The answer to progress

[Enzo]

So I have a little phone answering machine, a cheap $20 Panasonic I've had maybe 20 years. ALways worked until just recently. Now it triggers and says the outgoing message, but it neglect to capture the line, so it never "answers." I like it, since it uses cassettes. I have several loop cassettes for various outgoing messages. One for when the shop is closed, it speaks my address, hours, and alternate phone number. That is for when we are closed. Then another is a short one that says we are on lunch break, back soon. I have another I use for temporary messages like being closed all week for Xmas.

SO when I want to go to lunch, I pop the lunch cassette in and off I go.

I want one just like it.

SO I went shopping, Best Buy, Office Max, department stores. Not surprising, no one sells cassette based units anymore. Hell, do they even sell blank cassettes anymore?

In the whole huge Best Buy, there are entire aisles of phones, but only ONE answering machine. A little AT&T thing for $22. It is digital, how up to date. But it has a single outgoing message memory. I'd have to record a new message every time I leave the shop or come back to it. DOn't wanna.

They also had a couple phones that answer too, but I use a multiline phone and don't want yet another phone instrument sitting next to it just to answer.

Couple cordless ones that answer, but we are back to that extra phone thing, though I suppose I could throw the cordless phone itelf in the drawer.

ANd all these things have the single message limitation.

Clerk says, Oh yes, we have multimesssage phones on the other aisle. Great. Yes, they start at $229. No, $20 sounds good, $229 does not.

The other stores had even fewer options.

Disappointing.

SO I got the little $22 thing. I thought about getting two, then I could just plug whichever one I wanted into the phone jack. Unfortunately, this thing has only one jack on the rear, it has a trailing wire for the other, which means I'd have to climb under the desk. Nope.

So right now it says I am closed even if I am only on my lunch break. I think I might still get another, and connect one through the other, elephant style. Then I can turn one on or the other. I suppose there is no limit to how many I could stack other than where to put them.

The old unit was a flat thing, just perfect to sit the multiline phone on top of on my desk. This new one is a sort of wedge shape with buttons on top. No stacking, so I'd have to find a place for a row of them.

The little thing tries hard though. Now I have digitally a record of when someone called and just hung up. The damn thing talks. Hit the power button and it says, "The machine is ON, 40 minutes to record." Hit it again and it says, "The machine is OFF." I can have a whole conversation with it. I press the message delete button and it assures me my "messages are deleted."

At first it asked me to set the year, and the time of day, and the day of the week, But never wanted the date or month. If it doesn't know the date, why does it care what year it is on? Setting the day of the wek was fun, I could hit the advance button and it would speak, "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,..." Watch me make time fly.

So that is the typical situation with progress. Pick something we all have used. Now find a newer one. Has less capability, but it is "digital."

[Blue Monster 65]

That sucks. At the same time, now I can call and leave my nonsense and you'll hear it CRISP 'N' CLEAR!!! Muhahahahahahahahahaha!

Woof! - Scott

[Lance]

One of the reviews says this one has multiple outgoing messages. Might be worth further investigation.

[KLA2]

If Lance's suggestion does not work out, some cities have "reuse/recycle" stores where used/refurbished items are sold. You might find a tape based machine for a buck or two.

[Arneb]

Maybe they can repair your old one - you might want to try here...

[Enzo]

Our shop is probably more than qualified to repair it, after all we can handle entire recording studios, but I have other uses for the shop time, and the old one was 20 years into its career.

Lance, that looks like it might work, but as I read the features it looks like three mailboxes rather than three selectable messages. I am sure each box can have its own message, but the customers would have to be directed to the appropriate one. But I will delve into it further.

[Lance]

Yeah, I wasn't too clear on that either. I didn't have time to spend on it, but I would bet you could find one on Amazon if not that one.

[Enzo]

Oh it is a brave new world out there, and once in a while I wander out into it.

I'm an old hippie and I don't know what to do, should I hang on to the old, or grab on to the new?