- Report: #637592
Complaint Review: skype - Internet
Reported By:
judith -
Cobbs Creek, Virginia, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
skype
unknown Internet, United States of America
Phone:
Web:
skype.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
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skype skype.com, skypenet More Info on Skype VIOP Internet
Many skype users cannot locate a reliable contact (phone or email) for customer support. I did email to [email protected] and receive instant (automated?) replies. Their greeting: Hello from your Customer Services Support. Then "We'll respond shortly." I did receive a follow-up email to my inquiry as to why I was being blocked from making calls from my computer to landlines in the U.S. for which I paid a $60 annual subscription fee and does not expire until Nov. 2010 but had previously done the pay-as-you-go (WITHOUT the option of automatic renewal--NEVER DO THIS ONLINE!) and had $1.77 credit on that payment method but that has nothing to do with the above. In the middle of talking to someone in the US (I am overseas), the pay-as-you-go credit of $1.77 dwindled to next to nothing and my call was dropped. In spite of numerous attempts to contact skype, the problem has not been addressed by a real person.
That follow-up email indicated that I need to go to myip website where I was provided with an IP but then no further instructions.
I'm aware of all the fraud, deceit and lack of customer service by Skype. Most disturbing is that skype is using or allowing others to use a customer's paid fees and those with the automatic renewal, has resulted in a nightmarish abuse of their accounts in which additional fees are automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts, for which they have no recourse. I would call your bank and ask for all the contact information on the transaction to see if you can obtain a real address, phone or email. I was a victim of ID theft in the past and know that the bank can provide such information on these transactions. Second, contact your local authorites. Third, you may have to just cancel that bank account. Fourth, you may have to pay for a block on any transactions with Skype. My advice is really to never ever select an automatic updated payment method.AND ALWAYS PRINT OUT A COPY OF THE INVOICE PROVIDED BY SKYPE SO THAT YOU HAVE SUBSTANTIATED EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM. I always send Skype a scanned copy of mine and they are probably surprised that I remembered to do this. Know your order number and amount paid!
It appears that Skype has no customer service to speak of. I would say the best thing to do is discontinue skype and search for a different VIOP and before you sign up, make sure you know that there is customer service contact info.
Does anyone know to which governmental agencies we can report this? In the past I had reported ID theft with paypal to the Labor & Consumer Relations Director in D.C. and obtained positive results (i.e., the bogus charges were removed). If anyone has more info on skype, let us know.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
judith
Cobbs Creek,Virginia,
USA
UPDATED INFO ON CUSTOMER SUPPORT
#2Author of original report
Sun, September 05, 2010
***UPDATE:
You can reach Skype customer support. You can go to: [email protected]. They will provide you with a unique tracking number (account #). You will also need to go to http://www.whatismyip.com to provide your IP # which will consist of 4 sets of numerical digits. So, when you write to Skype Customer Support, make sure you give all this information:
1. your skype user name
2. your order no. that is in dispute - always print your invoices! If you need to find out your billing history, go to: https://secure.skype.com/store/myaccount/orders.html
This would be something important to do to confirm your order is correct.
3. provide transaction dates in dispute
4. your IP address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
5. your unique tracking number provided by Skype upon initial inquiry
Most importantly, address your problem in simple English. I had several go-arounds with them because they did not understand the purpose of my email.
It will require patience and time but persist and be polite.
For those who simply want to cancel their subscription (if you make calls from computer to landlines and mobiles), you can do so at: https://secure.skype.com/account/call-phones/settings and on the Subscription settings page, click "cancel."
I hope this updated contact information is useful to you and you can reach an amicable resolution to your issues with Skype. As for paypal, I can say I've had problems with them in the past and was a victim of ID theft online. It took 9 months to resolve but this is separate from Skype.
One final recommendation: I would never select "auto recharge" because you never know when you want to cancel or change VIOPs.
Regards,
Skyper user
