Home > Consumer Reviews > GE 29992 Digital Messaging System with Caller ID

This caller-ID enabled answering machine is well worth paying extra for as compared to other caller-ID enabled answering machines due to its Message Plus+ features (not mentioned in features).

This one specifically allows you to have up to 50 phone numbers in a VIP list where you can assign up to 6 different recorded greetings. The person has to call first before you can add them. This is great to handle the calls from the carpet cleaning, water filter, ... companies (not UNKNOWN). After they call you the first time, you can record a greeting telling them to take you off their list and it won't even allow them to leave a message. It also has a greeting for blocked (private) calls.

For the numbers you don't want to hear, it can send them straight to an assigned greeting and allow them to leave a message (if you allow them). For calls from family and friends, you can set it to ring the phone longer (with 1 of 3 different tones) so you know it is a call you want to answer. You can also define the length of the message a person can leave.

The only number it can't handle directly is the UNKNOWN. You can't assign a greating/don't leave a message to it directly. So this is its only weakness. The unknown callers can be directed to voice mail indirectly by adding numbers to the VIP list. Any call not on the VIP list can be sent to voicemail sooner (after 2 rings) as well as known callers you want to send sooner.

The only caller ID based answering machine that I have seen that comes even close (some,not very) to these features is the Lucent/ATT 7720 cordless (*not 900 Mhz) callerID, speaker phone, answering machine. Which is nice, but not 900 MHz, so the sound quality it not that good. The ATT stand alone CID answering machines don't even have these features (or they don't show them in their features).

I am quite satisfied with my purchase of the 29992 answering system, though at $70 I should think I would be.

In purchasing this product, I was replacing an earlier Panasonic digital messaging system. My complaint about that unit was voice quality, and this Thomson/GE product seems to remedy that quite well, though the message time is limited (11 minutes). If you are using a microcassette based answering machine, you really might want to try a digital model. Digital messages are much more convenient and the voice quality appears to be ready for prime time.

Integration with caller ID is great and there are some nifty features you can utilize here, provided, of course, that you subscribe to the service from you local phone company. You can, for example, have a special outgoing greeting for a given incoming number ("Hi Mom, I'm really not here. I'm not screening your call.") You can also send callers who block their numbers immediately into the answering system. You can specify an answer for this situation that lets the caller know that they might want to unblock their number from being transmitted (though I guess that's a bit preachy). Even if you don't utilize these types of features, it's nice to be able to scan through your messages on the caller ID display. In this mode, you can see which calls have messages associated with them and play them at that time.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this product. You pay a bit for the features, but you get quite a few perks in return.

This machine presents itself as a clever little item allowing you to set up a variety of personal or prerecorded messages for incoming numbers. It even has the ability to refuse a call, which I use often because my new phone number must have been someone's fax number at one time and whenever I hear those annoying beeps, I set the machine to refuse the call from then on. The downside to the machine comes in two forms. Since you hae all this ability to make a variety of messages, and since the total amount of recording time on the chip is about fourteen minutes, the machine's minimal message time for each caller is TWO minutes. It seems the minimum should be 30 seconds. The biggest drawback to the machine is that to turn it off or on you are required to go through two screens of menus and several selection choices, like language and time settings, before you can finally turn it off. If GE could not provide a simple switch, then at least the on/off choice should be the first one to appear. In my case I have less frequency (like never) to change my language choice and more frequency to turn it off or on.

For the price I paid for this thing, it's well worth it. The sound on it is crisp and clear. Has a TON of features. Even when the power goes out, everything is saved when it comes back on with out a battery.

The Good: Great Sound Quality, Tons Of Features. Good remote options The Bad: Might Be A Little complicated for the new user and a lot of features you really don't need might interfere if you don't know how to set it up properly The Bottom Line: The best one I have owned. And for the price you really can't go wrong, you really can't.

Some stuff it has on it Caller ID with call waiting 14 minutes of full-digital recording time with remote voice menu 3-Line backlit caller ID display (99 name and number memory) 50 programmable numbers for any of 5 custom responses Light weight (0.8 pounds)

It truly is more than your basic answering machine. I would pick one up and toss the tape.

I was looking for an answering machine that actually used the Caller ID information.

PROS

Great for screening calls - Saved me countless hours from having to talk to telemarketers

Distinctive Ring Tones - Create up to three groups of callers and assign each group with a distinctive ring (so you don't have to look at the machine's display)

Reject Call Option - Selectively reject calls from chosen numbers with a standard announcement, and disconnects the line without taking a message

Create personalized greetings/messages for up to 5(?) phone#s

CONS

if the caller doesn't speak loud enough, the machine may disconnect the call

i wish it had a bigger address book for ph#s