3-On Your Side: Cut The Cord
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Are you like many people and find your home phone is ringing less and less because most people call your cell?
If you ditched your landline you could end up saving money. But before you cut the cord, 3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan shows you some things you need to consider.
Telephones have come along way from rotary dial to push button, long cords to cordless. Now you don't need that landline at all in order to reach out and touch someone.
"Right now across the country, 38 percent of the people have dropped their landline or using wireless only," said Tole Hart, an Analyst with the Yankee Group.
And people like Joyce Domenico are seriously thinking about making the switch.
"It does get on my nerves every month paying for two bills," said Domenico.
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Dropping the average landline can save anywhere from $20 to $70 a month depending on what type of plan you have.
But if your landline service is bundled with your cable TV, internet, or both, going wireless may only save you five to fifteen bucks a month.
And if you don't have a house phone any longer, you may need to add more cell phones to your wireless plan or at the very least, add additional minutes.
"So that may end up raising your total cost if you get a family plan versus an individual landline and that's certainly a consideration," said Hart.
Some prefer the quality of their home phone service, others the dependability.
And don't forget the added security.
"When you call 911, they know you're calling from your house," said Hart.
Not so with wireless calls. The Philadelphia police department tells us they can only pin point a general area when you call 911 from your cell phone. That can range from one to three blocks.
Speaking of security, you can also have a home alarm using wireless, but additional equipment may add costs. And companies like Life Alert, that call for help at the touch of a button, also have some services available to mobile phone users.
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Reported by Jim Donovan, CBS 3
