Skype Lawsuit to Yield Credit for Customers
Skype has agreed to refund up to $4 to customers whose credit has expired.
This comes after the Internet-calling service settled a class action lawsuit representing customers who had expired credit accounts.
The plaintiffs accused Skype of improperly seizing money on their accounts after 180 days of inactivity. They claimed that seizing money on inactive accounts flouts various state laws–including gift certificate consumer protection. And according to the consumer protection law, there is no expiration on gift cards.
Skype denied any wrongdoing, and contended that plaintiffs’ claims were meritless. However, the company agreed to a settlement instead of litigation. The company agreed to discontinue its Skype Credit expiration policy and implement a Reactivation Policy by which Skype Credit will no longer expire after 180 days of inactivity, but rather be deemed “inactive” and subject to reactivation.
In general, computer-to-computer Skype calls to anywhere around the world is free of charge, but the settlement refers to a service called SkypeOut that allows customers to make phone calls to people on cellphones or landlines. SkypeOut calls cost a penny or two a minute and users can add credit to their SkypeOut accounts.
