alexpgp | A waste of time... (Reply)

I've been trying to set up a direct Skype link to my sister-in-law, but it's been rough going. While skyping her on her landline, she told me her username, which I added to my contact list.

The greeting message I appended to my request to authorize me as a contact didn't arrive for a while, and Alla's response didn't show up on my end at all, and neither could we "see" each other in our contact lists.

So, after searching the Skype FAQs for help, I emailed a support request to Skype support.

What a waste of time. After going back and forth for three days, here's a copy of my latest response to them, which pretty much sums things up:

Thank you for your prompt response. However, your advice does not appear to apply to my installation of Skype.

For example, when I position my mouse over any name in my contact list, nothing at all happens. Furthermore, right-clicking a name does not show a 'Resend Contact Request' option in the resulting popup menu.

This is my fourth message to you about this issue. To be frank, the responses from Skype support have not been very helpful, possibly because first, you don't appear to be paying attention to my messages, e.g., I'm Alex, not Alla. Second, you seem to ignore what I'm reporting, e.g., I am able to use SkypeOut with no problem, but you keep pointing me at possible firewall/router issues. Third, you don't appear to have examined the screenshots you requested, e.g., there's no question mark in front of Alla's name ('Алла') in the screenshot. And finally, fourth, you don't appear to be aware of the fact that whatever canned scripts you are using for support are out of date, e.g., the current Skype version is 4.1.0.141, not 3.8.

If I find a fix on my own, I'll be sure to let you know.

The upside is that I just finished speaking to Galina on Alla's landline using SkypeOut, and noticed that Alla and I can now "see" each other via Skype (and we even successfully tested the link).

Criminy, IT is almost like medicine sometimes: things eventually work themselves out without intervention.

Cheers...