This very cheap telephone has resided in my utility room for some time now, I remember paying just £3.79 for it around three years ago and it has proved itself to be an extremely good buy and one I am very glad I made.

I had been looking for a telephone for the utility room for some time, but as it is located outside I was loath to spend too much money as I was concerned about the cold and damp conditions giving any telephone I chose a shorter lifespan than would be expected.

The Tesco Value Gondola phone is a wonderful purchase as it works so very well, you would never guess that it is such a cheap product as it not only works but also looks very nice indeed. The cradle can be screwed into the wall, or alternatively can simply be laid down on a work surface. When I first bought mine I had my neighbour attach it to the wall, although I took it down a few days later as I didn't want the chill from the wall affecting the performance of the telephone.

As you'd expect, this phone was certainly not designed to compete with branded landline telephones. On the handset it simply has the usual numerical buttons, as well as a Redial button and a button to 'mute' your end of the conversation for privacy from whomever you are talking to on the other end.  When using this telephone I can hear the other person talking very clearly and I am also confident that they can hear me as well as if I were using one of the more costly telephones in my home. I have never experienced a static or poor line, which is quite surprising considering how cheap this telephone is.

One problem I have is the buttons on the handset, which are very small. My eyesight isn't what it used to be and I struggle to make out the numbers, this doesn't cause too many problems as I tend to only use this telephone to answer incoming calls but I'm sure I would run into difficulties should I attempt to dial out. It is also not possible to change the volume on the handset (although you can thankfully turn down the very loud ringer), this is a shame as sometimes I will receive a call which is very faint and I think it would be very useful to be able to turn the volume up in these instances.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase of this telephone, it has fulfilled a need I had at the time and despite the fact that I was intending to replace it I have since realised that there is no reason whatsoever to do so. I'll admit it's not the most attractive of telephones, but in this particular room I look for functionality over beauty so this is not a problem. 

I feel incredibly churlish here as I do have a complaint regarding the fit of the telephone into the cradle. Whilst fitted to the wall it is fine, with the telephone sliding into the correct position automatically - but since I placed my cradle on the worktop I've noticed the telephone fits in at a very unnatural and awkward angle. I often get the cord all tangled in the cradle, preventing the telephone sitting as straight as it should. This may not be something you consider when you buy a telephone, but as someone with arthritis in my hands I'd suggest it may not be suitable if you have problems with your coordination - or simply aren't as dexterous as you used to be!

Regardless, I do think this telephone is a bargain.  I have had three years of completely trouble free use and have no plans to replace it. The white is looking rather grubby now, but I cannot complain as my utility room opens onto the back garden so my hands are rarely terribly clean when I use this telephone. I wipe it over occasionally and this has helped it remain white over the years, I suspect it will never look completely clean again as the plastic itself has started to become discoloured but it certainly doesn't look old enough to throw out yet!