Reception problems: T-Mobile was of NO help!!

Thanks everyone for all the replies and info. And yes I do have a
skype In (which cost me $38 to renew this year).

Didn't know skype could actually forward calls this way.

So I'd have two other options:

1) Have skype dial my cell phone when offline

2) Enable conditional forwarding so that when my off is "off" (ie no
reception) it would ring my skype number

Yea the skype out 4 cent connection fee sucks. I'm half tempted to use
another net phone (there are so many). But it seems if you pay for the
yearly unlimited US/Canada the connection fee does not apply? Or does
it?

http://www.skype.com/products/skypeo...ction_fee.html

---

› See More: Reception problems: T-Mobile was of NO help!!

At 29 Jan 2007 08:35:01 -0800 [email protected] wrote:
> Thanks everyone for all the replies and info. And yes I do have a
> skype In (which cost me $38 to renew this year).
>
> Didn't know skype could actually forward calls this way.

You can, but another poster pointed out correctly that unfortunately the
$15 unlimited does NOT include forwarding.


> So I'd have two other options:
>
> 1) Have skype dial my cell phone when offline

Given the fact that forwarding now costs 2.1-cents/min plus the
connection fee, that could get costly. You might be better off just
saying in your voicemail message "I can be reached at my cell #..."

>
> 2) Enable conditional forwarding so that when my off is "off" (ie no
> reception) it would ring my skype number

If your carrier allows it- many prepaids don't allow forwarding. Again,
telling callers your other number in each voicemail message will solve it.

>
> Yea the skype out 4 cent connection fee sucks. I'm half tempted to use
> another net phone (there are so many). But it seems if you pay for the
> yearly unlimited US/Canada the connection fee does not apply? Or does
> it?
>
> http://www.skype.com/products/skypeo...ction_fee.html
>
Only on forwarding- not direct calls.

Yea I just saw that. Seems that call forwarding from skype is not a
good option.

Regarding the connection fee, what do you mean "Only on forwarding-
not direct calls." ?

>From what I see on the website:

"Calls made as part of the Talk for Britain and US & Canada Skype
Unlimited Calling plans are exempt from connection fees."

That means that if I pay the $15 for unlimited US/Canada calling I
won't be charged 4 cents each time I make a call. Right?



On Jan 29, 11:59 am, Todd Allcock <[email protected]>
wrote:
> At 29 Jan 2007 08:35:01 -0800 [email protected] wrote:
>
> > Thanks everyone for all the replies and info. And yes I do have a
> > skype In (which cost me $38 to renew this year).
>
> > Didn't know skype could actually forward calls this way.You can, but another poster pointed out correctly that unfortunately the
> $15 unlimited does NOT include forwarding.
>
> > So I'd have two other options:
>
> > 1) Have skype dial my cell phone when offlineGiven the fact that forwarding now costs 2.1-cents/min plus the
> connection fee, that could get costly. You might be better off just
> saying in your voicemail message "I can be reached at my cell #..."
>
>
>
> > 2) Enable conditional forwarding so that when my off is "off" (ie no
> > reception) it would ring my skype numberIf your carrier allows it- many prepaids don't allow forwarding. Again,
> telling callers your other number in each voicemail message will solve it.
>
>
>
> > Yea the skype out 4 cent connection fee sucks. I'm half tempted to use
> > another net phone (there are so many). But it seems if you pay for the
> > yearly unlimited US/Canada the connection fee does not apply? Or does
> > it?
>
> >http://www.skype.com/products/skypeo...n_fee.htmlOnly on forwarding- not direct calls.

[email protected] wrote in news:1170088501.703687.194570
@j27g2000cwj.googlegroups.com:

> Didn't know skype could actually forward calls this way.

Have you seen VOX for Skype? You call your Skype In from your cellphone
that VOX recognizes from the caller ID. VOX answers the call on your
home computer and the little girl reads you a menu you select with
Touchtones (R). You can call anyone on your contact list skype-to-skype
from your cellphone (free on unlimited N/W in your service area), make
Skype Out calls through VOX as if you were at the computer (real handy if
you're paying $1.50/min to call your buddy in Japan. Skype Out is
2.1c/min to him through VOX and that cellphone, instead.)...(c;

Check it out! http://www.voxlib.com/
It's free, so far.
>
> So I'd have two other options:
>
> 1) Have skype dial my cell phone when offline

My Skype has no-answer-transfer to the cell. If VOX is booted at home,
it will forward the calls to the cell, skype-to-skype or Skype In. If I
call my Skype In from any phone other than my cell, I can interrupt VOX
with a touchtone on the phone and enter my PIN, giving me access to Skype
from any phone on the planet to make cheap calls.
>
> 2) Enable conditional forwarding so that when my off is "off" (ie no
> reception) it would ring my skype number

Yes, set the cellphone no-answer-transfer number to your Skype In number
and it will forward calls the cellphone misses to Skype In. Be careful,
though, because you'll create a LOOP! Skype is offline, forwards to
cell. Cell is out-of-range, forwards to Skype....round and round, ad
nauseum...not good. I'd rather send the dead cell calls to cell
voicemail so I can call them back when the cell notifies me of the missed
call and get the message. That way, you don't have to call Skype,
costing you money, to see if anyone called.

VOX also does SMS, both ways! For those with free incoming cell calls,
like Nextel, you send VOX an SMS message to the Skype In number with
commands on what you want it to do. VOX calls who you want to call on
Skype Out or skype-to-skype....then....calls YOUR CELL to complete the
conference call. You are now connected to your party, in the middle of
primetime, without using cell airtime! Talk as long as you like. Skype
Out fees may apply, but if you have the unlimited service, ALL VOX SKYPE
OUT CALLS TO US/CANADA ARE FREE...EVEN FORWARDED ONES!

>
> Yea the skype out 4 cent connection fee sucks. I'm half tempted to use
> another net phone (there are so many). But it seems if you pay for the
> yearly unlimited US/Canada the connection fee does not apply? Or does
> it?

I have Skype Out unlimited. I'm never charged for outgoing Skype Out
calls to US/Canada numbers...UNLESS...Skype forwards the call to my cell.
I'm being charged 2.1c/min for those forwarded calls. I noticed the
leakage from my Skype Out balance. I have an email query into Skype
about this charge. If the charge stands, the solution is easy...VOX! My
computer runs continuously at home, anyway, on serious broadband. I
leave VOX for Skype operating Skype when I'm not home. VOX answers all
calls coming in from any source, Skype or Skype In. Then, VOX, not
Skype, forwards the calls through Skype Out, through my computer. Skype
Out doesn't not see a forwarded call, so does not charge me usage. VOX
has setup a Skype Conference Call between my cell it called and the party
that called in. VOX will even RECORD the calls to hard disk as it passes
through the home computer. If I touchtone in my codes, VOX responds to
that and I can add more people to the conference going through my home
computer. Too cool...(c;

>
> http://www.skype.com/products/skypeo...ction_fee.html
>

Thanks for this pointer. I make very few Skype Out calls off the plan.
My Skype Out money charge usually runs out before I use up all the
dollars in it. It's such a pittance, I don't really care. I didn't know
about this new charge or when it was instituted. I'd think a POTS
connection fee would be more than $US3.9c/call. That only makes the
first minute 3.9 + 2.1 = 6 cents. Must be a real profit center!...hee
hee. It doesn't apply to Skype Unlimited calls, "prepaid" I suppose.

Larry
--
Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner.
Liberty is when the sheep has his own gun.

Dennis Ferguson <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> This is wrong in a couple of ways. A SkypeIn number is not $28/year,
> it is $38/year or $12 for 3 months. Call forwarding is not covered by
> the $15/year ($30/year after January 31) USA/Canada SkypeOut unlimited
> plan; even if you have the plan forwarded calls are charged at 2.1
> cents/min plus the 3.9 cent "connection charge" which you pay even on
> calls where you hang up after 10 seconds due to quality problems.
>
>

I stand corrected. I paid $28. I looked at my history and see the
forwarded calls. However, If I run VOX for Skype and let IT answer the
Skype In calls....all of them....VOX for Skype makes a conference call,
not a forwarded call, out of the Skype In call, which IS included in the
unlimited plan. That interconnects the call through my computer, not
Skype Forwarding, so I'm not charged for forwarding.

So far, VOX is free www.voxlib.com. It works so neat I'll buy it when it
becomes a pay program.

As to your constant cracks about "quality problems", you need to get your
broadband fixed. Skype is clearer than a landline POTS phone where I
live. You need to get yours fixed. Does this crack have something to do
with your PACBELL address? Are you a telephone company employee,
perhaps?

Larry
--
Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner.
Liberty is when the sheep has his own gun.

In article <[email protected]>, Larry wrote:

> As to your constant cracks about "quality problems", you need to get your
> broadband fixed. Skype is clearer than a landline POTS phone where I
> live. You need to get yours fixed. Does this crack have something to do
> with your PACBELL address? Are you a telephone company employee,
> perhaps?

Uhhh, Larry.

Pacbell.net is a consumer ISP.

There's no guarantee that someone works for AT&T/SBC/PacBell just
because they have a Pacbell.net email address.

I guess you're back to accusing anyone who disagrees with you of being
an industry shill... you really ought to try something new, that
particular line of yours isn't entertaining anymore. :>


--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows
Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED

It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room.

On 2007-01-29, Larry <[email protected]> wrote:
> As to your constant cracks about "quality problems", you need to get your
> broadband fixed. Skype is clearer than a landline POTS phone where I
> live. You need to get yours fixed. Does this crack have something to do
> with your PACBELL address? Are you a telephone company employee,
> perhaps?

Boy, are you ever defensive about that, even going argumentum ad hominem
off the bat without addressing anything I actually said. For the record,
here's everying my post said about "quality" (one paragraph and one sentence
out of an 8 paragraph post is "constant"?):

>> plan; even if you have the plan forwarded calls are charged at 2.1 cents/min
>> plus the 3.9 cent "connection charge" which you pay even on calls where
>> you hang up after 10 seconds due to quality problems.
[...]
>> And, while I can't complain too much about Skype's quality in general,
>> its reliability leaves something to be desired. I have three SkypeIn
>> numbers in three countries which I rely on for a few things, and which
>> I find a need to call fairly regularly to ensure they are still working.
>> I've caught 3 problems this way in the last 6 months, and my callers
>> sometimes complain about problems I've not noticed. And overseas
>> Skypeout is a little bit of a crap shoot; usually the quality is
>> exceptionally good, but occasionally you get a bad line or echo and
>> need to call back, with the cost of that failed call increased by
>> as much as 200% since January 18. And I pay for the failures even
>> on incoming calls when the call is forwarded.

I'll stand by exactly that. If you've had no trouble with the reliability
of your overseas SkypeIn numbers (mine are in Hong Kong and the UK) you've
been a lot luckier than I have. And, to name my current problem list,
if every call you've made to Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica and Indonesia
(and Australia until they switched PSTN providers a while ago), has
been perfect every time first try then you must live a truly blessed
life.

Dennis Ferguson

In article <[email protected]>, Dennis Ferguson wrote:
> On 2007-01-29, Larry <[email protected]> wrote:
>> As to your constant cracks about "quality problems", you need to get your
>> broadband fixed. Skype is clearer than a landline POTS phone where I
>> live. You need to get yours fixed. Does this crack have something to do
>> with your PACBELL address? Are you a telephone company employee,
>> perhaps?
>
> Boy, are you ever defensive about that, even going argumentum ad hominem
> off the bat without addressing anything I actually said.

SOP for Larry. He's gotten extremely nasty with me in the past.




--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows
Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED

It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room.

At 29 Jan 2007 09:18:13 -0800 [email protected] wrote:
> Yea I just saw that. Seems that call forwarding from skype is not a
> good option.
>
> Regarding the connection fee, what do you mean "Only on forwarding-
> not direct calls." ?

I mean no connection fee on calls you dial from Skype (if you buy the $15
plan) just like you said below. Any call that uses Skype credit (calling
overseas, or call forwarding) will have a connection fee- calls "free"
with your plan (to US/Canada) will not.

>
> >From what I see on the website:
>
> "Calls made as part of the Talk for Britain and US & Canada Skype
> Unlimited Calling plans are exempt from connection fees."
>
> That means that if I pay the $15 for unlimited US/Canada calling I
> won't be charged 4 cents each time I make a call. Right?

Right.

[email protected] wrote in news:1170091093.337212.122400
@k78g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> That means that if I pay the $15 for unlimited US/Canada calling I
> won't be charged 4 cents each time I make a call. Right?
>
>
>

Correct. If you pay $15 by TOMORROW Night, Jan 31st, you get no extra
charges at all FROM anywhere in the USA/Canada TO anywhere in the
USA/Canada....no connection fee...no minute charges inside this huge
area. If you are in Yellow Knife, NWT, CA and call Miami to talk to
Jose, talk as long as you like, whenever you like. No funny business.

After Jan 31st, I understand, the price for unlimited goes UP to
$30/year...still a bargain at double the price! Buy it tonight and save
half. It's pretty painless from the webpage...(c;

The only charges I'm seeing to my Skype Out money charge are the fees
associated with calls Skype forwards to my cellphone when Skype is
totally offline. I've diverted those charges by running Vox for Skype on
Skype left running on the main computer when I'm away. This also gives
my cellphone Skype-to-Skype calling access and Skype Out calling to far
off places really on-the-cheap...much cheaper than the cellphone
international ripoff rates.

Vox does this by answering the incoming call (included on the unlimited
plan, and placing an outgoing Skype Out call from my computer to my
cellphone number (also included on the unlimited plan). I don't have
free incoming minutes on my Alltel cellphone, so I still lose the
interconnected cellular airtime minutes, but that's not Skype's fault,
it's mine. I never use all my 800 cellular minutes, anyways, and most
Skype forwarded calls come in on weekends for me on unlimited N/W free
minutes....a non-issue.

Larry
--
Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner.
Liberty is when the sheep has his own gun.

Todd Allcock <[email protected]> wrote in news:epmfvt$8pl$1
@aioe.org:

> I mean no connection fee on calls you dial from Skype (if you buy the $15
> plan) just like you said below. Any call that uses Skype credit (calling
> overseas, or call forwarding) will have a connection fee- calls "free"
> with your plan (to US/Canada) will not.
>
>>

10-4

Larry
--
Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner.
Liberty is when the sheep has his own gun.

Dennis Ferguson <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I'll stand by exactly that. If you've had no trouble with the
> reliability of your overseas SkypeIn numbers (mine are in Hong Kong
> and the UK) you've been a lot luckier than I have. And, to name my
> current problem list, if every call you've made to Trinidad & Tobago,
> Costa Rica and Indonesia (and Australia until they switched PSTN
> providers a while ago), has been perfect every time first try then you
> must live a truly blessed life.
>
> Dennis Ferguson
>

Poor service in 3rd world countries from any number in them is usually
poor, Skype or no Skype. Friends in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica have awful
telephone service in the Costa Rican boonies...They can't get a phone
because there are no more numbers available. They can't get internet
because there is no phone or lines in the house. I call their cellphone,
analog cellphone, with Skype Out and they call my Skype In number and
that seems to work, according to them, as good as any landline connection
to the USA they can get. It's awfully expensive, though, so we don't
talk often or for long.

I'm surprised your UK Skype In number has issues. With the new regime in
Hong Kong, who knows who's in charge, now.

My Skype In number is in Charleston, SC, in a block of numbers used by
the same modem provider AOHell uses for dialup access....which seems to
make the number IMMUNE from unsolicited sales calls. It works great!

Larry
--
Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner.
Liberty is when the sheep has his own gun.