The Step-by-Step Choice is not playing messages or plays them intermittently.
Updated
We recommend replacing the battery. If the battery is low or dead it can cause issues with playback and recording. We recommend using a regular alkaline battery. If you use a battery that is labeled “Heavy Duty”, “Industrial Grade”, or “ProCell” it is likely causing the issue. They handle power draw differently than regular alkaline batteries, and when used in our devices they react like low/dead batteries.
Check that you have a message recorded on the Step-by-Step Choice. If the Record light flashes yellow one time when the when the Switch Top is pressed it indicates that there is not a message recorded. If the light flashes red one time when the switch top is pressed the device is attempting to playback a recording.
Release all recordings from the Step-by-Step Choice. You can do this by pressing and holding the record button (8-15 sec) until you hear a beep. This is called a “Master Clear” and can help in resolving anomalous issues of this type.