Customer Reviews

Southwestern Bell FM2575 Corded Speakerphone with Answering System and Caller ID (White)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was a bit worried about ordering this phone as one of the reviews had commented on the answering system as unsatisfactory. I was pleased to find that this phone is not only attractive in my kitchen, but has proved to be easy for my non-techie husband to use (he has much trouble with anything more complicated than a single dial. Forget touch pads.) We have had no problem with the answering machine having too short a record time. The only message I had that ran too long was one of those stupid telemarketer recordings that run on and on. I was very grateful that the answering machine cut it short. The Volume enhancement is appreciated, as I have less than perfect hearing, and the handset is comfortable. The features are simple to use, and I even showed my husband how to check the messages without having to repeat the instructions. A first!!!

This phone has so many features for the money! An answering machine, caller ID, speakerphone, large lighted keypad, makes it easy to understand and use right out of the box.I also like that it comes in white, which fits well in my kitchen. The buttons are large and light up, a plus for dark corners or older users. The speakerphone works well, allowing hands-free use in the kitchen or anywhere else. I think Southwestern Bell has always made quality products, and this is yet another one. I'm please to have spent so little and gotten so much!

This is the best phone I have ever owned, hands-down, based on my lifestyle. My job requires me to work on-call, which means there are many times I work nights and sleep during the day. The features on this phone are perfect for someone with an unpredictable schedule who works on call.

On top of the phone, there is a switch to turn the ringer loud/soft/on/off - EXCELLENT FEATURE being able to turn the ringer COMPLETELY off (many other phones merely allow you to turn it LOW which is still audible and an annoyance). On the side of the phone is a sliding volume switch for the answering machine - another great feature when you do not want to hear messages or are sleeping. There is a switch on top that can be adjusted to 2 or 4 rings or can be set up for the fax to pick up (if you have a fax). Recording a greeting is easy and retrieving messages is easy. Deleting messages is a breeze. Don't feel like listening to the message, no need to listen to the whole thing, just hit "DELETE." Don't want to listen to the computer voice, hit "STOP," a couple of times. Finally, the phone is CORDED! (It comes with a 4 foot cord, but I bought a 20 foot extension cord for the phone.) If you live with someone who never puts the cordless phone back in the charger, this phone is a "must-have!" Also, if the power goes out, cordless phones usually do not work.

THIS MAY NOT BE THE PHONE FOR EVERYONE! If you want a phone that allows you to remotely access messages, this is not the phone for you. For whatever the reason, if you require a phone with the capacity for someone to leave you a longwinded message in excess of one minute, this is not the phone for you. Messages are not always crystal-clear, but they are audible. If you write for a gossip column or run numbers, buy another phone. If you're just a guy who wants peace and quiet and a reliable phone, this is your phone. Don't forget to put in the 9-volt battery - the phone still works in a power outage, but you may lose your messages and greeting if you don't put in the back-up battery.

What do you expect for a phone under $40? The only other phones with ALL the features this phone has - (1) corded, (2) on/off ringer switch, (3) caller ID, (4) built-in answering machine, (5) sliding switch to turn down the answering machine - are usually at least double the price (over $90) of this phone and/or require you to program the features. I like the simplicity of this phone and the fact that I do not have to open the user's manual every time I use it.

When I first saw that this $35 telephone had Caller ID and digital answering, AND was getting some pretty decent reviews from other Amazon customers, I thought I couldn't go wrong in buying it. And I was right -- sort of.

The phone is a sturdy, attractive and compact model that has an ergonomically designed handset that feels very comfortable in the hand and that should help prevent fatigue during those long telephone conversations. And it certainly meets all my requirements in a telephone. It has a "desk mount" that snaps right in and that tilts the phone up so you can easily see the display while sitting at your desk. Or you can mount it on the wall.

It's auto-redial feature will dial seven numbers in one second flat, which is a very useful feature if you're trying to get through to, say, a busy technical support line at Dell or Gateway. That's not the fastest re-dialer in the world, but it is quite acceptable for me. The caller ID window lights up when a call comes in, which is another nice feature I haven't seen in any telephone I've ever owned.

The only limitation of the digital answering system is that it can only record at most 19 messages (or 14 minutes worth, whichever is greater) before it starts scrolling them off the chip, oldest message first. That's not an issue for me, but if you regularly get more than 19 messages or so at a time before you can get around to checking them all, you'll probably want to reconsider your purchase of this telephone.

The one and only real flaw I could find in this telephone is the sound quality. It's pretty awful, in my opinion. Both speakers make a person sound as if he were speaking to you through a couple of pillows pressing down on his face. And I have good hearing! And though both speakers have adjustable volume, turning them up only makes the muffled voice at the other end of the line sound like a louder, heavily muffled voice that is no more understandable.

I find that if there is any background noise at all at my end of the line, I can barely make out what the other person is saying. Additionally, there is a noticeable amount of what sounds like line noise (humming and static) in the telephone phone that I do not notice on my other phones in the house. So it must be in the phone itself and not in the line.

Hopefully, that brilliant electronics wizard brother of mine can help me replace the speakers with speakers having better acoustic quality.

I'd happily give this phone five stars if it weren't for the speakers, and would recommend it in any event to people who are willing to give up a little acoustic quality for a fantastic deal on a nice little feature-packed phone.

I'm amazed at this design flaw. I don't have space to wall mount this phone, so It must sit on my desk. However, when it sits on the desk, the display is tilted backwards (away from the person sitting at the desk), so I must stand up to read caller id display (to decide if I want to answer the phone). How annoying. The whole reason I got a speakerphone was so that I could work uninterrupted at my desk if I wanted to answer calls. Now I have to stop my work and stand up to decide. If you can wall mount this phone, the display would be easily visible, and the phone might otherwise work great. I never got as far as to try it.

Easy to use, all buttons light up when you pick up phone, (nice for night time!). Excellent corded phone. Nice memory option.

If you are looking for a corded phone with all the latest features, this is it. This is a high quality phone that delivers in all areas and does not have that "office" look to it. It looks great in a kitchen, where most other phone just look out of place.

I ordered this phone despite one review that complained that everyone can hear it when an incoming call is monitored. Fortunately, that review is mistaken. There is a volumn control for the speaker (and speakerphone) that allows it to be effectively shut off. I'm very pleased with the phone (and very fast delivery).

The answering machine does not allow the volume to be turned off -- so everyone in the house can hear the message being left. Not much good if privacy is an issue. Basically makes this useless for my purpose. If you tell your guests to ignore the phone as "the answering machine will get it" this is nice but everyone will be listening to the message...

It was very hard to find a good quality corded phone and after this phone I can still say the same thing. I had read previous reviews before I had purchased it and thought it sounded pretty decent. But, when I received it I found similiar problems other customer had found. You cannot check your messages from the remote, even the customer service provided by the company could not get it to work. Another problem is the fact that there is only 1 min of recording time so most of my messages were cut off. In the owners manual under trouble shooting it says "it is the cause of a caller pausing for more that 7 seconds" and the way to correct it is "have the caller speak continuously w/out any pauses." Should this be the message I leave on my machine "please leave a message less than 60 sec. w/ out taking a breath thanks" I returned it and am in the process of looking for a new one.