AT&T CL83507 DECT 6.0 5-Handset Cordless Phone for Home with Dual Keypad Base, Answering Machine, Call Blocking, Caller ID Announcer, Intercom and Long Range, Silver/Black

Not much to say. It works well and the phones are easy to use, all at a great price. The only thing that seems odd is that the handsets wobble in the base like they weren’t designed to fit them.

They are very nice

Works fine but audible repeating chirp alert on base station for message is somewhat annoying

These phones look good and they worked well. Nice audio level for me not being able to hear so well. I love the product, they work great and I have enough handsets for every room that I need a phone in.

I bought this 5-handset model to replace my 14-year-old, 4-handset VTECH (that still worked fine, BTW). The physical setup was easy but the programming of the system was another story.

When I received the AT&T unit, I unwrapped it, installed and charged all the batteries for 24 hours, and removed the plastic covers from the handsets. Then I began the set-up process (i.e. the programming). After spending several hours over a two-day period I was unable to set up the way I wanted it, and I gave up. I just don’t have the time to try and figure out what the user guide’s writer was trying to say.

What I liked:

About all there was to like during my experience was how easy it was to return the system. I obtained a return note from Amazon that had a barcode on it,then I took my packaged product along with the barcode to the nearest UPS store. The store did all the rest at no charge to me.

What I disliked:

1. The sound of recorded messages was very low, garbled, and impossible to understand.

2. I found the “quick start” user guide difficult to understand, and I’ve been a technical writer and illustrator in the electronics industry for the last 20 years. It was a test of my patience, and I lost. I don’t understand how a 1st time user could set up the base unit using these poorly written instructions.

3. The full “user guide” is not part of the shipped product and is only available by downloading it (a PDF) from the AT&T website. It’s over 150 pages long and is printed on small, 5″ x 7″ format, making it a huge effort to print.

4. Lots of simple things were missing from both the quick start and the full user manuals. For example, while I was trying to set it up I could not find a way to go back up a step or two. I did manage to set the date and the time, but after that, things got pretty muddy. Another thing was I did not find out how to disable the audible caller ID function (set to “default=ON) and that kept bugging me as I was trying to configure the base unit.

5. It was impossible and I mean IMPOSSIBLE to pack everything back into the box the way it was originally packed. I just put all the parts back in their little plastic bags, put the bags into the bottom of the box, put the cardboard separators on top, closed the box, and took it to my local UPS store.

This is the first negative review that I’ve written since buying all kinds of stuff from the internet over the last 20 years. Sorry AT&T, but you lose BIG, BIG TIME due to your poor documentation.

Dislike: hard to program, add names to the directory, screen calls, delete calls, block calls. Like: the silence of the calls if Unknown, easy to handle, finding each phone, easy to dial, sleek, the color when it’s in motion.

If you drop the phone or toss it from one person to another it becomes inoperative! Out the 5 sets we ordered only three work now! You can’t call out or answer incoming calls!

The Smart Block feature on this phone will stop all robocalls immediately. I got 3 to 8 robo calls a day. Since I put this phone in they have completely stopped. I have tried other call blockers, and they all have holes in them. Spoof calling really makes blocking callas by a number list impossible. This phone requires anyone not in your list to press # to speak to you. As a wireless phone it is like all others, works just fine, but having your calls screened by a bot to to stop the bots is just plain cool.