i have these, purchased from costco a year or so ago, nice set, has headphone jack (I beleive, at least if it is the same model as mine), hooked up to my Ooma...
My parents literally just bought 2 sets of these about 9 hours ago...and now this happens. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I will show them this deal in the morning if it doesn't sell out.
@bchrist825 Apparently yes, but in the words of my Mother "Ew refurb, I don't want that!" shes sticking with her new sets she says she paid after coupons $120 each for. Oh well, sunken-restorative-lake I don't give a damn, I bought one for me and my apartment I keep dreaming of someday (damn waiting lists).
This would actually be really useful to my family. My husband and I have cell phones, but no landline in the house. The kids aren't old enough for their own cell phones, but my ten year old daughter is starting to want to call her friends. This would make it much easier as I hate to give her my phone to drain its battery chatting when I might want it for CoC. Hopefully, you have enough of these that I'll be able to buy after my husband gets home from work in the morning.
@PurplePawprints If you have a family cell plan, adding a single phone is typically cheap. Add a single cell phone (a dumb phone) and leave it charging within 20-30 feet of the Panasonic base and paired to it. Now you have a temporary home phone with extensions all over the house. When you daughter reaches cell age (whatever that is) she takes over that line and you add another to keep paired to the base (other kids). Repeat...
@PurplePawprints also walmart sells no contract voice only (basically a wireline dropin replacement that runs on cellular) for $15 a month (and the device is usually $49). search straight talk home phone
I believe they only ever use the verizon network for that product, if that makes a difference for your area.
@thismyusername@RedOak Thanks for the suggestions. We actually have phones from Republic Wireless, so last month I only paid $30 total for our two lines. I could add a line for my daughter and/or the house for $10 a line. We've actually discussed doing that but haven't yet because you have to buy the phones outright. Our intention has been that whenever I upgrade to a new phone, my old one will become the house/kids' phone. This would work in the interim, but I'm not sure which my husband would prefer....
@PurplePawprints Use Google Hangouts, with Hangouts Dialer along with a cheap used/new smartphone or tablet and your kid can call and receive calls over wifi (no cell service required).
@irtravis You know what, I still have my old (nicer) HTC phone from Sprint. I use it for all my music since my current phone doesn't have expandable memory. I definitely could use it for that, too. I'll have to look into this....
I have an older model with not quite as many features. It works well for pairing with Bluetooth cell phones. I can leave my phone on the charger in the bedroom and still receive calls in other parts of the house. It also works well for dialing out, especially the speaker phone, as I often have conference calls on the days I get to work from home.
Panasonic creates special model numbers for the "warehouse clubs". The specs tend to be identical to the "normal" retail model numbers. Look at page 4 of the above owner's manual to see the model number mapping.
I have a two bedroom apartment, what am I going to do with five phones? I don't make calls from the closet, and I usually have my cell with me already in the bathroom, so that leaves the kitchen, and I dunno, the porch? This conundrum makes me want a Moscow Mule, but the cups sold out before I could make a terrible comment on that thread.
Not sure why my last post got zapped... I will try one more time??
I have a bit newer version of this... great sound, good range, cheap to replace batteries (they use individual rechargeable AAA's), you can even get the cell phones custom ring tone to ring through the handsets... but the real killer feature is the call block.
This model can block 250 numbers, of course if you are using with cell phones only (you know cause you don't like standing next to the window to get the signal) it would better to block the call at the cellphone... but for landline blocking, these Panasonics work great.
@mfladd Agreed, this phone sounds awesome and the reviews are pretty good. Real cool Bluetooth ability to pair with cell phones. Refurb on a phone setup with so many handsets might be a good or really bad thing.....
@Stallion@mfladd We have the newer version of this. Great system. Regarding the "refurb" status - since these appear to be from Costco, which has the super easy return policy, it is very possible if not likely that the returns were simply buyer's remorse.
@mfladd I don't have the energy required to goat. But I can still run pretty fast. In the opposite direction. BTW, I presume you like your mother, right?
Unexpected Use Case If there is only one location in your home where your cell phone works - perhaps you haven't even tested all the inconvenient/uncomfortable spots yet (upstairs, next to a window, standing on your head, on the screened porch?) ...
Use that location as the standard charging spot for your cell phone. Pair this Panasonic base to that phone and locate it within the 20-30 foot bluetooth range.
Now you have cell phone capability everywhere in the house via the Panasonic handsets. No landline needed.
@njd can't imagine it being any easier. (1) Plug the power adapter into the wall. (2) Plug your landline cord (if you have one) into the Panasonic base unit. Plug the headset charging stands in wherever you want them in the house. Done.
I'd been looking for a good deal on a set of these for months. This should help get around our poor cell reception in the basement and also avoid the sprints upstairs to answer a call.
I do not have cell phones or cell service. Can these be used as regular portable house phones ? My landlines phones have not been updated in 20+ years. Thanks.
@1wally1 Yep, they can just be used as a landline cordless phone system. And a bunch of the features still work - answering machine, intercom, call block, etc.
Bought this system from another daily deals site about a year ago. It kinda works as a land line. Most of the time. Sometimes when the landline rings, the handsets won't answer it. The screen says connected, but I can still hear it ringing. Most of the time when this happens I can hit end and then answer the call on the second try. Sometimes it just never picks up the call. The Link-2-Cell thing has never worked for us. It connects to the mobile via bluetooth, but 10 minutes later it drops the connection and never picks it up again. The answering machine function is ok, but by far not the best I have used. The voice prompts and menuing system are really crappy.
@thismyusername Yep, have done that a few times, no change to the issues. The handset rings, so I know it is associated with the base unit. But it just won't pick up the call sometimes. It occurs with all of the handsets, not just one or two, so I suspect it is an issue with the base unit, or a an overall system failure. There is a reason that there are a LOT of refurb units of this model out there. They were originally sold at Sams and Costco, and I think a lot of them got returned.
@jdinnis sounds like you have a defective or surge-warped unit. Or perhaps you live next to a 50,000 volt power line, 50,000 watt radio/TV station, or a cell tower? Never had any of those issues with ours. They've been bullet proof.
I have this exact set and love it. 3 years in service (3 of 5 handsets) and batteries still carry me through 7 hours of con-calls. One of the best features is the ability to grab another handset and "join" a call in progress - my last system locked out every other handset which was both dumbly and suckish.
I'm often the garage and my cell is in the house. I'm often in the upstairs office and my cell is downstairs. Problem solved. I'm also a little hard of hearing and if my cell is upstairs or I'm in the garage, I don't hear it. Another problem solved. But then again, maybe I don't want to hear it...
@HisSon it connects to a landline AND up to 2 cell phones (via bluetooth)... so no it won't connect to your cable network (unless you mean phone service from the cable company, and then if it has a regular phone line jack then yes).
@thismyusername I love that feature. Our previous phone had it. When it says "Call from Unknown Caller" we know it's a telemarketer without having to get up and look.
I still have a multi-unit set like this (a Uniden 5.8Ghz w/ 4 handsets) that I bought from the old Woot! for $55 shipped more than 8 years ago, and it's finally starting to crap out. This is nicer, but does the extra handset and 8 years of technological advancement justify a $15 premium for a product that is less relevant today? We'll never know. We ditched the landline at one point, then got an Ooma for the convenience of having a single phone number for the house -- it's just easier when you have kids, older relatives, etc. So I'm not sure if I'll use the cellular pairing or not since I have an ersatz land line anyway, but these are at least a little cooler looking than the old Unidens.
Ooma phone service feature... We were quite surprised that the handset displays blink when a voicemail is sitting on Ooma. And the blinking goes away when we pick up the Ooma voicemail, even without touching the handset. Not sure how it knows how to do that. But it works great.
BTW, it is easy to turn off the Panasonic voicemail feature if you want to use your own VoIP phone (cable/Ooma/Vonage/etc...) voice mail.
@Noon@thismyusername is correct. The base is the central brain. And that includes contacts which are stored at the base and thereby made available to all the handsets. You can even upload your cell phone contacts via bluetooth to the base.
Another nice feature - you can assign individual ringtones to the bluetooth-paired cell phones as well as to the landline.
The base also has two backlit numbers "1" and "2" that light up when each of the bluetooth phones is paired. This can help you to see if your cell phone is even in the house - or perhaps left out in the car - or worse!
First month haven't used my VMP. Was hoping for something cool or meh today. As for these phones, I'm afraid I still kind of hate Panasonic phones from back in the day. They were always trouble. Still have 2 great sets of Unidens that we use with our 2 Oomas. Just have to replace the batteries every 6 years or so. Don't see the advantages of 'bluetoothing' my iPhone to these. My 2 cents. Now get the hell off my lawn.
@UgaDogCH We used to feel exactly the same way about Panasonic cordless phones - based upon personal experience from about 20 years ago. Then we tried them again due to the well-reviewed link-to-cell feature (our Vtechs were bullet proof but the bluetooth was buggy). We're fully back on board with Panasonic cordless phones.
And regarding batteries, unlike many cordless phones which have expensive proprietary batteries, these Panasonics use standard AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries. You could even use Panasonic Eneloops if you wanted. ;-)
As for bluetooth advantages, you just stumbled on one - rather than risking damaging your expensive smartphone, you could take one of the Panasonic handsets out while mowing (or guarding) that lawn without missing a call!
@UgaDogCH Have had nothing but good luck with the recent panasonic phone products... of course they were all new, these are refurbed, but it appears they are authorized or refurbed by panasonic so there is that.
@mwm you can use it with only cell phone(s) if you want... there is even a mode that makes it the "main" line. (page 19 of the manual "Cellular line only mode (If you do not use the landline)")
Set mine up last week. Today there's a loud buzzing playing over the dial tone. Anyone else have this issue? I don't have another phone to plug into the jack to see if it's the line or the phone.
I've had my telephone system set up for about a month now and am really happy that I made the decision to buy. A couple things worth mentioning...the speakerphone has a slight bit more static than my previous Panasonic phone system but still quite clear; the backlit numbers on each handset are not exactly as I envisioned. The buttons are lit in a halo effect however I thought the numbers themselves would be lit. Otherwise a truly worthwhile purchase.
Specs
Condition: Refurbished
Warranty: 90 Day Panasonic
Estimated Delivery: 9/5 - 9/8
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
5x Handsets
1x Base station
4x Charger stands
Pictures
3/4 view
Front view of just the unit
Front view
Pacman
Price Comparison
$169.99 third party at Amazon
$130 List, $129 (new) at Costco
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Warranty
90 days
Mad phones
The deal is a bell ringer
first!
@quigibo981 Not even a little close.
well, third!
what another Dial tonight meh!
i have these, purchased from costco a year or so ago, nice set, has headphone jack (I beleive, at least if it is the same model as mine), hooked up to my Ooma...
phoning it in?
No irk video game Atari Style..then its meh for me
This deal Seems pretty PHONE e to me
Man, I wish I could afford this. I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. I won't go into my sob story as to why I can't.
@peaceetc That leaves us to imagine...Blow and prostitutes?
@Kyser_Soze Your username rules! And your comment relates very much to what your character would say. Are you the real Kyser Soze???
@Kyser_Soze If I could afford those things, I wouldn't be sobbing. ;)
My parents literally just bought 2 sets of these about 9 hours ago...and now this happens. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I will show them this deal in the morning if it doesn't sell out.
@Tiamat114 Did they keep the receipt!?!?
@bchrist825 Apparently yes, but in the words of my Mother "Ew refurb, I don't want that!" shes sticking with her new sets she says she paid after coupons $120 each for. Oh well, sunken-restorative-lake I don't give a damn, I bought one for me and my apartment I keep dreaming of someday (damn waiting lists).
This would actually be really useful to my family. My husband and I have cell phones, but no landline in the house. The kids aren't old enough for their own cell phones, but my ten year old daughter is starting to want to call her friends. This would make it much easier as I hate to give her my phone to drain its battery chatting when I might want it for CoC. Hopefully, you have enough of these that I'll be able to buy after my husband gets home from work in the morning.
@PurplePawprints If you have a family cell plan, adding a single phone is typically cheap. Add a single cell phone (a dumb phone) and leave it charging within 20-30 feet of the Panasonic base and paired to it. Now you have a temporary home phone with extensions all over the house. When you daughter reaches cell age (whatever that is) she takes over that line and you add another to keep paired to the base (other kids). Repeat...
@PurplePawprints also walmart sells no contract voice only (basically a wireline dropin replacement that runs on cellular) for $15 a month (and the device is usually $49). search straight talk home phone
I believe they only ever use the verizon network for that product, if that makes a difference for your area.
@thismyusername @RedOak Thanks for the suggestions. We actually have phones from Republic Wireless, so last month I only paid $30 total for our two lines. I could add a line for my daughter and/or the house for $10 a line. We've actually discussed doing that but haven't yet because you have to buy the phones outright. Our intention has been that whenever I upgrade to a new phone, my old one will become the house/kids' phone. This would work in the interim, but I'm not sure which my husband would prefer....
@PurplePawprints Use Google Hangouts, with Hangouts Dialer along with a cheap used/new smartphone or tablet and your kid can call and receive calls over wifi (no cell service required).
@irtravis You know what, I still have my old (nicer) HTC phone from Sprint. I use it for all my music since my current phone doesn't have expandable memory. I definitely could use it for that, too. I'll have to look into this....
Well this deal is phones so I'm CALLing it a night ..
@AttyVette That joke was so lame, it's obvious you were just phoning it in.
I have an older model with not quite as many features. It works well for pairing with Bluetooth cell phones. I can leave my phone on the charger in the bedroom and still receive calls in other parts of the house. It also works well for dialing out, especially the speaker phone, as I often have conference calls on the days I get to work from home.
Reviews on the Costco, but not the Amazon site.
@Kidsandliz I couldn't find the exact model number on Amazon-- could be a Costco exclusive (I know they have different model numbers for Roombas.)
Panasonic creates special model numbers for the "warehouse clubs". The specs tend to be identical to the "normal" retail model numbers. Look at page 4 of the above owner's manual to see the model number mapping.
I have a two bedroom apartment, what am I going to do with five phones? I don't make calls from the closet, and I usually have my cell with me already in the bathroom, so that leaves the kitchen, and I dunno, the porch? This conundrum makes me want a Moscow Mule, but the cups sold out before I could make a terrible comment on that thread.
@fuzzmanmatt Give the extra handsets to your neighbors...What could go wrong?
@fuzzmanmatt Spare batteries. Or rotate the phones to increase effective battery life.
@Kyser_Soze Party Line Baby!!!
Not sure why my last post got zapped... I will try one more time??
I have a bit newer version of this... great sound, good range, cheap to replace batteries (they use individual rechargeable AAA's), you can even get the cell phones custom ring tone to ring through the handsets... but the real killer feature is the call block.
This model can block 250 numbers, of course if you are using with cell phones only (you know cause you don't like standing next to the window to get the signal) it would better to block the call at the cellphone... but for landline blocking, these Panasonics work great.
No cord? No rotary dial? No crank? No asking my neighbors to please get off the party line, I need to make a call? Go hard or go home, Panasonic.
@mfladd Agreed, this phone sounds awesome and the reviews are pretty good. Real cool Bluetooth ability to pair with cell phones. Refurb on a phone setup with so many handsets might be a good or really bad thing.....
@Stallion @mfladd We have the newer version of this. Great system. Regarding the "refurb" status - since these appear to be from Costco, which has the super easy return policy, it is very possible if not likely that the returns were simply buyer's remorse.
@RedOak @Stallion Ok, my mother has been asking me to look into new (maybe not so new) phones for her.
fluent-mean-army
@RedOak if there is a problem I am blaming you - and putting you up for goat!
@RedOak plus since the warranty is Panasonic 90 day, I suspect they are authorized refurbish, so probably a better standard than some ;)
@mfladd google images is trolling, that's NK isn't it? :)
@mfladd I don't have the energy required to goat. But I can still run pretty fast. In the opposite direction. BTW, I presume you like your mother, right?
@thismyusername It is!
Unexpected Use Case
If there is only one location in your home where your cell phone works - perhaps you haven't even tested all the inconvenient/uncomfortable spots yet (upstairs, next to a window, standing on your head, on the screened porch?) ...
Use that location as the standard charging spot for your cell phone. Pair this Panasonic base to that phone and locate it within the 20-30 foot bluetooth range.
Now you have cell phone capability everywhere in the house via the Panasonic handsets. No landline needed.
As lame as some stuff in here is, this is the first thing I've seen I am sure I would not even try having in my home if you gave it to me.
@njd pretty harsh for a well-liked item.
@RedOak I can't imagine even setting this thing up let alone using it, but different strokes...
@njd can't imagine it being any easier. (1) Plug the power adapter into the wall. (2) Plug your landline cord (if you have one) into the Panasonic base unit. Plug the headset charging stands in wherever you want them in the house. Done.
@njd and if you want to connect your cell phone to it, the Panasonic menu (large print display) walks you thru that. Done.
I'd been looking for a good deal on a set of these for months. This should help get around our poor cell reception in the basement and also avoid the sprints upstairs to answer a call.
negative-cylindrical-roll
I do not have cell phones or cell service. Can these be used as regular portable house phones ? My landlines phones have not been updated in 20+ years.
Thanks.
@1wally1 Yep, they can just be used as a landline cordless phone system. And a bunch of the features still work - answering machine, intercom, call block, etc.
@saramwrap many thanks....now I can join the new age.....in 20 yrs I will get a cell phone.
Bought this system from another daily deals site about a year ago. It kinda works as a land line. Most of the time. Sometimes when the landline rings, the handsets won't answer it. The screen says connected, but I can still hear it ringing. Most of the time when this happens I can hit end and then answer the call on the second try. Sometimes it just never picks up the call. The Link-2-Cell thing has never worked for us. It connects to the mobile via bluetooth, but 10 minutes later it drops the connection and never picks it up again. The answering machine function is ok, but by far not the best I have used. The voice prompts and menuing system are really crappy.
@jdinnis Wow - mine has NONE of these issues. Sorry for your lots.
@jdinnis might want to re-register your handsets...
page 53 of the manual
@thismyusername
Yep, have done that a few times, no change to the issues. The handset rings, so I know it is associated with the base unit. But it just won't pick up the call sometimes. It occurs with all of the handsets, not just one or two, so I suspect it is an issue with the base unit, or a an overall system failure. There is a reason that there are a LOT of refurb units of this model out there. They were originally sold at Sams and Costco, and I think a lot of them got returned.
@jdinnis sounds like you have a defective or surge-warped unit. Or perhaps you live next to a 50,000 volt power line, 50,000 watt radio/TV station, or a cell tower? Never had any of those issues with ours. They've been bullet proof.
I have this exact set and love it. 3 years in service (3 of 5 handsets) and batteries still carry me through 7 hours of con-calls. One of the best features is the ability to grab another handset and "join" a call in progress - my last system locked out every other handset which was both dumbly and suckish.
Would buy again.
I'm often the garage and my cell is in the house. I'm often in the upstairs office and my cell is downstairs. Problem solved.
I'm also a little hard of hearing and if my cell is upstairs or I'm in the garage, I don't hear it. Another problem solved. But then again, maybe I don't want to hear it...
Does this or does this not connect to a landline i.e. my cable network? Can I blame my age for being confused? Yes to all you youngsters I'm that old.
@HisSon it connects to a landline AND up to 2 cell phones (via bluetooth)... so no it won't connect to your cable network (unless you mean phone service from the cable company, and then if it has a regular phone line jack then yes).
Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to know. We get our phone service from our cable provider. Sorry I didn't make that clear.
Does it show incoming Caller ID info for landline calls? (Yes, I'm paying for Caller ID.)
@SSteve Yes. It even tries to pronounce the name if you have the talking caller id turned on.
@SSteve Never mind. I just noticed the download link for the manual and the answer is "yes."
@thismyusername I love that feature. Our previous phone had it. When it says "Call from Unknown Caller" we know it's a telemarketer without having to get up and look.
@SSteve Yes.
I still have a multi-unit set like this (a Uniden 5.8Ghz w/ 4 handsets) that I bought from the old Woot! for $55 shipped more than 8 years ago, and it's finally starting to crap out. This is nicer, but does the extra handset and 8 years of technological advancement justify a $15 premium for a product that is less relevant today? We'll never know. We ditched the landline at one point, then got an Ooma for the convenience of having a single phone number for the house -- it's just easier when you have kids, older relatives, etc. So I'm not sure if I'll use the cellular pairing or not since I have an ersatz land line anyway, but these are at least a little cooler looking than the old Unidens.
Pacmehn house is brilliant!
Also cool color combination today.
@KDemo Sometimes cool just happens.
@Kylethephotoguy - You are so creative - I especially want to note how much I appreciate that there has never been a smiley clickface.
Ooma phone service feature...
We were quite surprised that the handset displays blink when a voicemail is sitting on Ooma. And the blinking goes away when we pick up the Ooma voicemail, even without touching the handset. Not sure how it knows how to do that. But it works great.
BTW, it is easy to turn off the Panasonic voicemail feature if you want to use your own VoIP phone (cable/Ooma/Vonage/etc...) voice mail.
Is this refurbished by Panasonic?
Does each of the 5 handset connect to 2 phones independandly, or does only the base connect to 2 phones which pushes out to 5 Handsets?
If a train is going 200 MPH from the station...
@Noon Base connects to landline and up to 2 cellphones via bluetooth, the handsets connect to the base.
@Noon @thismyusername is correct. The base is the central brain. And that includes contacts which are stored at the base and thereby made available to all the handsets. You can even upload your cell phone contacts via bluetooth to the base.
Another nice feature - you can assign individual ringtones to the bluetooth-paired cell phones as well as to the landline.
The base also has two backlit numbers "1" and "2" that light up when each of the bluetooth phones is paired. This can help you to see if your cell phone is even in the house - or perhaps left out in the car - or worse!
First month haven't used my VMP. Was hoping for something cool or meh today. As for these phones, I'm afraid I still kind of hate Panasonic phones from back in the day. They were always trouble. Still have 2 great sets of Unidens that we use with our 2 Oomas. Just have to replace the batteries every 6 years or so. Don't see the advantages of 'bluetoothing' my iPhone to these. My 2 cents. Now get the hell off my lawn.
@UgaDogCH We used to feel exactly the same way about Panasonic cordless phones - based upon personal experience from about 20 years ago. Then we tried them again due to the well-reviewed link-to-cell feature (our Vtechs were bullet proof but the bluetooth was buggy). We're fully back on board with Panasonic cordless phones.
And regarding batteries, unlike many cordless phones which have expensive proprietary batteries, these Panasonics use standard AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries. You could even use Panasonic Eneloops if you wanted. ;-)
As for bluetooth advantages, you just stumbled on one - rather than risking damaging your expensive smartphone, you could take one of the Panasonic handsets out while mowing (or guarding) that lawn without missing a call!
@UgaDogCH Have had nothing but good luck with the recent panasonic phone products... of course they were all new, these are refurbed, but it appears they are authorized or refurbed by panasonic so there is that.
Do you have to have the land line hooked up or can you just use with cell line
@mwm you can use it with only cell phone(s) if you want... there is even a mode that makes it the "main" line. (page 19 of the manual "Cellular line only mode (If you do not use the landline)")
Thank you
just got it mailed to me. worked great with moto x (2nd gen).
Just set it up within the last couple of days. Seems to play well with my Craigslist Ooma, and out two Moto Gs (1st gen). The phones are nice.
The one thing I don't like is that it is way to easy to get deep into setup menus by accident, and by someone who has no business up in there.
Set mine up last week. Today there's a loud buzzing playing over the dial tone. Anyone else have this issue? I don't have another phone to plug into the jack to see if it's the line or the phone.
I've had my telephone system set up for about a month now and am really happy that I made the decision to buy. A couple things worth mentioning...the speakerphone has a slight bit more static than my previous Panasonic phone system but still quite clear; the backlit numbers on each handset are not exactly as I envisioned. The buttons are lit in a halo effect however I thought the numbers themselves would be lit. Otherwise a truly worthwhile purchase.