Gigaset A420A Twin DECT Cordless Phone with Answer Machine - Black

I was looking for a telephone that could sit in a small space, had an answer machine function, but equally was reliable, user friendly and easy to use. This is a great product. The speaker function is easy to use, the second handset sits anywhere and there is no interference (as I have had so often with other makes). When there is a message the play button flashes and it is easy to check. The design has a utilitarian feel, though not too square. Really, I would recommend to anyone wanting the phone to blend in, work with ease and without paying a fortune.

I bought these phones on the strength of my previous Gigaset phones that I'd been extremely happy with. But the sound quality was not good when on speaker - it echoed quite badly that whoever I was speaking to had to ask me to turn that function off. And the range wasn't great compared to my previous Gigaset - as I could use my old handsets in the garden. Also, only a small thing, but I couldn't hold this phone between ear and shoulder without it slipping, even momentarily. I returned for a full refund and will now be looking to buy a different model in the Gigaset range.

I've only been using this 'phone for a few weeks but it seems good value so far- particularly as I only paid about £25 for it from Ligo. I needed to replace my previous telephone/answer machine which was 15 years old and I particularly wanted one on which the received messages would be recorded by date as well as by named day of the week. This Gigaset does that and shows dates on its screen as well as giving audible advice when each message is first opened. Apart from this it's fairly basic but has all the features you'd reasonably expect to find, ample directory memory (100 numbers), easy transfer of directory numbers to the other handsets, about 25 minutes of message storage, it's fairly easy to set up and use and also fairly unobtrusive in appearance, which I like.Some negative points are: the base station doesn't have a very long power cable - about 1 metre I'd say - (I bought a longer cable for £5 incl postage, from connected-4-less, who were very helpful; the red light on the base station which shows when the answer machine is switched on is not very bright and could be difficult to see if the station was located where bright sun light fell on it - however, it does flash when a new message is received, which the people at Gigaset (also very helpful) told me it wouldn't; the 'new message received' light on the handsets is a mere pin prick and could do with being much bigger - I like to be able to see this feature at a glance from across the room. The most negative point on the product is that the ring tone may be too quiet in some situations. It is adjustable and when heard in isolation seems entirely adequate but if I'm listening to the TV in the room next door to the hanset and base station I don't hear the 'phone ring. Obviously, the problem is solved by placing a handset in the same room as the TV!

I wanted a Dect phone with an extra extension and answerphone and at £25 this seemed great value, indeed the same product is on sale in Sainsbury's for about £45. They arrived on time and after a 6 hour charge were set up just to plug in and use. The phones come linked to the base unit and need no pairing up (unlike the previous BT ones we had). The menus to set up answer phone message and time/date and ringtone were really easy and I didn't need anything more than a cursory look at the instructions. Sound quality is better than the previous phone and they look really good.

I paid £29 for this telephone set and have been very happy with how it has worked. I knew the price was a bargain as I have seen exactly the same set for twice the price! I only need a basic phone and this fulfills all my needs i.e. I can store a phone list and there is a speaker facility. My main reason for changing phones was my previous phone (BT) wouldn't hold a charge. So far, this has not been a problem with the Gigaset model, but it is very early days.

This internal cordless phone is very unlike any I have used before. Setting up was a very complicated rigmarole. I'm judging this product against several types of cordless I have used at home in the last 20 years. The instruction book is very badly planned and sections keep referring to other pages and then when you turn to the detailed section there's only safety nagging, little helpful info and it refers you back to the page from where you were just sent! Answer-phone is fairly basic and works pretty well. One thing missing from the design is the ability to get a dial-tone by pressing the green receiver button - It only allows input of the number first and then it connects to the line at the point of dialling the number.The audio volume on the handset is weak and even with it set to max level it's still difficult to hear. I don't know if it has a hearing-aid friendly T-loop facility for those who need a bit more boost in the sound. The quality of the sound isn't as good as I expected for a digital phone. The ring tones are either the type that are too feeble and inaudible from 20 feet away or they're the type that are horribly shrill even when lowering the volume. It isn't bad value though - I can't criticize it for the price, but so far a few things have annoyed me.From straight out of the box the batteries have to be conditioned ie charged up and then discharged fully before re charging again to condition them on all three phones, which takes 12 hours each for handset plus the time to run each handset flat. That is not a good way to make the setup convenient.Summing up: A good try Siemens (Gigaset) but if I did a school report on their term's work, I'd say "Has an over developed sense of self-importance and must try harder"

As much of a bargain as it might be you're better off spending the extra money. It was bad enough that there was an annoying background noise almost constantly and we had to have it on speaker mode to be able to have a conversation but to add to it all 6 months after it was bought it stopped working. One day it was fine the next day there was no sign of life. The screws on the plug aren't standard screws so you can't even replace the fuse.