By comparing what I was charged against the above table, I worked out that I had been charged at the "Shared Cost" rate of 0.192 Euros per minute. Wow! That's more than the cost of making an untimed call of any duration to that number via the Telstra landline office number.

In Australia, toll free numbers begin with 1800 prefix, and are at no charge to the caller from anywhere in the country. Twenty or more years ago the "13" prefix was introduced (with six-digit numbers of format 13xxxx), costing the caller only the fee for a local landline call. (Qantas was ahead of the pack yet again, and was allocated 131313.) The xxxx range of numbers ran out rather quickly, so the "1300" prefix was introduced (with numbers of format 1300 xxx xxx), also being charged at the local landline call rate.

I can deduce from my Skype bill that "13" numbers are being charged as "Special Service" by Skype, and "1300" numbers at the "Shared Cost" -- that's rampant usury, even higher than calling mobiles numbers is Australia! And there's absolutely no indication whatsoever in the Skype Pro documentation that such rates will be levied for 1`300 and 13 calls. If not deception, to my mind it's at least poor form if not negligence. I've laboured over the wording for pricing and terms of my own products on my own web site, and would never do such a thing as this.

I'm very happy with the SkypeOut service, from the product viewpoint. It's the administration that I'm upset about. All that I'm asking for is that they expand the Skype Pro documentation a little by explaining to their Australian customer base exactly what they're paying for, something like: "Pay nothing per minute for calls to landlines within the same country -- except for certain classes of landlines for which we'll charge the SkypeOut rate and not the Skype Pro rate and this will cost you much. much more than nothing per minute!"  I've laboured over the wording on my own web site for pricing and terms of my own products, and would never do such a thing as this.

Related to the above glaring "sin of omission", I strongly recommend that as soon as possible Skype more clearly explain and distinguish between the rates that they charge for the original SkypeOut and the newer Skype Pro offering. The Skype Pro advertising says not a word about charging (much) higher rates when calling certain landline numbers, it only refers to "calls to landlines within the same country."

We know that some ISPs use the term "unlimited downloads" according to their own definition of the meaning of "unlimited" and that a "free software download" may mean only that it's free to download (and usually, to try out) but not to keep on using.  In a similar vein, the term "landline" seems to have a particular meaning for Skype that they don't plainly share with the rest of us! Am I needlessly bashing my head against a brick wall here?