February 21, 2008
I've railed against Skype's poor customer service in the past. I've received a few emails over the past couple months that go like this:
I am a Skype customer who signed up with one ISP email and now I have another. The old email is defunct and unaccessible by me. I forgot my password and when I want to get again, they say they will send me instructions for changing the password to my old email address. This does me no good. How can I contact these people directly? A phone number to tech support would be great. Thanks for your help.
Indeed if you forgot your password, they will email it to you by using their online form. But this particular customer changed email addresses, so how can he reset his password? When you try and Google for keywords "Skype customer service" the first Skype.com link goes here which states: "How do I contact Skype customer service for help with my service?"
Guess what the answer is?
To contact Skype Customer Support, please visit the help section on our website and report your issue through our support form
Simply choose the topic and subtopic that fits your issue the best and explain your problem.
Gee thanks. Way to provide customer support - only through the support form with no phone number. Hmm, a phone provider that has no phone number, how ironic. Ok, well maybe they'll let you submit a trouble ticket that lets you request a new password sent to a different email address that is not the same as the one you registered with when you joined Skype. Well, that won't work because someone could surreptitiously enter in their email address with your Skype username and gain access to your Skype account.
Well, after searching around Skype's website I found the answer if you lost your password and changed your email address:
I lost my password. How can I retrieve it?
If you have forgotten your password there is no way to retrieve it, but you can have a new password sent to you so that you can access your account.
If you entered an email address when you registered for Skype, you can request a new password by filling out this form and a new password will be sent to you.
If you do not receive the email check your Junk Mail folder, sometimes it is sent there by mistake.
If you did not enter your email address, you will have to register again as a new Skype user. If you have SkypeOut credit on your account and the retrieve password tool does not work please submit a ticket to customer support with your billing information.
They first suggest you sign-up with a new Skype username. That's not very helpful. What if I have dozens of people on my buddy list? I have to re-add them using a new Skype username? They then relent a little by allowing you to recover your password "If you have SkypeOut credit on your account" by submitting a ticket to their customer support with "your billing information." First off, what if I don't have SkypeOut credits, will you still help me recover my lost password or do I have to re-register with a new Skype username? Secondly, what billing information does Skype require? My billing address? The credit card I used? Can I just give the last 4 digits of my credit card because the Skype trouble ticket form is not encrypted?
Trying to reach Skype customer service just for a password reset is one thing, but now imagine if you are having a billing issue. I've received email complaints from Skype users that they were over-billed and had no way to speak to someone about their issue. Trying to interact via a 1-way web form isn't the best way to do business. At the very least, Skype should add an online 2-way real-time chat support.
Skype Customer Service
February 21, 2008
I've railed against Skype's poor customer service in the past. I've received a few emails over the past couple months that go like this:
I am a Skype customer who signed up with one ISP email and now I have another. The old email is defunct and unaccessible by me. I forgot my password and when I want to get again, they say they will send me instructions for changing the password to my old email address. This does me no good. How can I contact these people directly? A phone number to tech support would be great. Thanks for your help.
Indeed if you forgot your password, they will email it to you by using their online form. But this particular customer changed email addresses, so how can he reset his password? When you try and Google for keywords "Skype customer service" the first Skype.com link goes here which states: "How do I contact Skype customer service for help with my service?"
Guess what the answer is?
To contact Skype Customer Support, please visit the help section on our website and report your issue through our support form
Simply choose the topic and subtopic that fits your issue the best and explain your problem.
Gee thanks. Way to provide customer support - only through the support form with no phone number. Hmm, a phone provider that has no phone number, how ironic. Ok, well maybe they'll let you submit a trouble ticket that lets you request a new password sent to a different email address that is not the same as the one you registered with when you joined Skype. Well, that won't work because someone could surreptitiously enter in their email address with your Skype username and gain access to your Skype account.
Well, after searching around Skype's website I found the answer if you lost your password and changed your email address:
I lost my password. How can I retrieve it?
If you have forgotten your password there is no way to retrieve it, but you can have a new password sent to you so that you can access your account.
If you entered an email address when you registered for Skype, you can request a new password by filling out this form and a new password will be sent to you.
If you do not receive the email check your Junk Mail folder, sometimes it is sent there by mistake.
If you did not enter your email address, you will have to register again as a new Skype user. If you have SkypeOut credit on your account and the retrieve password tool does not work please submit a ticket to customer support with your billing information.
They first suggest you sign-up with a new Skype username. That's not very helpful. What if I have dozens of people on my buddy list? I have to re-add them using a new Skype username? They then relent a little by allowing you to recover your password "If you have SkypeOut credit on your account" by submitting a ticket to their customer support with "your billing information." First off, what if I don't have SkypeOut credits, will you still help me recover my lost password or do I have to re-register with a new Skype username? Secondly, what billing information does Skype require? My billing address? The credit card I used? Can I just give the last 4 digits of my credit card because the Skype trouble ticket form is not encrypted?
Trying to reach Skype customer service just for a password reset is one thing, but now imagine if you are having a billing issue. I've received email complaints from Skype users that they were over-billed and had no way to speak to someone about their issue. Trying to interact via a 1-way web form isn't the best way to do business. At the very least, Skype should add an online 2-way real-time chat support.