Motorola Digital Cordless Phone MD481 - Cordless phone ...

Amazon.com Product Description:
Motorola's MD481 2.4 GHz digital cordless phone offers users a wealth of high call-quality features, an integrated digital answering system, and a stylish silver design. With speakerphone capability from both base and handset, dual dialing and display, plus caller ID with a combined memory of 99 names and numbers (50 stored in handset, 49 stored in base), the MD481 is also expandable. The MD481 comes with one handset, yet is expandable up to four, with the addition of one, two, or three MD41 supplemental handsets, without the need for additional phone jacks. Both standard and supplemental handsets offer the same great features, including a four-line LCD that lets you access all call information (with date/time stamping and special feature icons) plus illuminated keypad, walkie talkie function, and more. The MD481 base unit houses a digital answering system, with up to 15 minutes of message recording time, and is desk or wall mountable. It comes backed by a one-year warranty. What's in the Box MD481 base, handset, NiCD battery pack, charging transformer, telephone line cord, wall bracket, user manual, one-year limited warranty

Looks nice, BUT:
This phone has great options, however the buttons cease to work after a little while and the battery duration is terrible. Looks can be deceiving and Motorola is ZERO help. I will not be purchasing a Motorola product again.

Just bad:
Great phone at first and then about a year later the buttons slowly started getting harder to press until they just no longer worked. I also had to replace the battery several times. I bought a replacement handset and that one went bad too. These phones are junk. Do not buy it.

How to fix the buttons:
If the buttons on the handset stop responding and you are about to throw it away, my wife and I found a way to fix it. We took the handset apart (two screws in the battery compartment and two under a panel just above the belt clip) and took out the circuit board. You'll want to disconnect the battery first. Then we used a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to clean the button-side of the circuit board and the underside of the buttons. There appears to be some sort of oily substance there that cleans off easily. We put it back together and it works like day one.

Great features, lousy handset!:
The handset is no longer usable - the buttons simply don't connect any more - there doesn't seem to be any way to get a replacement handset! Still, I got two years out of my purchase which is long than some of the other reviewers.

Don't buy this phone.:
I bought this phone due to the ability to conference other wireless phones by using the intercom feature. That works great! Now, for the bad points. The numbers on the phone become unresponsive and are very difficult to press. Also, the battery life is terrible. In addition, the answering machine has several quirks that are annoying. You can't delete a message until the voice stops introducing the message. In addition, the volume is either way too high or too low with a given setting.