Anyone who might be inclined to sign up for Skype Zones BETA is strongly urged not to do so.

On a visit to the Skype website, I happened to read about Skype Zones BETA, which sounded like a specific type of Wireless Internet - instead of getting access from hotspots, it seems that you get Skype access via them.

Seeing that there were two options - Skype Zones Beta Unlimited (Unlimited access for $7.95 a month) and Skype Zones Beta AsYouGo (Access at $2.95 per 2 hour block), I decided to sign up for the latter just for fun, though I never knew if or when I'd use it. After all, I figured I had nothing to lose by signing up for a Pay As You Go plan.

To my horror, I was billed $2.95 by Skype Zones, even though I hadn't yet used their services. I emailed support and was told that:

"When you sign up for a Skype Zones As You Go account, you are billed the first $9.95 (sic) charge and given one credited connection day, which you can use at any of the locations where we have wireless access available. Normally, this account is only billed when you connect with the service, except when you first join Skype Zones Wireless. We Bill you automatically when you join to verify the status of the credit card, and then credit your account for 1 connection."

When I pointed out that this policy was not stated anywhere on their signup page, Customer Agreement or even Knowledgebase, and that this was dishonest, I was told that "Our records have verified that over 99% of users who select this type of service, as opposed to the Unlimited monthly plan, have always used the service right after they have joined, so this type of billing policy, has remained since Boingo, the parent company, has been in existence."

Eventually I got a refund, but it still doesn't sit well with me that this non-disclosure results in less than 1% of users on this plan getting billed for nothing, and I've a suspicion that some of the "over 99%" didn't intend to use the service when they signed up, but were motivated by the charge on their credit card (though I'm not sure how many checked their statements immediately after signing up and this discovered that they'd been billed).

I told them that "until you change your policy (how hard can disclosing that the account will be billed on signup?), I cannot say that I will recommend Skype Zones to anybody I know."


I called DBS up to enquire about a residual $1 charge on my debit card which Skype Zones claimed they didn't bill me, and was pissed off to find out that although I was calling the number to be used when dialing from overseas (not the toll free local number), I was still put through their computer, ie the stupid "For your convenience, we are pleased to offer 4 language options. Press 1 for English..." rubbish.

Luckily it cost me only €0.01 per minute, since I was using VOIPbuster. I bet it's a conspiracy with the IDD companies to let them earn more money; they should cut the crap for calls from abroad and put you straight through to the customer service assistant.