Microsoft scares the bejesus out of Skype users with x12 price hike

Don't panic, it's just a Redmond screwup

Several Reg readers were stunned by an email from Skype on Friday, which told them they were going to be paying a lot, lot more for their paid-for VoIP subscriptions.

"We're writing to let you know about an upcoming change to the price of your Skype Number subscription. The new price for your Skype Number will be 19.14 GBP every 1 month," read the email, a copy of which was forwarded to the app's support forums by other users.

"This change will take effect on Sunday, November 29th, 2015 and the new price will apply when your Skype Number subscription automatically renews."

For people used to paying around £20 ($30) a YEAR for a Skype Number, that's quite a price hike, and not one that's being backed up by any new services. Naturally, speculation ran rampant that either Skype's email system had been hacked and hijacked, or that phishers were on the prowl.

Thankfully, however, the truth was more mundane. Someone at Microsoft had screwed up and pushed a few of the wrong keys; the emails, while from a kosher source, were issued in error: the annual amount due had been presented as a monthly fee.

"Recently we emailed some of our customers about a change to the price of their Skype Number subscription," a Skype spokesperson told The Register.

"Unfortunately, some emails included an incorrect price, which we are asking customers to disregard. We will be in touch with those customers to clarify the change we are making next week." ®