A cry in the desert for yet another feature that does not work 100 % Skype Caller ID settings seem to interfere with SMS reply settings...

As I have noticed many things that do work properly in Skype (what does not kill them will make them stronger), so okay hoeray for that part. Trying to say something positive for the developer-, debugging folk in and around skype. There is nothing wrong with the things that work. But it's annoying to see that when something is added that another more important feature seems to stop working (without me having changing anythere).

And so we have arrived in the negative "what is not working zone" (where you will meet lot's of support people -  or let's say community support people, who will try to help eachother out. Never I get a proper answer from skype on the matter of this Caller ID. I am not even trying anymore. Going into lenghty threadchat on the forum does not interest me either. I can only say that if I got a problem with my local phone caller ID, that I can call Nokia, my phone vendor their global support to help me stay happy (with simple things) or my local provider who will also assist. In the case of Skype I go where with my problem ? To the forum... and stand one some soapbox, waste some time, with the chance of being called "stupid" by whomever hangs out there acting as wise guy and having to take advice from whomever I care to listen to... But that is the nature of online forums... (it's not a helpdesk, it's a bunch of people doing things)...

Big contrast when you compare all that hype with which the Skype caller ID was announced by Skype marketing. Okay's, that is marketing. We all know how that works. Something has to be announced, then sales and managers are happy and the press will pick up on this. And so forth. Everybody must be kept busy.

And now for reality. Seeing it from my perspective (a foreigner living in Malaysia, with a www.maxis.com.my enabled local cellphone which is registered, fully functional and that receives all caller ID from other countries via other operators and what you have...) I don't get the Skype caller ID working.

What is worse is that since I activated the Skype Caller ID option, is that all my outgoing SMS arrived at sender from a funny number +34-00000096 on the screen of the receivers. This is very confusing since the recipitient does not know it is me that is sending a personal message. People don't like message from anonymous entities and suddenly for my friends and family I - to whom I send SMS - I have become an anonymous sender.

Also when I request a new SMS notification code, nothing arrives on my cellphone. Might the two systems (caller ID and SMS-reply option) be conflicting ?

It's very annoying to have to something that one day work and due to something that was added (the caller ID option) seeing the other working thing (the SMS reply) stop working.

The point is that when a skype user ID (that has caller ID on) calls me I don't see who it is and vice versa; when I call them, my caller ID also does not pop up. When they or me use normal phones or cellphones I have no problems.

 

1. first I thought it's some bad settings for me as a user, but I have checked all options.

2. maybe some carrier is blocking the calller ID along the way (if so why), if that would be the case then a list of providers could be made that block skype caller ID function (why would they do that ?).

3. why are normal telco number displayed but not the skype caller ID on my phone.
4. a list comparing with the carrier that do allow skype caller ID would be interesting.

My problem is most of the times that I don't have time to debug or check why something is not working (it used to work), I depend on the provider to do make it work, so obviously as a user, I am not happy when something does not work anymore. I don't need lenghty explanations doing this, doing that. I just need things to work and that is the reality for most people on earth. If it does not work they will throw it away. Currently people cannot reply to my Skype SMS'ses send out and that is annoying.

Finalizing point is that I have always believe and respected companies with a great support function and follow-up, because it proves that they really understand how to take care of their customers. Hence the question is how good is Skype "in taking care of it's paying customers". And I am not talking about the thousands of freeloaders (who just want to make a free phone-call). I am talking about where the money. Mostly freeloaders are happy when the solution works most of the time, it is only with paying customers that you will have a bit more problems, when things don't work. The best marketing is when things simply work... Doesn't the Skype marketing understand that ?

In mean time I'll read the book "A cry in the desert"...