clear. The sound quality, while ...

Pros: Small footprint. Number of offered features.
Cons: Mediocre audio quality. Programing options can be confusing.

The AT&T 1726 is a single line, three mailbox answering machine. This unit is available in many office supply and electronics stores. It is manufactured for AT&T by Advanced American Telephones, a division of VTech. The unit is black in color. It ...

Pros: Caller ID Announcement, Rejects Blocked Numbers, Multiple Mailboxes, Remote Access, Priority Code
Cons: DIED AFTER ONLY 1 YEAR, hard to get through to tech support

This answering machine was wonderful while it worked but it died after only 1 year! When I called their tech support, they told me it needed repair with a minimum $25 charge. I told them for $25 I could buy a new one. Then they told me I could buy one ...

Pros: 3 mailboxes, spoken caller ID, decent digital sound
Cons: Poor user interface (can be confusing & frustrating), occasional trouble recognizing remote tones

I've been using this answering machine for about a year now. I was originally attracted to it's multiple mailboxes and spoken-aloud caller ID feature. It delivers quite well on those two features, but is otherwise frustrating to use.

All of...

Pros: 40 minute recording time, reads out caller ID, easy and flexible operation
Cons: no beep to indicate recording when a voice mailbox is selected

Update 3/25/04: No problems after two years. This was money well spent! Update 1/17/03: link to owners manual (bottom of review) I bought this unit to replace a GE 29876 that was not compatible with my "Telezapper" (the Telezapper sends out a tone ...

Pros: Small, cheap
Cons: Flimsy, cheap

The original one I ordered didn't work on arrival. Everything appeared to be functional except the sound, which I couldn't hear, making it impossible to program. I emailed the company who sold it (it was bought through Amazon, but came from somewhere else) and received no response until after I gave lousy feedback on Amazon.
They replaced it at no additional charge and in spite of it being confusing to program, as other reviews also say, I was satisfied for about 6 months. Then I accidentally pulled it off the 2-foot high table it is on and the sound disappeared.
The main issue is, god forbid it should ever accidentally fall, even only 2 feet onto a wood floor. I now have a good idea why the first one was broken on arrival since the PO probably threw it around a bit in the truck.

Pros: NONE
Cons: Horrible instructions for set up. Not user friendly at all. Died after 4 days.

Horrible machine! NOT user friendly AT ALL! Could not understand the instructions compiled on this table size sheet. Went to the web site to get a condensed version. It was 13 pages long! Finally did get a message to record but it was garbled with static. After the fourth day it quit altogether. Could not reset and could not retrieve messages. NO sound at all. Stay away from this worthless piece of equipment. The positive reviews are suspect. A total waste of money. Someone should tell AT&T.

Pros: small overall size so fits in cramped spaces
Cons: MANY!

I am very disappointed with this unit. Well, I should've listened to the bad reviews I read about it before I got it, so now I'm adding mine. I am repeating some of what other people said...for ex. the sound quality is very bad, the messages people leave are muffled. It is very difficult (not intuitive) to set up. It does not always understand the code you put in for remote retrieval of msgs. It will sometimes cut someone off in the middle of their message, then inexplicably, move them to another mailbox to continue. Worst of all, lately it is just cutting people off completely (i.e. "hi, it's so and so calling and I wanted to let you know...") and that's the end. Once I called in to listen to msgs remotely, heard one (of the cut off) msgs and when I got home it was totally deleted. (I know for sure I didn't delete it by mistake) The most recent problem is that it keeps losing the time and date. Even though it's cheap...save your money! It's not worth it.

Pros: Reliable, long lasting, better than average quality.
Cons: No visual caller Id. Audible only.

Have had excellent service from this model for over nine years. It has been so dependable and has remote access as well.

My wife and I were away from home and often our means of communication was through messages and memos we would leave on machine. I am currently looking for another of the same model.

Holds thirty minutes. of messages, all we ever needed.

Caller ID is audible and not visual.

Pros: Looks nice. Has features that sound great.
Cons: Directions are just plain wrong. Very frustrating.

I have two masters degrees. I have not had problems programming VCRs, reformatting computers, or working with other technical equipment, but this machine was just plain impossible to program. I spent an hour following the directions which did not work, and finally got the unit set up to answer calls and play my message. I never did get the number of rings to change to the number I wanted. Then the power went out and I was faced with having to read the confusing and erroneous directions to reset the clock. After 20 minutes, I boxed it back up and plan to return it to the store tomorrow. Don't buy it.

Pros: none
Cons: bad record quality, hard to set up, NOT USER FRIENDLY

Bough this machine off of the walmart web site for $29.99, I will be returning it as soon as I get around to it. The record quality on the outgoing greeting (that plays when people call) is very garbled!! It is not of professional quality at all! I do not recomend this machine!... and dont even get me started on how complicated it is to set up!!

Pros: According to my son this machine is great, however he no longer uses it.
Cons: I need the instructions for this machine.

I bought this machine for my son and he has now given it to me. He lost the instructions on how to program the machine and cannot remember how to do it. Is there a link I can download the instructions? Please let me know. Thank you.

Loretta Hickey

Pros: Love the features, can be set up to run silently, toll saver remote access
Cons: It doesn't work!

I bought this machine 1 year ago for my massage business. I needed a unit that would work silently and I could access remotely. I loved the features offered on this machine. It had everything (including things I don't even use).

Audio quality isn't great. The machine does not always understand remote access codes. I had clients tell me they left several messages - I received none! (not good for business) I had messages mysteriously split into several mailboxes or have messages left in mailboxes that callers didn't select. Sometimes if a message was mysteriously left in a mailbox other than #1, I would not be notified of a new message when I checked the machine remotely (bad for business). Outgoing message would cut off in mid-sentence leaving callers wondering what to do next.

Tech support is virtually non-existent. I called the number listed in the manual. It is an automated trouble-shooting list (no access to humans). If your problem doesn't fit one of their options you are encouraged to go to a website...which I did. The website directs you to discounted machines for purchase to replace the troubled unit. I won't be buying another AT&T product!

Pros: None
Cons: Display broke quickly. Loses messages, drops callers mid-stream, non-intuitive interface.

I bought this from staples. Just beyond the return 30 days parts of the display died. It randomly drops...yes, gone..nada, messages. I rent apartments, yesterday two callers left messages. I wrote down their phone numbers, and called them. One number didn't work, so I went back to re-listen...message gone, even though the other message was there.

Horrible instructions. Anti-intuitive. I have had a power failure and have not been able to get the "power failure" voice message off it. The instructions are convoluted, confusing, non-intuitive, and on one of those table sized sheets...real handy Not!

Keep away.

Pros: Inexpensive - but you get what you pay for.
Cons: Unacceptable audio. Convoluted UI. Bad documentation.

The audio quality is just pitiful and unacceptable. At times there is so much distortion in the announcement it is practically incomprehensible. I tried several different methods to fix the problem, but no matter how close or how far or how loud or how softly I spoke into the microphone, I couldn't get this piece of crap to sound acceptable (sounding "good" wasn't even a goal.)

I have another telephone line that's had a Lucent 1715 for several years that sounds superior in every way.

It's the year 2004. You can't tell me AT&T can't figure out how to make a decent sounding digital recorder for $30 can you?

By the way, the only reason I purchased this is because the AT&T 1717 I bought only two years ago died this week. Maybe I should just dump AT&T altogether. I am not impressed with their quality control.


Crap. Absolute crap.