The humble telephone can perform some amazing feats, judging from the half-dozen pages in the front of the phone directory describing advanced phone features.
Some may help you manage your time better, justifying the extra couple of bucks a month.Others are merely gimmicks that inflate your phone bill more than they simplify your life or impress your clients.
The descriptions below will help you sort them out.
Some services have installation charges, from $20 to $55 for an additional line, for example, or $6 to $20 for voice mail.
Prices vary from area to area. Monthly fees are listed below in parentheses.
- CALL WAITING ($2.50 to $5.25). A beep or click alerts you that someone is calling. You can avoid interruptions by pressing 70 before calling out.
- THREE-WAY CALLING ($2.50 to $4.25). Adds a third person to your phone conversation. Even the cheapest phone can handle this chore.
- VOICE MAIL ($5.25 to $7). Answers calls and records messages when you're away or on the phone.
- CALLER ID ($5.50 TO $6.50, plus cost of additional equipment). Shows you the number of the caller before you answer and those who called while you were out. Deluxe version ($6 to $9) shows name and number.
- CALL FORWARDING ($2 TO $4.50). Sends your calls to another location. You can use selective call forwarding to specify who gets through to your cellular phone.
- ADDITIONAL LINE ($8 to $16). Useful for teenagers, business calls or incoming faxes.
- CALL BLOCK ($4 to $5.50). You say your ex-boyfriend just doesn't get the message? Call block rejects calls from a list of specified numbers.
- PERSONAL RING ($4 to $5.25 for one more number; $6 to $7.25 for two numbers). Several different phone numbers using one phone line, each with a distinctive ring. Cheaper than an extra line.
- PRIORITY CALL ($2 TO $3.50). Lets you assign distinctive rings for up to 15 incoming callers. When your nosy neighbor calls, you'll have advance warning.
- REPEAT DIALING ($2 to $4). Redials a busy number over and over, signals you when the number is available and places the call.