gonzalez@bbn.com (05/05/89)
I recently purchased a PhoneMate answering machine. Consumer Reports had indicated that readers had complained of failures of machines that had been "check-rated" (highly recommended). One of the problems they reported was that callers would be cut off while still speaking. I am now excountering this problem. With the machine in VOX (record-'til-caller-stops-talking) mode, the caller is cut off after speaking for anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds. I double-checked that the CPC feature, which apparently allows use of a telco- generated termination tone, is off. Has anyone else encountered this failure with PhoneMate machines? I plan to call their 800 number tonight, but was hoping comments from other users. I have never had trouble with Panasonic machines. I keep buying up to the new features and passing on the older machines. If this PhoneMate gives me anymore grief I will return it and buy another Panasonic. -Jim. Jim Gonzalez AT&T: 617-873-2937 BBN Systems and Technologies Corp. ARPA: gonzalez@bbn.com Cambridge, Massachusetts UUCP: ...seismo!bbn!gonzalez
dmr@csli.stanford.edu (Daniel M. Rosenberg) (05/09/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0157m04@vector.dallas.tx.us> gonzalez@bbn.com writes: >I recently purchased a PhoneMate answering machine. Consumer Reports had >indicated that readers had complained of failures of machines that had been >"check-rated" (highly recommended). One of the problems they reported was >that callers would be cut off while still speaking. I am now excountering >this problem. With the machine in VOX (record-'til-caller-stops-talking) Not with PhoneMate machines, but with Sanyo machines. Mine was a TAS-450, not a cheap little bugger, and it would hang up also between 5 and 20 seconds. Our outgoing message said "Shout so you don't get cut off," but that didn't help much. I sent a letter to Sanyo, and they said that their machine was a "quality product," and I obviously got a defective one. I sent it in along with $10 worth of postage, and got it back even more broken then before. The machine not only cut callers off, but almost never recognized touch tones for remote operation, had randomly blinking LEDs, would often lose messages instead of saving them -- it was just a piece of crap. I sent another letter to Sanyo, and threaten them with exposure on the net, among other places. They told me to try replacing my batteries again. (Didn't work.) My machine was not defective, I think, but designed wrong. Would it be too difficult to inlcude a VOX sensitivity adjustment with these things? (Mine didn't have one inside or out.) I hope you can return your PhoneMate; I doubt it can be repaired. I bought a Code-a-Phone, and am reasonably pleased with it. I lost a lot of money on the Sanyo, and got a lot of grief. I hope you folks consider not purchasing Sanyo business products, and *especially* stay away from the TAS-450 and the TAS-250. Bottomed rated in the Consumer Reports issue of two months after my purchase. Sigh. -- # Daniel M. Rosenberg // Stanford CSLI // Opinions are my own only. # dmr@csli.stanford.edu // decwrl!csli!dmr // dmr%csli@stanford.bitnet
bob@uunet.uu.net (Bob Breum) (05/11/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0157m04@vector.dallas.tx.us> gonzalez@bbn.com writes: >I recently purchased a PhoneMate answering machine. Consumer Reports had >indicated that readers had complained of failures of machines that had been >"check-rated" (highly recommended). One of the problems they reported was >that callers would be cut off while still speaking. I am now excountering >this problem. With the machine in VOX (record-'til-caller-stops-talking) >mode, the caller is cut off after speaking for anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds. I have a PhoneMate 9750, their top-of-the-line two-line answering machine with a built-in telephone. It has not had any problems during the more than a year that I have used it. I would recommend it to anyone, although the built-in phone is pretty worthless; buy the similar model without the phone. Oh, there is one drawback to this unit: it uses very expensive lithium batteries which have failed at least twice already. -- Computer Fenestrations Bob Breum Post Office Box 151 {uiucuxc|hoptoad|petsd|ucf-cs}!peora!cmpfen!bob Lake Monroe, FL 32747 USA +1 407 322-3222 "C is the new BASIC"
rick@cs.utexas.edu (Rick Watson) (05/13/89)
> I have a PhoneMate 9750, their top-of-the-line two-line answering machine > with a built-in telephone. It has not had any problems during the more than > a year that I have used it. I would recommend it to anyone, although the > built-in phone is pretty worthless; buy the similar model without the phone. > > Oh, there is one drawback to this unit: it uses very expensive lithium > batteries which have failed at least twice already. While the 9750 has some nice features, it has a very low-security touch-tone remote operation code. Worse, I can always tell when someone else's 9750 answers because of a distinctive answering characteristic. Also, the touch-tone decoder on my 9750 has drifted and had to be re-adjusted. I now supect that the timer that decides a caller didn't leave a message has drifted becuase it won't save a very short message. I wouldn't recommend it. --Rick
rdsnyder%mit-amt.media.mit.edu@eecs.nwu.edu (Ross D. Snyder) (05/15/89)
I also own a PhoneMate 9750 answering machine, which I have used for the last three years. Its behavior over that time has been peculiar in a number of ways. For the first six to twelve months, the VOX circuit seemed deaf and impatient, but that problem "healed" over time. While it was a problem, I just instructed the people who usually called me to speak loudly and quickly, which got around the problem. The other problem I have had is DTMF deafness, but it seems to vary over time. Sometimes it is quite sensitive, but other times (often only a few seconds later) it's completely deaf. I used to think it was the telco trunks, but after MIT's cutover to our new 5ESS (with completely new cable plant) last fall, I ruled that out. I opened up the PhoneMate and found four trimpots on the board. I tried adjusting them, but it did not seem to have any effect. I never use the built-in handset. In fact, I have kept always kept the PhoneMate in a clear plastic bag to keep it looking new and operate it through the bag. (I use only a 1970's vintage WECO 2500 set or my 1960's vintage WECO 3B speakerphone when I want to talk on the phone.) I've always wondered why PhoneMate used those expensive 6V photoflash batteries for backup. The batteries cost ~$12, and I only paid $60 for the machine. I overcame the problem by wiring up an external 8 AA-cell alkaline pack. Overall, I have been very pleased with the PhoneMate. Sure a few analog levels aren't quite right, but the uP software is good, as are the front panel controls. The thing I like most about the PhoneMate is that it either does exactly what you want or (if it's deaf) does nothing (and retains all messages). I've never lost a message with it. I also believe Code-A-Phone makes good machines, but not as good as they used to (e.g. Ford Industries Code-A-Phone Model 200: the "Chrysler" of answering machines). -Ross