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there are regular press button phones that work with just a cord....have you ever worked in an office before?
even in a blackout, they still work.
I currenty work in an office. well over a decade. During the last big blackout of 2003, my office phone went dead. I had to walk down over 34 flights of stairs.
Is your phone the type that needs external power, i.e., a cordless phone, or any other type of phone that plugs into an AC outlet? That's the problem right there. If that wasn't the case, then it was most likely a failure of your office's PBX, not the phone company. If power backup was not provided by whomever installed your company's telephone equipment, then yes--a blackout would take out your phones. I'll bet the lines coming into your PBX were fine.
Telco utilizes massive banks of storage batteries and even generators when needed. During the 2003 blackout, the CO (central office) up the street from me had techs on-site babysitting the whole time.
There's a lot I don't like about the telephone company (like that feeling of getting reamed every month when the bill arrives!) but landline service has always been very reliable compared to the alternatives.
Is your phone the type that needs external power, i.e., a cordless phone, or any other type of phone that plugs into an AC outlet? That's the problem right there. If that wasn't the case, then it was most likely a failure of your office's PBX, not the phone company. If power backup was not provided by whomever installed your company's telephone equipment, then yes--a blackout would take out your phones. I'll bet the lines coming into your PBX were fine.
I am not a phone expert. I work in a large landmark building in midtown. As far as I know, there is no AC adapter on my phone line. Maybe the phone is wired into some box in the back. All I know is that my phone went dead during that infamous blackout. My cell phone wouldn't work either bc is was jammed full; but my nextel walkie talk worked though
Take the money you are throwing away on the landline and start a roth IRA with it. If a blackout or any other disaster occurs, you will not have phone service. Its not like you are going to roll over and die because you cannot speak to somebody on the freaking phone for a day or two.
you should always have a landline...remember 2003 blackout
havent had a landline in years
as for 2003 blackouts- one day who cares its not worth paying for a house phone because every 10 years i might not be able to use my cell phone
It's pretty much a luxury these days but personally I like having them around. I like having the option of using them during times I would have to use cell-phone minutes. I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of a cell-phone as the only phone I use.
Plus With ConEd being the messy bureaucracy it is and global warming, count on a lot more blackouts in coming years. Always have a corded, non-electric telephone around in a closet just in case.
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