Yeah, my bleeping is intermittent. It doesn't matter what it's set at. Sometimes it bleeps, sometimes it doesn't.
I have a similar problem with Magnifier. I tried it and now there seems to be no way to turn it off. When I go to "Change PC Settings" then "Ease of Access" then "Magnifier," Magnifier is always OFF, but every time I turn my Surface on, Magnifier is back on and I have to turn it off again.
I haven't tried Skype, so I don't know about that.