Unable to access Skype - 'Skype home is not available'
I have been receiving this message for several hours. I am using an iMac OSX 10.9.5 Mavericks with Skype 7.36 (507). This worked fine last month.
My contacts show fine. Some are Offline, some are Away and some are shown as being Online. However attempts to call them end in the messages: Call - error and Call, unable to reach.
Calling the Skype test call goes through. I can record and hear my own voice and it tells me I have Skype configured correctly. Why then am I unable to make calls to my contacts?
An online search indicates this has been a common problem with Skype over the past few years. Is Microsoft unable to maintain a reliable Skype service? Is there some sort of quality control deficiency at Microsoft?
Thoughts please on how to solve it or alternatives to Skype.