How NOT to do security & customer support

Our Skype account was suspended, for reasons unknown to me - but understandable, since security is important.
(And no, it was not one of those pesky scam emails, and OF COURSE I tried to log in directly via Skype (on both my Mac and my iPad) and not via the provided link and proceeded from there)
The problem is that, in order to unlock my account, I have to answer questions that I never knew I was going to be asked:
For us to lift the restriction on your account, please provide us with the following information:
1) In what year did you create your account?
WTF? That was AGES ago! Somewhere between 2004 and 2008 I think.
2) In which country/region did you create your account?
WTF? Can't remember if I started using Skype when I worked in New Zealand, Scotland, or Germany. I still mostly use iChat and FaceTime.
3) What payment method did you use?
WTF? I think PayPal but I'm not sure - too long ago. And the credit card I might have used has expired years ago.
4) Tell us the details of up to three of your Skype contacts. You can use their actual name or Skype Name if you know it.
Is that ANY of your business??? Isn't that kind of information supposed to be private??? That’s pretty much an admission that they snoop through all your stuff …
Please be aware that if the information you will provide us are missing or incorrect, we are unable to verify your identity and process your request.
So after 10 (?) years we lost our Skype account and contacts in it.
I can't even contact their support or the forum because - you guessed it - YOU HAVE TO LOG INTO YOUR SKYPE ACCOUNT FIRST!!!
IMBECILES!
The SOFTWARE isn't very good, but the COMPANY behind it is simply atrocious! But what can you expect from Microsoft?!
What is really annoying is that nowhere, absolutely nowhere, am I being told what "unusual activity" is taking place. To be honest, I doubt there even IS any unusual activity - otherwise a simple password reset would have done it.
The ONLY way I was able to contact them was by logging in with my Hotmail account (which I did not really want to do as they are separate accounts). Thanks Microsoft - I guess that was the aim of this little exercise … still can't get into our Skype account but now I can contact their “help” …
I got to “chat” with “Dan A.” who says “sorry” a lot and explains that management sets the bar for “security” very high. Asking obscure questions which users can't answer isn’t “high standards”, that’s INCOMPETENCE!
After going through all kind of hoops we arrive at:
"I really want to help you on this since it is clearly your account, But since I have to follow our process with regards to account's security, I really recommend you to go through this verification. I am sorry, I am just following orders. I am very very sorry."
Unbelievable. There is a VERY lonely brain cell at the other end of the line …
So I ask for the problem to be escalated up the ladder. Answer:
"I hope I can escalate this, but since your account is blocked we need to verify your account first."
I think that brain cell just self-destructed.
The sheer INCOMPETENCE at Microsoft is mind-blowing!
So what am I supposed to do? Guess all possible combinations until I hit the right one so that their "high security standards" are fulfilled?
Years of contact details and some money down the drain because Microsoft **bleep**ed up as usual. Bad security, incompetent support, out of this world arrogance. I just KNEW they would **bleep** up Skype when they took over - 2.8 was the last decent version (and I hope you all are aware that the ONLY reason to force people onto the newer versions and make it incompatible with the old one was so that they and the NSA can listen in).

As Costa Rica isn't on this page : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5699
then try contacting Support via this form and explain that you've forgotten your answers, don't have a rescue email address, and your country isn't on the HT5699 page and see how they reply : https://ssl.apple.com/emea/support/itunes/contact.html
When they've been reset you can then use the steps half-way down this page to add a rescue email address for potential future use : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5312 .

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How can i call skype customer support

how can i call skype customer support +1800 is not working

Hi, itsolution123, and welcome to the Community,
Here is a link to the instruction on how to contact Skype Customer Service via their secure portal: Contact Customer Service
Skype is aware there can be problems reaching their customer support unit. If you experience difficulty reaching Skype Customer Service, try again using a different web browser and choosing a different path through the various drop-down menu options presented. Also, look to approve a pop-up dialogue box which would connect you to start an instant message chat with a customer service agent. If you have pop-ups blocked in your browser settings, this will also impede reaching an agent.
Regards,
Elaine
Was your question answered? Please click on the Accept as a Solution link so everyone can quickly find what works! Like a post or want to say, "Thank You" - ?? Click on the Kudos button!
Trustworthy information: Brian Krebs: 3 Basic Rules for Online Safety and Consumer Reports: Guide to Internet Security Online Safety Tip: Change your passwords often!

How to escalate issue if Customer Support refuses to perform iPod nano replacement?

How can I escalate a Customer Support issue?
I got a 1st gen iPod nano (bought it when it came out) which is eligible for the replacement program. The Apple site form told me that the device's serial has already been part of the replacement program, and if this shouldn't be correct, I should contact Customer Support.
I did so, spend an hour on the phone while they checked the issue, and they encountered the same: For some reason, the serial had already been marked as "replaced" in the Apple database. The CS agent promised me to check with the higher-ups and get back to me. After about ten days he sent me an email that despite several attempts he wasn't able to resolve the issue. I sent an email back, stating my displeasure, and asking for a way to escalate my request - no more reply.
Is there a way to escalate CS issues - the only contact Apple gives is CS itself. What about a mail adress where I could sent a letter or similar?
I live in Germany.
Many thanks.

Hello yogzotot,
I agree with deggie, when you call Apple ask to speak with a Sr. Apple advisor. They would be able to work with you on your case.
Things do take time. I wouldn't expect a quick resolution, but at least you would get your concerns documented and you would get the ball rolling. It would be the only way to get something done.
Cordially,
~Julian

How do I contact Adobe Customer Support?

Following instructions on the website only direct me into a never ending circle, so how can I get real Adobe support on Saturday and Sunday? Thanks.

For Adobe Send, the best place to start is Contact Customer Care. Note that the phone lines are not open on weekends.

How to file a formal customer support complaint?

I have been a VZW customer for over 10 years and have never had a problem with customer service until today.
I upgraded both phones on my account (on-line) and during a chat with a VZW customer service rep, was told that to have 1 of the phones shipped to my daughter at college, I needed to complete the order (both phones on single order) and then call customer service to have one of the phones shipped to the 2nd address.
Long story short, this doesn't work and there is no way to ship phones on the same order to different addresses. I was misled and the result is that I now have to reship one of the phones after I receive it resulting in additional expense for me and an additional delay in getting both phones activated.
I'm not a happy camper today!
There doesn't seem to be a way (on the website) to contact customer support with a complaint about service. I guess that's one way to cut down on the volume of customer complaints!
Anyone know how to file a complaint with VZW?

I guess the answer to your question depends on what you expect to gain by "filing a complaint".
By posting on this forum, you have ALREADY filed a complaint where at least someone from Verizon will see it.
What you expect to gain, though, that is another question.
Do you expect to receive the additional shipping expenses in recompense from Verizon? Probably not going to happen.
Do you expect to get the phone to your daughter any sooner? Definitely not going to happen.
Do you expect the CS reps to take note and correct the mistake in the future? Probably not going to happen.
Are you just trying to find an outlet to let Verizon know of your displeasure. Already done by posting here.

How do I speak with customer support if I don't know my serial number?

Customer support won't let me chat or call until I list my serial number for my computer. I don't have it with me right now but would still like to speak with them. Any thoughts?

I hate to state the obvious but get your serial number then call them.
How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product

How Do I Get the Customer Support ID?

Hello
We currently use Oracle 11G. I would like to access some of my forums on My Oracle Support but I need the company's CSI. Where exactly can I get my company's customer support id? Is it within a DBA table?
Thanks

997038 wrote:
Hello
We currently use Oracle 11G. I would like to access some of my forums on My Oracle Support but I need the company's CSI. Where exactly can I get my company's customer support id? Is it within a DBA table?
ThanksIt is most likely in the file cabinet of the person within your organization who is responsible for the purchase of the support contract.
It is NOT embedded in any database unless your organization has a home-grown app to keep up with stuff like that.

Creative Muvo headphone foam covers...and how not to treat a custom

I recently lost one of the foam covers for my new muvo n200 headphones. This is a major pain since it won't stay in my ear.
I went to the store where I bought it, and they said to contact Creative, or try Radio Shack. Radio shack doesn't have ones that will fit.
I emailed Creative, they said call their technical support. I called technical support, and the guy I spoke with suggested I buy a new pair of headphones. When I asked whether I could buy or be sent some new foams only, he was extremely rude in saying no and quickly ended the call. These foamies cost..what..25 cents each at the most?
Hello Creative customer support - tell your phone support people to be courteous on the phone, and at least try and be helpful. Not what I was expecting, especially when email support told me to call it in. Very poor experience.
Anyone know where I can get a new pair of foams.

"JK23 - You're absolutely right, I don't expect many companies these days to go above and beyond to satisfy their customers. Most don't, and hence why consumer loyalty to brands is very low. My point was that this guy was the face and voice of Creative, and was very rude. Making a suggestion to buy new headphones for the sake of one foam is insulting. I did offer to purchase them, but that wasn't an option either. "
You need to keep in mind that the item you purchased retails for under $200. Creative's profit on each one of these is probably quite slim. Wages of customer service people are not cheap. They can't afford to provide the level of service you want, especially on such low priced products. It wouldn't even make sense for them to do so if the Muvos were priced much higher(say $500 US), as replacement foams(or even replacement earphones for those who can't find the foams are so inexpensi've). The cost of processing a request for additional foams might very well be well over $5, even though the foams themselves are very cheap. Payroll costs are high. Then there is postage and other handling costs.
"But like I said, that is the difference between a good company and a great one. A great one recognizes that this really has nothing to do with little ear foamies"
It does have to do with costs and profit margins though. The Muvos retail in the $80-$70 range(which includes the retailer's and distributors profits). Making these is not cheap. Creative's profit on each of these might not be much more than $5. Now you can see why they can't afford to accomodate such requests. If the Muvos retailed for $500+, and Creative made a few hundred dollars on each, then spending a few dollars each time to make a customer happy might make sense.

Bought the wrong software... I use Mac, but bought Windows software. Can I use the Windows version in my Mac? And how do I find Adobe Customer Support help??

I´m actually quite pissed off now... I´ve been trying to find Adobe Support or a telephone number to call, but all I can find is this Forum help site.
Problem:
I searched the web for the best photo editing software to be used with Mac. Adobe Photoshop Elements 13came up on top. I followed the links and clicked my way through the order process... When I was done, I see that I had purchased the software for Windows.
I wanted to call Adobe so I could change to Mac software, but can´t find out where to do this?? Now I am wasting a perfectly good morning trying to find contact information to Adobe.

You can contact Adobe directly for a platform swap using the link below. Use the dropdown menu for boxes (1) & (2) to scroll down the list and choose:
1. Adobe Photoshop Elements
2. Adobe ID, and signing-in
3. Click on the blue button: Still need help? Contact us – then click the area marked chat 24/7, then click “start chat ”
It’s usually possible to start a live chat, if an Adobe agent is free, and often to get the problem fixed right away. Have your serial number available.
Click here to get help now Contact Customer Care

How can deaf people contact customer support?

I'm looking for a chat link for deaf people who need to contact customer service. Going on the apple website, it seems that a generic phone number or email is available (We can't talk on phones, and emails take too long to reply). What is the best way to go about this?
Thank you!

The options for technical support are these forums (user-to-user), via telephone, at Apple Stores, or at Apple Authorized Service Providers.
What sort of problem are you seeking to resolve?

CC Tab says "Download error. Please contact customer support."

When I started my laptop this morning CC had a red ! on its icon and the follwing message under Apps:
"Download error. Please contact customer support."
I've got 2 issues with this:
I don't recall downloading any apps yesterday
and the handy link does not send me to customer support, in fact I couldn't find any way to send a message to "customer support" and spent too much time looking. (maybe you guys could change the wording to something else--everybody has other things to do)
The question is how do I make this message go away? I tried quitting and restarting CC
FYI-yesterday I removed 3 adobe internet plug-ins because I prefer Safari the way it is. CC worked fine with those removed before the restart so I'm guessing its unrelated at this point.

http://status.creativecloud.com/ shows everything green, but when I go to https://creative.adobe.com/products/creative-cloud I get a
The Creative Cloud Download Center is currently unavailable.
We're working quickly to resolve the issue and we apologize for the delay. If you have the Creative Cloud app already installed on your machine, you can try using it to access new downloads and updates. Otherwise, please check back or see our status site for updates.
Thanks for your patience!

Problem with headphone jack on zen micro and customer support hel

I have had a zen micro for about a month now and i am very pleased with my purchase. BUT a few days ago the sound suddenly changed whilst i was listening to it. i found out it was a faulty headphone jack. i emailed customer support to arrange a replacement and the replied asking to send back information about my player then they would send me a returns number.i did that and im still waiting for the returns number 3 days later!
i was wondering if anyone else is experienceing the same problem as me and how long it takes for customer support to send you a returns number?
im afraid i will eventualy get a relpacement and the same thing will happen again. anyone got any advice on how to avoid the problem?Message Edited by alexkelly on 02-02-2005 09:0 PM

This happened to me as well after about a week. Like most portable devices I think the headphone jack is one of the weak points and can be easily jarred from its solder joints. I am taking extra care with the replacement Creative sent and I expect that it will not happen again.
As far as getting the replacement, I would recommend calling Customer Support directly and explain what the problem is and they should give you an RMA over the phone. Be sure to have the player in front of you as they will need the serial number that is on it. I was very impressed with the speed of service as well. I called them Monday morning, sent my Micro back after the phone call (I used Priority Insured Mail, be sure to insure it whatever you use) and they sent me a replacement that arri'ved the following Tuesday, just 8 days which I have only had one other company beat as far as service ever. Also be sure to backup everything on your Micro before sending it as you will probably not receive the same one back and I believe they format them on the way in the door for various reasons. Also they will tell you only send the the player back, keep all the accessories as you will only get a player sent back to you. Good luck!

Custom Support Program metadata kb numbers differs

Hello,
I am using SCCM 2007 R2. We are in the middle of migrating XP to W7 so our company stepped into the Customer Support Program to receive XP updates.From the MS connect site I can download cab files and the executables. I downloaded the wsusimporttool.exe
and using this command I succesfully injected updates in WSUS. SCCM sync is then succesfull but there it goes wrong. The KB exe's I downloaded are mostly different then the Customer Support patches I see in SCCM.
For example: the month May the title of the kb article to download is kb2962482. The executables I downloaded from there are named kb2953522. In SCCM I see only kb2926765 tagged as Custom Support update. Results of the import using wsusimporttool.exe are
no failing to import but I do see a number of updates with missing files. The kb article updates mentioned there are not available in the Custom Support connect site. It drives me crazy. What am I doing wrong?
The search folder criteria in SCCM I use is Program: Windows XP SP3 Custom Support OR Windows XP SP3 Important Update - Custom Support AND Expired: NO AND Superseeded: NO.
Thanks in advance

Who can help me sorting out where it goes wrong?
I'm confused. You have access to these out-of-support Windows XP patches, which tells me you have a Premier Support contract with Microsoft. Why not just open a ticket?
Per the instructions, are the files actually IN the payload directory (e:\WSUS Extended Support\Payload).
Does the payload directory and do those files have the correct ACLs?)
ie7-windowsxp-kb2953522-x86-custom-nld.exe with file digest 197821D533AA3F006F41A53665D6ABAC7D49C627
ie7-windowsxp-kb2953522-x86-custom-enu.exe with file digest 30C1D8A71B424842E3E022AC033B7E46B11CD11B
windowsxp-kb2926765-x86-custom-enu.exe with file digest 8FD292E3EA4DDB1CC644813203FFD1F5DCA00F23
windowsxp-kb2926765-x86-custom-nld.exe with file digest D91F6179B8F0E6A54FA0F445F0A097EB3EBF88C1
--------------------Summary-------------------
        Attempted to import:              4 updates
        Failed to import: 0 updates
        Updates with missing files:               4
--------------------Summary-------------------
It looks to me like this is the core issue, becuase the fundamental issue here is that the import cannot find those files, and thus the import failed.
Which also begs another question: Are you still running *IE7* on these Windows XP systems???
Step 3 is not necessary for me to do (SCCM 2007)
I'm not sure where Chad got this idea, and anytime I've added a new product category to a SUP in a CM2007 system, I've always had to go back to the SUP Component Properties and enable it for sync. There's no harm in doing so, so I would suggest ignoring
the advice in Chad's article and do it anyway.
Step 4 the wsyncmgr.log looks normal too.
It would. Your failure is with the import to the SUP, not the SCCM sync FROM the SUP.
Lawrence Garvin, M.S., MCSA, MCITP:EA, MCDBA
SolarWinds Head Geek
Microsoft MVP - Software Packaging, Deployment & Servicing (2005-2014)
My MVP Profile: http://mvp.microsoft.com/en-us/mvp/Lawrence%20R%20Garvin-32101
http://www.solarwinds.com/gotmicrosoft
The views expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of SolarWinds.

How do i reset my security questions without contacting apple customer support as i forgot them?

How do i reset my security questions without contacting apple customer support as i forgot them?

If you have Rescue Email. If you do not have Rescue Email, you need to call.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5312

HT201303 How can I reset my security answers ? I do not remember them, and Apple support just can help me if I remember one o more answers. I already have three Follow-ups: 237312883, 374526499 and 239690719 with no solution.

How can I reset my security answers ? I do not remember them, and Apple support just can help me if I remember one o more answers. I already have three Follow-ups: 237312883, 374526499 and 239690719 with no solution.

Reset Security Questions
Frequently asked questions about Apple ID
Manage My Apple ID
Or you can email iTunes Support at iTunes Store Support.
If all else fails:
1. Go to: Apple Express Lane;
2. Under Product Categories choose iTunes;
3. Then choose iTunes Store;
4. Then choose Account Management;
5. Now choose iTunes Store Security and answer the bullet questions, then click
      Continue;
6. Sign in with your Apple ID and press Continue;
7. Under Contact Options fill out the information and advise iTunes that you would
      like your security/challenge questions reset;
8. Click Send/Continue.
You should get a response within 24 hours by email.
In the event you are unsuccessful then contact AppleCare - Contacting Apple for support and service.
Another user had success doing the following:
I got some help from an apple assistant on the phone. It is kind of round about way to get in.
Here is what he said to do and it is working for me...
a. on the device that is asking you for the security questions go to "settings", > "store" >
      tap the Apple ID and choose view"Apple ID" and sign in.
b. Tap on payment information and add a credit/debit card of your preference then select
      "done", in the upper right corner
c. sign out and back into iTunes on the device by going to "settings"> "store" > tap the
      Apple ID and choose "sign-out" > Tap "sign -in" > "use existing Apple ID" and you
      should be asked to verify your security code for the credit /debit card and NOT the
      security questions.
d. At this time you can remove the card by going back in to edit the payment info and
      selecting "none" as the card type then saving the changes by selecting "done". You
      should now be able to use your iTunes store credit without answering the security
      questions.
It's working for me ...I just have to put in my 3 digit security pin from the credit card I am using.
Good Luck friends!

How NOT to do security & customer support

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