Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful.
Some nice bells and whistles; can be complex and frustrating
By Matt
I've been using this answering machine for almost two years now. I was originally attracted to it's multiple mailboxes and spoken-aloud caller ID feature. It delivers quite well on those two features, but is otherwise frustrating to use.All of the unit's features are configured by pressing a single 'setup' button, and all the options are voice menu driven. This seems very convenient, but in reality it takes a good couple of minutes to cycle through all the dozens of options available to find the one you want and then set it properly. The prompts are unclear and the settings cryptic.The absence of a back-up battery means that I lose my outgoing greeting about once a month on average. I would not recommend this unit if you have regular power outages (even a brief power 'hiccup' will reset the unit).Probably my biggest issue with this unit is that it doesn't always work well via remote operation (when I call home using a touch tone phone). Even when I'm calling the machine from a quiet room using a regular (not cell) phone, I often find I need to enter my passcode at LEAST twice before it is recognized (and sometimes as many as 3 or 4 times). Also, the other remote operation codes are very unfriendly to enter and remember.I've had about half a dozen answering machines in my lifetime. Comparatively, I'd say that this unit offers slightly above-average quality, but is also by far the most complex to operate.
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful.
True Technology Value
By A Customer
This machine is yet another illustration of how quickly technology innovation moves forward (the cynical person would wonder if the vendors were intentionally keeping these machines less capable to sell their ever-green answering services).
This machine is very small and packed with features. The one review here at Amazon.com said that you couldn't see the caller's ID. This is true but the ATT1726 will speak the number for you before you have to answer the phone. Way cool.
Other outstanding features: 1. A priority code lets your important callers signal that they're on the line via a special ring; 2. Set your toll saver not only to 2/4 but also to 4/6 or up to 7 rings; 3. With caller ID, the machine will store the incoming number with the message and even (get this, telemarketing haters!) have an automatic message for blocked ID calls saying they can not be accepted and then just hang up; 4. Have callers select a mailbox for their message using a key press--good for roommates; 5. great remote access controls, multiple outgoing messages, announcement only, memory protection for power failures, listen to messages at fast or slow speeds, customizable options like call screening (on/off) and message alerts (beep sound/nothing)...I could go on but you get the point. I had ATT's last machine (the 1725) for years and this is a stellar upgrade. The only drawback I can think of is that the engineers overloaded the buttons with different functions (prob. to save space) making the interface a bit dodgy--setup can be tricky. Great instructions, though.
This thing is awesome. And J&R sell it for [money]!! The price at Amazon.com [money] can't be beat. Although I just got the machine and don't know yet about service issues and the like, my recommendation is to get rid of those silly answering services and save some bucks.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Decent features, crummy documentation, mediocre sound
By A Customer
After having my faithful dual-cassette answering machine finally expire after more than a decade of use, I'm thrust into the painful position of being forced to choose one of these "digital" models. I can't seem to find any models that anyone really recommmends, it seems this new generation of answering machines tends towards mediocre sound quality *and* short lifespan. But I digress, so I'll comment on my limited experience with the AT&T 1726, which I've only set up tonight.
First, the documentation is not even sufficient to explain fully how to record the greeting. As another reviewer mentioned, after selecting the greeting one wishes to record, you have to sit and wait about 15-20 seconds before the unit will go into a state that allows you to record. The manual does not mention this waiting period at all, it implies you can record immediately. This model has been out quite a while, plenty of time for AT&T to have updated/corrected the documentation. Thanks to reviewer T B Curtz, without the info provided in his review, I'd still be fumbling around trying to get this unit to record the greeting. I'm good at following instructions, and technically-minded (engineer), so I'm not accustomed to being baffled by a simple piece of consumer equipment.
The sound quality of the recorded outgoing message is poor. It sounds as if it was recorded underwater, with uneven volume, and cuts off with a burst of static. I've only listened to one incoming message, which sounded better than the outgoing recording, but still had a muffled, filtered quality.
When replaying a message, you can skip back to the beginning of the message, but there does not appear to be a "partial skip" in case you want to just listen to the previous 5-10 seconds of a message. With my old tape unit, the manual rewind control was handy for this, but with the AT&T if you miss some content, you have to listen through the whole message again. This lack of a partial rewind feature may be typical for digital units, but is especially missed if the sound quality is muffled.
I don't understand why the designers of this type of equipment (not just AT&T, all answering machines) don't focus more on sound quality. Why did my 10-year-old dual-tape unit sound better than a brand new digital unit? And shouldn't there be testers who approve the documentation, to ensure that a new user following the instructions can actually operate the unit? So, in summary, I can't recommend this unit, although honestly I don't know how it compares to other digital answering machines. I believe if someone produced a sturdy analog dual-microcassete unit, in the $30-50 range, there would be huge demand.
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