Downtown London 0207 SkypeIn Numbers Must Change
Guest post by Simon Perry of Digital-Lifestyles.
Skype has just written to owners of 0207 SkypeIn numbers to tell them that their number will have to change by 20th December 2007 - a mere month away. 0207 is the dialling prefix for Central London.
Although worded in a very friendly way, this bombshell email will not be welcomed by those who rely on SkypeIn to bring calls in to their business.
Digital-Lifestyles is an example of this. We made the decision to entrust our phone number - the telephone gateway to our business - to Skype - We’re living the Digital-Lifestyles dream, right? At no time did we ever imagine that we’d have to change our number - ever.
That’s not how phone numbers work. You’re given a number, and that remains your number until you decide to give it up. It doesn’t give you up.
It’s clear that Skype has either fallen out with their current telecoms provider, or have found a better deal elsewhere. Making their customers pay for this, is not the way to do business.
0208 is not 0207
As if the need to change numbers wasn’t bad enough, Skype casually drops late in the email that the number that you need to change to might not be a Central London number, but the far less desirable Outer London 0208 dialling prefix, or even the near-unused 0203.
Skype is offering 12 months free use of the SkypeIn number in return for the ‘inconvenience’.
Bizarre
What is strange about this, is that Skype is very actively trying to encourage the use of Skype in business, building in features into the software to encourage this.
Quite how they think they can encourage people to become dependant on their SkypeIn service and they pull a prank like this is beyond us.
Loss of Trust
Skype has seriously shot itself in the foot with this. Those who have to change their number against their will, will never trust Skype again.
Skype sign the email off “The (really, really sorry) people at Skype.” No matter what it costs Skype to make sure this doesn’t happen, they must meet it or they’ll end up being far more sorry than they could imagine when people abandon their service.
UPDATE: Skype responds...
Editor: Skype procurement didn't contract for automatic renewal at set rates up-front, assuming renegotiations would be kind. per this blog post by Skype spokesman Villu Arak.
also:
- Wikipedia: UK telephone code misconceptions
Comments
Thre issues with this story:
1. As pointed out by the Wikipedia article, London's area code is simply "020"; the "7" and "8" are the first digits of the subsequent 8-digit phone number. The author of this post is only perpetuating the confusion lamented in the Wikipedia article. And with respect to new numbers, from the Wikipedia article: "In addition, the geographical significance of the "7" or "8" has been lost with regard to new number issues, so that, for example, some newly allocated numbers in central London now begin with an "8"."
Seems like the UK authorities have created havoc with London phone numbers over the past few years. Here in Toronto we had one area code split in 1993 (416 remains City of Toronto; 905 is surrounding area known as Golden Horseshoe around the west end of Lake Ontario). When Toronto needed new numbers around 2000 the numbering authority overlaid an additional area code 647. More recently 905 was overlaid with 289 but I have yet to come across a 289 number. So, over the past 20 years there has only been one occasion where about half the phones in the GTA have had to change their business cards (and even at the split you kept the same 7-digit phone number -- just changed the area code). Just to put emphasis on the 416/905 split, we also went to 10-digit dialing in all Toronto region area codes at the same time.
2. The other irony about this story is the assumption that geography is always associated with an area code. I thought that was "old telephony" thinking since now I have 416 (mobile), 647 (Talk Plus), 905 (home/office) and 650 (SkypeIn) phone numbers .. all coming back to one physical location. Hey, I could even have one of those 020 8xxx xxxx London numbers via SkypeIn if I felt it would benefit me.
3. And why does the UK have a system where a vendor of telephony services can be held ransom to one number provider? That's one reason we have CRTC's and FCC's (and OFCOM's?), I thought.
While I would not want to be a business that had to notify its customers about a number change, at least you are in a country where you can get SkypeIn numbers. We would just like the basic service of SkypeIn numbers in Canada!
Posted by: Jim Courtney | November 23, 2007 10:18 AM
It took Skype long enough to put an explanation on their blog. Were they hoping everyone would just accept the change to their number without a complaint? It is difficult to speak to Skype representatives, but their PR contact is available and I'm sure she would love to hear from you. Her contact info for Skype in the UK is on my site.
Posted by: Dave | November 23, 2007 04:51 PM
My faith in Skype has been waning lately, this measure with Skype not protecting the 0207 numbers has accelerated our company in looking into other VOIP solutions, possibly an Asterisk box.
Skype for Business is now a misnomer in my book, be very wary about using it for anything that is even remotely mission critical!
Posted by: Shawn | November 26, 2007 06:14 PM