jafo105 39057 Report post Posted March 27, 2014 I am being bugged by friends to get a Skype account for "internet video chat". For some reason the website keeps defaults to euros. I am not comfortable giving Skype my personal information just to ask Customer Service questions. I used to get spammed all the time by them. If there is a cost involved. My friends can just suffer with me using a land line. I have free long distance anywhere in Canada on my home phone. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kellyxo 11682 Report post Posted March 27, 2014 If you are strictly talking about internet video chat via skype it's free :) Skype typically only charges for calls from PC to landline, or text messages. You shouldn't have to fund your account at all to do what you are indicating. Xoxo 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
backrubman 64800 Report post Posted March 27, 2014 I use Skype all the time and Skype-Skype is always free. It is also an excellent way to call home (or anywhere) from overseas but to call land lines or mobile phones you have to pay (a very reasonable per minute rate) and I use PayPal to fund my account so "Skype" per se does not have my credit card information. Skype is owned by Microsoft and at one time boasted strong encryption, but now it is owned by Microsoft so there should be no more expectation of privacy than with any other phone call. One feature I find particularly useful is the screen sharing feature where you or the person you are talking to can share their screen for viewing by the other party. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jafo105 39057 Report post Posted April 3, 2014 Well I took the plunge and installed Skype. I will see how it actually works on the weekend. Thank you everyone for your information and comments. They were greatly appreciated. Cheers, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bianca Jaguar 39183 Report post Posted April 3, 2014 i also use Skype all the time for various uses...it is free but doing a three way video chat...at least 2 Skype users need to upgrade to premium...and there was fees...but otherwise its all free... enjoy! BJ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rassilon 982 Report post Posted May 15, 2014 jafo: Glad you have something working for you. Keep in mind Skype is just a popular brand and not the only way to do this. When Microsoft bought Skype they spent 10s of millions of dollars to change the Skype infrastructure just to spy on the users. Also, this means that eventually Skype will be Windows only cutting off some people you may wish to speak to. I suspect none of your friends will agree to it because people in general are lazy in breaking habbits and reluctant to try anything not mentioned on TV, but should you need to get off Skype (and I understand that you did not indicate that you do, just thinking for the future) look up SIP communication software. SIP is an open technical standard while Skype is particular product controlled by one company. There are thousands of SIP based software packages for voice and video communication and you can encrypt their data for privacy. If you ever need to go that extra distance and pay to connect to a landline you will then have hundreds of providers competing on price for your business. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
