 "AT&T974 Small Business Speakerphone" | 2009-04-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: AC778W64P0VRY |
| Easy to set up and use. Intercom very useful.We have 4 and are purchasing more. |
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 "You need to SERIOUSLY read these reviews before purchasing this phone" | 2009-01-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A35LKVH1LCHDNE |
This phone seems to get some pretty solid reviews, and I would "generally" rate this phone about middle-of-the-road.
It usually works OK, and we don't have a LOT of problems with these phones (we've got 6 of them), but those that we do have are deal-killers. Things to note:
1) The speakerphone REALLY WORKS VERY POORLY. That's something you'll see over and over in these posts. It actually seems to get progressively worse, until it simply stops working. You might not think that's a big deal, but I assure you, it is.
2) Poor ergonomic design. It's simply not well-built and ergonomically configured. You'll see that over and over in these posts.
3) The warranty service is ATROCIOUS. I hope you never have to deal with it, but if you do, I can tell you that you might as well just forget it and buy a new one for $127.
4) This phone is not compatible with ANY other phones, AT&T or not. You can't replace ONE of these POSs with a new one after it stops working after one year----you've got to replace ALL of them.
It should be noted that this phone is NOT actually made by AT&T; it's made by some no-name company that bought rights to the AT&T name.....SO, if you expect that you'll have AT&T support or back-up on this phone, you are completely wrong. This phone is made in Indonesia, and I'm reasonably sure that's where their customer service is handled. |
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 "Lots of Features With Poor Reliability" | 2008-12-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1BZR3XGVG7BMS |
Two issues I had were:
1. When connecting to a Vonage line, Caller ID did not work until after I completely powered down the phone, including removing the backup batteries.
2. The headset volume was always too loud even when the volume was set to the minimum setting. I had to hold the phone away from my ear.
The phone is full featured and seemed ideal for my small business, but it's going to get replaced. |
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 "Overall, a Functional Product" | 2008-07-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: AKP9TZ5JPB2O4 |
| The AT&T 974 is a good small business phone. There are only two problems with it, and these appear to be common with all of the AT&T small business multi-line phones. (1) AT&T frequently introduces new models and discontinues the previous ones. Unfortunately, they do not make the intercom, and some other features, backwards-compatible. So, if you want to get the most from your system, you have to upgrade all the phones in the office. This model is discontinued, and it's replacement--I think it's the 1074--causes all sorts of problems with the 974s in the office (intercom, transfer, hold, for example). (2) When you're on a call, there should be an option to mute, or partially mute, the ringer on the other lines. It's distracting to have the phone ring at full volume when you're trying to talk to somebody else. You can press the "do not disturb" button, but if you forget to turn off "do not disturb" when you hang up, you'll miss subsequent calls. |
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 "Beware of speaker phone issues" | 2008-07-03 |
| - Reviewed By johnllaughlin2 |
| This is a very nice phone with the exception (and this goes for a number of the ATT phones) that when you use speaker phone it clips parts of the speaker's words so you miss part of the conversation. According to ATT the only way to correct this is to hold down the mute button when the caller is speaking and relaease it when you are talking. This is not progress. |
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| "Perfect for small office" | 2008-06-18 |
| - Reviewed By ncwebb2 |
Exactly what we were looking for in office with 5 phones. Without spending thousands on a complicated system we got what we wanted for under 500. Currently we have 2 lines and a fax line, they all work perfect. The intercom and transfer have saved lung power (reducing hot air therefore reducing global warming, thank me Al Gore) and leg energy! Now would like to add 2 more phone lines if I can get my wiring straightened out to make the most of the phones!
Speakerphone is the only thing that is sort of a blah. Not really that good, can cut in and out at weird times. |
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