This phone is consistent with the quality of phones I've received from Cingular. It's A PIECE OF CRAP! I too, get no reception in my own house, and it holds a call like greased hands hold a greased ball of grease that was soaked with grease with a grease soaker. It is the worst of the worst. The speaker is crap, of you shift it at all from your EAR HOLE... sorry for the technical lingo... but if you do that, you won't hear anything. It won't charge unless the phone is turned off, and the battery lasts for about two hours of talk time, and about a day of powered on time. The most irritating part is the battery, but the dropped calls is a close second. I swear you can have five bars, but as soon as you push the call button, it will drop to two... DO NOT CHEAP OUT AND GET THIS PHONE! UPGRADE!