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1247 Review
52 Karma

Review on VTech VTSN5147 Amplified Cordless Answering by Kevin Abner

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Works as advertised but wish it could also accommodate low vision

I bought this phone for my elderly mother who has good hearing but poor vision due to cataract surgery. The purpose of the purchase was to get a phone that would make it easier to make emergency calls and avoid unwanted calls. The ringer of this phone is very loud, but you can turn it off. We had to turn the volume down to almost zero and use the kitchen phone ringer and it was very loud. Image buttons are too small. I hardly see the pictures, so my mother doesn't see them at all. Instead, I'm thinking about using a color block and hanging the chart on the wall for reference. Caller ID blocking seems to be working fine. Sometimes there are glitches, but in general it seems normal. The phone is the problem. The buttons are too close together and the power button is next to the auto select buttons. I think the design could be better. Generally used, but I think this phone could use some changes to make it easier for the elderly. Finally, I wish the displays could be changed to different languages, just like the LCD screen. It doesn't matter if the LCD screen can be swapped out if you can't see it and the voice messages are the same. I know this is a phone for the hearing impaired, not the visually impaired, so I gave it a 4 rating. I really think it works well for listening. Not so much for older people.

Pros
  • Pleasant to use
Cons
  • Almost never