VTech 20-2481 2.4 GHz DSS 2-Line Expandable Cordless Phone with Digital Answering System and Caller ID (Silver and Black)

Sound quality is very good, and the range seems much better than my old Sony 900MHz phone.

Here's the downside:
1. The base is not wall mountable. That may not be a problem for most people, but it is for me.
2. Occasionally, pressing a button on the phone does not create the correct tone. For instance, when calling my answering machine, I'm supposed to press 7 to delete the message. Although I press 7 on the phone (and 7 shows in the display), it is not always recognized by my answering machine. This has happened on other voice mail/computer phone systems too. I don't know if this is a problem on my specific handset, or is common to Vtech.
3. The quality of sound from the handsfree speakerphone varies. I can be talking to a caller using the handset speakerphone, and the voice fades in and out... even when I'm right next to the base.

In sum, it's a great looking phone with all the right features at a good price. The minor problems I've described are probably limited to my unit. I'll try it for a while longer, and then exchange it for another of the same model if I continue to have some problems.


Great features / poor quality audio   November 5, 2002
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

The features of both the handset and the base-unit are excellent, it seems that they've thought of everything you could imagine. And the full-text displays make it rather easy to use. Some people may find the handset a little too small. A larger handset would make it a little easier to press-against your shoulder (so you have both hands free) - but it can be done.

The audio quality of the answering machine is rather poor. Has that tin-ish, echoey sound. And, the answering machine doesn't let you rewind/fast-forward within a message. You can either go back to the beginning, or skip to the next. But, if you need to hear a certain part over-again, you have to hear the whole thing over again.

In one questionable design item, they have a very large light (about the size of a dime) that indicates whether or not the answering machine is enabled (even more annoying is that it blinks if you've only enabled the answering machine on one of the two lines). But, the really important light (that tells you if you've got a messaging waiting) is the size of a pencil point. They should've reversed the size of these two lights. And they really could've done without the first one.


VTech 20-2481, Not Perfect, But Good Phone System   September 22, 2003
Richard Krigsman (Stamford, CT)
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

Not a bad phone, no real big issues. Very limited choices in 2-line expandable handset group.

Although from the following it would seem that the Cons are overwhelming, in reality, they are somewhat nitpicking however they do sigificantly take away from the overall package of the device being user friendly.

Pros:
Very very nice voice quality I'm told (in my ear though there is a hint of hiss which apparently others don't hear). Size is small enough to fit in pocket and very comfortably fits on a belt clip. However, it's smaller then most phones, about the size of a candy bar sized cellphone and takes a day to get used to. I find the phone to be very ergonomic and of a nice physical design. Very nice feature mix on this item.

Battery life has been really great after living with this phone for about 3 weeks.

Transmit/ receive range seem to be good. I've noticed no degradation in comparison to other cordless phones I own.

Cons:
Can't change almost any features on all phones/ base at the same time. This in and of itself makes programming a big chore. Memory programming has to occur on each phone and base independently. So, to program a bunch of numbers etc is a big pain in the you know what. Additionally, to clear the caller ID log which is the top display on all handsets and base is another big hassle for the same reason.

The relatively humongous red light showing that status of the answering machine is annoying to say the least especially when the answering machine is enabled for 1 line only and this thing flashes making it a major distraction when it's on a desk or in a bedroom in this mode (what were they thinking?).

Answering machine rates a 8 out of 10 in voice quality to the caller. It's not as crisp as I would have liked but it's definately not annoying or a big issue.

Summary: I would buy this phone again if I had to make another buying decision.

SHORT UPDATE AFTER 3 MONTHS OF USE:
Voice quality of callers leaves something to be desired... My voice quality Im told is very good.

Default display on handsets and base showing call history is lame and a big pain to clear out.

Programming system is also difficult as previously mentioned, each device must be programmed indvidually. Another poor item.

Large red flashing LED is distracting and is a useless feature.

OVERALL:
I would look elsewhere that perhaps there's new options in this catagory. The only contender I'm aware of (multi handset 2-line) is the Panasonic but that has the issue of lousy battery life from a lot of users. The deminished quality on received calls on this phone is very annoying. (I wonder if it's just mine but it's on all the handsets I own and I may try to get it serviced). It's not noticed when you use this phone all day but switch to another and then back again and it's very visible.


A Very Good Phone In A Very Limited Field...   July 20, 2003
Craig Taylor (New York, New York USA)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

I did lots of research before buying another 2-line cordless to replace my ancient, worn out Panasonic 900 mhz. I knew two things from the start: 1) Panasonic's customer service is virtually non-existent, has always been so, and will never change ! (Shame on you Panasonic !) and 2) Panasonic batteries are a disaster.So, we eliminated Panasonic at any price ...
The VTech is a very good choice in a very limited field of entries. No 2-line phone on the market is going to provide an
ideal universe of performance and/or features. This VTech comes close !
1) manual : easy to folow
2) setup : very easy
3) cusomer service : hold time approx 7-10 minutes, not great,but
acceptable
4) itercom : excellent
5) speakerphone : excellent
6) additional handsets - excellent
7) soft keys - easy
8) keypad - easy
9) no discernable background noises when in use
10) answer machine - this appears to be the major complaint of the customer reviews. The quality of voice is acceptable , not tinny, not robotic sounding as others have mentioned. Is a separate answer machine better? Of course ! But, this built-in is acceptable. It's also easy to record, play-back, erase, etc.(However,we will deduct 1 star on the answering device)...
To those reviewers who nit-picked about the blinking light or the
small size of some lights,or other silly minutiae, I say, "Get a life !" To those who require a 2-line home/office phone, I say, "Get this VTech".It's as close to ideal as you're going to come !!


Don't Buy This Phone   October 25, 2003
Lisa A. Riznikove (Los Angeles, CA United States)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

Whatever you do, don't buy a Vtech phone. But especially don't buy this one.

We got 3 of these phones for our 1500 sft. appartment. At first we loved them (I think this accounts for the favorable reviews). They seemed to have good signal and we loved the features. However very soon after putting them in we started having major problems. The biggest problem is that 50% of the time when the phone rings and you go to pick up the call, it will not give you the call. Instead the handset beeps, displays the vtech logo and then tells you it's looking for the base. This happens even when you're using the base phone!

We contacted Vtech about this and they gave us a list of things to check for. We followed all their instruction to the letter and it is the same as ever. There is nothing more frustrating than to not be able to answer your own phone.

We've had other Vtech phones and they also had similar "signal" problems when sitting right on the base! I've also talked to friends with vtech phones that report the same problems, so I don't think that we simply got 2 sets of faulty phones.

These phones look nice, but for such powerful phones it is a mystery why 50% of the time 2 feet from the base unit they can't seem to find the signal.