Skype Freedom

[Davehume]

Hi There

I have found this forum to be very informative in the past but have never added a post so for what its worth here goes the first. I have found one of the most expensive bills since leaving the UK I have is my phone, there has been a lot of press lately for a company called Skype which uses your internet connection to make free phone calls you just have to have a headset for your pc which is ok but you are tied to your pc, for those of you who already use the headset  there is an alternative, a box which simply just plugs in to your existing cordless phone and utilises that so you have the same freedom as a normal phone but using the internet to make the call, I have been using one of these boxes for a while now with no problems it was also very easy to install (which makes a change), the company who supplied me with the Skype box was www.ExpatComputerSupplies.Com. I hope this has been of some interest to you.

Dave

[PossumGirl]

Glad to see someone with experience with one of these. I've been looking at one available from Pearl that seems to offer the same features.  They also have one that's a bit more expensive, but which seems to allow you to switch between using both VoIP and regular telephone service on the same phone.

PG

[Davehume]

This box also allows you to do this which i thought was quiet a good idea as it does not tie up your home number.

Dave

[Dan Golding]

Hi Dave,

I've had one of these boxes since last October and I got it from the same place you did (expatcomputersupplies.com).

It has saved me an absolute fortune in phone calls - good ol' Skype

Dan

[Cassis]

Or alternatively, switch to one of the many ISPs who now provide free international calls - I just switched to  Free for that reason.  It's 30 euros a month for broadband and unlimited landline phone calls within France and much of Europe incl. the UK.  May be more expensive than broadband and SKYPE?  But good for us technophobes!

Phil

[Deimos]

Or just start using e.g. TeleRabais (or other similar companies) which requires no pre-payment (as Skype), no software (as Skype), no computer (as Skype), no special box (as Skype), no account (as Skype), and is cheaper for international calls that Skype (same money, time, effort, etc.).

 

Ian

[Bobc]

"Hi There

I have found this forum to be very informative in the past but have

never added a post so for what its worth here goes the first. I have

found one of the most expensive bills since leaving the UK I have is my

phone, there has been a lot of press lately for a company called Skype

which uses your internet connection to make free phone calls you just

have to have a headset for your pc which is ok but you are tied to your

pc, for those of you who already use the headset  there is an

alternative, a box which simply just plugs in to your existing cordless

phone and utilises that so you have the same freedom as a normal phone

but using the internet to make the call, I have been using one of these

boxes for a while now with no problems it was also very easy to install

(which makes a change), the company who supplied me with the Skype box

was www.ExpatComputerSupplies.Com. I hope this has been of some

interest to you.

Dave"

My advice to anyone ordering online from ExpatComputerSupplies.com

would be to contact them the day after placing your order to confirm

that they are processing it.

I ordered a Skype adaptor on the 26th of April with card payment via PayPal and duly received a confirmation e-mail from PayPal.

I e-mailed ExpatComputerSupplies on the 11th of May to query the

non-delivery of the adaptor and received a reply stating that PayPal

had not passed the order on to them. The adaptor would be despatched

within a couple of days.

To date, I am still waiting for delivery, and an e-mail to them this morning has gone unanswered.

Within this time I have ordered books and tools online from the States that have arrived within a week.

Regards,

Bob Clarke

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux

[crofter]

Hi there.We are planning on renting a place in South West France for a period of 6 months.Only problem with the property we are looking at is that it it does not ADSL.The owner stated that previous tenants apparently used SKYPE  to access the internet and that it was apparently fast.Is this possible and if thisis "twaddle" can anyone please advise on how to get fast internet access without ADSL ???

Many thanks

 

[Deimos]

You can run Skype over a dial-up link, but you will probably not get the video going and sound can suffer. However, if calling other telephones you are better using one of the normal low cost telephone services (quite a bit cheaper than Skype) or if computer to computer, something like MSN / GoogleTalk, etc. (free as is Skype).

If running over dial-up you should try to find an old version of Skype (pre version 2). More recent versions are much more bug ridden and one specific problem is when the line quality goes a bit slow, Skype just hangs-up the call (often crashing as well). This is only an occasional problem on ADSL but will be a lolt worse on dial-up as you are always running at a much slower speed.

Skype has a lot of publicity going but there are better readily available solutions around.

Ian

[Barrym]

If you are lucky enough to have broadband www.voipcheap.co.uk (or www.webcalldirect.com) will give you FREE calls to landlines from your PC, or at 3p from your phone (upto 5 hours per week, 1ct a minute thereafter)

[Meg]

[quote user="Davehume"]

 there is an alternative, a box which simply just plugs in to your existing cordless phone and utilises that so you have the same freedom as a normal phone but using the internet to make the call, I have been using one of these boxes for a while now with no problems it was also very easy to install (which makes a change),

[/quote]

Thanks Dave,

Have just been looking at these recently as i use skype a lot. There are quite a few on ebay at the moment but i wasn't totally sure how it all worked! So, nice to know that youv'e tried one and it works ok!!

Louise

[sylvia]

As far as I can see there has not been a more recent post than this from Dave which I found some 6weeks ago. I just wanted to add a small voice of caution on this type of advice and where it may have come from and why?  In this instance I do not mean to doubt this individual only to point out that his experience may not be the only kind possible.

Having taken his post at face value I went ahead and ordered, payed for and recieved this same item from 'expat computer supplies', sadly however my experience is of an item that does not function at all and of zero assistance to resolve the problem, return the item or get a refund for it.

I did initially get some feedback on set up, but once it became obvious that I had a duff piece of kit I have been ignored from that point onward. I feel if the company were genuine I would at least get a response to my many e-mail requests.

Maybe I am the only one to have had a dodgy adaptor and so have just been unlucky in that respect, but zero help on refund or replacement makes me wonder!

So the old advice still holds most true "Buyer beware!"

In case anyone wonders I do not have any interest in any rival company and would gladly forward all my e-mail communications with 'expat' to anyone who wishes to read them

Sylvia

[Sunday Driver]

I note that their website does not include any contact details apart from a couple of e-mail addresses.  They do not disclose their business address or telephone number. Quite anonymous, in fact.

Furthermore, there are no published terms and conditions, no data protection information and they give no indication that they even have a returns policy.

Dealing with a business like this is akin to buying from a private e-bay seller - your consumer rights are likely to be difficult to enforce.

 

 

[Cassis]

Maybe Dave and Dan, the two advocates of said dodgy dealer, could help? But I don't think I've seen much posted by them since then so maybe they don't come here any more.

[Meg]

Sylvia,

Was there any return address on the packaging it came in??

[Cassis]

I think Dave Hume may be a con.  He has posted exactly the same message here:

http://www.fuerteventura-forum.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9067

where he claims to be based in Spain, according to his personal details.  He has precisely one message to his name on this other forum, i.e. a promotion for this gizmo using exactly the same wording as his posting here.

[Benjamin]

Strange that.

When I saw the opening post to this thread I thought it didn't "smell" right as I felt I'd seen an earlier similar posting mentioning this company and I wondered if it was covert advertising.

I raised the query with Forum Admin but as the post wasn't pulled I assumed my memory was wrong and they couldn't see anything untoward with it. Presumably, whilst the general members can't see previous postings by other forum members, Forum Admin can check them out?

 

 

Benjamin

[Cassis]

Hi Benjamin, Louweezel

I know that on some forums you can click a button for 'See other posts by this member' and the like, but I've no idea whether Forum Admin have a similar thing.

I'm afraid that I've become a bit of an old cynic when it comes to new people posting on forums until I'm sure of them, because this sort of thing happens so frequently (not just here).  You also get people just trying it on, posting stupid questions just to get genuine members running around chasing their tails.

[Meg]

Interesting bit of detective work Cassis.

I quite like that feature to see other posts, shame it's not on here.

I am just too trusting to think anyone is ever being a bit sneaky. [:$] I need some of your cynicism Cassis!

Louise

[Meg]

 AHHH Here he is again,

 http://expatforum.digitaldevelopment.com/read.cfm?msgid=56234&thread=56234&channel=18&offset=200

I just searched for dave hume and expat! I wonder how many more there are.

Louise

[Benjamin]

When I joined this forum last year the feature to look back at another members posts was available but when the software was changed the feature disappeared.

I think some members were using the feature to drag up all sorts of misdemeanours commited by others and use them in other threads.

Benjamin

[Cassis]

[quote user="louweezel"] AHHH Here he is again,

 http://expatforum.digitaldevelopment.com/read.cfm?msgid=56234&thread=56234&channel=18&offset=200

I just searched for dave hume and expat! I wonder how many more there are.

Louise

[/quote]

Good spot, Louweez - this could become a new game, like hunt the thimble.

No doubt wherever there's a forum there's a Dave Hume post now!  Ah well, we live and learn. 

As long as cynicism is healthy and not bitter I reckon it's okay in small measure.  [:D]

[Bones]

I use Skype to call landlines in the UK and it's very cheap.

I use a lynksis (spelling?) cordless phone that's plugged in to the wall for charging purposes; it comes with a wireless usb thing that plugs into the back of your pc.

Very simple.

[Btuckey]

I work for a Swedish IT company and the use of Skype is near mandatory between employees.  My boss often calls me from the Tokyo office and it sounds as if he is in the same room.  Interestingly I call our OSS Practice Manager, who lives in the UK, almost daily via mobile.  He is on ntl: and the latency (delay) of the cable network makes VoIP conversations similar to old Short Wave ones.  (Say ‘over’ at the end of each sentence or you end up talking over yourselves!)   For what it is worth, I use a USB handset.

Brian