Ack! My parents still have a rotary phone.

[stevew]

I've been trying all day to call and set up utilities in my new apartment, and the process has been impeded by the fact that my parents phone does not yet support the "touch tone" feature.

[tategter]

Don't mean to threadjack, but if you want some good comedy, try watching an 11-year-old attempt to dial a rotary phone. Brought my niece over to my grandmother's house and she had to call her mother. I was almost in stitches watching her. Out of mercy I let her use my cell.

[JeeberD]

Wow, I haven't seen a rotary phone in probably twelve years. Damn things took forever to dial...

[Radii]

My grandfather still has one, perhaps 2. He wouldn't go out and buy himself a new phone, so after a few months of waiting 8-9 rings for him to answer(he is 88), my parents bought him a cordless and put it right next to his favorite recliner.

[Coffee Warlord]

Heh, want pain. One of my best friends as a kid had a rotary phone.

My house phone number? 0040. Poor guy.

[judicial clerk]

I hope none of these people with an old rotary telephone are still leasing them from the phone company.

[albionmoonlight]

My parents leased their phone from the phone company well into the 90s. It just never occured to them to switch until my sister and I found out and went out and bought them a new phone.

My parents do not ascribe to the "change is good" school of thought. They learn what they need to to survive and just get along that way.

[Troll]

My grandma still has one. She has a cordless too, but in the living room with the tv is her rotary phone. I laugh everytime I see it.

[Hurst2112]

Originally Posted by judicial clerk

I hope none of these people with an old rotary telephone are still leasing them from the phone company.

Funny you should say that. I think I posted this a couple years ago, but it is worth repeating because of this thread.

My grandparents leased a phone from "Ma Bell" 25-30 years ago or so. I remember they had it for quite awhile. Anyway, it turns out that they ended up paying for the phone for an extra 6 or 7 years after they got rid of it. They always had a charge on their new bill (Ameritech) that was for the lease of the phone. Needless to say, they worked on getting the extra charges dropped, with success if I am not mistaken. Still, it's pretty funny to know that my grandparents (and probably more older people out there) had this charge on their bill and forgot about it.

I remember going to a department store, Gimball's or Prange's, and looking at a section of phones under a glass counter. I was about 4 or 5 but I still remember that they were pretty damn expensive. I am guessing that it was an American Bell store and was the only place to get phones at that time. They did have the newer 'push button' phones out though.

[Hurst2112]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Heh, want pain. One of my best friends as a kid had a rotary phone.

My house phone number? 0040. Poor guy.

A day of calling a number with that many zeros could really eat up your finger. The holes just weren't that user friendly. My friend had a similar number. Having an older sister, his line would always be busy. The pain I went through to call him to do something was an attestment to our close friendship.

I remember our first phone that had 'redial'. I thought that was the next best thing since Head To Head Hockey.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

I have a rotary phone. A black one.

I had purchased a new sony cordless phone only ($129) to have it crap out on me. While it was in the shop (2 weeks) I needed a phone. I found this one at the salvation army shop ($3.50). When I got the sony back, it still wasn't fixed. It went back in the shop for another two weeks. This continued a few more times until I just gave up and lived with the horrible static on the sony. That phone died about 8 years ago, but the old rotary still works great! Why would I need another phone? Most times I can get by a stupid touch-tone menu by simply waiting on the line and actually speaking with a live human being!!!

And I know what it's like seeing a kid try to use it. It is hilarious!