Customer Reviews

AT&T CL81209 DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone, Silver/Black, 2 Handsets

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

We got this phone specifically because we needed an expandable system that didn't have an answering machine. Voice mail is included in our phone company bundle, so we were unwilling to pay the extra cost for an answering machine. This phone is very easy to work with, very intuitive both in terms of operation and menu access. The phone feel very solid, though we've only had it for two weeks now. But after trying V-Tech, GE and UNIDEN, this seems to be the most physically resilient of them all.

But the #1 feature of this phone - the clarity. With both 2.4 and 5.8 GHz phones, we had a lot of interference and a lot of static. With this phone, I can walk to any part of the house - even a few houses down, and still hear just as well as if I were talking on a wired phone.

I can recommend this system whole-heartedly - ignore the 3-star review of this product, as it specifically states the reason for the 3 stars is the lack of an answering system. As mentioned above, that's the very reason I bought this phone. AT&T makes another model WITH and answering system, so if that's what you need, get that one. But if, like me, you have no use for it, you will be very happy with this phone.

We've had the phone about a month, having chosen it after reading reviews here and on [...]. I'm pleased, as sound quality and range are vastly better than older phones. Haven't run out of battery yet, but we keep it in the cradle. Another plus: despite the large buttons, this thing actually looks pretty good in a room. One minus: the thin shape makes it extremely hard to cradle between your neck and shoulder; you really need to keep this in your hand, especially as there's no jack for a headset. But, hey, it's fifty bucks for two phones (maybe cheaper by the time you read this), and they they work. No complaining.

After having the phone for less the 90 days, one of the two handsets quit working. There was not anything on the phone, not a battery indicator, not a time, not a date, and not a backlight. Receiving it for a Christmas present I did not have a receipt, but filled out the warranty online to ensure warranty service.

Calling AT&T to see about a replacement under warranty they proceeded to do some troubleshooting, steps I had already taken, and the result was the same nothing on the phone. When asked when a replacement was going to be sent out, they said that a receipt was needed. After explaining how I never received a receipt they said they would not be able to send out a replacement handset. They did have the registration of the product, but that was not going to cover the warranty.

In the past there have been issues with other products from other companies, missing game pieces, parts broken on an item, non-working products, stripped screws, etc., and each and every company immediately apologized and sent out a replacement. In every case the company did not even require the old one, which I would have been happy to send back.

When attempting to take it to the store where it was purchased, the store proceeded to inform me that AT&T is the worst company for returns. They said that AT&T is very particular when it comes to a receipt, and will not stand by their products.

In my opinion AT&T is not a company that cares about products, service, or its customers. It cares only about company policy.

Let me preface this by saying I hardly use my home phone, but I did port my home phone number over to a VoIP service for occasional use. My old cordless phones weren't holding a charge anymore so I picked up a Panasonic KX-TG9333 for a good price and was impressed with its feature set. Well - I had constant problems with it losing its connection to the base. Apparently I'm not the only one with that problem as it is WIDELY documented. I promptly returned it.

That led me on a hunt to find a good replacement. This AT&T DECT 6.0 set was consistently rated very highly by all reviewers on Amazon so I figured they had to be right - and they were!

Pros:
- EXCELLENT sound quality, the best I've had on a cordless phone
- Clear LCD, with battery and time indicators
- Phonebook links up with the caller ID to display "Mom Cell" if you have her number stored, rather than "Wireless Caller" and her number
- Volume is very good, and does not get distorted at higher volumes
- Easy to use
- Voicemail waiting indicator light on base, and a visual notification on the LCD on the handsets
- Decent battery life (a proprietary Ni-Mh battery, rather than the older and obselete Ni-Cd battery pack)

Cons:
- The LED on the handsets only light up when they charge, they don't notify you of voicemail
- No headset jack

That's about it. I have to stress that sound quality is VERY VERY GOOD, and I'm on a VoIP line, if you're on a traditional landline it would be even better! I couldn't be happier with my purchase. This was exactly what I was looking for. Like I said, I don't use my house phone very often but when I do I want it to sound good and work well.. This is exactly what this AT&T set does.

I don't think I've ever had an AT&T cordless phone set (and I've had many) but believe me, if they keep making 'em like this, my next one will be AT&T too!

The system was great for 16 months; but last week, the base unit ceased to recharge the phone on its cradle.

As a short-term solution, I ordered a new handset, figuring to use the new phone in place of the one on the base unit. Today, I discovered that the BASE UNIT is no longer usable...so I had to reorder the whole set again...after spending $15 on a new handset last week.

The price to try to fix the problem plus having to order the whole new set today...about $61...hardly worth spending over $100 in 16 months for the same set of phones.

This AT&T DECT phone is one of the best I've owned. The quality of the audio is great; crystal clear as I move about the house. Although somewhat long, the phone is very light. The extension receives a good signal throughout my house. I am completely satisfied with this phone. One extra would be the provision for a earphone jack, but this is a minor problem.

I was looking for a cordless, caller ID, speakerphone, without an answering machine because I have voice mail, and this phone fit the bill. The reception is quite clear as I move from room to room. It was very easy to set up and use and to figure out the features. I also like the size of the buttons, and can hold and dial using one hand. The called ID is easy to see. As an added bonus, the black and silver works for me.

Delivery from Amazon, as always, was very prompt.

I would recommend this phone.

AT&T DECT 6.0 Black/Silver Digital Dual Handset Cordless Telephone (CL81209)

I wanted a cordless phone with out an answering machine and a backlit caller ID. This phone fit the bill. I ordered the 3rd handset and it sync'd with the base perfectly. We are using it with our VOIP system and it works great. We live in a large metro area that has 3 area codes and it stored each one for local dial.

Reviews are all pretty accurate, its really a great phone with some great features. You can actually ring the other phone after you pick up and its for someone else, I hadn't seen that before. Very easy to use, the whole thing.

The ONE issue I have is that there is no jack for a headset. And being small and light, its not a great one for trying to shoulder. For some reason I missed this, missing feature. Other than that, love it.

I bought this phone set because I wanted to give up having an answering machine and instead rely on FiOS voice mail for everything because FiOS voice mail has some very cool and useful features (but that's a different review). So I wanted a cordless phone system with a voice mail indicator and no local answering machine. It turns out there just aren't very many of these on the market.

After going to a local big box electronics store to check out the handsets in person, I picked the AT&T set because the handsets felt the most comfortable and seemed solidly built. Of course there was no way to evaluate sound quality or usability of the phones. But having owned this system for a few weeks now, I'm generally pleased with it.

The sound quality and range are both outstanding, probably the best I've ever seen in a cordless phone. There's absolutely no interference with or from other electronics in the house. The built-in phonebook is shared among all handsets so you only have to enter numbers once (from any handset) and they're instantly available everywhere, which is great. The voice mail waiting indicator does what it's supposed to do. All in all, a very solid choice.

There are a couple of things that could be improved, though. The builtin ringtones are all basically awful. It's a matter of choosing the least of evils. There are no custom ringtones for different callers even though the system recognizes incoming caller id info and matches it against your phonebook. Custom ringtones would have been a great addition to the phone. I'd also love the see the handset buttons light up when you pick up the phone, making it easier to dial in the dark. My Harmony remote control can do this, why can't my phone?

The biggest shortcoming of this phone is the menu system and navigation. It's just confusing to have what seems like a 4-way rocker switch in the middle of the phone but not use it to move up and down among menu choices. Instead it functions as a select button, and you have to use other buttons to navigate. You get used to it after a while, but it never really feels natural.

Still, that's a small price to pay for what is otherwise an outstanding phone.