The Big Blog

braydencorleone commented Tuesday, May 8

Is the USA in the approved country list? I have skype out and skype in and when I login I see the Caller Identification that goes to the FAQ, but no change link beside it.

-Randy

periginald commented Tuesday, May 8

Yes, please make it simpler to realize that the US is not available yet. It's not clear on the site. I have "Caller Identification" and a FAQ, but it took quite a bit of searching to find this blog entry.

Oh, and what are the legal issues with the US? Is this something that is "just around the corner", or "never going to happen" in America. It'd be nice to know whether to get our hopes up or not.

:)

suchanai commented Wednesday, May 9

Great news, it would be great if the service will be available in the USA soon. My friends have been unhappy with the unknown caller id (skype-in number). They are asking me to switch to a different internet phone provider.

-sbuy

c.livino commented Wednesday, May 9

From my "My Account" page it seems that Caller Identification for SkypeOut calls is available to me in my Brazilian account, but when I call my mobile it shows a completely different number (albeit local, with the right prefix) to my SkypeIn number. What gives?

anusaini commented Wednesday, May 9

*Please* make it simpler to figure out that caller identification might not be available in some countries. The Caller Identification link which just takes us to the documentation is very very confusing. Seriously.

braydencorleone commented Thursday, May 10

I think that it is very rude for the author of a blog entry to not reply to posts made by their blog....

Jaanus commented Friday, May 11

This is currently not available in the US and I'm sorry I can't give you a time or probability estimate when it will be. Keep checking back.

Thanks for all the feedback. We are continuously working to improve our documentation in knowledge base and other communications. If you have specific questions about how to use our products, please contact our customer support who will be happy to help.

sorgohamidou commented Sunday, May 13

hi guys, does somebody know how to make the free call today

westriverpress commented Sunday, May 13

OK, so it's not yet available in the USA. Our skypein numbers don't show when we skypeout.

I wonder if this is the reason behind the fact that, even though I have given my bank my skypein number as my home phone number, when I call the customer serrvice at my bank, they can't identify me and often take me to their security department and ask me several questions before transfering me to the customer service. This is incredibly inconvenient. Do I have to switch back my phone number to my landline number and start calling my bank from my landline phone?

gracewriter commented Wednesday, May 23

Thanks for wasting nearly my entire morning trying to figure out how to get Caller ID to function! The reason I bought a phone number and unlimited calling in advanced is because you advertised that feature. Now that I'm in, you're going to tell me I can't have it!!!!!?????

gracewriter commented Wednesday, May 23

Thanks for wasting nearly my entire morning trying to figure out how to get Caller ID to function! The reason I bought a phone number and unlimited calling in advanced is because you advertised that feature. Now that I'm in, you're going to tell me I can't have it!!!!!?????

stevieroyalwarrior commented Wednesday, May 23

Unbelievable! Me too! It appeared to me that calling international numbers from the US would not bring up the caller ID info, but I was certain that it would work in the US. I wish I had visited the forums first. Where do I go to cancel the skype in service? There's no point in using this if people I call can't tell who's calling. Few people answer "Blocked caller ID" or "unknown" anymore!
What's infuriating is that the company itself must realize this is unclear (notice all the posts on the forum from infuriated customers!!!!!) and they don't choose to make it absolutely clear before one signs up. Poor customer service. I'm also irritated because I love to defend new companies that break in where monopolies exist and bring great technologies to consumers. Skype is a company that is succeeding in many ways but angering customers unnecessarily along the way! Too bad!

tomleykis commented Friday, May 25

It's odd that this has taken so long considering Yahoo Voice already shows the caller ID.

robknox101 commented Monday, Jun 11

So far, I'm happy with the call quality, and certainly the dollar value. But getting clear info on this website is an absolute pain and a massive time eater.

Like the users above it took me hours of hunting around to find out this service limitation. I kept thinking perhaps the site was functioning improperly. However, it's just poorly executed.

Shame, really. Now I'll start trying to find out clear information on how the voicemail works.

cipher64 commented Tuesday, Jun 12

I agree with most of the people above me there should be clear documentation on what features are available and where they are available. Though, I didn't waste hours trying to activate the CLI feature, but it sure was confusing since clicking on the feature takes you to support pages, they should better inform the customer that the feature is not available on US numbers instead of bumping us over to the support pages.

mizkjk commented Monday, Jun 18

Agreed. If only the "skype style" of being as easy to use and transparent as possible also applied to the Skype website.

rsktech_rask commented Tuesday, Jun 19

I don't know if I was looking the wrong place, but I couldn't see how to make this feature work with SkypeIn numbers that are assigned through the Skype Business Panel?

Any advice? If it is not currently possible will it be possible in the future, and then when?

Generally - as other commenter above also mentioned - it would be great if the people behind the Skype blogs engaged in dialogue with those who posts questions or comments.

dspohn23 commented Monday, Jun 25

I would really like to have some idea if Skype will ever introduce this in the US. Jaanus, Can you give us a clue? Either - yes SkypeOut caller id will probably be introduced in US, or no it probably will never be introduced to the US.

You don't need to tell me when it will be introduced, just if it eventually will be. Thanks.

darianmack commented Tuesday, Jun 26

Can you let me know if this feature is available in Australia, and if not when?

Thanks

putzina commented Saturday, Jul 7

It would be nice if someone from Skype would at least say "Yes, we are trying to be able to enable it eventually," or "No, we're never going to enable it for the US, Australia, Germany, etc."

akeuper commented Tuesday, Jul 10

If I knew off the bat that my number would not be seen by recipients I would have NEVER purchased service.

Skype seemed to be so reliable and functional but that aspect is CRUCIAL to using Skype for anything important.

If this isn't resolved I will take my business elsewhere.

rdestiny commented Wednesday, Jul 11

I don't understand what is the hold up. I have switched to another voip with this feature but still would like it if Skype would add this as I have a history here. But if they keep dragging their feet I will definitely have to make my "home" with my other provider. I like being able to pass out my phone number knowing my relatives and friends will be able to attach it to me and not screen out my calls.

doktorzee commented Tuesday, Jul 17

I have SkypeIn numbers from the US and Romania, as well as SkypeOut credits and SkypePro, yet I do not see the Change link on my account page. And I don't see the gift certificates thing in the menu either!

cliffspeaking commented Thursday, Jul 19

I believe this is false advertising. It is not clear that there are some countries (ESPECIALLY the U.S.) that can't use their Skypein number for their outgoing caller id. I just signed up for Skypein mostly for this so that my outgoing calls are not ignored. Then to top it off, Skype has cost me and many other people about 45 minutes just to track down the information that it isn't offered..... Very bad business. I like your service, but your treatment on the web site is not right. Please let us know if it's going to be weeks, months or years for the caller id for the U.S.

simon.riddick1 commented Saturday, Jul 21

So let me recap.. from which countries is caller id available from? The UK, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Hong Kong, Estonia and Poland...

ESTONIA?? POLAND???

However, not Germany, not France, not Australia, not even the U.S.A??

Skype is supposed to be the premier VOIP service, yet they cannot even provide something as simple as caller ID is the USA? I'm sure most people who live in the US will agree that if no caller ID is available when placing a call to a landline phone 9 out of 10 people will not pick up. Why? Because blocked caller id's are typically associated with telemarketers, collection agencies, and other "unsavory" persons.

I will be cancelling my account a.s.a.p and switching back to my old VOIP provider, which provided this feature at a fraction of the cost of Skype.

SKYPE is junk... and I suggest a boycott of the service until this is resolved!

medical_wing commented Monday, Jul 23

It's July 23, nobody from SKYPE has fixed the caller ID support pages that kept popping on set-up page since May? It took me more than 30 minutes looking for that stupid caller ID toggle switch! And you never see anything that says Caller ID doesn't work in the USA before you buy your skypeOUT credits! And it's no use trying to email support because the website automatically directs you to those stupid caller ID support page when you put caller ID on any of your email message! I thought I had an internet browser problem! SKYPE, what are you guys, doing? At least fix that broken link! Oh, by the way, we are sending this to PC Magazine! There goes your revenue SKYPE!

willysit commented Tuesday, Jul 24

Ha! Ha! Funny. I, too, have spent too long on more than one occasion today looking for the 'CallerID' for a US SkypeOut. Then I happened upon this forum to find that it is not available. I would suspect that is largely due to the IP to Telco arrangements in the Central Office offering the DSL setup. All the Telco knows is your IP address. That Skype is able to provide a telephone number to you is not a function of the phone company which is routing your call through their Telco facility. The phone company couldn't care less who you, your ISP, your IP address or what the free telephone number you have is.

Welcome to the U.S. It's not the Queen's cup o' tea, but then, she figured that out a couple hundred years ago.

impreza4life commented Wednesday, Jul 25

Thanks for this posting. I, too, spend many frustrating minutes on the continous loop of insufficient instructions. Why can't SKYPE just add a simple "check to see if this feature is available for your country"???

nchapman commented Monday, Jul 30

I absolutely agree with everyone else that this is very confusing. Please fix the help page that users are sent to so that it lists all the countries in which this is available!

davidjrichard commented Thursday, Aug 9

Willysit, I'm not sure what you say about the Central Office is true. I would assume that Skype has connectivity to big packet-to-TDM gateways with some LD carrier in the US: maybe Sprint or L3. As part of that, Skype should also be plugging into the SS#7 network, which would automatically give Skype caller id capability. But since Skype doesn't have caller id, I'm wondering if they're doing something - that would explain a lot, but it would really call into question how serious Skype is in providing phone service.

skolicki commented Monday, Aug 13

To simon.riddick1: Well, it happens that there are tons of users of Skype in Poland, and I assume in Estonia too. Difficult to imagine, but we're not living in caves.

Anyway, as I'm in the US now, I'd really like to see caller ID coming asap. Any update Skype team?

Thanks.

rdestiny commented Wednesday, Aug 15

I think it's interesting that prices have nearly doubled for certain areas and we still don't have caller id. Companies like Skype (with major share in their industry) often think they can take advantage of their other customers. It wouldn't be so bad if their smaller competitors haven't already implemented this and are even cheaper (yahoo, gizmo). We don't even get a timeline.

jeromeblaha commented Wednesday, Aug 29

Ok, just bought a Skype-In bumber in Hong Kong, so I can at least make calls with caller ID. Only problem, there is NO OPTION to set Caller ID in Skype version 3.2.0.175 under the 'account overview' or any other tab. Anyone else having a problem with a supposed working Caller ID country?

darianmack commented Monday, Sep 3

This is my second post - I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS NOT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM SKYPE COMMENTING HERE !!. all i'm wanting is an explanation as to why I cannot get it in Australia (I assume the same will hold true for other countries). Just some feedback would be what I expect !

dtecurtis commented Monday, Sep 10

I rarely make comments but many people are spot on about this being extremely frustrating. I spent about 45 minutes trying to turn it on only to find out that it will not work in the US.

I also feel that this is a bit of bait and switch since it is not made clear that there are very few countries that this will work in.

You would save a lot of people time if you would just put a list of countries that this works in on your FAQ page:

http://support.skype.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=rate&_i=1263&type=no

I just drank the koolaid and I am enjoying Sykpe, but this has slowed down my excitement a bit.

bruce.a.conrad commented Friday, Sep 14

Seriously doubt that you ever even read these comments, Jaanus. I like Skype a lot but you have some REALLY rough edges. You claim, "It’s easy to use and just works." THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. I just wasted a precious hour of my time trying to figure out how to activate Caller ID. Finally searched the web only to learn that it's not available. Please send me a surface mail address so that I can send you a bill for my time.

cyclejopple commented Thursday, Sep 20

I have had skypeout and skype in credit for a few years. I have always been happy w/ the service but have always been unhappy that caller ID was not available. I recently logged in to skype and searched for caller ID. To my satisfaction... It said it was available. After searching for 5 minutes for setting to enable this feature. I finally attempted to contact Skype. Once I did I found the "USA NOT AVAILABLE" Faq. You would think this would be a priority to have USA Caller ID Available. I have had nothing but irreatations from relatives saying that they are not happy that my number does not appear on there machine and sometimes they refuse to answer. I was very disappointed when I just found out that caller ID is finally available but is not available to USA. Please ... the blog here should be enough for you guys to realise that not getting this setup in the USA is not helping you.

the1taz commented Monday, Sep 24

I too was "a victim of the game", I started my day with the purchase of a one year SkypeOut account only to use it and realize that the called parties were not picking up due to the lack of Caller ID. I then searched the skype website to determine what had to be done ensure that my called party would receive caller ID, sure enough I read in their press release that caller ID worked if you had a SkypeIn account. I then purchased a one year SkypeIn account only for the purposes of caller ID. Unfortunately when it continued to not work, I found this forum and am now the next "Victim of the misinformation game".

daiglebw commented Wednesday, Sep 26

Ditto to what everyone else is saying. What's the holdup in the US? That's my one major issue w/ Skype.

egrove12 commented Wednesday, Sep 26

Can anyone recommend another VOIP service to switch to that will disclose outgoing numbers? Chance of this post being deleted: 100%. However, if a few people could respond before they do so, that would be great! I've heard that Yahoo's service offers this feature... any others?

klee03140 commented Saturday, Sep 29

I hear you all!!! This is not cool at all!!! I only paid for the 3 months in & out, but I paid $150 for the phone!!! Now my mom or brother don't pick up the phone when I call!!! Why... just guess... YES... CALLER ID!!! and YES I lost over 1/2 hour to find out I CAN'T GET CALLER ID... maybe I'll take my phone back to Fry's and get someone else...

I do have 1 ???, can you get caller ID on in coming calls on skype or landline? Thanks.

overflowinglife commented Sunday, Sep 30

Come on guys, it's been months and months since this thread started. When is caller ID going to be introduced in the US?

I can't over emphasize how critical this feature is to my enjoyment of the skype service

piratewench96 commented Friday, Oct 5

Yes, they should make the information on the website more readily available so that their customers are able to easily find what they want, however for the people that claim they purhased it only to later find that it was unavailable, perhaps they should have done more research prior to signing up. It isn't good business for them to mislead customers, but maybe if you put a little more thought in to it before you handed over your money you wouldn't be so irate now; you can't simply trust that a company is going to offer you the world on a string just because an ad says so. Their service is good, reliable, and while it is frustrating to not have a caller ID, there are a lot worse things to not have. Another note, is that not having it in the USA is a large problem, but a large portion of their customers aren't from the USA... stop acting like the USA is the only important nation in the world. They're probably trying to get something worked out, but it's your own fault for making an unknowledgale choice in signing up for their service.

cyclejopple commented Sunday, Oct 7

@ previous post, I know you are correct about USA not being the ONLY important nation in the world,... But... Don't you think it's funny that MOST of the people on here are complaining about USA and NOT other areas??

paulnstephw commented Wednesday, Oct 10

WTF! How do I get my friggin money back for my $60 SkypeIn number that doesn't have caller ID available?Anyone been successful at getting a refund? If not, does anyone else see a CLASS ACTION suit in the near future?

craig_film commented Saturday, Oct 13

Wow.. I've used SkypeOut ALL the time for a year or so... and everyone I know picks up when they see 0001234567 because the only time they see that is when it's me... And if they didn't pickup, I'd leave a message and then call back later. No big deal.

Folks, Skype is a REALLY inexpensive service, so don't be so picky. I'm betting that Caller ID is more a legal/political issue with individual countries and companies, not a technical issue. It might be that you ought to all be yelling at someone such as the FCC, not Skype. I'm sure that if it were strictly a technical issue, it would have been dealt with by now.

The only reason I ran across this thread is I just bought a SkypeIn number and I wanted to make certain that Caller ID didn't kick-in. I'm using Skype as transfer-in line and to call out to clients and I didn't want them to start calling my SkypeIn number. Ironically, I found this thread because I really don't want ID now.

dja.toshue commented Wednesday, Oct 31

I'm new to skype but am already favorable for class action lawsuit. Their business practices are terrible, intentionnely misleading for profit purposes

dja.toshue commented Wednesday, Oct 31

A company that provides phone service but have no phone contact for customer service...A company that avertizes product they cannot deliver...We have many ingredients here, just to name a few for class action setup. If skype is an internet toy they should state that clearly and not try to mislead their customers looking for a tool they could really use. You actually spent more time serching for answers to questions they already know.

christine7146 commented Wednesday, Oct 31

It's frustrating; a less Skype could let us know that caller ID is not available in USA. I found this website, which is legal, spoof Card, I try to call my own NO, using they software, and I got caller id in my wifi net gear Skype phone. You choose what number you want to showing in the phone’s of the person that you calling. The point is, if this software works in my phone, them Skype could soon provided us with caller id. The link: link:http://www.spoofcard.com/home/halloween.php

mtciep commented Sunday, Nov 4

I hope to see Caller ID function available for US numbers coming out with the next Skype version................its about time Skype, I know many others love using your program, just like myself............please give us that one vital feature(CALLER ID) to continue that desire in using and paying for Skype!!!

nedas777 commented Tuesday, Nov 6

After long search for CallerID in Skype, after emails send to customer support, get answer:
-Unfortunatley we currently do not support CallerID with a US SkypeIn numbers and do not know when it will be available. It will probably become available in the future, but we do not know yet when.
Then I bought the UK SkypeIn number just for the test,will it will work this CallerID in USA. And guess what? Now when I making SkypeOut calls to ordinary US phones it shows UK number. Its hard to understand where is the problem with USA caller id numbers.
WE ALL NEED CALLER ID!!!! PLEASE!!!

rh.usa commented Tuesday, Nov 6

Here, finally, is the answer made perfectly clear -- only not by skype, but by a user. Skype inability (or choice not to, for regulatory reasons) to offer "911" emergency call capability is what makes skype non-compliant with USA law, and FCC. Here is the definitive link from FCC describing the requirement:

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/voip911.html

And here is the skype user's posting which brought this to light today: Everyone owes this person a big thank you for tracking down the reason which skype could have clearly communicated to customers about long ago:
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=100006&st=0&p=459752&#entry459752

And here is the confirmation I got from skype via a support trouble ticket:
---------------------------
from Slava - Skype Support
to (rh.usa)
date Nov 3, 2007 2:55 AM
subject Re: GQW: SKYPE's PROJECTED TIMEFRAME for when USA customers will get callerID - 6mos? Year? never? >
mailed-by skype.net

Hello (rh.usa),

Thank you for contacting Skype Support.

We apologise for the delayed response.

I have contacted our PSTN team regarding this question.

The answer was that it is not likely that caller ID will be implemented for US. The reason is some regulatory issues that Skype cannot meet right now.

We apologize for any inconveniences.

Best regards,

Slava F.
Skype Support
---------------------------

btw, Slava F., and another skype support rep, Tamara, are kind enough to have relayed the clear information re skype's regulatory problems in USA. If only MANAGEMENT at skype had been kind enough to provide us a very simple and clear answer.

Now we have it. Read the FCC link above and there is no wiggle room.

jh_nelson commented Friday, Nov 9

I believe that it is not available in US because Verizon has sued Vonage for IP address translation -> telephone numbers. Vonage has appealed this stating that it is common knowledge / technique which should not have been allowed to be patented by Verizon (btw I agree it should NOT have been allowed to be patented). Probably after this has been resolved Skype may either "license" the technology from Verizon , or if the patent is rescinded , continue to deploy to U.S. That's what I think. I could be wrong.

jh_nelson commented Friday, Nov 9

Sorry, I somehow missed the post from Skype from Nov 6. But I did read the FCC web page and it alludes that Skype should have E911 services since they already route calls to PSTN network. In effect, by providing Skypeout they are a VoIP provider and must provide E911 service to their US customers.

kevinr2212 commented Thursday, Dec 27

I think it is a really bad business practice to not make it clear that your SkypeIn number will not be displayed on the recipient's callerID. I may or may not have still purchased my SkypeIn number; it's just knowing that they are knowingly deceiving their customers that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I personally feel wronged by this and at the very least would like some sort of legitimate explanation as to why this is not available in the US.

As others have said, nobody answers the phone when callerID shows "UNAVAILABLE". I don't like hiding who I am when I call and with this I am forced to. Really bad move, Skype. I've lost a lot of respect for you.

dee.stark1567 commented Monday, Dec 31

Oh, COME ON! I just wasted half an hour of my time before finding out that this service is not available in the US, and then I read here that people have been complaining about this VERY thing for MONTHS!!!! I had been recommending Skype to friends - but have been having increasing problems when calling people that they won't pick up because of the "unknown" caller on their ID. Please, at least make this clear on the FAQ that it is only available in some countries, and that the US is NOT one of them!

vitaver commented Wednesday, Jan 2

Yahoo and Vonage will show your caller ID. I opened with Vonage. Once Skype gets this problem solved, we will rather use Skype, but if caller id does not show, most of our clients just won't pickup the phone.

tonyderijk commented Monday, Jan 7

I invested in equipment specifically made to work with Skype In and Out and was VERY DISAPPOINTED when I found out that Skype apparently has no intentions to support caller id.
It is very misleading that you can't find this info until after you sign up for all the services. They better straighten out their business with FCC.
I will be moving on to another VOIP service very soon if this doesn't get solved quickly.

tcaplow commented Wednesday, Jan 9

Just piling on here with the same absolute irritation -- especially with the earlier comments from -- let's see -- more than SIX MONTHS AGO asking that it be MADE MORE CLEAR on the site that this does NOT WORK IN THE USA and (b) that you CANNOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AS WRITTEN IF YOU HAVE A USA SKYPE IN NUMBER. Like all these other folks, I spent an hour looking for a feature that doesn't exist. SLIMY TACTICS and this kind of c**p can turn people against Skype very quickly. Like so many internet whizzbangs, this company apparently thinks it can do no wrong now. Customer service is a permanent need, not some sort of expendable start-up cost that you then discard. Well, if you want to stay in business 5 or 10 years or longer. Of course, they may not care...

takaesta commented Thursday, Jan 10

As of January 2008, there is a software program that now creates caller id for United States Skype users. It's at http://getinfo.us/skype/callerid/

Run Skype first, then run the program (SkyID Caller Identification). Right-mouse click on the SkypeOut contact you want to call within Skype, and go to DO MORE, and then goto (Caller ID) Start Call.

The software is for free but the service cost a few cents per minute.

tmf-miami commented Monday, Jan 14

Truly amazing. A communications company that has very little idea on how to communicate.

No phone number to deal with customer service. Service tickets ignored, and a website that does not properly communicate services provided.

Since I have been using my Skype Pro service, more than 80% of my calls are ignored because the person receiving the call cannot tell who is calling due to a miserable CallerID system.

I am off to check Yahoo's service.

jasel.rodriguez commented Wednesday, Jan 16

Yes, that new service that offers caller ID thru Skype has one HUGE limitation as stated on the site:
"Another limitation that you should be aware of is call duration. Currently SkyID only allows calls to last for one minute."
Useless!!

paleodust commented Wednesday, Jan 16

D'oh!! I ran into this issue a few months ago and cancelled the SkypeIn service because it's absolutely useless to me without Caller ID. Last night, I came across something on the web that said that, as of January 2008, you can now have caller ID for United States Skype users. I got so excited that I renewed my Skype account on the spot, only to find that it's still not working. I don't get it! I like the concept but, without caller ID as part of the package, it's not too useful to me. If you really do get it working in the USA, please let us know. Thanks.

jontaub commented Friday, Jan 18

I agree skype should really say what the deal is with U.S. caller id - if yahoo can do it seems like they could as well.

I went to those sites which it says allow you to have caller id work with skype out cost 16 cents a minute - umm I think that defeats the purpose of using skype

tomlaheyh commented Thursday, Jan 24

OK, so lets please use some common sense. First the post should have been more clear by country. However, having a UI that shows diff things to diff people is Steven King bad "Always".

So what Skype should do is show the same line
"Caller ID" for everyone, and then either grey out the Chg for those who can't use it, or even better, use 5 lines of code to lookup country and say "Not Avail Yet" for those of us who can't get it.

tentill430 commented Sunday, Jan 27

I use skype mobile and I hate it. Skype Mobile's "team" of programmers/tech guys must just be on some sort of permanent vacation. They probably have a pet monkey in charge of the whole Caller ID project.

I am constantly dealing with Skype Mobile's terrible call quality, and it's not because of my internet connection. It's because of YOU, SKYPE. They hardly ever update the program despite the need. And when they have, it still sucks, remaining basically the same, sometimes becoming worse.

I don't understand why they can't simply charge more money for Skype Mobile and for the Caller ID thing so that it can become actually functional and the customer's needs can finally be met.

My settings are defalted everytime I restart the program; this means that if i forget to check the boxes everyday, my friends can't use my voicemail that I pay for. On top of that... I can never leave voicemails for anyone else... there's no beep just the silent sound of Skype failing me in a new way.

Also, the fact that Skype Mobile has hardly any options [ Contact Pictures??? Ringtones??? Smart Scrolling??? Ability to add AIM and email to contacts???] is evidence that they are just taking our money without putting it towards their "service".

It's not like it would take that much effort to just add these options. Does Skype even have any employees anymore??????? Where is our money going????

I can't wait for:
Skype to actually hire people who can make things happen

--or-- for somebody to put Skype out of business.

Fellow Skypers.... let me know if there's another VOIP service out there that we should try. I'm tired of getting abused and I want to try a company that actually cares about me and what I'm paying for.

jrbirge commented Monday, Jan 28

Keep in mind this started as a European company, and is probably still being run with the poor customer service typical of European companies. The notion that "regulatory" issues are preventing this from happening in the US is utter BS, designed to shift the blame away from them. I'm going to try to get a refund on my Skype-in number (just bought today) as they did not do a reasonable job explaining this limitation.

czodzy commented Sunday, Feb 3

hahaha
When I first found out about the caller ID in usa I bought skype in number and this thing on Getinfo.us for 5$ i though this is a caller id software and everything is going to work fine. Now their website does not work they dont answers the emails i dont know what the hell is going on skype is stilling the money from their costumers how can they let it happen

perry48 commented Thursday, Feb 7

I agree IT IS VERY BAD THAT WE CAN'T GET outgoing caller ID in this wonderful but Fascist country of ours -- Gov't run by big business won't let VoIP companies do what is technically possible.

So we consumers suffer.

Mainly, however, I agree with the blogs here going back 8 months. WHY DON'T YOU PUT A MESSAGE on the ACCOUNT page that tells us it is not available in our country. (USA) or at least say not available if no button here.

Geees... People look all over the help area trying to find why the help instructions are WRONG before finding out that most countries don't allow it.

cyclejopple commented Saturday, Feb 9

Here is my problem. I just recently received word that my skype number is expiring. This is all well and good because it is the stated time it would expire. However I and all the other people out there are hoping for Caller ID to be expanded. I have seen no change since this announcment of availability to my area USA. My problem is that they have DOUBLED the price now for a Skype number and NO improved service. Come on now DOUBLE! I know it was not 80$ USA dollars for a Skype number last year. I would at least like to know the reason why such a high price increase w/ not better service.

mikemolecule commented Tuesday, Feb 12

I just got my SkypeIn number, and quickly learned what everyone else has known for a very long time...the service is lacking the one thing I MUST have in order to make it viable. No one answers phone calls with "UNAVAILABLE" in the callerid.

Oh well....canceling my Skype now, and will no longer recommend Skype to anyone.

suhasa.s commented Thursday, Feb 21

Having used Skype for more than a year now, I have come to use it for it's strengths and ignore it's weaknesses. However, some of the competitors (I don't know what else to call them ) seem to be blocking skype based called specifically! ) I realized this when I started using skype phone to make calls to India using a calling card. It all worked great initially, then the calling card stopped working. After spending some time to investigate, I came to know the real called ID picked up the IVR is not the "00000012345" that typically shows up on phones while receiving a call from SkypeOut phone. The IVR seem to be picking up a specific number that Skype uses to make the last mile call. Some times, when calls are routed differently, it appears the IVR sees "Unknown" and the call gets through.

Is there anyway Skype would at least consider blocking the caller ID on all skypeout calls instead of using "0000012345" or using whatever number skype happens to use for the last mile call. This would at least help many of us by preventing some of these companies from identifying us as a SkypeOut caller.

Sincerly hope someone at skype looks into this seriously. Thanks

timoh0 commented Sunday, Feb 24

I have used Skype for several years now, and I like so many of its features. One problem has been the lack of Skype Out caller ID. I have had more instances of my calls going unanswered. More of my family and friends, and often local businesses, are refraining from receiving "caller unknown" calls during an election year. I am sure this will continue to limit the use of the Skype Out for the foreseeable future.

Looking forward for this feature soon.

amos_l commented Sunday, Feb 24

why i dont see this option on my account?
http://blogs.skype.com/sites/en/2007/05/caller_identification_for_skyp.html
my account is amos_l
and i have phone no 21 2523404, Hungary
i want to make this no when i am calling out
thanks

andrew.ching commented Monday, Feb 25

I cannot see the Caller Identification section on my Overview page even:

* I am in Hong Kong where Caller ID for Skype is claimed to be available
* I have SkypeIn and SkypeOut

Best Regards

Andrew

dwreck621 commented Monday, Feb 25

skyid service kinda makes everything a lot better, sorta. kinda exp at 16 cents a minute, but like i think someone said here before, just tell the person youre gonna call them right back from a unknown number or have them call you back... doesnt sound very professional but friends and family understand!

mallamun commented Saturday, Mar 1

I will not be adding any more money to my Skype account until caller ID is made available for the U.S.

I mean seriously, are you kidding me?

Since I started using Skype for my outgoing calls, my social life has completely plummeted. NO ONE will answer my phone-calls--not even my family. On the rare occasion that one of them calls me--"Goodness, I haven't heard from you in months!"--I find out that it's because they simply cannot/will not answer "unknown" numbers.

I feel helpless and cut off from the world, incapable of reaching any of my loved ones. Despite the higher costs, I will have to seek out telephone service elsewhere. Skype is ridiculous. I do not understand how they expect anyone to use their SkypeOut service when it is--in my opinion--missing a feature that makes the system AT ALL functional. It's like paying for a bike without wheels.

timclerestory commented Thursday, Mar 6

A level-headed comment:

I, too, am disappointed that Caller ID is not available in the US and hope that it will be. (And further hope that Skype will send me an email when it is.) I have the same problem as some commenting here -- family will not pick up an "unknown caller".

However, for business, this is less of an issue. Many popular PBXes and phone systems also do not generate a caller ID (or send a generic one that's essentially useless.) So this is mostly an inconvenience for personal calls.

Also, Skype is so inexpensive, it's hardly worth complaining about. I paid less than $80 for an entire year of unlimited calling and a SkypeIn number. That's nearly less than it costs to start phone service in my area and less than the cost of having long distance through ATT *before* making any toll calls.

So Skype people reading this, please just hear that we are eager for caller ID and will be much happier customers if it's available in the US. Thanks!

punkrockgirl76 commented Sunday, Mar 23

"As of this writing, you can use your SkypeIn number as SkypeOut caller ID if the number is from UK, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Hong Kong, Estonia and Poland."

I do understand the frustration! But what is not clear about the above information? The US is clearly not included and I've not seen anything on the skype site that would indicate that this feature is available to US users yet.

Here is one choice to use until skype can provide this service in the US :

http://getinfo.us/skype/callerid/

You do have to pay for it - the download is free but you must purchase minutes to use the service until their beta testing is complete. When you make a skype out call, ALL minutes count! The way around this is to call whomever, they see your number, then tell them you'll call them right back - and don't use the caller ID this time. A little confusing I know but it's the best way to remedy the situation for now!

Hope that helps, Sian

yuds37 commented Tuesday, Apr 1

This is ridiculous! If this blog was a bit more prominent there for sure would be a ton more comments. It is absolutely unacceptable for a company such as Skype - purchased for SEVERAL BILLION dollars by eBay - to not be able to offer the simplest of services. How can caller ID be unavailable in the U.S.?

I want to use Skype for my new business, but what are my customers going to think when they see some bogus number or unknown? Not only is this unacceptable, but it is much worse that you don't find out about this until you pay for a number. I am definitely going to do more shopping around and look for a refund.

For goodness sakes, 4 Billion dollars and you can't offer what the smallest players can provide? What kind of stupidity is this? Skype and eBay: I am utterly ashamed of you, and you should be of yourselves. Your companies grew on "community" and you've turned your back on them. Get this FIXED NOW!!!

john.leclerc commented Saturday, Apr 5

Well, I think the 911 service is the problem. 911 is a big privacy issue too, so perhaps Skype can avert some blame, but basically, no 911, no caller ID. 911 costs money. You get what you pay for and maybe Skype has decided to neglect essential features and sell it out for the short term.

Also no real remote voicemail access, which is silly. Again, low service for a low price.

It's all too bad because if Skype had somehow done better I imagine Google would have bought it up and made all owners (and maybe even the developers) very wealthy.

darthgoon commented Sunday, Apr 6

hey there, is there any news on getting this feature rolled out for USA subscribers...

people seemed to have been "out-crying" for this for sometime now...

so i'm curious

rolandrickperry commented Monday, Apr 7

My friends wont take calls from unknowns, so I cant use skype practically. I think Yahoo my offer caller ID http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/messenger/messenger8/phoneout/phoneout-06.html

exzist78 commented Tuesday, Apr 8

Skype,
I am demanding that you remove the "you can now use your skype in number as caller id" from the American site. In an earlier post you (weakly) claimed that because caller id was not a "paid for" service that you could not offer a refund. However, about one year ago I had Skype, and no one in AMerica will answer a call from "private" "0000000000" or any of the other displays that come up. Yet, when i saw that ever so decieving advertisment about caller id, i immediatly signed up. Only to find I was dooped into buying another worthless outgoing call service that no one will answer. If you do not think that advertsing the caller id function is not a critical issue that may be reasonably relied on, then you must read about our American Legal system, false advertising, and MISREPRESENTATION. The part that really pisses me off, is that when i first started reading this blog, I actually thought it would be "coming soon!" I guess I am the idiot fot believing you twice, this blog is over a year old, how can you dare say soon....

exzist78 commented Tuesday, Apr 8

Skype,
I am demanding that you remove the "you can now use your skype in number as caller id" from the American site. In an earlier post you (weakly) claimed that because caller id was not a "paid for" service that you could not offer a refund. However, about one year ago I had Skype, and no one in AMerica will answer a call from "private" "0000000000" or any of the other displays that come up. Yet, when i saw that ever so decieving advertisment about caller id, i immediatly signed up. Only to find I was dooped into buying another worthless outgoing call service that no one will answer. If you do not think that advertsing the caller id function is not a critical issue that may be reasonably relied on, then you must read about our American Legal system, false advertising, and MISREPRESENTATION. The part that really pisses me off, is that when i first started reading this blog, I actually thought it would be "coming soon!" I guess I am the idiot fot believing you twice, this blog is over a year old, how can you dare say soon....

michael.avanessian commented Friday, Apr 11

How is it possible that all other similar services in the United States can use caller ID except for Skype? I would presume that this feature would be available in the United States an not other countries. What kind of a backwards way of running a business is this?

Skype needs to offer a discount for customers that cant use this basic feature that is expected on any normal phone.

compustudent commented Monday, Apr 14

this really messed up my day no caller ID (*Tear) US

tomsterbens commented Tuesday, Apr 15

I had no idea that caller ID was not available until AFTER purchasing the plan and peripherals. And there is nothing in the "help" section that indicates this limitation. I had to google it to make this discovery.

I think it would be a positive reflection on your company to clearly communicate that up front.

Thanks - tds

dburgess286 commented Saturday, Apr 19

It's very clear that I will not be renewing any services with this company or referring them to any friends. I've been signed up for 2 days now and I can already see how useless it will be to make calls that no one will answer. I wish Google bought this company out, at least they know how to operate a project.

Yahoo! Voice looks very very practical for anyone it's not too late for.

jitgos commented Tuesday, Apr 22

The advertising and even the knowledge base is blatantly dishonest. Just signed up and spent hours trying to figure out how to configure the caller id like the help section advises only to find out I'm screwed.

gari2sh commented Sunday, Apr 27

I think this calls for a lawsuit against skype for misleading so many people.

mark.slade commented Monday, Apr 28

"I would presume that this feature would be available in the United States an not other countries. What kind of a backwards way of running a business is this?"

How pompous and arrogant. You know Skype is a UK business, right?

darthgoon commented Thursday, May 1

Actually, if your ID always came up unavailable, or 0000123456, it wouldn't be so bad. some of my friends see that and they know its me calling.

Whats really, absolutely, incredibly annoying is when people stop answering because skype starts displaying what seems like entirely random caller IDs. Like 646-230-xxxx (646 is a real number prefix here in NY)... i have no idea who's numbers they are, but that can't be good.

HEY SKYPE, i don't think users are buying the "coming soon" stuff anymore, and i'm sure word of mouth is spreading. i've told at least 100 people myself. i guess you don't mind losing money when everyone in america just uses your free service.

darthgoon commented Thursday, May 1

on another note, i'll give any readers of this thread 10 to 1 odds that not a single person who works for skype actually sees this post.

georgerozakis commented Friday, May 2

I find it shocking that caller ID is not available in the USA. I spent money getting my SkypeIn number for the purpose of having caller ID. Skype is such a great service, but whoever hid the fact that the caller ID did not work in the USA should be fired.

georgerozakis commented Friday, May 2

I find it shocking that caller ID is not available in the USA. I spent money getting my SkypeIn number for the purpose of having caller ID. Skype is such a great service, but whoever hid the fact that the caller ID did not work in the USA should be fired.

bean.adam commented Sunday, May 4

I just signed up for Skype, paid for a number, and just now finding out that others receive my call as 0000123456. This is quite disappointing and has me looking into other services. Can we possibly get an update from Skype on the status of when the states will be getting the update described in this post?

Thanks

mcpicciotto commented Thursday, May 8

Caller ID is certainly important.

I'm new to Skype so I'm not sure how consistent the 0000123456 thing is, at least from California/650. I've seen it come-up, but I've also seen "Unknown Caller" come-up.

I have noticed that when I call Skype-to-Go, the Caller ID seems to be preserved. So if you want to make a long distance call with Skype, and Caller ID is important to you, try calling through Skype-to-Go. You'll only pay the local toll rate, if any, of the phone you're using.

halmueller commented Tuesday, May 13

May 2008, and the documentation is still wrong! Just puts you into an endless loop looking for a non-existent Caller ID Setup menu.

jiml27 commented Wednesday, May 14

It appears this will not be released in the US. Searching for alternate VOIP provider.

ryanempson commented Thursday, May 15

Wow what a bunch of time I wasted trying to activate my caller id when it's not even available in the U.S. Like others I kept getting the FAQ and trying to do it, different browsers etc. until I FINALLY found this blog. Skype wake up and tell people the limitations, it's better than wasting our time trying to figure it out.

foo1bus2 commented Friday, May 23

The limitation of no callerId in the USA should be displayed on FAQ page at a minimum - I spent a lot of time trying to determine why my account page did not have a "Setup" option, and happened to find this page via Google. Very poor information on the website.

infotech.capital.slate commented Tuesday, May 27

I'm going to echo most of the sentiments above; wasting time trying to find this information, failing to find it with Skype's search service, resorting to Google, then the same frustration in not seeing it clearly available (or not) in the US, and the thing that's most important for my clients--which decides whether or not I recommend this product--is HOW CallerID will look to customers; we need to be able to specify originating text AND number, and I can't find out if that's possible. Realizing that making it function is a combination technical/legal issue that carries its complications...it should be easier to find on the site.

After a couple of hours of pulling together the information from all over the site, it is frustrating to find a showstopper like this, having run into several pages where it *should* have been available. I hope that someone reviewing these messages will take a moment to look at this from customer perspectives (and in this case a customer trying to bring Skype to entire companies) and just try finding the information for some very basic questions on your site...with the harried patience of someone who has to meet deadlines.

infotech.capital.slate commented Tuesday, May 27

Another comment -- author (and Skype team) responses are NOT easy to find; one update that I think would be a *huge* benefit for the rest of us is somehow offset Skype comments from ours; a simple DIV tag and some CSS to give your comments a different background would let us quickly zip down these long streams to see what you have to say about the issues...especially when some are updates to the original article text.

infotech.capital.slate commented Tuesday, May 27

Ok...now I feel like I'm just beating my head against the wall.

http://extras.skype.com/1454/view

"Finally caller identification for United States SkypeIn (TM) users is here. Call any SkypeOut (TM) phone number from your Skype (TM) address book, and this software will display your SkypeIn (TM) phone number on the recepient's caller id display. Currently for Skype (TM) desktop software on PC. Wifi handheld, usb phone, and Apple/Mac version coming soon."

I think I also found this with a GOOGLE search, not a Skype KB / FAQ / etc search. Hopefully this helps others.

trekker182 commented Wednesday, May 28

I just called a few people this morning and caller id is working for me and I'm in the US!!! It's just sending the wrong number!!!!

LOL

I guess they are close to getting it working in the US?

At least people pick up the phone now cause they don't recognize the number. One time, it was a local area code that showed and one time it was an out of town area code.

ianreidblackburn commented Thursday, Jun 5

It is working for me in Seattle as of Jun 5th.
From the website I selected the "Caller ID" page and tried to enter my SkypeOut number but it would not accept it. I then used my cell phone number thinking that would be better than nothing. After entering the code word I received in a text message it told me it would start using my cell phone number as my caller id. After waiting a few minutes I tried a SkypeOut call and low and behold, caller id comes through but with my SkypeOut number, not my cell phone number!! As this is what I wanted I am very happy but this was a non-intuitive way of making it happen

pankoukou commented Friday, Jun 6

It works for me for a USA skypein number. I just logged in my account, in the caller identification, setup, there has an option that I can activate my skypein number as my caller ID( this option did not show up couples days ago). I choose it, and test to call my cell phone, it do works. great, skype!!!

mars_of_earth commented Saturday, Jun 14

I have a 415 (San Francisco) SkypeOut number, and outgoing caller ID now works like a charm. Awesome job Skype!

trekker182 commented Saturday, Jul 19

I'm in Hollywood, FL (Fort Lauderdale area) and it's working great!

Finally, thanks!

I just renewed for another year.

specialricky commented Monday, Oct 20

any people know how much Caller identification charge ????????

because i look for all the internet , faq , everything i can fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and i feel they charge me more when i use the Caller identification!!!!!!!!!!!

chris7519 commented Thursday, Nov 20

Hmmm, caller ID works just fine for me.

Not sure what the big deal is?

nastybahb commented Tuesday, Dec 30

I live in Florida for 6 months and the UK for 6 months. Couldn't caller-ID be my name only and not necessarily a number? Why would my London friend want to call Orlando when I'm there?

missysims commented Monday, Feb 23

If you use your cell phone number for your ID would there be any chance that your carrier would charge your for the call?

primokc78 commented Saturday, Jan 30

I just made a couple test calls ,and Skype works great , Im using my own cellphone bluetooth , sound it's clear with my bluetooth adapter running Windows Xp , I don't need to be plug to my computer , it works arround the office no problems at all , Skype Rocks !!!!!

savionsmith commented Thursday, Jun 3

Is it absolutely certain that your carrier won't charge you for the call if you use your mobile for number as your caller ID??? Thanks.

tepfertepfer commented Friday, Jul 23

I was pleased to see that caller ID is working for some in US now. I just tried with mine, however, and the caller identification still prompts me for a cell phone. I enter my skype phone number and I am told that it is not a valid cell phone. Is there another screen that you guys are using? Also, I just updated to the latest version 4.2 to try to see if that made a difference, to no avail. Thanks!

redneck4christ commented Thursday, Aug 5

I contacted my boss from a Skype number, and he said the ID showed up with my username instead of my full name which I would rather have displayed. I tried remedying this from the caller ID settings page cut found I could only change the phone number. Is there any other way to display my real name on the ID?