Skype apologizes for outage

[Jeff]

Subscribers to Skype's premium services got an email offering an extra free week extension on their subscription as a thanks for sticking with them after the outage last week.

Here's the text of their email apology:

Hello

You may or may not know but last week Skype wasn't available for a
couple of days. There were a number of reasons for this and I am
delighted to say that the problem is now well and truly sorted and
everything is back to normal. For those of you who tried to use Skype
during that time but couldn't, we're very sorry. For those of you who
didn't try to use Skype - well thankfully you were not affected but we
want to reassure everyone that Skype is now working happily and the
problem is fixed.

We know we have many faithful users out there who give us feedback
(good and bad) on what we're doing as a company. The Skype community
makes us what we are. Without you, our users, we simply wouldn't
exist. We've helped people stay in touch with their friends and
family over the past four years without any massive hitch and we want
it to stay that way.

When the unexpected happens, it's important to remember the people who
stuck behind us and whose loyalty humbled us. I want to thank
everyone for their support, patience and being part of the Skype
community. And for those of you who missed out on using Skype last
week - I want to especially thank you as well.

As a goodwill gesture to all you faithful Skype Pro, Skype Unlimited,
SkypeIn or Skype Voicemail customers, we're adding an additional seven
days to your current subscription, free of charge. And even if you
didn't miss out on using Skype last week - you can still have a week
free on Skype, on the house!

So please enjoy it, call your loved ones, friends, family and
colleagues and thanks again.


Talk soon,
The people at Skype

While some competitors may have benefited from the Skype outage, the general consensus among the Skype users I've talked to is that they still love the service and will stick with it -- myself included.

[Gandalf]

A one week extension of the subscription seems a little cheap. I realize that the outage was less than 48 hours, but for anyone who really relies on Skype, that can be like an eternity. Or maybe there isn't anyone who really relies on Skype?

[Jeff]

Gandalf, I agree with you -- it does seem a little cheap. And the free users get nothing. This might've been a good opportunity for Skype to dangle a discount or something for the free users. It might've enticed them to pony up for one of the premium services.