Submitted by Fred on

Landline Phone Number

Categories
Lifestyle

When I was in high school our telephone number was 516 621 3525.  

Before that there were operators and a party line (which I must admit I listened in on).  

When my parents moved I managed to have my boyhood number transferred to my home.  

Today in this iPhone era we still have 2 landlines. 3525 is for Tradition and our Fax. 

Before you pass judgement on this seemingly wasteful excess I remind you that during the devastation of Super Storm Sandy the only thing that worked were landlines. 

Who else maintains a landline (or 2)?

Comments

Submitted by Judy_Mauer on Thu, 03/02/2017 - 21:06

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Judy Mauer

I have 2 land lines - will probably give up the one in NYC - but will keep the one in brooklyn.
My office has 6 land lines.

Submitted by MarilynGenoa on Thu, 03/02/2017 - 21:11

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Marilyn Genoa

We do, but I must admit no one ever answers it unless we recognize the caller and I implore people not to leave messages on that number since it's rarely checked . However after 30+ years Verizon advised that they would no longer maintain regular lines anymore and insisted that we switch to fiber optics which would not continue to work in a power outage so we switched to a different company. I don't know what will happen in the next superstorm. Hopefully somehow our generator will keep the phones operating but I think if cable goes down so will our phones.
Fred Klein

We don't have a generator, just land lines.
Jane Jacobs

A few years ago one of my daughters asked me what a busy signal was.

I have VOIP "landline" that's only used by telemarketers.
Victoria Drogin

We have a number but never use it or answer it. Land lines only work in power outages if they're not portable phones (or if you have a generator) as we found out over the years. We keep one "plug in" dinosaur. :)
Daniel Schwartz

I have a land line number that is run through Verizon Fios. It cost less than the old style line and does require power. Fios installs a battery back up they say should last about 20 hours for emergency use during power outages. That battery is not cheap, about $130 to replace every 3-4 years. I did negotiate the last one before I renewed my contract. Still that line is mostly telemarketers and we may end up cancelling it. As of now part of our cable package.
Dana Charlton

I also kept my landline ~ on 9/11 cell phones were not working either. It can't hurt to have a back-up phone, and I can decide who to give which number to. (Of course Fred has both!)

Submitted by Liz_Saldana on Fri, 03/03/2017 - 01:20

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Liz Saldana

We have a landline at home; and my husband keeps talking about getting a fax line and the machine to go with it. I don't think we've ever needed to send a fax from home; but he likes to be prepared. :)
Cayce Crown

Whatever works. My cell worked fine during Sandy and on 9/11. No land lines here, I have a higher connection.
Liz Saldana

I have an old plug in phone in case there's a power outage as well. I might even know where it is. :)
Rona Gura

We have two landlines as we did growing up. One of my longtime friend teases me still because, growing up, our friends were not allowed to use our second line because that was my father's work phone.

Submitted by NeilHollander on Fri, 03/03/2017 - 07:07

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Neil Hollander

Number Please ? When the kids were at home they had their own line and I was the phone Nazi! I hated the sound of the ring and the scrambling to get to the phone first by the girls . The boys could care less. I received an anonymous tip that the FBI might have tapped my personal line so I disconnected it . Never reconnected . The family worried that the Feds would be a knockin ' soon enough ! I associated with some unsavory types up here in the mountains . Sonny Barger amongst others. We were off the grid for awhile and with the advent of cell phones and the Internet we managed to stay in the loop so to speak . Word was that short of a raid the local militia were afraid to come up here. This was back in the day of the meth labs and pot farmers living the recluse lifestyle of the well armed outlaw . I just happened to have bought land right in the middle of it . So as I'm rambling I've lost the point . Oh yeah ...... Landlines. I don't have any . Just guns and dogs .

Hollander Sends

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