Comments

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 6:47

1- whatever

WAAA WAAA WAAA. Are you going to report it to the FBI as hate crime too?

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 8:04

2- Pete Barr-watson

is that (automated) comment spam? I'm not sure and don't want to remove it if it is a genuine opinion from someone however little sense it makes...

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 9:04

3- Ed

Hmm perhaps the warning of a Beta service failed to keep you informed? Boohooo, I'm too retarded to use a computer so I blame other people. It has been working for me for the last 2 months flawlessly.

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 9:26

4- Boris

Wow Pete, you have some pretty nasty guests here... Tracerouting their IPs put one in Sweden and the other at Washington State University.

Very odd.

Personally, I have a "Be nice or leave" policy. I'd feel no shame deleting these. ;)

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 10:00

5- James Weston

Im sorry to hear that you have been having problems with Skype, its the best telephony software since Intel Internet Phone, and that was released a LONG time ago.

What on EARTH made you put FIFTY Euroes into your Skype out account? The whole point of skype is that you use it to Skype other users of skype not call ordinary phones. We have been using it for ages, All my friends use, it, my 65 year old mother uses it to call me from the states. Its so simple that a child could use it.

50 Euro is a lot of money to put into a phone account. I have never put more than 15 into my pay as you go cellular account. Im afraid that the problem is with you, and not Skype, which is actualy a beta product. If you want to help them develop Skype out, sure, put 10 euro into your skype out account and give it a whirl. The call charges are so low it would last you for ages. Putting 50 euro into is is just reckless.

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 11:13

6- Pete Barr-watson

no one should charge for a beta service "ed" and, whilst I welcome comments from both sides of the argument, hiding your identity is just cowardly.

Boris: hmmm - I try to keep an open mind about this kind of thing. Maybe I should put a coward's policy in - if you don't have the guts to stand by your comments then you can't comment...

James: Actually half the point of skype is that you can call normal phones from it - hence the €50 credit - I have iChat and other IM clients to talk between computers - most of which work better than skype for that function. Having worked in the software/internet industry for many, many years I trust that when a company releases a public beta they are confident that it works. Experiencing bugs is one thing, a complete cessation of service with no explanation nor support is another. The problem is NOT with me, just an unethical company.

And, after bringing this pressure to bear, I've actually got somewhere - see the update on the main entry...

Tue, Nov 9, 2004, @ 11:47

7- #/cisnky/#

3 weeks to process a credit card refund :O

Wed, Nov 10, 2004, @ 7:34

8- lindsay

actually I think your reaction is way over the top. So you're having some problems with them....other much bigger and more established companies are just as bad. Ever dealt with british telecom or Sky television ?

I'm not suggesting that 2 wrongs make a right, but as far as the numbers go, you and those on the forum are in the overwhelming minority.

the 3 week refund probably has as much to do with your cc co. as it does with skype.

if we all went on about every problem we have with a company like your inane blithering about your dealings with skype, the web would be a pretty dull place.

deal with it, move on & stop whinging and whining (that really is what it looks like)

you got a resolution, but you had to have a whinge about that too.......

Wed, Nov 10, 2004, @ 7:51

9- Pete Barr-watson

Sorry, I don't think my reaction is over the top. And yes, I have dealt with companies like BT etc, which is why I'm not prepared, as a consumer, to just play by large company's tunes anymore.

I have dealt with it. I don't think I would have even got this far if I, and others, hadn't taken this course of action. If I published some of the recent private messages from Skype you wouldn't be saying 'get over it'.

A three week refund process is not normal - for anyone, any company, anywhere. IT has nothing to do with my cc company - they're the ones doing the investigation into Skype of off their own back, not me.

If you're the type of consumer that accepts every crap excuse you're given by a company (or more likely a call center) then good for you, but I'm not. Not anymore anyway. I don't think this is whinging - this is using every available means at my disposal to make sure that my rights are protected - and it got results. WEEKS of emailing them and filing personal emails didn't.

And who ever said that a minority can't stand up for their rights?

Thu, Nov 11, 2004, @ 10:07

10- chris

http://www.skype.com/company/jobs/currentvacancies.html#job-customercare-manager

The job spec asks for an applicant to develop a system for handling customer care issues including customer feedback and complaints.

Maybe their first duty could be to read the forum and their emails.

Sat, Nov 13, 2004, @ 12:26

11- Daniel

Hi Pete,

i don't think you're over the top. I totally agree with you, as since you paid for a service you should be taken into account. Customer service is basic component of a company, and a company that doesn't care about it is just wrong.

I used Skype for some weeks very successfully, never needed any help from Skype. However, last week I runned over my credit and went to refund (i used to refund 10€ each time), but i couldn't. Something was wrong with my credit card. I tried my other card, and it didn't work neither. Ttried again in the following days with no success. Finally i went to the help live desk, where BTW i had to wait for about 30 minutes, and the operator told me that my country (Spain) wasn't supported by Skype. But i had used the service before from the same location-credit card!!! This i told him, but as a bot, the operator only repeated "We are adding alternative payment methods to support orders from your location, but currently we can not promise any dates.". Maybe it REALLY was a BOT, but anyway, it just didn't help. Ok, i got it. My country is not supported, that's easy to understand, but why can't i just get an explanation, or an alert by mail informing about this change in the service?

It's not fraud, it's just the way they treat customers.

Regards.

Tue, Nov 30, 2004, @ 20:41

12- dk, prague

i have the same problem and look at their response (i guess it is a bot that talks):

Please wait for a site operator to respond. We are experiencing high volume of chats. Your wait time may be longer than anticipated
All operators are currently assisting others. Thanks for your patience. An operator will be with you shortly.
...
Hello, my name is 'Sandra', how may I assist you today
Sandra: Hello!
dk: hello
dk: problems with my credit card - your system did not accept it and cancels it constantly
dk: am i doing something wrong? my card works well with other websites etc.. what is the problem
Sandra: Please provide your Skype name
dk: dk, prague
Sandra: May I know which country is your credit card registered in, and which country are you physically located in at this moment?
dk: prague, czech republic - me + my credit card
Sandra: May I know if the card that you are trying with is registered by your name for your Skype account?
dk: it is registered to D... K.... and it is for my account dk, do not have any other
dk: prague, czech republic - me + my credit card
Sandra: Also make sure that you enter your name exactly as it appears on your card and other information's like address exactly as registered with your card
dk: yes, i am certain i did, twice now, i use my card online and i know these things
Sandra: One possible reason why your transaction was cancelled is incorrectly entered Credit Card Verification code. Are you absolutely sure that you did enter the security code from the back of your credit card correctly?
dk: in master card it should be the last 3 digits near your signature and i did that
Sandra: In order to be really sure, I suggest you to make another purchase attempt tomorrow and pay attention to every number will be entered correctly
dk: in case it does not work? i googled and there are quite few people complaining about similar problems
Sandra: There are various reasons for that you may try tomorrow and lets hope for the best
Sandra: Is there anything else that I can assist you with today?
dk: no, thanks, hope you are right
Sandra: Thank you for using our live support chat! Should you have any questions feel free to contact us. Please do rate my support after ending this chat session. Bye!

Wed, Dec 1, 2004, @ 11:49

13- Nathan Smith

Have to agree with you Pete. Have had similar dramas with Skype's credit card processing system. I've been trying unsuccessfully for 3 weeks to buy skype-out credit using the 'ol visa card. I've tried live-help, billing help (via email), you name it, I've tried it. My transactions keep being 'cancelled' and I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Eventually received a reply from the billing department saying basically, 'tough luck'! Service with a capital 'S'! I don't get it. It's obvious that they're swamped (80,000 new users a day!) and can't keep pace, however they should be looking after the 'early adopters' of the technology. I use Skype daily to call folks around the globe and just love the app.

I've noticed that they've since added an alternative means to add credit (moneybookers.com), however this requires you to register with moneybookers, scan your credit card, billing statement and drivers' license and email it to them [moneybookers] before you can add funds via c/card. Oh, and they take a cut (3% I think) for all funds uploaded. Time consuming and invasive.

So if you're reading this Niklas Zennström, please focus on handling customer issues before rolling out new gimmicks!

Wed, Dec 1, 2004, @ 11:49

14- Barry

There are several reports of skype billing errors here:

http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/results.asp?q1=ALL&q4=&q6=&q3=&q2=&q7=&searchtype=0&submit2=Search%21&q5=SKYPE&submit=Search

Wed, Dec 1, 2004, @ 11:50

15- Barry

My skype out account was deleted too. I only used it once. I signed up about a month ago now.

Support seem to think I'm crazy. I mean really what kind of fool would make this up for a mere 10 euro?

I keep telling them that I'll send them my credit card statement if necessary but they won't listen. Where do they get these guys? Somtimes I get the feeling I'm talking to an automated response system.

Thu, Dec 2, 2004, @ 17:28

16- Mikael

We sell inexpensive and easy-to-use IP phones that work very well with Skype and other VoIP solutions. Check out:

http://www.nixtor.blogspot.com/

Sun, Dec 12, 2004, @ 11:03

17- Dobbin

People are queuing up to pay Skype money but they just won't take it .
Are they idiots or what ?

Wed, Feb 16, 2005, @ 23:17

18- James

Think the moneybookers service from Skype is terrible. I want to give them money! They won't take it! Worse, they make me enter a large number of personal details including mobile number and date of birth into a service that largely works with gambling sites and feels quite dodgy - and which then never even texts me a security code.

Shame, as it looks like a useful service. But if they can't even accept money from people that *want to pay*...

Sun, Mar 6, 2005, @ 8:16

19- GeeK

Ok, I just googled around for the skype moneybookers and found countless problem reports all over the web ("user reviews" of skype at download.com is a good starting point).

The worst support on this planet is a Moneybookers trademark, and those chat transcripts with AI bots at skype live support could be very entertaining, but here's what puzzles me most - the number of rejected card transactions.

In today's internet, it's not a rocket science to get a decent payment gateway with good fraud screening and authorization. But why so many legitimate card payments failed? do they get your card info nevertheless? and WHY are they not improving their payment routine getting so many negative reports here and there?

Add to the mix the unclear company background and draw your own conclusion. I go elsewhere for my voip needs.

Tue, Mar 29, 2005, @ 16:59

20- Rob

Hmmm, there are some bizarre things going on here!
First Pete posts about his problem, then a bunch of goons swoop in and attack for no reason (Skype employees?)

And the bizarness doesn't stop here. I went hrough the same hell you people have been going through:
* Tried to buy Skype out
* Tried my cc about 100 times
* Suddenly only had the Moneybookers choice
* Finally gave all my cc details to them (the idiots!) Of course the transaction failed and their website was atrocious...
* Googled around suspecting it was a phishing site
(maybe it is...)

It's amazing to what length we will go to when we really want something!

I checked with my on-line bank and found some micro charge attempts on my account, and alerted my bank. Too bad I can't get back my details from those idiots/thieves!

Skype has major growing pains. And they appear to be kind of stupid, too. I mean bots for customer service. I mean, e-mail and forum only is already a big cost saver over phone support, and gives them a chance to send mass updates to confounded customers.
But no.
They picked such a loser (Moneybookers), and can't even communicate just a little notice about what the hell is going on.
They seem pretty inept, except about their great app. (Well, apparently great, but I've yet to try it!)

After a few hours of lost time, I said enough is enough.
Skype is not ready to accept credit cards.
I'll try them again in a month or 2.
In the mean time, google around. I found stanaphone, received a call with my free "skype-in" number, but since cannot log in. They are not ready either.

There must be some competition to Skype!!! Hope so !
Some advice: Remove Skype from your PC if you are not using it, since I think it uses your PC to carry traffic...

Mon, Jun 6, 2005, @ 5:37

21- Love Skype

I am too. I can't buy skype credit via my visa. So, i search and found 1 website that sell skype voucher. It's very cheap. They sell 6$ skype credit with price 5.5$. I buy 1 and use it very easy. You can see at
www.skypevoucher.com

Sun, Jun 19, 2005, @ 19:05

22- chris

you said "Having worked in the software/internet industry for many, many years I trust that when a company releases a public beta they are confident that it works"

yeah right!!!

ever heard of microsoft? the whole point of a beta product is that it is underdeveloped. they wait for issues to arise during a 'beta peiod' get reported, and then put right for the final CORRECT version.

if you worked in the software industry as you state, you would be familiar with this concept.

internet explorer - the most flawed product in the world with security issues everywhere, hence why firefox is gaining domination.

skype works damn well for me, i use it daily and its excellent

Sun, Jul 10, 2005, @ 4:25

23- Pete

chris, please note that comment is about a 'public' beta. That means the product should be in a working state and stable whilst the final tweaks are being made to the shipping version. A beta cycle that is closed and only available to certain invitees is a different thing.

well done for being such a successful skype user but the fact remains there are too many people who are seriously unhappy with the whole thing.

and, what's up with your attitude? if you do reply, please don't be so fucking rude eh?

Sat, Jul 16, 2005, @ 13:06

24- vivienne

There are some seriously nasty people on this forum - Pete has a legitimate issue with skype and then some very weird psychopaths viciously attack him for a) having skype problems, b) for crediting 50 Euros, c) for criticising Beta. Please take up yoga,pilates or anger management and join "we love skype sites" - there are lots of really sad gits on there who just want to exchange illiterate comments and send smiley faces so I'm sure you would feel much more comfortable.

Sun, Oct 2, 2005, @ 7:59

25- Alex

Spent over 120Euros over the last few month with Skype and just tonight when i need to call and say happy b-day to my sister all i get is fucking Moneyckrokers for my payment options. It happenign the second time for no reason whatsoever. Fuck Skype - I am switching! Had enough!

Mon, Oct 3, 2005, @ 19:30

26- Sandra (not the bot)

Whoever's in charge of designing the billing system seems to have been so blinkered by antifraud measures that s/he seems to have missed that crucial point: You can't make money if you make it impossible for customers to give it to you.

I'm currently unable to buy Skype credits for SkypeOut calls, though the company happily took my money for a SkypeIn number.

Crappy software design and bad product management is my first guess. I mean, look at the billing system. Why should buying credits and a SkypeIn number involve two separate transactions? They should be one transaction, period. That move alone should help resolve a lot of the problems people are having.

And "Beta," from back in my software production days, meant "should be test run by a few hand-selected real-world users at no charge to the users" and is usually accompanied by regular contact with the product manager to work through any bugs.

If the software goes up on the web site for general download, it's released, whether that's a "release candidate" or a formal software release. If they're taking money, it shouldn't be called "beta."

Thu, Oct 13, 2005, @ 4:58

27- T

I used paypal no problem (so far)

Tue, Oct 18, 2005, @ 23:24

28- Debbie

I've been having the same problem as Sandra for almost a month now. In that time I've gotten ONE emailed response (out of eleven tickets submitted) from Skype saying that they couldn't tell me how much longer I would be blocked because that would be giving too much information to fraudsters.

Nice of a company to accuse paying customers of being fraudsters, eh? No wonder Skype customer service won't give out its Skype address.

Thu, Dec 8, 2005, @ 10:51

29- meff

fuck skype! change to anything else - get a voip gateway and you'll see the difference

Sat, Feb 11, 2006, @ 5:49

30- ron judd

i have paid by regular bank transfer. Has anybody had any problem with this method?