No connection & charged anyway

Have used Skype intermittently for years with mixed results, recently used the iphone app while travelling in the USA. The app consistently failed to connect or connected after over a minutes wait, I was charged connection fees whether the call connected or not and whether I could hear the other party and communicate or not. It cost more than using standard mobiles to connect to the UK.

Also realised that Skype has no means of actually communicating with a human being, the only way to raise the issue is to use a forum which is full of problems and complaints without any answers.