Home > Consumer Reviews > AT&T E2562 2.4 GHz DSS 2-Line Expandable Cordless Phone with Answering System and Corded Base

It was mildly reassuring to read that many other customers also experienced a recurring malfunction with this phone's answering system, cutting off callers mid-mssg. But how did ATT screw up a product this badly? They should recall it. In addition, the number of steps required to switch between lines is laughable and impractical. I hate this phone and want my old Panasonic 2-line corded phone back. But they don't make it anymore!

In replacing a Siemens Gigaset that had outstayed its welcome, we figured we would "upgrade" to a 5.8 system for our house. Needed 2 lines and an answering machine, along with expandability of 8 additional phones or so- not much out there- Panasonic has some nice models but does not offer capacity for enough cordless extensions. The Uniden 5.8 model that has a voice mail indicator but no answering machine was the closest match. Quickly learned that a 5.8 phone simply has less range than a 2.4 phone. As we have a fairly large house this became an issue and I purchased the AT&T. The range is excellent- much better than the Uniden 5.8 and slightly better than the old Siemens system. The phones are attractive and dont look like toys. Sound quality on the phones is very good- we use VOIP on Line 1 and a standard telephone co line on Line 2 with no problems at all. Answering machine sound quality could be better, but is not terrible. Answering machine has not cut off any callers- maybe that bug was fixed by AT&T (I also located online a user installable patch that is supoosed to fix that problem, but have not had the need to try it). The only annoying thing is the "new call" indicator on the phones. We have 8 cordless sets and each one registers each "new call" and displays it (for example- the phone next to my computer now says "23 new calls") and I believe the only way to clear the display is to reset the base and each hadset individually. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but so far, I am very pleased.

I had a Panasonic system and it went through batteries like water. The batteries were not inexpensive, either. I happened across a complaint site and found that Panasonic has known about this problem for some time, and do not care. I then decided not to buy another battery, but to get a new phone.

I have a business in my home, so I need both lines and I need two lines on my answering machine. This phone did that for me, and I love the fact that the base is corded, so the kids aren't always running off with my phone.

The cordless model is cool because you plug it into an electric outlet--no phone cord needed, and you are ready to go. I have had zero problems with the phone, I'd buy it again in a heart beat.

This unit has worked well but it does have some bad habits.

If a handset totally discharges I don't even try the cradle charger - I take the battery out and insert it into the base for charging.

It has cut off messages - mid sentence, no big pause - I have no idea why.

It appeared the base unit had died after a power failure - it refused to power on when AC had returned. The ac adapter seemed to be working, I took a dead battery out of the base, put in a charged battery and it came back to life. I put it back on ac, reinstalled the dead battery and all is well again.

Aside from some dopey behavior, the sound quality and reception are good. The speaker phone mode on the handset was a pleasant surprise - it works well. The speaker phone on the base is so so - I use a headset instead.

As others have noted, the answering machine cuts off roughly a third of income messages, prompting the caller to enter a security code. Also, the battery on the handset died after less than a year. When I try to charge it, it seems to reset itself and beep loudly every few seconds. I would not buy this product again.

I just ordered a Panasonic KX-TG6502B to replace this unit.