Skype Sucks for Business
16-Dec-09
I was really excited when starting my own small business to be using Skype for my telephony needs. It was really cheap, and I could get a real number and have it direct to my phone or to my computer depending on when I was logged in.
Too bad the support has sucked. My account password was stolen, and the culprit logged in and charged stuff to my stored credit card. Skype was happy to reset my password, but informed me that it was impossible to get a refund on these purely virtual unused goods.
At this point, I called my credit card company, and informed them of the fraud, and they took care of it. Skype didn’t like that very much however and completely disabled the paid functions of my account (which I had used my stored “skype credit” for).
So my business phone number went dark. They didn’t email me about this at all either. I don’t get a lot of traffic on that number so I didn’t even know it wasn’t working.
So that’s where I stand now. I’m on a live chat with a Skype rep trying to get it sorted out.
In the end, I suppose this is run by the same company that runs PayPal, and we all know how they are legendary for their uber-crappy support. I shouldn’t be that surprised.
Lesson of the Day: Don’t trust Skype (or PayPal). I can’t wait for Google Voice.
Update: Annnnd the chat just ended. Andre on the Skype Support Live Chat was way more awesome and helpful than the last person I spoke with @ Skype and actually helped me out. So there’s that.
Still, I’m not planning on using Skype for anything mission critical in the near future.
