The Siemens Gigaset is great as far as features go, operating like a
> little PBX (the extensions dial each other, the base unit does the
> actual telecom work of dialing while the handsets just act like
> recievers).
> Unfortunately, the Siemens quality sucks. It works for about a year
> before it starts flaking out -- we've already gone through 2 base
> units, and Siemens customer support is worse than their reliability.
> So, I'm in the market for a new system. I got the Panasonic 2 line
> 6502, but feature-wise its horrible. (I'm so tired of seeing "24
> missed calls" on the handset that was lost under the couch).
> Is there a good system out there? Cost is really no issue -- I'm
> desperate for feature parity with the Siemens -- cordless handsets (6
> or more), base unit does all the dialing, multiple lines (2),
> answering machine, transfer & conference between handsets... Surely
> there must be something out there!
Rob, I went through the same problems with the Siemens Gigaset. I replaced it with an AT&T-branded multi-set system (actually made by Vtech, I think). It's a great improvement, but not perfect. I looked at the Panasonic multi-set systems, but the handsets were too gadgety. The AT&T 2-line system handles up to 8 or 9 handsets and has a corded base station; both the base station and the cordless handsets can be used as speakerphones.
Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD (USA) (Replace "example.invalid" with "com" in my address.)