Microsoft is Killing Skype - and Refusing Refunds for Prepaid International Calls (msn.com) 53
Skype is shutting down after two decades on May 5th, notes the Washington Post.
But the bigger problem for retired attorney Karen Griffin is that Microsoft won't refund the money they paid into a Skype account for cheap international phone calls: "They're no longer offering this service that I prepaid for, and now they're not giving me my money back," Griffin said. "There's a lot of people out there who are going to lose money...."
To its credit, Microsoft gave Skype users a couple months' warning about the shutdown coming May 5. People can transfer Skype contacts and chat history to the company's Microsoft Teams chat-and-calling app or to other companies' services. (While Microsoft sells Teams to organizations, there's a free version for personal use.) But Microsoft didn't explain well what will happen to money that people like Griffin have parked in Skype accounts, in some cases for years.... Unless you bought Skype credits very recently, Microsoft said it won't refund money in Skype accounts. The company says it will add an option for Skype account holders to keep using their funds for phone calls online or in Teams.
Griffin doesn't love what Microsoft is doing. She prefers a cash refund or a credit applied to her Microsoft Office subscription, for which she pays about $110 a year. Amit Fulay, vice president of product for Skype and Teams, said it's not possible to shift funds from a Skype account to Office subscriptions. And he nixed refunds because Microsoft will still offer basic call services for former Skype customers. "Refunds make more sense if you took away something," Fulay said. "We're not." Microsoft declined to say how much money Skype users collectively have sitting in accounts that they might never use.
Stacey Higginbotham, a policy specialist with Consumer Reports' technology advocacy team, said Griffin is making a reasonable request for a rich company like Microsoft that's shutting down an internet service. "The best way: Give people their money back. The second-best way, give people a credit to all of your services," Higginbotham said.
But the bigger problem for retired attorney Karen Griffin is that Microsoft won't refund the money they paid into a Skype account for cheap international phone calls: "They're no longer offering this service that I prepaid for, and now they're not giving me my money back," Griffin said. "There's a lot of people out there who are going to lose money...."
To its credit, Microsoft gave Skype users a couple months' warning about the shutdown coming May 5. People can transfer Skype contacts and chat history to the company's Microsoft Teams chat-and-calling app or to other companies' services. (While Microsoft sells Teams to organizations, there's a free version for personal use.) But Microsoft didn't explain well what will happen to money that people like Griffin have parked in Skype accounts, in some cases for years.... Unless you bought Skype credits very recently, Microsoft said it won't refund money in Skype accounts. The company says it will add an option for Skype account holders to keep using their funds for phone calls online or in Teams.
Griffin doesn't love what Microsoft is doing. She prefers a cash refund or a credit applied to her Microsoft Office subscription, for which she pays about $110 a year. Amit Fulay, vice president of product for Skype and Teams, said it's not possible to shift funds from a Skype account to Office subscriptions. And he nixed refunds because Microsoft will still offer basic call services for former Skype customers. "Refunds make more sense if you took away something," Fulay said. "We're not." Microsoft declined to say how much money Skype users collectively have sitting in accounts that they might never use.
Stacey Higginbotham, a policy specialist with Consumer Reports' technology advocacy team, said Griffin is making a reasonable request for a rich company like Microsoft that's shutting down an internet service. "The best way: Give people their money back. The second-best way, give people a credit to all of your services," Higginbotham said.
Features/Payments transferred to Microsoft Teams? (Score:2)
Microsoft won't refund the money they paid into a Skype account for cheap international phone calls
From the summary: "People can transfer Skype contacts and chat history to the company's Microsoft Teams"
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Her name is Karen so she just wants to speak to a supervisor.
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Oh hi, do we have a microsoft product manager in the chat?
LOL. No, you have someone who only uses Teams when forced too. Who installs Win 11 without providing a Microsoft account. Who configures their PC to dual boot Linux. Who is currently typing on a Mac.
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3 years later ? dont be silly.
i have a skype credit going back 11 years. these are prepaid and charged on a credit card and then added to skype.
you cant charge those back.
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Still Skype had a lot of users so if you add up the lost money from Skype users who can't or won't use Teams and it will actually be a significant amount of cash they are stealing.
Re: Features/Payments transferred to Microsoft Tea (Score:1)
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Re: Features/Payments transferred to Microsoft Te (Score:1)
Re: Features/Payments transferred to Microsoft Tea (Score:2)
No need to call yourself to keep the Skype credits. They would deactivate the credit and I would immediately reactivate it. Been doing that for years with two accounts.
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For a charge on a credit card 3 or 4 years ago?
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I always wonder if people paying for Microsoft 365 know they can purchase Office Home 2024 for a one-time payment of $149 directly from Microsoft and use it forever. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. https://www.microsoft.com/en-u... [microsoft.com]
I understand Microsoft 365 includes Outlook and OneDrive which some people use as their off-site storage. It is also licensed for six peopl
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what does transferring contact information have to do with prepayments
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what does transferring contact information have to do with prepayments
I misread and thought "contracts". What I read later reinforced the misreading:
"Unless you bought Skype credits very recently, Microsoft said it won't refund money in Skype accounts. The company says it will add an option for Skype account holders to keep using their funds for phone calls online or in Teams."
If I had not misread I would have included the above in the original post, but I erroneously thought it redundant at the time.
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From the summary: "People can transfer Skype contacts and chat history to the company's Microsoft Teams"
The biggest problem for me the Teams log in is broken for me if I try to use their Linux app. It thinks I am an employee of the first company I joined a group chat with about 6 years ago and demands I authenticate my log in with them. I am guessing they have buried some information in my home filesystem that make them think I am an employee of a company I have never worked for. If I was a Windows user the fix would be simple, I would do a fresh install of Windows and my home directory would be empty of h
Teams /= Skype (Score:1)
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I have Skype credit which I assume I will lose but the bigger issue for me is Teams as a replacement. I have no experience with it but after a brief test drive it appears to be much more than I need to make an international phone call.
You may not be losing that credit. It seems contracts may be transferable from Skype to Teams.
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From the summary: "People can transfer Skype contacts and chat history to the company's Microsoft Teams . . . ."
Do you think that is a typo?
Also, the MS announcement:
"Sign in to Microsoft Teams Free on any supported device using your Skype credentials and your contacts and chats will automatically be transferred." https://support.microsoft.com/... [microsoft.com]
"By logging in to Teams with a Skype account, chats and contacts will automatically appear in the app so you can quic
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Sorry, but "contacts" != "contracts".
From the summary: "People can transfer Skype contacts and chat history to the company's Microsoft Teams . . . ."
Do you think that is a typo?
Nope. That's my misreading. Apologies. However the summary also included:
"Unless you bought Skype credits very recently, Microsoft said it won't refund money in Skype accounts. The company says it will add an option for Skype account holders to keep using their funds for phone calls online or in Teams."
Which reinforced my misreading. However, if I had not misread, I would have included the preceding quote as well. It seemed redundant at the time due to the misreading.
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Can I use my Skype credit? Skype Credits can be used for calling. Starting April 3, 2025, automatic top up services will no longer be available. After May 2025, the Skype Dial Pad will be available to remaining paid users from the Skype web portal and within Teams Free, where you will continue to be able to use your subscription or Skype Credits.
That is confusing. Teams Free is free. So what credits? Anyone know more?
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contacts != contracts
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contacts != contracts
Yep, I misread, apologies.
Later in the summary I read the following and this reinforced the misreading. If I had not misread I would have included the following too, but at the time I thought it redundant:
"Unless you bought Skype credits very recently, Microsoft said it won't refund money in Skype accounts. The company says it will add an option for Skype account holders to keep using their funds for phone calls online or in Teams."
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If you just need to make occasional cheap calls there are a bazillion phone apps that let you do it. I recently installed MyTello for my formerly-Skype-using neighbour so she can call relatives overseas, costs a fraction of what Skype did and you just use the app on your phone to make standard calls.
Before I get the inevitable responses, I have no connection to MyTello, just went with that because it was cheap and easy to use. There's lots of other alternatives out there.
Transfer to Teams? Offer Credits? (Score:5, Informative)
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It'll certainly be a cold day in hell when Microsoft loses a significant amount of clients.
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I've been “vocal” about my opinion of Teams, and the Skype shutdown. Honestly, what Microsoft is doing, is harming customers, but, that's the modern Microsoft. Customers are last, profits are first, and any excuse to charge a fee, is forced, not optional.
The problem you have is the actual Microsoft customers use Teams and couldn't care less about Skype.
Last time I used Skype it was nothing but endless spam from scammers. Little of value was lost, I found it easier to get my overseas relatives to use Whatsapp than it was to keep paying MS to let me call them on their phone numbers, which was the only use of Skype I ever had.
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For the record (Score:3)
This is what the CFPB was all about. Companies, financial or otherwise, ripping off people.
But since money laundering, insider trading, and corruption are no longer crimes, nothing will happen.
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Ah, a replay of Refund Day and IE rolled into one (Score:3)
Microsoft today isn't the Microsoft of the 80s and 90s?
I think this rather indicates there may be some lies involved in that claim. This is very much the tactic of Old Microsoft.
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I have little sympathy for these people (Score:2)
I use Skype. I can't recall a time when it wasn't saying on the top of the screen that it's shutdown is impending. That leaves us with two types of people affected by this:
a) People who bought prepaid credit of a service they knew was shutting down.
b) People who bought prepaid credit so large and so far in advance it amounts to reckless spending.
Either people get no sympathy losing their money. Yeah Teams sucks major arse, and the loss of Skype is bad for a couple of reasons, but objectively the people here
That is ... (Score:2)
... bait and switch. One would hope the FTC will investigate.
Skype was scamming your money anyway (Score:2)
Not logging in for 1 year? *Poof*Money in your account gone.
It was a scam right from the beginning anyway.
eggs and baskets (Score:2)
Don't put your eggs in someone else's basket.
M$ didn't get rich (Score:2)
by giving people money. Finders keepers!