Panasonic KX-TG2584S 2.4 GHz Corded/Cordless Phone System

I purchased this phone on December 4th, 2002, and immediately had trouble with the "cordless" phone. I charged it for 26 hours before using it and on my first call - during the first 1 1/2 minutes - the battery died. I followed the manual instructions carefully, but continued to experience the same problem. I bought a new battery on the 11th and still had the same problem. I emailed Panasonic on Dec. 13th and received an automated reply, but as of January 8, 2003, no real reply. It's now too late to return the phone, so I'm just going to junk it and buy a similar - non-Panasonic - product.

While Panasonic is consistently the most highly recommended cordless phone by electronics salespeople, this is my THIRD failure with Panasonic. While I have few problems with the corded wall mount unit, the handset has not held a charge for more than a 10 minute conversation after approximately 3 months old (after the store warrantee expired) and I am unable to say more than 'hello' on it now, before it dies out now. I have returned the phone once within the store warrantee and I have replaced the batteries twice in 2 years, which are hard to find and costly. Panasonic customer service has been neither helpful nor sympathetic to my problem. I am now researching a variety of less 'recommended' cordless phones...

True this phone has lots of bells and whistles, but there are some glaring problems.

First, the outgoing message recording quality leaves a lot to be desired. It is so weak and tinny, callers don't recognize my voice. They think it's a wrong number. Next, the display brightness and contrast are too limited, making it difficult to read at an angle. You must be staring at it head on. Third, when dialing in from the outside and entering your code, there are no prompts for the system, other than playing messages. Not even one for deleting a message, going back one, skipping ahead, etc.. Unless you carry the 95 page instruction booklet around with you, you're helpless. And last, but not least, there are occasional bursts of low volume, high frequency noise on the line. Not enough to disrupt a conversation, but enough to be a nuisance.

Even though you get a lot with this system, given its relatively high price, it leaves too much to be desired.