SKYPE has 0845 and 0870 listed as premium rate in its FAQ. I did not know until my 10E disappeared almost immediately. Apparently these are shared cost lines where the business pays some and you pay over double what BT charges on day time rates. Its actually more than I pay from my mobile phone! :evil:

Hopefully SKYPE will gets its charges sorted out.

United Kingdom € 0.017

United Kingdom - Mobile € 0.205

United Kingdom - Mobile (Orange) € 0.205

United Kingdom-Shared Cost € 0.195

http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rat....html#listing-U

SkypeOut is fine for most standard phone numbers. Other numbers usually don't work at all or are charged with a wrong fare... another disadvantage of Skype, I'm afraid.

Mandarin

I am a new user of Skype and got caught out by this as well. Picked up a charge of approaching around 40pence (UK) for a 2 minute call.

OUCH!

Details as follows:

Jun 09 11:47 +448453308903 United Kingdom-Shared Cost €0.195 02:08 €0.585

I won't be calling 0845 numbers etc again from Skype. But this justmakes it all that more fiddly - to use Skype or not to use Skype?

This has been a known problem for some time. Skype really needs to fix this as this borders on gouging and might draw the attention of Oftel.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/0845/

Skype needs to sort out a lot of its prices, not just the 0845/0870 prices. Compared with calling cards available from most newsagents, Skype just doesnt compete.

I have given up using skype-out now. It just became more hassle than it was worth. I'm using cards now such as nomi-call (www.nomi-call.com). Which not only offer better value for money, the sound quality with them is amazing when compared with Skypes service.

For anyone interested in switching from Skype to calling cards, please take a look at www.callcalc.com (as an example). Just compare the costs of the cards they sell with skypes and you will see how much skype are abusing their customers.

good thing all my friends have computers.

And not just Skype - O2 (one of the UK mobile operators) charges 35p per minute during the day, 10p in the evening and 2p at weekend for calls to 0870, and strangely enough their 'Customer Service Team' can only be contacted during the week when it costs 35p and for just a few hours on saturday morning at the 2p rate.

When I used to be on Orange in the UK 0800 numbers were not free either.

They're not free on O2 either - I doubt if any mobile operator gives free 0800 calls.

Well I wont hold my breath waiting for Oftel to get on top of that one - and finally make FREEPHONE calls free for everyone

I usually call to lebanon with phone cards which cost me 30min for 2.50$(Can) with Skype 5.76$(can). a min with card is 0.08$ cent a minute vs skype 0.192$.I think skype is over charging its customers.I will stick to my calling cards and use skype for pc pc.

Me too, got stung by that one, amazingly expensive call to 0870 deleted tons of credit. Complained to SKype but they never answered, I don't believe they even understand why I think it's a problem.

I'm keeping Skype Out for occasional use since I've still got credit left but have taken the plunge and bought Sipura hardware VOIP box. Had to pay big for box but calls are much cheaper that Skype Out so eventually will get money back, plus no more difficult configuration with booting up PC, starting bluetooth, all that when I want to make a call.

I don't think Oftel would have any say with regard to Skype as they are based outside the UK and I don't think come under the control of Oftel though I have not read the link with this post.