I am having the same problem too! I've e-mailed support and when I tried doing this again today it read You cannot assign online numbers to this member. I purchased mine yesterday.

I did get an email response back from skype. They're aware of the problem and working on it.

I recommend checking out the heartbeat for updates:
http://heartbeat.skype.com/

the first post on that page is titled: Online number allocation using Business Control Panel.

I'm a bit upset too though, I wanted to use this number for my business, YESTERDAY!!!!

If this doesn't get solved in the next day or 2, most likely going to try and get a refund and get the online number through the account I want it attached to, not through the business control panel.

Advise to all: only choose the minimum length subscription when it comes to skype's services when you decided to add a new one. Smaller the investment, smaller the risk.

I have this problem too. I'm surprised at Skype's flakiness. I've had problems like this before when trying to change an online number on my subscription. Not impressed!

I'm having this problem also, still not resolved after nearly a week. how they can say this is a 'business' service is beyond me.

I have the same problem - trying to get skype for business setup and feeling very disappointed!!

Who do i email at skype? is there a support email address?

I have the problem too, had th same response form Skype and still have 2 numbers sitting out there, unassignable.

Shame on you Skype! This is what you consider a business service? I feel like i was scammed. Should have stayed with your regular service, at least expectations were low. Now that I've assigned my personal number to a business control panel, i have to pay more money for number that I can't assign - and that I can't export from the BCP. And of course, nobody can reach me on that number. And no update on your "heartbeat" page for over a week -- must be summer holidays?

i think the heartbeat has flatlined on this issue. terrible support.

I've contacted Skype about this and received a generic reply, and no reply to my recent one. The recent one was sent three days ago....

I've written about it on http://bit.ly/CThqd and am tweeting it. Everyone, please retweet, digg, whatever. Let's make Skype move on this issue, they're obviously not caring enough right now.

agreed its pretty bad. we are down the cost of some subscriptions & credit, but thankfully just starting out so its not a huge problem, but for other established users i can see a nightmare for them.

puts me right off skype as reliable & trustworthy a business tool.

This is rediculous because now I have to go buy a new subscription for my emoplyees 'business' account skype addresses.

Funny that... Submit support request link has disappeared from the bottom of the page. All support pages for this issue seem to loop back to the main support area...

Still not working! Grrr.. I have a brand new skype phone sitting in my office that is absolutely useless until this is resolved, and we've heard nothing, and no progress has been made in over two weeks!

I agree that this was quite annoying, but their solution did work for me. I created a new business account under our Control Panel for the employee and told him to use that one instead for work purposes. Then the phone number I'd already purchased, but was unable to assigne earlier, was easily assigned to this new business account.

I've since created one more new business account. Sorry it's not working for you...

Very frustrated with this issue. I've purchased several subscriptions and online numbers for my employees with the intention of them using this as their business phone!! I have about 6 others I NEED to add... as Skype is our way of doing business! This is ridiculous, and I will probably end up dropping Skype for our business needs if this doesn't get fixed asap!

Same problem here, a trivial issue made into a major problem by Skypes intransigence. This is an absurd state of affairs and makes me seriously reconsider using skype for my business. This is my first experience of trying to use skype for anything more complicated than phoning my friends & if this is an example of their attitude toward customers, they're going to lose this one.

I'm currently pursuing a refund. Thanks for the info guys.

God in heaven. Have the same problem right now and am so disappointed to learn of this *odd* policy change.

While I can see the absolute genius in having the business accounts I wish 1) they had told me previously so I had known that before I created an account for my new employee and 2) that I could still assign number to my existing skype accounts.

Take it from a user who has been with Skype for several years: They are really getting worse and worse and worse!

I thought I had a similar problem, but mine was solved by chat support:

The administrator of a business account cannot allocate himself a number. He has to create a separate user account and assign the number there.

Oh, and if I understand correctly users cannot have voicemail unless they have a subscription. Only an administrator can use the voicemail function, but he cant have an online number --- makes sense right? Not really...

My company tried use this and didn't work.
We're worried about it.

Yes I purchased 10 numbers which are useless, I cannot allocate the numbers until people have used their credits, then i can unsubscribe everyone to subscribe them again on business accounts.

It wouldn't be as bad if they just let you pull back the credits allocated so that you can create business accounts.

I thought readers would like to see this live chat transcription I just had with a skype support rep....

[my skype name] says
i just ordered a skype in number Order No. 35383xxxxxxxx

09:32:33 [my skype name] says
on my personal account [my skype name]

09:32:42 [my skype name] says
but i wanted to transfer it to my business control panel [BCP account name]

09:33:06 [my skype name] says
cant find the button to do that - i did this in the past with a previous number i boguht on my personal account and then transferred it to the BCP

09:33:56 Zoltan says
This was possible in the past, however at present you cannot transfer online numbers to the BCP. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

09:34:06 Zoltan says
Can you stand by for 2-3 minutes while I review your account in our database?

09:34:08 [my skype name] says
thats truly annoying, why was this changed?

09:34:22 [my skype name] says
OK. if we cant transfer it i wish to get a refund on the skype in number

09:37:58 Zoltan says
Thank you for standing by.

09:38:00 [my skype name] says
Ok

09:38:13 Zoltan says
I can offer a refund on the above number.

09:38:22 [my skype name] says
Ok, but i think there is a second problem

09:38:37 [my skype name] says
i have just invited a new team member who has a personal account on skype to join my business control panel

09:38:51 [my skype name] says
if she accepts and i buy a skype in number from the business conrtol panel, is it right i cant assign it to her?

09:39:43 Zoltan says
Yes, this is correct. In the BCP you cannot allocate online numbers to personal accounts.

09:39:52 [my skype name] says
this is utterly ridiculous

09:40:09 [my skype name] says
she doesn't want to have a separate skype account for working with us, she already has her own account which she wants left signed in

09:40:12 [my skype name] says
she is now going to work with us and needs to receive calls and make calls which we need to pay for

09:40:21 Zoltan says
However you may add credit to the user, then she can purchase a number from Skype Credit.

09:40:39 [my skype name] says
but we need to re allocate the number from her to other team members in the BCP when she is not working...so it must be controllable by the BCP, I was able to do this in the past, a really useful feature, why has it been removed?

09:41:12 [my skype name] says
this makes skype nearly useless in this scenario are you trying to lose customers?

09:43:20 Zoltan says
I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience. Presently we are making changes in the BCP. From now on accounts created within the control panel itself can receive numbers, and we'll gradually exclude personal accounts from the BCP.

09:43:33 [my skype name] says
but why?

09:43:35 Zoltan says
The whole system will be changed in the upcoming months.

09:43:39 [my skype name] says
she has her account set up with all her contacts

09:44:07 [my skype name] says
If she has to re log into skype with a new business account I make she won't get skype calls and chats from her exiting contacts...as she wont be logged in under her current skype name. The previous sytems really worked!!!

09:45:41 Zoltan says
I understand that this is annoying for you. With the new control panel, we try to make the accounts more controllable by the admininstrator, so he can monitor the activity of the members more carefully.

09:46:11 Zoltan says
By the way your member can add their existing contacts to a new account.

09:46:51 Zoltan says
However it is true that the new account means a new username.

09:47:05 [my skype name] says
but what do I do. We have a distributed team across the UK, we need one central number that callers can ring, and we need to be able to route that number to differnt team members at different times. All the team are currently on Skype and have been for years, therefore with personal accounts, and you are telling me this requirement is now impossible with skype?

09:47:40 [my skype name] says
Why should I force the team to all have new accounts just so they can have the ability to have a number assigned to them centrally, This is pathetic!

09:48:10 [my skype name] says
What on earth was wrong with the previous sytem?

09:48:18 Zoltan says
It is possible, however you need to create business accounts within the control panel to be able to carry this out. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

09:48:54 Zoltan says
I'll report your feedback to my superiors so that they can draw conclusions from this.

09:49:03 [my skype name] says
PLEASE DO

09:48:59 [my skype name] says
The problem is people are not just working for me, so they won't want to exchange their personal accounts for business ones that I control as they also do other things and will want control of their own account. This is a "dogs dinner". I realise you are just a support person and not the policy maker

09:49:37 [my skype name] says
I am guessing you also think its ridiculous

09:49:49 [my skype name] says
I am stuck now, and can't set my team up the way I need to, especially when I used to be able to

09:49:58 [my skype name] says
you are going to lose customers over this

09:50:10 Zoltan says
I'm glad that I could clarify this for you, and I share your concern regarding this matter.

09:50:28 [my skype name] says
Skype should immediately reverse this pathetic policy decision and let users have the ability to do what they could so we can get on wit our lives without this kind of madness

09:50:43 [my skype name] says
Ok, well, thanks for your help, i realise you dont have the power to change anything right now

09:50:50 Zoltan says
I haven't refunded your online number purchase yet.

09:50:54 [my skype name] says
please DO pass this on to managers who can make decisions

09:51:01 [my skype name] says
please do refund it its no use to me now

09:51:19 Zoltan says
All right, please stand by for a second.

09:51:21 [my skype name] says
Ok

09:52:09 Zoltan says
Order #[number] has been refunded.

09:52:14 Zoltan says
Is there anything else I can help you with today?

09:52:15 [my skype name] says
Thanks.

09:52:32 [my skype name] says
If people do generate a new business account (or i create one for them) how do they migrate their current contacts?

09:52:42 [my skype name] says
and how do those contacts know the person has a new skype account with a new name

09:52:57 [my skype name] says
(can't a personal account just be re assigned as a business account with no skypename change?)

09:54:23 Zoltan says
You either add the contacts one by one to the new account; or you create a backup for the contact list on the existing account which you can reload in the new account.

09:54:45 Zoltan says
Unfortunately personal accounts cannot be transferred to business ones.

09:55:25 Zoltan says
You can create a backup the following way: Contacts > Advanced > Backup Contacts to File

09:55:50 Zoltan says
Then on the new account select the option "Restore Contacts from file"

09:56:19 [my skype name] says
how do the contacts from the old personal account know the person has a new skypename which is now the business acocunt? you could lose contact with people this way?

09:57:56 Zoltan says
After the contact list has been added to the new account you need to send a contact request, so that your partner will be notified this way.

09:58:35 [my skype name] says
this is reall really mad. I dont think whoever sets the policies ay Skype HQ has
because you would never make these decisions if so.

09:58:48 [my skype name] says
I have a BCP with three personal accounts added. I have a BCP-owned skype-in number that currently is assigned to my personal account in the BCP. Will i have problems now if I try to re assign this to another (already existing) personal account in our BCP?

09:59:21 Zoltan says
Let me check this for you quickly.

10:00:53 Zoltan says
You purchased this number before we introduced this policy. Therefore the number can be still assigned to personal accounts.

10:01:05 [my skype name] says
OK

10:01:34 [my skype name] says
but if I add a new personal account to the BCP (an invite has been sent out) will I be able to assign the numbe to that personal account in BCP if she accepts the invitation to be in the BCP?

10:02:18 Zoltan says
Yes, this number can be allocated either to personal or to business accounts.

10:02:33 [my skype name] says
so its only new skype in numbers bought now that cant be assigned to personal accounts?

10:02:49 [my skype name] says
if i buy a skype in number on the BCP i wont be able to assign it any of the existing 3 personal members of the BCP?

10:03:33 Zoltan says
The new policy applies to newly purchased online numbers.

10:03:53 Zoltan says
The new numbers can only be added to business accounts.

10:04:03 [my skype name] says
good grief..

10:04:06 [my skype name] says
do you have the ability to send this entire chat we have just had without change to directors at Skype HQ (people who have the power to make policy decisions?)

10:04:14 [my skype name] says
if so please do

10:04:41 Zoltan says
Yes, I can forward this chat to my managers.

10:04:48 [my skype name] says
and I include a personal invitation to those directors - please can you email me on my registered skype email address for [my skype name] with an explanation as to why you made these policy decisions and a reason why IO should remain using skype for my business activities

10:04:49 [my skype name] says
Many thanks

10:05:25 [my skype name] says
Zoltan, I want to thank you for your customer service - you have handled my requests well and doner your best to answer my questions to the best of your ability

10:05:30 [my skype name] says
i am grateful to you

10:05:43 Zoltan says
Can you tell me your email address, please?

10:05:48 [my skype name] says
I appreciate you are just the bearer of bad news.

10:06:01 [my skype name] says
one sec, will just check which one I use for skype

10:06:09 Zoltan says
I'm glad to hear that you are satisfied with my support.

10:06:11 [my skype name] says
[my email address]

10:07:05 Zoltan says
Thank you. You'll be notified about this policy change in 24 hours.

10:07:13 [my skype name] says
Ok, I think we are done. Good bye and thank you

10:07:45 Zoltan says
It's been a pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you for contacting Skype Live Support, have a great day.

This is quite annoying. Now we have to send an email to 100 clients that my new Skype ID is... :P

anyone know if skype has updated their bcp to correct this?