We still have our home phone which is part of a bundle, which includes unlimited local & STD calls.
It is great to call my Mum or other family members as we can talk for ages which we couldn't do with a mobile. Also my Mum would hardly ever ring me as it would cost her to much & she wouldn't ring from a mobile as their reception is really bad.
I hardly get calls from telemarketers as we are on the 'do not call' register.
I also like it as if I have to call certain companies and know I could be on hold for ages I am not worrying about the cost.
The only reason we have a home line is due to Internet too. We don't actually have a home phone plugged in. I couldn't tell you what our home phone number is.
I'm actually contemplating putting one in in case of an emergency situation. If something happened to DH or I and we were alone with the kids, what happens if they can't find our mobiles? They're usually in our pocket, but what it they can't get it out or if we've got it charging somewhere? DD1 doesn't know about 000 yet, but once she is old enough to understand I think a homeline could be important....
We only use ours for calls we will be on hold for half an hour or so. I was going to ditch it but DD is getting to the age where long phone calls are more likely (for her and her friends). Also as she heads into the age where she will spend time home alone, the home phone is important for emergencies. She doesn't have a connected mobile and, even when she does, there is always the risk of it not being charged or "lost" if she needs to make a call quickly.
Home phone rates -both line rental and calls - are ridiculous IMO.
We have had VOIP for quite a few years now and would never go back. We pay around $5 per month to have a phone number and then it's only 12.5c to make calls anywhere in Australia. We can call overseas for super-cheap too because you only pay for a local call over in that country. I have called a Chinese mobile number, chatted for over and hour and it was only around 50c lol! The other bonus is that you don't get any telemarketing calls because the number is kept private - yay!
I personally like having a normal "home" phone as well as mobile phone (plus I need one for business anyway) - our family all prefer to call us on a landline and I never worry how long a phone call is taking. I only really use my mobile phone for texting or internet when I'm out.
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