One Skype user's tale of SkypeOut "Add Credits" woe
Skype user rox has recently experienced a customer-service meltdown of the highest magnitude. She writes us to call attention to the many Skype Forum posts she has made in which she has given a blow-by-blow account of the ordeal.
This whole bloody mess started when rox attempted to add an additional $30 to her SkypeOut balance. The credit card authorization for the purchase went through, but it seems that the requisite amont of minutes weren't added to her account.
Four days after contacting Skype support, rox received a response asking her for additional details about the credit card account she used to make the purchase. Then, she received a follow-up from Skype saying that an unnamed "another department" would look into this issue. By that time, the problem was nine days old.
After multiple attempts over the next six days, she finally made things work on October 15. Here's what rox did to get Skype to let her in:
Turrned of my computer and then turned it back on
Did NOT use a Proxy Service, connected From France, showing French IP
Went to my cookies and deleted any cookes that could be Skype related or Visa related
Made Sure NOT to start Skype, no Skype running (others use Control+Alt+Delete, to make sure Skype is not running)
Cleaned aout all temporary Internet Files, Deleted all of them
Deleted all files in the Temp Folder
Opened a new browser in Internet Explorer and went to www.Skype.com
Went to my Administrator Page for my Group
Opened the page for my Group
Once my Group Page was open, form that page I used Buy More Credits
Selected $30 and on next page Pay by Visa, and the Visa Deails (American Credit Card By The Way- French IP address with American Credit card)
A Page displayed saying the information was being sent to Visa and also had a Button, "Submit Query" I did NOT push that button I just waited (All previous failed attempts I had pushed the Submit Query Button this time I didn't)
Was taken to the Verified by Visa Screen and entered my Visa Password
Waited to be taken Back to the Skype Page, i did NOt push the link "if you are tired of waiting click here and you will be taken back to Skype". I jsut waited and was taken back to Skype. Was taken back to Skype and received the message that the Purchase was complete
Within 2 to 3 minutes received an e-mail your purchase has been complete with the purchase details shown
Went to my Skype Groups Account and the $30 was there.
Yay, I say.
"So finally after being blocked, then getting unblocked since October 3rd, and 3 failed purchase attempts I am a bonified sucessful purchase transaction on the 4th attempt," writes rox." I can hardly believe it myself.
Why did her fourth time work like a charm?
"I did do things a bit differently, I didn't push the Submit Query Button, I had my Visa password ready to go and entered it right away when asked, I also did not push the link after Verified by Visa that said if I get tired of waiting to click on the link and I would be taken back back to Skype," she writes.
"Basically I jsut cleaned everyfile off of my computer that could be Skype related and made sure Skype was not running and for some miraculous reason it worked."
The big takeaway in this for me is that if Skype had an actual Help line served by actual humans, rox's path to customer satisfaction could have been more direct. Note: I said "could," not "would."
Any of you readers have similar experiences?