Not so long ago I could rely on Skype giving me a great connection. I used her for all my internet calling needs even when I discovered you could get far cheaper calls from other VoIP providers. Alright I'll admit it ? I just plain liked Skype.

Yet despite my affection for this upstart company who blasted onto the internet scene late 2003 with their beta offering, I find myself slowly agreeing with those who are packing up their Skype lives and moving to a different internet telephony service. But what is forcing them to change?

?When I use Skype to call my friend I can't hear anything they say ? even though they can hear me! It's just like talking to yourself..?

Aside from having to wait several days to get your account credited ? even when they already took the money off your card ? the major gripe echoing forth from the internet communities once so devoted and loyal to the Skype and SkypeOut life is one of fundamental importance. The Skype connections just don't work well.

Some analysts say that Skype has moved too quickly and is simply the victim of its own success. Others still claim that desires to keep costs down have forced them into a tight corner with regards to customer service and technology.

Customers are now complaining that Skype calls frequently experience a two second time delay between people speaking and listening. This can result in confused and frustrating conversations in which one must wait seconds before speaking to ensure the other person has finished what they are saying. Not being able to hear in ?real time? somewhat obviates the entire service.

Others still complain that the Skype calls just aren't going through at all:

?My Skype calls don't go through often, and if they do then you just don't hear the other person even though they can hear me just fine. I don't get it and I've had enough.?

Fears over the recent downturn in service from Skype were confirmed recently by yet another week of disruptions to calls to USA based numbers. For many customers this was a final straw, as being able to get cheaper calls to US phones was their main reason for investing in the service to begin with.

Skype replied with an attempt to reassure their growing customer base. They claim to make regular checks on all call performance related technologies across their global network and continually seek to enhance the performance of their connections. A spokeswoman for Skype commented that: ?As our growth does indicate, we have a larger number of satisfied customers.? Yet this is perhaps optimistic, for it is not the gaining of new customers that Skype needs to concern itself with ? there is no doubt that the grassroots marketing they have employed is doing a fantastic job. Customer retention, however, may yet be a bigger battle.