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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
Unit lasted only two months on battery power. (A/C plug option would have been a nice feature if available) Backlit display was hard to read in any light. LCD screen display malfunctioned after only a month, (not able to read all words and numbers on display.) This was used in a business and was never dropped or abused, had it been, it wouldn't have lasted as long as the two short months it did.
from Fairfield, CT on 11/6/2008
This is my 2nd caller I.D. purchased from R.S. First one only lasted a little over a year before LCD screen went blank. No instructions on how to set the clock??
why don't the directions say how to set up the time? Very large oversight by Radio Shack. If it sets up automatically the directions should say so.
from Burlington, Vermont on 10/27/2008
I bought this unit because it's back-lit. Despite adjusting the contrast, the display is very hard to read. I've mounted the unit on the wall, and I find myself bobbing up and down trying to find an angle where the display is readable.
[...] That said, I have two units connected two different lines, and they're fairly easy to read when a call comes in and I'm not on the line. If I am on the line, the unit behaves sporadically. Sometimes it lights up and sometimes it doesn't. The worst (unintended) "feature" is that if I'm on the line, and a call comes in via call waiting, my current call gets bumped off into the "queue" and I find myself speaking to the new caller - I have no chance to review the calls. (At least one other person reported this behavior below.)Since one line is connected to a cable modem supplied by my cable company and the other is a "phone company" line, the problem is almost certainly due to a design flaw in the unit. Unfortunately, it took months to figure out that these units were the causing the problem because we put in other new phone equipment at about the same time and also installed one of the lines. Radio Shack should give a refund to everyone who purchased this unit and switch to a supplier who knows how to design and build them properly.
This has never had good display and I do not know what to do to make it better -
from Saginaw Michigan on 8/23/2008
You don't have the option of plugging it into the wall. It runs on batteries, and they last about 6 months. The call waiting feature works fine with my wired (not cable) phone system. Not a bad product for the price.
Bad choice of blue backlit display. Very hard to read,no matter how I adjust it.
No instructions on how to set time. After wasting
20 minutes I find out that the unit sets its own time.
VERY POOR DISPLAY. THE LIGHT MUST BE JUST RIGHT FOR THE DISPLAY TO BE HALF USEFUL. I PREFER THE SMALL ID LIKE THE GE SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT. EASY DISPLAY TO READ.
Man, this thing runs through the 4 x AA batteries. I ended up hard wiring a 6vdc wall wart to it, so at least I didnt throw it away.
Hard to believe everyone is describing the same product, some love it and some hate it. The display is adjustable for contrast and is sharp and clear. The time on caller IDs is set by the phone line, I don't understand why some people aren't getting that. The controls are logical and easy to use. Call-waiting feature works perfectly. Best feature is it's style, caller ID boxes are usually totally ugly, this one looks good and can even be mounted on the wall.
The instructions do not tell how to set the time and date. The instructions are incomplete and poorly written.
I purchased this particular caller ID because of the larger size and backlit display. It works great, and I can see it fine from any angle on my desk. I would definitely recommend it to others.
The contrast cannot be set to view the information. The large screen doesn't help if the print is not visible.
from Washington, DC area on 6/9/2008
As many have mentioned, the display -- the whole reason for buying the box -- is impossible to see let alone read! I have replaced the batteries and adjusted the LCD contrast as stated in the User's Guide numerous times. The only time you can barely make out even faint images on the screen is when the room is pitch dark. If you want to toss out you money for something that doesn't work, be my guest!
The caller id works fine for me, and for the person who has to erase one at a time, the trick is to hit delete when "no new calls" is displayed and at the same time hit the review button. It will ask if you want to delete all calls, and you hit delete again. My problem with the unit is that instead of displaying the waiting call, I am switched to it. Verizon told me to unplug the phone cord and replug it in. That worked on my other caller id phones but not on this one. It's very disconcerting, and I think I need to junk this whole configuration, which includes my favorite (non caller id) phone.
from Roswell, GA on 2/24/2008
I use it to screen calls of people I don't want to talk with or talk with at the moment. And I use the call back feature often.
Now If I can get my cable phone company to fix their time setting, all will be well. It now shows time to be 1 hour, 15 minutes earlier that it actually is.
It quit working 2 months after the one year warranty expired .
In order to erase all of your 99 messages you have to review them all on at a time first which is a pain.
The main thing I don't like is, You cannot see who is calling when you are already on a call. I like the size of the screen. Should have read the box before purchasing, never would have.
I bought this because my husband had difficulty reading the caller ID display on our phone and I thought this would be easier for him. Like the other reviewers said, unless the room is dark and you have the contrast turned all the way up, forget it. The unit is not user-friendly whatsoever!!!
from Bessemer, PA on 1/18/2008
My phone service is now through my cable company. If it weren't for the good deal I would have dumped them a while ago. I have phones with called ID though out the house, and when the phone rings my called ID built into the phone doesn't always work. This is only because I switched and it is now through the cable Co. I never had this problem with my old carrier. I have one phone that does not have the ID built into it. We purchased the ID unit that is seperate from the phone and that is the only ID unit in this entire house that does not give me grief. It works all the time. This ID caller must like working with the cable Co, must be compatible.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
It caused incoming calls to break in and disconnect the call I was on. It caused the phone to lose its dial tone. I had to disconnect the box from the phone and then reconnect it to get the dial tone back.
The display is horrible. Extremely hard to read. Nice big screen, but unless it's pitch black in the room it's very hard to read. I would not recommend this unit
from Southern New Mexico on 1/4/2008
The size and features are fine. It is an attractive desktop unit. BUT... the display is extremely difficult to read under normal room lighting. Sometimes it is impossible to read at all even with the contrast at maximum. Very irritating.
Battery life is not terrific and there is no AC capability at all.
I originally had this unit connected to the same phone line as my PC. With this setup, the internal modem of the PC would never see a dial tone. I have it connected to the second phone line now. I never investigated this any further but tested it to be factual several times.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Got one for my grandparents and they loved it's simplicity. Finally got new phone service that includes caller id so now I got one.
The old one used AC power with battery-backup; this uses batteries only. Also, the contrast has to be turned all the way up to be readable but is still fairly good.
Can't wait to get the second one installed!
from Greensboro, NC on 11/18/2007
My first unit failed after about 3 years. I loved it so much that I bought a second one. That one has just gone out after 2 yrs and 4 months. I still love the unit, so I'm going out tomorrow to buy a third one. I just wish that they lasted longer, but hey, for only 20 bucks, what more can you ask for?
Usual gray on blue/gray display nearly impossible to read in any light. Purchased today & will return tomorrow. A bright red or orange display is needed same as used on clocks & other appliances. Package illustrates legible display but actual unit is not as shown.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I can't speak for the product yet because I just got it. However, if it had not been for other reviews, I think I would have gone crazy trying to figure out how to get the date and time right. They really need to add a small note in the directions about not needing to worry about programing the date/time and that they fix themselves.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Leesville, SC on 8/30/2007
Ok, I will admit I work with this sort of stuff for a living. Obvioulsy, the people buying this unit and in some cases selling it have never had a caller id before.ALL caller ids have the time and date set by the phone company. It is set on the first incoming call. To print it in the directions would be nice for those that don't have a clue.[...]
from Anaheim, CA on 8/7/2007
It is easy to use I believe and I agree that the contrast is not very brite. But my biggest issue is how the heck do you adjust time and date? There is not even an answer to that in the instructions or on the internet and the store employess couldn't figure it out either. Their manager is trying right now. How frusterating. I just want the darn time and date to be correct.
from Minneapolis, MN on 7/19/2007
The larger character display should be useful to visually impaired but it lacks clarity. Increasing contrast from the 3 level degrades the display further. The blue color results in a dim display with poor contrast all resulting in poor readability. Too bad because there is a need.
It was very frustrating that the instruction manual did not say that time and date was automatically adjusted upon the very first call. They should have said so in the manuel. Very hard to see numbers and letters. Need to move the Box to see better.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Be advised: The DATE on the display will not show until you have RECEIVED YOUR FIRST CALL. The time is automatically adjusted by the telephone line information. Great unit and good value. Follow instructions exactly to adjust contrast, etc.
I bought this because of its large backlit display screen, but the display is so dim that I am returning it. It is difficult to read even in the dark.
This unit is suppose to have the call-waiting feature. If you are on a call and another call comes in it is suppose to display the second call. It does not, I bought one and had to return it. Luckily you have a good return policy.
Very hard to read (with or without background lighting). Contrast adjustment doesn't help. Am returning to store.
This is not a comment on how well the unit works. I don't know yet. But I agree with the other reviewer -- I want to set the date and time, but have no instructions to guide me. It starts with 01/01 at 12:00 a.m. and goes forward from there. I tried pushing the buttons, but got no response. I suppose I could unplug it at midnight New Year's Eve and all would be well . . .
This is my second review. I still have not owned this unit long enough to guage its reliability. But I have to amend my comments. The miracle of electronics somehow taught my unit what day is today and what time it is in my time zone. No adjustment is necessary. The instructional materials should alert the new owner to this wonderful feature, thereby reducing buyer remorse.
When I first got it. It was fine. When I just moved. I started using it. I hear a radio channel through the phone line. All my other phone equipment is fine. Now I have to buy a new caller Id box.
Just bought the unit so too early to rate performance. The unit has a date and time setting but the owner's manual has not one word about how to set these. What's the point of having them if you can't set them up? Recommend you don't keep this kind of info. a secret!!
OK, so far, but I have call waiting and other CID devices. When I'm on the phone and another call comes in, the Radio Shack CID box is the only CID device that shows the incoming call's number. The other CID devices no longer display the incoming call's number.