Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: below average

Although this phone has decent features for a low price, the sound quality is lacking. Ever since I received this phone as a gift over a year ago people talking to me wondered if I was speaking through a cell phone, or if I was receiving another incoming call. A lot of conversations sounded choppy or broken to either party, sometimes forcing an early end to long distance calls. Another reviewer mentioned that he was able to get range of up to 50 meters, mine got nowhere near that, and this model did not include backlit #'s either. I leave the handset on the charger a majority of the time, so battery life issues haven't surfaced. Otherwise, the answering machine and speakerphone work well and would have raised the overall rating to 4 stars if not for the inconsistant sound quality.