RCA 25255RE2 DECT 6.0 2-Line Corded/Cordless Telephone with Digital Answering System

Phone Revision Issue, BadSound Explained

This is a very nice phone with great features. I wanted the long record time (60 minutes!). BUT, there's an issue with compatibility with the expansion phones. The phone I have is...Read complete review

This is a very nice phone with great features. I wanted the long record time (60 minutes!). BUT, there's an issue with compatibility with the expansion phones. The phone I have is model number 25255RE2-A. The "-A" is important! As it turns out, only handsets with the model number ending in "-A" work cleanly. Handset 25055RE1-A works great, great sound quality, no static. BUT, 25055RE1 without the -A is awful! Lots of dropouts from the remote side, so bad that I could barely make them out. Attempting to get an extension that worked, I ended up trying THREE of these without the "-A" and all sound terrible! All my phones WITH the "-A" work fine. Note there are also differences in the D-Pad functions between these two model numbers. WITH the -A, when the phone is idle, if I push the D-Pad down (down volume), it immediately rings the phone and allows you to set the ringer volume. Without the -A, it goes to a menu choice to let you choose this function (which I prefer). They also have different functionality for font selection when entering names in the directory, etc. BUT, worse of all, WITHOUT the -A, the directory functions don't work at all with the base unit! Trying to upload the directory, you get "unavailable". Trying to download the directory to the handset, you get the same thing. So an important piece of functionality is also missing.
I've tried 3 Staples locally to replace the handset and non have another -A, so it looks like I'm going to have to give up on this phone and get another model. Sadly, few have long record time, so I'll lose this feature. I went to RCA's website to see about getting assistance, and I found they don't even list this phone there, so its also already discontinued apparently. As such, I worry about getting handsets replaced or getting new ones, as I'd have to get the -A model. That brings up the last big issue, both versions have the EXACT SAME SKU so there's not much of a way to know before hand what you'd get. Sorry RCA, but that is a major blunder. And, it does explain why many report great sound quality, while other report terrible sound quality, it apparently depends on the revision of the base and handset you have...and to make them the same SKU, really bad.