Hughes’s earns a 4.4-star rating from 3668 reviews, showing that the majority of satellite internet service users are very satisfied with their connectivity.
- All
- Reviews only
- Complaints only
- Resolved
- Unresolved
- Replied by the business
- Unreplied
- With attachments
termination of services, customer support and billing
Hughes Net Satellite broke, I called tech support after hours of automated trouble shooting a service repair man was scheduled. Took off from work, met repair man. Nice guy, but had no equipment to repair my satellite 'in truck'. so...why come? He could not identify problem without the equipment and therefore, could not fix it that day. Cost $125 for trip...explained, no fixy no payee. Requested termination of services-cost $300. fine...part of contract. Unknown to me...continued to be billed for services that were not usable. I can only guess there was a communication problem with the representative since English is clearly not their strong suit. Saw this on visa bill, so I contacted customer service...be prepared to speak to foreigners with heavy accents-and no they will not transfer you when you ask them to speak to someone whose English is a a little better. Sent a letter via email...thinking bypass the accent issue... 'customized' automated response. So I have paid $69.95 since February and now an additional $300 to terminate the service. Worth it.
Very displeased.
I am now an embarq customer. Thank Goodness.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
crap service and charging more for it
My girlfriend and I moved to Gladwin, its a small farming town in mid-Michigan. After a few months of having no internet or TV we decided to get Hughesnet since the neghibors had it. We stopped at a local "computer shop" in town. I say "computer shop" because they deal mostly in Alltel cell phones. Anywho, they send a guy out quick as can be with the promise that we'll have high speed, broadband internet. Broadband yes, but not speed wise. Its broadband as in the cable it broad compared to phone cable. Thats it. The Alltel shop said they would be giving us a free installation. A guy came out and set it up, charged us $125 for a pole in out backyard even though we had a satellite pole already as the previous tenants had DishTV. After its set up and theres a hole in the side of my house which you can see through he takes the $125 and goes. He leaves me the boxes which is fine, I like boxes. When I get an account statement I find that they've charged me $270 for nothing at all. I've never signed a contract, i've never spoken to these people and it was a struggle to get rid of their service. I had it for four days and have already decided that dial-up would be better. i've signed nothing, given them one check for $125 and now have a hole for insects to crawl in and out of my house through. The worst part is that I had no connection 80% of the time and when I did it was slower that 56K. They've said they will refund me the $125 and the activation charge but I have yet to recieve any of that.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
HughesNet cost is 399.99. The installation portion of that is 199.00 with the other 200.00 as the cost of equipment. There is no longer any charges for pole mounts. The basic speeds of HughesNet is 1000 k. The majority of folks actually get 900 plus as an actual speed. If you have had a bad experience, you should call Hughes and get it resolved. I am a HughesNet Tech and I can tell you that there are alot of guys running around pretending to be installers with little or no training. Please...do NOT order the system from any out of state dealers. If they cannot give you their local address (no matter what state you live in), then hang up and look for a local dealer. You will get much better service without the salesman misleading you because he will never see you. The local dealers do a much better job because their techs have to answer to them and their reputaion is on the line with every install. If the dealer sells more cell phones than anything else, then they are not the people you want to deal with...PLEASE DON'T KNOCK THE PRODUCT BECAUSE THE "MAN" DID YOU WRONG.
Maybe your complaint is not with HughesNet themselves but rather with the idiots you are ordering the service from. HughesNet is a good solid product and offers a great service that is useful to those that live outside the DSL and cable areas. And it seems to me that you are complaining about the product instead of pointing the finger at the guy that did a lazy install for you. Kind of like saying you hate all chocolate cake because the baker you got it from was lousy. Next time do some research and order it from an experienced company that deals in HughesNet only. You will recieve exceptional service that way.
We live in the foothills of Yosemite and we have one choice of internet company so we went and got hughe[censored] service . we are not really super downloaders or anything but we kept overing our FAP (Yes look that up BEFORE you purchase Hughe[censored]e!)
We averaged about 12kbs during our 24 hour punishment for actually using the internet!
We have now switched to local broadband company STI and they are friendly efficient and their call center is actually nearby and no in India!
So ### you Hughe[censored]e and your crappy internet service
Love C and S
I agree 100% with the experience of Killjoy Zero. I had pretty much the exact situation. They came out - they charged to install a pole - what free installation? It is NOT faster than dialup. I complained to the company 11 days after installation -- and they conveniently waited until TWO days after the 30 day "complaint" window to get back to me. I finally wrote to my State Attorney General. We'll see if I get any results going that route. I WOULD VEHEMENTLY DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM GETTING HUGHES NET! IT IS NOT WHAT IT ADVERTISES. Their service is pathetic. When I complained - I got someone in India who informed me, "Internet there is working good." NO IT IS NOT! DO NOT GET HUGHES.NET. You will regret it.
service outages
Hughes net use of proxy servers and port forwarding standard Internet Protocol from port 80 to port 87
Hughes net is offering substandard services and misleading customers by intentionally misrepresenting
its services in television commercials violating the UCC Uniform Commercial Code and violating truth in advertising regulations.
Hughes uses a cacheing server which is a static server which stores things like data and images which are commonly used
by internet websites, this creates the false impression, that hughes is serving pages live on the internet when they are
actually providing less than desirable service.
Most customers pay in excess of $80.00 per month yet receive substandard services on a regular basis.
Further complicating the situation is the use of outsourced customer support in foreign nations such as india and other
countries which further creates issues in regard to the use of english as a primary language.
Once you sign up you are not able to contact the company unless you call the corporate phone number.
The company makes it even more difficult to service the users account by providing no method of contact except
for the outsourced non english speaking customer representatives.
Hughes net has effectively abdicated their responsibility to their customers by failing to provide service for which
the customers pay on a monthly basis.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Now that we all agree that hughs net is not providing the internet service we all are paying for at a very high cost I do believe the time is now to file a class action lawsuit against hughs net for its irresponsible business practices.Action and penalties must here for there conduct.Thank you
I agree, Hughesnet was a waste of money for almost three years, I never had a good connection. Constant outages, intermittent service, weak signal, DNS server errors, etc. is what you get. They don't care.
limited use of internet service
We live in the country in Montana and were told Hughesnet was the only game in town. I called tonight to complain of the many hours that I cannot access my computer and was told (by someone in the PHILIPPINES) that I was being punished due to using more mega bites or whatever they call it... I just found out about the "FAIR USE POLICY' and asked them if they were serious? She said it was in my contract and I told her please send me a contract so I can read it, she said I can get it on the internet! I told her, "no I cannot get it on internet because I cannot access it at the moment that is why I was calling!"
Also, we pay $90.00 a month for this lousy internet service, cannot talk to anyone in the USA and can't understand what they are saying half the time. We tried to cancel them after we had the service a couple of months and they sent us a bill for over $800.00 for early termination! I reinstated the service just because I did not want that $800.00 looming over my head. They said it was in my contract, but I never signed a contract because if I had one to read, I would have never gone with Hughesnet... I have asked then several times for a contract to be sent to me, but they tell me to go to Hughesnet customer care online... Online, when I am being punished and cannot use any more time on the internet. They are a ripe off company, horrible service, lousy customer service and they overcharge for their so called internet service. My neighbor has dial up and pays $9.99 a month and has better internet service and access than we do. I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau as soon as I can get the forms, but gee, can't right now, I am being punished for using over the amount allocated to us for downloads, which includes emails! They told me to use it between 5-6 pm... I told the person on the other end of the line, I am at work and do not get home until after 7pm and I cannot always use the internet because I cannot get ONLINE! THIS IS HIGHWAY ROBBERY AND NEEDS TO BE STOPPED! How many complaints does it take to shut them down? It is not like the United States would loose jobs, they are all overseas... India, the Philippines and probably more countries than we know...
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Here is information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against HughesNet:
http://www.druginjurylawyerblog.com/2008/09/pbm_files_class_action_against.html
PBM Files Class Action Against HughesNet --- Satellite Broadband Company
The law-firm of Pogust, Braslow, & Millrood, LLC, recently filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit against HughesNet, Inc., Hughes Communications, Inc., and Hughes Network Systems, LLC, for breach of contract and frauduluent business practices involving the marketing of the HughesNet® Satellite Broadband Network System.
Filed on behalf of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers, the Complaint alleges inter alia that the satellite broadband Company's nationwide advertisement of "Highspeed Internet by Satellite: Wherever Whenever" was materially false and misleading.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that HughesNet intentionally "oversold" its bandwidth, whereby thousands of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were subjected to limited Internet broadband accessibility, speed, functionality, and connectivity.
Additionally, it is alleged that HughesNet actively marketed HughesNet® subscribers and consumers to upgrade their broadband plan under the representation that such would result in faster Internet broadband access. Despite this, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers experienced significant broadband delays, including extremely slow uploading/downloading speeds, unreliable connectivity, and the inability to access email. Furthermore, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were often required to incur additional costs, fees, and early termination penalities, as a result of HugheNet's false advertising.
If you or someone you know is a HughesNet® subscriber and/or customer and have experienced similar Internet broadband related issues, please contact our law-firm for a free consultation.
they lie to customers
When we called to check on Hughes Net we told we would get a $100.00 Rebate which we were to fill out a form and send in after 30 days. The installer came out and repeated this. Both knew we were leasing the equipment. We sent in the completed paperwork and they responded saying we would NOT get the rebate promised to us, it was ONLY for customer who bought the equipment.
That was the 1st LIE!
We were told how fast Hughes Net is.
We are paying over 70.00 per month for Internet that is not much faster than Dial Up most of the time, it goes out constantly. I can't play an online game we love because it says they detect my slow Internet. This was the 2nd LIE!
We were ALSO told we could watch TV online but the installer said Not to exceed watching over 6 hours a day or we would exceed our limit. We watched 2 super bowl commercials and BANG! IT would not even open one page. We could not even open a Google search page for over 24 hours after that. 3rd LIE!
Customer service is Terrible! We called over and over when it was so slow nothing would open. We seldom get anyone who can speak English well enough to understand and they are apparently trained to say 'We show nothing wrong with your service. '
This is the 4th LIE. We no longer call because it's a complete waste of time.
We tried to call Accounting to question LIE #1 (The Rebate) they were of no help. He requested the name of the CEO and they said they didn't have that information. We requested to talk to a supervisor and they put us on hold and never came back to the phone. Now that is what I call Top Notch Customer Service!
My advice to anyone thinking of getting Hughes Net. DON'T!
Dial up isn't that bad when I look back...at least it worked ...slow but it did work and I was not lied to repeatedly.
In summary, this company is no more than a Scam. They lock you in a long contract and it cost an arm and leg to get out of it.
File a compliant with t he FCC. Her is webpage to do ti. https://esupport.fcc.gov/sform2000/formA!input.action?form_page=2000A
too expensive
I cannot believe that I pay over $90/month and cannot even watch a ballgame on Hughesnet. I loose service in the third inning. I called customer service and got a woman in INDIA who did not have a clue what I was talking about. I finally got a manager who explained that I had exceeded the download limit. I ONLY use Hughesnet on week ends when I have much business to perform. Obviously, I got no work done. I had to drive to the public library twenty minutes away, sit in their parking lot, and work. So, I pay about $100/month for a couple hours a week! I too did not know about the limits on the account when I signed up. One of my students tipped me off, so I knew that the lady in tech support was WAY off base when she wanted to check my modem. I spent HOURS three years ago with Microsoft tech support from India and knew what a waste of time that would be.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
It is your own fault when you go over the download limit. However Hughesnet does *offer* the option of paying an extra $10 to $12 to free it up again. Also if you do all of your *major* downloading between the hours of 2am and 7am it's free and does not effect the limit.
crappy service
Do not ever sign up with hughes net!
They are the worst ever, had them for 5 years and have had to buy something new every year that cost about $1000, "oh sorry your warranty just ran out", two years it was a new modem once a new transmitter, was suppose to be a 2 watt, but the installer put in a 1 watt, what a fiasco trying to get that resolved. The installers they send out are just a bunch of bumble#s. (Pardon my french, but its true.) one tech wanted to increase the wire size between the dish and my modem so the web pages could download faster on a bigger wire. Silly me, I fell for it, cost me $600 and I had to pay the tech in cash, he didn't give me a receipt. You probably know more than they do, like calling india for customer service, oh did I say customer service? It does not exist in this company. Have consistently gotten dl speeds of less than 60kbps, for the last 3 months. For $100 a month, we have gotten slower speeds than a dial up modem "oh, we are working with it, no we don't have authority to switch you to a different transponder, no we don't have authority to switch to to a different satellite" I am about four crappy speed tests from going back to dial-up, it is definitely about ten times faster than hughesnet crappy service. Five years of frustration is just about enough. We had starband for four years before this, they were as bad or even worse. I would love to find someone who would sue the hell out of them. No they are not getting a cancellation fee out of me, our time limit is satisfied.
Don't ever but hughes net or starband!
If satellite is your only choice, stay with your dial-up service.
Want to sue 'em, e-mail me [protected]@yahoo.com
Please don't buy hughes< everything bad that has been said about them in previous posts it true.
-john
I switched to WildBlue satellite service and am very pleased with them. There was a small mistake on the billing and what was offered for price so I emailed them, received a quick response and a follow-up phone call and all was fixed no problem! Check them out.. WildBlue.com
I recently got Hughes Net and I'm not happy with it at all! The service is horrible and I constantly have to "re fresh the modem" and it takes forever! Hughes Net has been a waste of my time and money. Thanx to their crappy enternet service I got behind on my school work. Oh! And customer service...what a ###ing joke! I have had enough of their ### and plan on canceling first thing in the morning. I should have asked around before getting Hughes net but Direct TV refered me to them and I trusted that I was in good hands...so wrong! I just hope that I get some kind of refund. Does anyone know of a good enternet provider who doesn't give you ### and allows you to talk to people without terrible terrible accents? I have a lot of school work to do and I live far from town any suggestion are greatly appreciated. P.S. I'll make sure and warn everyone about Hughes Net and prevent them from going through my situation.
I paid over $300 for a new satellite dish and modem from Hughes Net in 2008 when my old Hughes modem no longer worked. I pay $73. a month for high speed service. I have called technical support on at least 35 times since installation of the new system complaining about my slow speed service. In the past three months alone, I paid over $600 for another new modem, technical support site visit, a second tech support site visit and replacement of the dish radio transmitter, which was not necessary. The highest level of Hughes technical support, level IV, said the solution to my problem is to buy ANOTHER, upgraded modem. What a wonderfully enlightened technical analysis! I am not convinced that that will solve my problem. When I routinely work one web site that requires working with numbers, Income Tax Returns on the IRS site, it takes up to 75 seconds which is a lifetime when each line on a tax return requires a new number. I was promised a one month refund, whoopee, but did not receive. I would not recommend Hughes to anyone.
I didn't Google Hughes net for the bad I was so happy that someone would service my area that I was all abroad and I got them Jan. 8, 2010 and within my short time in being with them things started looking funny I hadn't received no information at all from them and then i couldn't connect so I called to find out why they say I had went over allowed 200mb for the day which i wasn't aware of at all until I called in then when I got to register i found out that they had charges me 10.00 in tax i was pissed because i had already been charged 168.98 (99.00 activation+ 59.99 1st month + 9.99 leasing the box) I have been kicked off the internet and told i could pay 5.00 to get back online when kicked off I was so upset I told them to cancel my service because it was not making sense at all so the next day I called and found out nobody would service me so I had to crawl back to them and that cost 25.00 more dollars to do that then I was online less than 1 hours i was kicked back off and had to watch 24hr to get my service back up and running when it did come back on they told me that i had downloaded something which was impossible since my laptop was locked in my closet so they say that someone must have broken threw my router and was using my service to the guy restored and once again it was back down so I called back and didn't talk nice at all i was ready to threw the towel all the way in but I got a nice guy that got me back online and upgraded my sevice and 30 extra days to try the service and 2 weeks of free service but the only problem is I was backed off line so when I get back home I am threw they told me I had to send back the stuff I was coming around to agree on sending the modem and cords back until they told me that I have to send back that dish I told him them that if they want that dish send somebody out to get it and ASAP and there better be no more charges to my credit card. Sorry to ramble but HUGHES NET is CRAPPY STAY AWAY from them
OMG! I am so glad I found others that agree with me on how much Hughes net sucks! This is my story... been wth them for 24 months (2 years) and always had problems with customer service (if you can call it that!). Recently been having major problems connecting and always having to refresh every web page and then some! Went thru the required channels, etc. customer service, then tech support (which is a joke) and was told first it was "my computer" and needed to get a computer tech to check it out. After finding out there was nothing wrong with puter, was told it was my network card, after replacing that was told it was my router, after replacing that was told it was my modem.! After a long crappy ### process with tech support as I'm sure you all know sucks, I was finally sent a new modem which I had to pay 145 dollars because my warrantly ran out (conveniently of course)... Tried to install the new modem but could not because the dish was not aligned correctly and could not get a good signal. Then was told I needed a technician to come out and re-align the dish and it would cost me 120 but after speaking with 3 or 4 tech support people about this I was transfered to "advanced tech support" and was told he would waive the technician fee. The technician came and re-aligned dish and set up new modem (which took over 2 hours) and left. Thought all was well but then the next day, still having same problems with getting webpages to load and having to refresh every other minute! Needless to say, I was even more pissed than before. I was so sick of them I wanted to cancel service and go with new service I found out about, Wild blue. Requested refund of 145 which I paid for new modem which still did not work and wanted to return it and cancel service and get refund for new modem. Also, am told I need to return old modem or be charged an unreturned equipment fee if not returned within 20 days. The problem though was that I received the new modem but it was not able to be hooked up until 3 weeks later. I am in the same situation as others living in the boonies with no other choice for internet service. But I did find another company called Wildblue that will provide same service at cheaper rate and better customer support. So I called tech support and was on phone for over an hour, first with billing, then tech support, then with account management, then back to tech support and then a superviosr. But during this phone call I was put on hold 15 minutes between each dept. then spoke to supervisor who again put me on hold to review my account (which they should have already). Because I was on hold for sooo long, my phone battery died and I could not connect to same person again! I want to return the "new modem" and cancel my service. But this was asking way too much apparently. They say they will not refund my money and gave me a bunch of ### answers why not. I looked up the terms and conditions portion on their website and found a paragraph referring to returning equipment and cancelling service which stated customer would receive refund on receipt of returned equipment. I pointed this out to them but was still denied. I apoligize for this lengthy story but I have been dealing with them for over a month because of limited access and have been bounced here and there and given over a dozen case numbers and spoken to so many departments with bad accents and still getting nowhere, it was great to find others with same opinion. I want to sue them, or do something to stop them from messing with others as they have me. I am not an idiot and am in customer service, bookkeeper, payroll rep, legal asst. and jill of all trades person and it just kills me to see these people get away with this ###! I hope others will share their stories and we can stop them from taking good peoples money and getting away with terrible customer service, tech support, etc.!
poor service
None existent technical support, the people you talk to in India don't know what they are doing . FAP is Hughes excuse for overselling there system. They hide behind 3 legal side pages of contract agreement, that you must agree to or you don't get to use there slow, overpriced system. But if you live in the boonies there the only game in town.
Read full review of Hughes and 2 commentsbilling mistakes-horrible service
In 5 weeks we have had to call in 5 times in order to fix billing issues and get our internet service reconnected, all because there is an issue with their billing! We have provided our checking information 4 times in the past 5 weeks, yet although it is THEIR issue, we are unable to access the internet and have to go through the laborious process of getting through to their technical support and have them walk us through unplugging, replugging, checking systems, etc. I need to warn anyone who has ANY OTHER OPTION than Hughes.net to go for it and only use Hughes.net as a LAST RESORT! We have had service for 3 years now and hate their service. Hate their customer service, hate their ridiculous techincal support issues that have no rhyme nor reason, and their download speed is no better than the wireless cards such as Verizon Wireless. Unfrotunately for those of us who live "in the sticks" wireless coverage isn't very good and therfore we don't dare disconnect Hughes.net. Once there is any other option, I recommend any and all users to drop this ridiculous service and sign up with another company who actually cares about their customers, and wouldn't charge the $90 a month Hughes.net extort from us for this broken service.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
oh i know after having 2 yrs of problomatic service at best i moved it took them 3 months to restart my service yet they billed me anyway after a month of debate they credited me with 1.5 months - they know i am a captive customer because i live so far out in the woods since i moved the service has been worse and worse from overbilling to interupted service to hours spent tryin to log online and cant yet still having the useage tallied against me requiring me to buy tokens in order to keep internet service its a scam by far and to top it off in order to go to tech support you have to go through a teir system which they say they will call and dont once you get to level 5 your top of the list yet they dont call then say that someone will call in a few days until then i was still without service
Hi Guys People Using Hughes Net I am A Old Custoemr Of hughes Net i have alos Had Problems With them How Evere the SERVICES REPS Are kind and Polite and understanding there accesnt might be hard to understand however it not impossible to understand them and its not there fault for customer services begin abroad.
According to me our americans dont have patinces and are veryrude to the customer regaring services...and hardly i find less people talanted in technical support...
when ever i call them they r sweet and very help ful...
Although i dont like hughes net i like the REPS willing to help me out...
the reason y the stck to one rule is because off the limited resources that
COOL REPS BUT BAD HUGHES NET...
Boycott Hughes Net ! Terrible Customer service and blatant disregard for Ethical Business Standards.
They will nickel and dime you to the grave...
better off dead than in bed with these clowns!
I had no service so i called they said my equiptment was out of warrantee so the gave me a number of a tech to fix my wireless problem he came over and punched a couple of numbers into the computer i had to pay him 125 dollars them i got my bill and hughes net charged me 125 dollars
they said the tech installed a radio and the charges were correct. then they said i should not have paid the tech . i called then they said i need to handle this with the tech but he wont answer any calls. he knows he stold from me now im out 250 and hughes net could care less they are a rip off be careful out there
not 30 day free trial - rip off
I can only echo the other complaints already stated and warn people to stay away from Hughesnet! Not only is it SLOW for highspeed (dial up is at times faster), but they completely disregard complaints and refused a refund.
Within 2 days of signing up, I realized this was NOT going to work. After calling tech support and being on the phone over an hour, I was finally walked through a series of steps on the computer to determine the "problem". There was a "red flag" on our usage, which we "discovered" and I was informed that we had gone over our limit of time. I was never aware there was a limit, since our cheap dialup had no limit! It is on their website, but unless you are a computer guru, it probably goes over most people's heads (and it's in the fine print). I was told we have about an hour of download time per day, and my sons gaming was out of the question as was Youtube and much time on Facebook. With 3 teenagers, that's ridiculous. I was told there is a free time that you can download all you want - between 3 - 5 A.M.! I was then told the high speed would return after 24 hours.
At the 30 day "satisfaction" time, I called to cancel the service. I was transferred to someone who talked me into trying an additional 30 days at a higher speed. I was told that all "free trial" offers would be extended to the 60 day period, including the $472. I was charged for installation and activation. I was also told that would not cause me to have a cancellation fee. I asked for clarification on the refund 3 times, and was always told that it would be credited back if I should choose to cancel before the 60 day time period. KNowing I would probably still have to cancel, but not having a better alternative yet, I accepted the deal and documented it with numbers and dates, etc.
After finding a much better, and faster highspeed service locally - with NO cancellation fees ever and only $200. up front cost (yhti - if you live in the St. Louis area), I called to cancel Hughesnet before the now 60 day trial expired. I was told that I couldn't cancel without an early termination fee, even after explaining the last conversation to them. I was also told I would not be refunded the $472., but could receive $200. if I returned the equipment. AFter an hour on the phone explaining the earlier conversation, I was told that it was there policy to not refund the installation fee, and they were sorry for any "misunderstanding". I told them I would be filing a report with the Better Business Bureau (which I have done) and calling my credit card company to dispute the charges. I also told them I will be telling everyone I know to avoid Hughesnet, which is why I am posting this as well!
2 days later, I noticed my credit card was charge for $300. from Hughesnet! When I called to check on it, they had charged me the early termination fee afterall. After explaining AGAIN the situation, and providing the reference numbers, the did refund that amount - or said that they will.
Bottom line: Avoid Hughesnet! Look into local options, and if those aren't available, you are better off with dial up!
2 days later,
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I will be contacting. This has been a NIGHTMARE thus far! Hushnet needs to be held accountable to the public
Here is information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against HughesNet:
http://www.druginjurylawyerblog.com/2008/09/pbm_files_class_action_against.html
PBM Files Class Action Against HughesNet --- Satellite Broadband Company
The law-firm of Pogust, Braslow, & Millrood, LLC, recently filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit against HughesNet, Inc., Hughes Communications, Inc., and Hughes Network Systems, LLC, for breach of contract and frauduluent business practices involving the marketing of the HughesNet® Satellite Broadband Network System.
Filed on behalf of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers, the Complaint alleges inter alia that the satellite broadband Company's nationwide advertisement of "Highspeed Internet by Satellite: Wherever Whenever" was materially false and misleading.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that HughesNet intentionally "oversold" its bandwidth, whereby thousands of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were subjected to limited Internet broadband accessibility, speed, functionality, and connectivity.
Additionally, it is alleged that HughesNet actively marketed HughesNet® subscribers and consumers to upgrade their broadband plan under the representation that such would result in faster Internet broadband access. Despite this, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers experienced significant broadband delays, including extremely slow uploading/downloading speeds, unreliable connectivity, and the inability to access email. Furthermore, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were often required to incur additional costs, fees, and early termination penalities, as a result of HugheNet's false advertising.
If you or someone you know is a HughesNet® subscriber and/or customer and have experienced similar Internet broadband related issues, please contact our law-firm for a free consultation.
the hughesnet run-a-round
Tech Support decided that our modem and our adapter cord needed replaced. A re-furbished modem is available from Tech Support for $140 with a 3 month warranty. The adapter cord was priced at $125.
However a NEW modem is available from Sales for $125 with a 15 month warranty.
On the other hand, Sales does not sell adapter cords. Back to Tech Support, where the adapter cord was now priced at $21.25. Ordered adapter cord. And all of this took an hour and a half.
Called back in two days (as I was told to do) to get tracking numbers. Not available.
Two hours and 17 minutes later, I had learned that the modems are on back order and will not be available for 4 - 8 weeks. The order I had placed for the adapter cord had an error, so it had to be re-ordered.
At every available opportunity I talked with a supervisor and told them how pathetic their customer service happens to be. I have no other internet service to turn to here in rural Ohio.
There are no discounts for good customers or senior citizens. But the aggravation is free of charge.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Here is information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against HughesNet:
http://www.druginjurylawyerblog.com/2008/09/pbm_files_class_action_against.html
PBM Files Class Action Against HughesNet --- Satellite Broadband Company
The law-firm of Pogust, Braslow, & Millrood, LLC, recently filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit against HughesNet, Inc., Hughes Communications, Inc., and Hughes Network Systems, LLC, for breach of contract and frauduluent business practices involving the marketing of the HughesNet® Satellite Broadband Network System.
Filed on behalf of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers, the Complaint alleges inter alia that the satellite broadband Company's nationwide advertisement of "Highspeed Internet by Satellite: Wherever Whenever" was materially false and misleading.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that HughesNet intentionally "oversold" its bandwidth, whereby thousands of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were subjected to limited Internet broadband accessibility, speed, functionality, and connectivity.
Additionally, it is alleged that HughesNet actively marketed HughesNet® subscribers and consumers to upgrade their broadband plan under the representation that such would result in faster Internet broadband access. Despite this, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers experienced significant broadband delays, including extremely slow uploading/downloading speeds, unreliable connectivity, and the inability to access email. Furthermore, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were often required to incur additional costs, fees, and early termination penalities, as a result of HugheNet's false advertising.
If you or someone you know is a HughesNet® subscriber and/or customer and have experienced similar Internet broadband related issues, please contact our law-firm for a free consultation.
service and billing
I have paid 89.00 per month for internet service with Hughes.net. It has NEVER worked properly. Their technical department has pages of complaints I have made. Their billing department is demanding over $497 after I discontinued the service. I told them I would send the equipment back to them but they said they do not want it; it is mine! I asked them why I would want, and pay for something that does not, nor has ever worked; they demand the $497 anyway. This is going to affect my credit rating. I am requesting a total refund of everything I have paid them over the past year, over $89 per month because what they promised and advertized has not, nor has ever worked properly. For example, I pay my consumer credit card and bank on line. Some weekends when I was going to pay my bills, the computer was not working, for the entire weekend, and it was too late to send the payment to the companies by mail. And some companies have a $10 charge to pay by telephone! I have lost over $1000 dealing with Hughes net and I request a total refund from them! They are not getting another red cent from my pocket. How many other consumers are they doing this to?
I would appreciate if your good offices could investigate the promises and practices of the "fly by night" internet provider. Furthermore, when I would call their customer service department or their technical department, I would speak with someone, at times for over an hour and they could not understand my English, and I could not understand them. The whole situation has been a total nightmare. I would go to bed some evenings and not be able to sleep. If you would, could you investigate the practices of this company? What do I do to get a refund of what I have given them for something they promised and they did not deliver?
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I'm going through the same thing and wonder just how many thousands are being ripped off by HughesNet. I've made this my pet project/they are not going to get away with trying to rob me, they NEVER provided even half of what they promised in speed, I wanted them to take their equipment away the SAME DAY they installed it and they refused. I should have called the police on the installer. Thank God I didn't have my other wireless disconnected before trying HughesNet. My battle is not over yet, will keep you posted. Good luck ... I wonder how many others they've been stealing $$ from (especially senior citizens who are so vulnerable). HughesNet should be listed as a synonym in the dictionary under extortion, thief, robber, liar, etc.
They did the same thing to me, exactly! They are thieves thieves thieves! I moved, and will NEVER EVER live in any place that I would have to use Hughes Net! I'd rather go to Starbucks and buy coffee all day...
I have been a Hughes Net subscriber since 2001. I’ve always had a credit card on file and they have billed me directly. I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the service but they are the only high speed internet option we have.
In April 2008 we had some issues with our service and after going through tech support it was determined that our satellite needed to be replaced. I agreed to the $400.00 charges; I also upgraded my account from basic to professional for what I had been told would get me a better connection speed and larger file download ability. Included in this agreement was another two year commitment to Hughes net. They delivered and installed a new satellite dish. I kept my old email address and everything was great as far as I knew.
In August I wasn’t getting the speeds I thought I should be getting and called tech support. In looking up my account number I noticed that they had been charging me 129.98 per month since we got the new Dish. After resolving the tech support issue, I asked about why I was being charged the 129.98 instead of the agreed 69.99? It was explained to me that I had two accounts (one at 69.99 and the old one at 59.99) since the upgrade and they could close the one account but could only credit me 2 months. I told them at the time I felt it was unfair but to go ahead and apply the credit and cancel the other account as I had never authorized a second account I only wanted to upgrade my current equipment / service.
After a few months I checked it again and found that they had not provided the credit and they were still billing me at the rate of 129.98. I called again, was told that again they could only credit back two months. At this point I felt this was unacceptable and asked for an exception. I was told it would be looked into. This went on until March of 2009 where I just cancelled the credit card on file in hopes it would get their attention.
It did and finally they cancelled the second account. However it left me with what appeared as an unpaid balance of $129.98 and Hughes net cut off my internet access. When I called I was told that they would restore my service only after I agreed to pay the $129.98 and agree to a 2 month credit. By agreeing to this I would forfeit any remaining refund due to me. The other option they offered me was to wait until another office checked my usage on the other account to see if I was in fact due a refund. They could not offer me a date as to when this investigation would take but explained that I would not have service until completed.
I offered to pay my normal rate of $69.99 for the past month and even so much as $69.99 for the future month however they would not except any payment other then the past due amount of $129.98 and I had to accept the 2 month credit and again forfeit any claim to other refunds. Obviously this is unacceptable to me so now I’m without service until Hughes net decides they want to review my account. I’m posting this using my BlackBerry dialup account.
Two funny stories (not funny ha ha ) out of this:
At one point I asked the person from Hughes billing department if it mattered at all that I’ve been a customer since 2001 and she just simply replied “NO”.
During the conversations I was told that they wouldn’t interrupt my service while the investigation was going on. After they turned off my service and I was talking with someone in billing I told them I understood that my service wasn’t going to be interrupted, I gave them the date, person and case number of that conversation. She then told me it didn’t happen. I suggested that in the future I was going to have to record my phone conversations with Hughes net. She informed me that Hughes Net employees were not allowed to have their voices recorded over the phone lines and I had a legal responsibility to inform them I was recording them.
Satellite is better then dial up and for me, I work from home and dial up just doesn’t work out. I’m able to wait another day maybe two before I’m so far behind I’ll risk my job. I’m sure I’ll end up paying them the 12 payment of $129.98 and accept the 2 month credit for a total loss of 599.99. That $600.00 loss I’ll have to write off as the cost of dealing with a monopoly. BTW – The new hippy dippy satellite and upgrading my account did not increase my speed. Truth be told my average download speeds was better with my old dish and service. Upload speeds are still only slightly better then a modem.
fair access poliy details - scam
Hughesnet has an implemented Fair Access Policy (FAP) that when triggered will slow your speeds that YOU PAY FOR down to close to around 56k uplink speed. That means on their Home plan, you're paying $60/month for a certain speed but you're getting less that what you paid for. The worst thing about it is that in their FAQ (frequently asked questions) board, they suggest "upgrading" your service, which is about $15-20 for the next level of service, for only a minor increase in the download bandwidth. You only seem to get a decent download limit once you reach around $120 / month.
Hughenet is seemingly only satisfactory for the wealthier group (those who can afford their highest package) or for the less internet savvy group who only goes online for e-mail and informational searches. For those of us who like to download (whether it be illegal or not, that's up to you) such files as anti-virus programs, updates for our favorite programs, webcasts and the what not, it is totally unacceptable. Their justification for such downgrades in speed is an unrestricted download time between 3AM and 6AM.
To show the severity of their plans compared to the Fair access policy
I have added links to their FAQ site and pricing plan as well as their "Fair Access Policy" download limit page. I encourage all of you to read this thoroughly before deciding on Hughesnet,
Fair Access Policy - http://www.22hughesnet.com/fapolicy.cfm?hf=0
Pricing Plans - http://www.22hughesnet.com/plans.cfm
Fair Access Policy FAQ - http://customercare.myhughesnet.com/fap_faqs.htm
FAQ (regarding typical speeds) - http://www.22hughesnet.com/faq/internet-connection-speeds.cfm
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I've been a HughesNet customer for over 6 years and never had this problem until recently. I was away from home and did not use the HughesNet at all for two months but still paid over $70 per month for the service. So when I finally got home and watched two newer episodes of Law and Order SVU online and suddenly everything slowed to a crawl. I could hardly log on at all and when I did I would have to wait a long time to open my mail or look at anything. When I signed the contract I was told I had unlimited minutes and speed with the Pro plan I chose and now they want to go back on that. Seems to me like this is a breach of contract. I went with HughesNet because I live in a remote area and that was the only service I could get. Now I can get internet service bundled with my phone service for less than just the HughesNet Pro plan. I had not planned to change from HughesNet, but when somebody takes advantage of me I no longer have any use for them. Anyone up for a class action lawsuit? I can be reached at heathepw@yahoo.com
We had Hughes before this was implemented. What a pain in the ***?! It's almost impossible to download software updates without getting up in the middle of the night to use the "free" time. Don't buy into Hughes.net!
We have been looking for an alternative and don't want to go with cable. There aren't many options where we are.
I have had problems with this also but can not get any help. I do not download videos, software, etc. yet every month they have slowed me to an almost complete stop until I purchase a $5 "token". I had safety downloads that need to be done and will have to stay up one night to do this.
What can we do to fight this and who can we turn to? This is a scam to get more money from us. I live on a fixed income and the monthly bill is over my limit as it is even though I have the "Home" plan.
Please, someone let us know who we can contact. Thank you for your help.
false advertisement/lying
Before signing up with hughes net i did internet searches to see what would be the best for my money. I wish i had found all the complaints on them before i had the service installed! I went through so much trouble just to make sure things would be installed with no problems and found out everything i knew about the service beforehand only to be lied to and to find out their advertisements and representatives are not telling the truth! I was assurred that my service would be "state of the art" and could go through trees for the signal, etc...as i had explained the past problems with tv satellite due to my trees. I also explained that there would be more than one computer used and a game system on my service. well after the installer came and telling me he couldnt put the satellite onto my house, i was charged over $700 to get this thing up and running. Then to have nothing but problems for the first few days and staying on the phone with hughesnet representatives who i could barely understand, they tell me the reason my service is sooooooooo slow at that time was because i had exceeded the fair act policy...I was like "huh?" First of all i hadn't used the service because of trouble getting it to work and then when i did get to browse and download some compute updates i am suddenly exceeding some limit that was not told to me in any way, shape or form. after i was told about this i went to check on there website for this information and found a section at the bottom of the page to click on to view a fair act policy but nothing to explain this nor was it listed with the packages to choose from.
I feel as if i have been totally shafted from the get go! the first man i spoke with lied to make a sale...and i have been consumed with trying to make this service work for me ever since. all they can say is "sorry your not happy but can i help you with something else today?"
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
overcharged
Last March, I spent $500 to get HughesNet satellite internet, because there was no cable or dsl in my area at the time. I continued spending $70/month + $5/month invoice fee for 1Mbps/200kpbs upstream speed internet that is slower than cable, dsl, and stops working after using only 375MB of bandwith in a 1-2 day period. Now I have Verizon DSL available, which provides FASTER service for only $17.99/month, with only $59 of upfront cost, instead of $500 like those ### at Hughesnet, and no 375MB download threshold. I called up Hughesnet to cancel, and they told me there would be a $300 early termination fee! 'Don't you read contracts before you sign them sir?' was what the snotty Hughesnet phone rep snapped at me.
Now if they had given me free installation, or a free satellite dish, I could understand they might want to make their money back if I canceled within a year or two. But I spent $500 on install/dish fees, I've spent over $800 on their crappy service for 1 whole year, and they still want another $300 for canceling before two years of service!
Do yourself a favor and do not deal with these crooks. Wait for DSL or cable internet and you will not get raped by the Hughesnet ###.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
awful company
Whatever you do. Do Not purchase this service. Painfully slow speeds. I even purchased the premium package which was supposed to guarantee super fast speeds. Didn't happen.
My biggest problem was with a internet based service that I use. It did not work with that at all. I called Hughes tech support 14 times over the course of 9 months and have case numbers to prove it. They do not speak english and each time I called it took no less than 45 minutes and sometimes an hour and a half.
All of this got me nowhere. When I requested that they let me out of the contract they told me that I would have to go through 5 different levels of tech support before they would consider an early termination. They even wanted me to stay home for 48 hrs over Christmas to wait for their tech support to call me. What a crock!
I finally canceled the service but after disputing the charges I still had to pay the credit card company. I'm not through with these idiots.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
When I signed up for hughesnet, there was no mention of any restrictions on how much you can download. I even told the salesman that I used remote desktop to monitor video security cameras at another location. The salesman told me that there are no restrictions but the speed, which can be upgraded for only $10.00 more per month. But the speed I signed up for should be enough to use remote desktop. The speed is OK for it, but after using remote desktop for a little more than 1 hour, I violated their fair access policy. After violating this policy, they throttle your speed down to less than dial-up. When I called regarding the slow down, they explained to me that I can upgrade to a plan that is double the price I signed up for ($120.00), and that would increase my download threshold to 500 mb per day. My original plan was for $60.00 and only allowed 200 mb per day. If I cancel after only 2 days, I am out the money for the installation, which is $335.00 ! I can not effectively use the service even if I upgrade my plan. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit, please contact me. If any lawyers reading this would like to start the class action suit, please contact me as well. I just don't know how to go about it, but something needs to be done. The policy is way too restrictive, and with the flash and video content popping up all over the net, it's only going to effect more and more people as time goes on. The max amount that you can download in a day is equal to playing an online game for 1-2 hours, or using remote desktop for 1-2 hours!
Here is information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against HughesNet:
http://www.druginjurylawyerblog.com/2008/09/pbm_files_class_action_against.html
PBM Files Class Action Against HughesNet --- Satellite Broadband Company
The law-firm of Pogust, Braslow, & Millrood, LLC, recently filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit against HughesNet, Inc., Hughes Communications, Inc., and Hughes Network Systems, LLC, for breach of contract and frauduluent business practices involving the marketing of the HughesNet® Satellite Broadband Network System.
Filed on behalf of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers, the Complaint alleges inter alia that the satellite broadband Company's nationwide advertisement of "Highspeed Internet by Satellite: Wherever Whenever" was materially false and misleading.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that HughesNet intentionally "oversold" its bandwidth, whereby thousands of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were subjected to limited Internet broadband accessibility, speed, functionality, and connectivity.
Additionally, it is alleged that HughesNet actively marketed HughesNet® subscribers and consumers to upgrade their broadband plan under the representation that such would result in faster Internet broadband access. Despite this, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers experienced significant broadband delays, including extremely slow uploading/downloading speeds, unreliable connectivity, and the inability to access email. Furthermore, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were often required to incur additional costs, fees, and early termination penalities, as a result of HugheNet's false advertising.
If you or someone you know is a HughesNet® subscriber and/or customer and have experienced similar Internet broadband related issues, please contact our law-firm for a free consultation.
If you want more download capacity subscribe to a higher package. This service has a specific application in rural areas where other forms of internet are not available. There is a free zone between 3:00-6:00 am to download whatever you need.
YOU STATED
"When I signed up for hughesnet, there was no mention of any restrictions on how much you can download."
DID YOU READ THE CONTRACT THAT YOU AGREED TO WHEN YOU SIGNED UP AT INSTALLATION? IT OUTLINES THE FAIR ACCESS POLICY. HOW IS IT HUGHESNET'S FAULT YOU CAN NOT READ WHAT YOU SIGN?
I use HughesNet at my business in a network with 5 computers. We have never bypassed the Fair Access Policy. Subscribe to a higher package, or don't use the service. Obviously, you don't have other options or you would have DSL, or Cable.
Last, if you don't like the service you can always go back to dial up ;) -or- Get WildBlue...they will throttle you down for a month when you bypass their Fair Access Policy! And their service is slower, less reliable, and lower download capacity.
This is what you get when living in an area without cable, or DSL. Be happy there is some form of service available. Quit complaining, and move back to civilization if internet is that important to you!
slow, expensive, bait and switch.
Recently ordered Hughes Net... already went through the Wild Blue fiasco. I thought something surely has to work for those of us in the rural areas. Suckered... again.
At first (trial period, can cancel anytime) speeds were fantastic. Pages loaded in record time, searches were quick, I was thrilled. Finally... I wasn't internet penalized for living on a farm.
Trial period ends. Guess what? Oh yeah. Slow as molassas in the winter. And now I'm in a two year contract, trial offer is over... will cost my next years' tuition just to cancel the doggone thing.
Sad.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I've had the exact same thing happen to me. Signed up for the 30 day trial period and everything was great. After the trial period was over everything slowed down to a screeching halt. I called them and was told by the Hughes that during the trial period I was given the most expensive package, even though that is not what I signed up for! I told them this is a bait and switch. They agreed to give me the most expensive package at a discount. (Which was still $20 more than I agreed to in the first place). After six months the price shoots up again! I call and they tell me this was just a six month discount. Somebody needs to file a class action lawsuit and sue them. I am sick of being tricked by these companies.
I have had hughes.net for about two years and have had the same problem with it getting slower and slower.
called for tech support and after on hour on the phone they agreed that i had a problem with there equipment.
tech came to my house and found water in the little reflector on the end of the dish.(works as a magnifier) after digging in his van he found a used one and put it on and the speeds went back the way they were when I had it installed.
he also informed me that the installer had not put the thing on right. and this had caused the problem.
there is a o-ring and a clamp that is to be put on the back of this unit to keep out water and it was left off by the installer. but they still charged me for the service call to fix there installers mess up. (raw deal)
fraud and cheating
I absolutely cannot believe this company is still in business. Against my better judgment and because I had no other options other than dial-up, I had this service installed about a month ago. The experience was the worst I've ever had on every level you can imagine.
The advertisement for me was free 'standard' installation, $99 activation fee and first months service upfront. Ordering the service went great! Of course it would be cause they haven't stuck it to you yet. A few days later, another company called to schedule the install (HughesNet apparently outsources this to independent contractors).
The technician came out on a really cold, rainy day and it was obvious he didn't want to be here but he checked out my house to figure out where to put the MONSTER dish. He told me that due to the way my house is and the trees around it that he could not do a 'standard' installation and me have optimal reception. To this day, I don't understand that because DirectTV had no issues like that when installing my satellite TV service.
At any rate, he determined the installation would include a pole. I asked how much it would be and he said no more than $125. Reluctantly, I agreed. He told me the size pole I needed was also not standard and he'd have to go buy it and return on a different day.
It was crunch time, I needed internet access that week in order to do my job (I work from home). My company was taking down a server that previously supported me through dial up so time was of the essence. I explained this to the technician and he promised he would have it installed in time to prevent any down time with my company. This was on a Tuesday. Due to his schedule, he told me he would try to be back on Friday but most likely it wouldn't be until Saturday. That was fine because the dial up server wouldn't be taken down until Friday so I really wouldn't need access until the following Monday. Friday came and I called to see if he would make it out that day. He told me he couldn't and we did expect this but he did say he'd be out the next day.
Saturday came and went and the tech not only didn't show but didn't call and didn't answer or respond to the numerous calls I made to him. I finally reached him on Sunday and asked if he could do the install that day so I could work the next day. His response was, 'I don't work on Sunday's'. NO apology or concern for the position that he has now put me in i.e. I won't have access to my companies system in order to work on Monday. Not to mention, the guy then proceeds to blame ME for the situation because I'm not a standard installation. HE KNEW THAT WHEN HE PROMISED TO HAVE THE INSTALLATION COMPLETED ON SATURDAY.
He then told me he'd be at my house to do the installation around noon on Monday. Ok, that wipes me out of a days work but I have no choice at that point. Monday comes along and he didn't show up until 4:30. Because of the late start, he couldn't complete the installation before it got dark so he quit and said he'd be back the next morning. Now at this point the pole, dish, and everything on the outside of the house had been installed and all that was left was putting the cables through the hole (that we ALREADY had drilled for him) and connecting the inside. We supplied him with a flood light to do this so we could be done with it but he refused and insisted 'he was done for the day'.
Great, another day of not being able to work. He comes back the next day and spends 3 hours completing the installation. He packs up his stuff and then informs me that I owe him a check for $295.00! The install, his words, 'would not be more than $125.00'. I am now furious! He says the size pole was extra, digging the hole was extra because my ground was too hard and it required extra effort to dig it, etc. He knew all of this when he quoted the $125.00. Of course I protested but the guy cared less and demanded his money. Now, I just wanted him out of my house and his attitude was starting to scare me. I was home alone and he was very intimidating.
I wrote the check just so I could get him out of my house and lock the door behind him. Did I mention he also left ALL of the packaging laying in my yard as well as the debris from the install?
I called the company he worked for and left a message. I sent a lengthy email to them detailing everything that transpired and never got a response from either. I also called HughesNet and reported the situation. They said they would make it right and I should expect a call back within 5 days. Never happened. I called again a week later, got the same thing 'you will hear from us in 5 days' never heard a word. Based on every complaint I've read on here, I now know, I am wasting my time trying to get justice from these losers with absolutely no integrity or honesty.
Now this was just the installation process, I haven't mentioned how bad the service sucks. It's slower than dial up much of the time and try to get somebody who speaks English on the phone, it won't happen. I've been on the phone with India several times since the install due to the slow speed and getting disconnected. After I had the install, I had another company come to install wireless networking in my house. This caused even more of a slow down in speed which HughesNet said would not happen. LIARS! Their India guy had me do all kinds of stuff to try to improve my speed but all he did was have me do something that disabled my wireless networking. I paid good money to have the wireless put in and now it doesn't work and I'll have to pay more to have that fixed too. Does HughesNet care? Hell no! They now have my money and a contract ensuring they'll continue to have my money for the next 2 years.
These people could care less about their customers, customer retention, their reputation or anything else. They take complete advantage of those of us in rural areas who HAVE NO OPTIONS. I think they know that as soon as we get other options in our rural areas, we will all drop them like a bad habit so they are scamming as much money out of us while they can.
If ever there is a class action suit filed, count me in. I have NEVER seen anything like this.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
When we decided to move to the country, it took us nearly a month to find an Internet Service Provider who could help us. If you are outside the city limits, and surrounded by trees, you soon find that there are very few options other then satellite. We were assured by HughesNet that although there might be interruptions for weather, our speeds and downloads would be up to DSL capacity. After paying nearly $1, 000 to get hooked up (equipment and installation charges) we soon found out that there were some 'missing pieces' they left out of the sales pitch!
The company uses Fair Access Policy act to limit the amount of download you can receive over a 24 hour period. We've never experienced the performance demonstrated in the commercials. Additionally, the service has gotten worse and worse until we have decided to just go get wireless cards.
I can't understand why the FCC or some other government agency doesn't come in and require that they tell the truth about their service. Sure, tell people 'if you live in a remote place - we are it!', but don't act like the speed will be the same as normal service.
Calling their Customer Service line gets you someone located in India at a call center. I feel badly for these people, as they probably have no idea what we are comparing our experiences to. They also have no power to issue credits or to fix anything. I've gotten through to someone in the U.S a couple of times, but only after waiting a week for a call back. It's amazing how they can get away with this!
If you are in the county and need service, go get a wireless card!
I absolutely cannot believe this company is still in business. Against my better judgment and because I had no other options other than dial-up, I had this service installed about a month ago. The experience was the worst I've ever had on every level you can imagine.
The advertisement for me was free 'standard' installation, $99 activation fee and first months service upfront. Ordering the service went great! Of course it would be cause they haven't stuck it to you yet. A few days later, another company called to schedule the install (HughesNet apparently outsources this to independent contractors).
The technician came out on a really cold, rainy day and it was obvious he didn't want to be here but he checked out my house to figure out where to put the MONSTER dish. He told me that due to the way my house is and the trees around it that he could not do a 'standard' installation and me have optimal reception. To this day, I don't understand that because DirectTV had no issues like that when installing my satellite TV service.
At any rate, he determined the installation would include a pole. I asked how much it would be and he said no more than $125. Reluctantly, I agreed. He told me the size pole I needed was also not standard and he'd have to go buy it and return on a different day.
It was crunch time, I needed internet access that week in order to do my job (I work from home). My company was taking down a server that previously supported me through dial up so time was of the essence. I explained this to the technician and he promised he would have it installed in time to prevent any down time with my company. This was on a Tuesday. Due to his schedule, he told me he would try to be back on Friday but most likely it wouldn't be until Saturday. That was fine because the dial up server wouldn't be taken down until Friday so I really wouldn't need access until the following Monday. Friday came and I called to see if he would make it out that day. He told me he couldn't and we did expect this but he did say he'd be out the next day.
Saturday came and went and the tech not only didn't show but didn't call and didn't answer or respond to the numerous calls I made to him. I finally reached him on Sunday and asked if he could do the install that day so I could work the next day. His response was, 'I don't work on Sunday's'. NO apology or concern for the position that he has now put me in i.e. I won't have access to my companies system in order to work on Monday. Not to mention, the guy then proceeds to blame ME for the situation because I'm not a standard installation. HE KNEW THAT WHEN HE PROMISED TO HAVE THE INSTALLATION COMPLETED ON SATURDAY.
He then told me he'd be at my house to do the installation around noon on Monday. Ok, that wipes me out of a days work but I have no choice at that point. Monday comes along and he didn't show up until 4:30. Because of the late start, he couldn't complete the installation before it got dark so he quit and said he'd be back the next morning. Now at this point the pole, dish, and everything on the outside of the house had been installed and all that was left was putting the cables through the hole (that we ALREADY had drilled for him) and connecting the inside. We supplied him with a flood light to do this so we could be done with it but he refused and insisted 'he was done for the day'.
Great, another day of not being able to work. He comes back the next day and spends 3 hours completing the installation. He packs up his stuff and then informs me that I owe him a check for $295.00! The install, his words, 'would not be more than $125.00'. I am now furious! He says the size pole was extra, digging the hole was extra because my ground was too hard and it required extra effort to dig it, etc. He knew all of this when he quoted the $125.00. Of course I protested but the guy cared less and demanded his money. Now, I just wanted him out of my house and his attitude was starting to scare me. I was home alone and he was very intimidating.
I wrote the check just so I could get him out of my house and lock the door behind him. Did I mention he also left ALL of the packaging laying in my yard as well as the debris from the install?
I called the company he worked for and left a message. I sent a lengthy email to them detailing everything that transpired and never got a response from either. I also called HughesNet and reported the situation. They said they would make it right and I should expect a call back within 5 days. Never happened. I called again a week later, got the same thing 'you will hear from us in 5 days' never heard a word. Based on every complaint I've read on here, I now know, I am wasting my time trying to get justice from these losers with absolutely no integrity or honesty.
Now this was just the installation process, I haven't mentioned how bad the service sucks. It's slower than dial up much of the time and try to get somebody who speaks English on the phone, it won't happen. I've been on the phone with India several times since the install due to the slow speed and getting disconnected. After I had the install, I had another company come to install wireless networking in my house. This caused even more of a slow down in speed which HughesNet said would not happen. LIARS! Their India guy had me do all kinds of stuff to try to improve my speed but all he did was have me do something that disabled my wireless networking. I paid good money to have the wireless put in and now it doesn't work and I'll have to pay more to have that fixed too. Does HughesNet care? Hell no! They now have my money and a contract ensuring they'll continue to have my money for the next 2 years.
These people could care less about their customers, customer retention, their reputation or anything else. They take complete advantage of those of us in rural areas who HAVE NO OPTIONS. I think they know that as soon as we get other options in our rural areas, we will all drop them like a bad habit so they are scamming as much money out of us while they can.
If ever there is a class action suit filed, count me in. I have NEVER seen anything like this.
HUGHESNET Residential Installation
The certified HughesNet installer will install your HughesNet system when it is convenient for you. The installer will provide the following equipment to complete your installation - HughesNet modem and the cable required to connect the modem, Antenna assembly, which includes the radio, and mounting hardware
A standard residential installation includes:
• A standard installation includes travel mileage to and from customer’s location.
• Installing the HughesNet modem and connecting it to one PC.
• Mounting and grounding the antenna to an outside wall, first level roof or any approved structure or surface with HNS standard roof/wall mounting brackets. Antenna must be accessible within 21 feet from ground level.
Brick mounts and roof mounts over finished ceilings or living space’s are considered non-standard, restricted surfaces.
− Antennas must be mounted a minimum of 5 ft. off the ground and out of reach of small children. (FCC Regulations)
− Tri-mast MUST NOT be mounted on surfaces, building materials, or structures that cannot support the mount/dish assy. (Stucco, aluminum siding, vinyl siding, chimneys, trees, fences or any free-standing wooden posts, utility poles and metal roofs are not authorized mounting surfaces.)
• Drilling one point of entry, terminating on an exterior wall and installing one wall jack.
• Installing and routing two exterior RG-6 coaxial cables from the antenna assembly to the point of entry and terminating with a wall jack. A standard residential installation includes up to 100 ft. of cable. (Up to 150’ for .98m systems)
• Connecting up to 20’ of ground wire from the ground block to the required NEC-approved bonding point. (Service Panel Ground or Meter Panel)
• Installing and weather-sealing appropriate cable bushing, wall penetrations, and mounting locations.
• Using the installer’s laptop to test the HughesNet system to verify receipt of satellite signal and Antenna Cross Pole.
• Activating and commissioning your HughesNet system on your computer with your permission. Installer will also help you setup your billing and email accounts.
• Demonstrating your HughesNet system is operational by browsing the Internet.
• Cleaning up debris from your residence after the installation is complete.
• Completing the Installer Reference Sheet and obtaining your signature on the appropriate forms.
A standard residential installation does not include:
• Networking computers or connections to local area networks (LANs), Routers or Hubs, etc.
• RG-6 coaxial cable over 100 ft. if your system uses a .74m antenna. (150 ft. for .98m systems)
• Drilling more than one hole (Point Of Entry).
• Installing the antenna at a location not accessible with a 24-ft. ladder or above 21’ off the ground.
• Special cable requirements, such as routing coaxial cable through attics, basements, crawlspaces, decks or walls.
• Complex or custom installations, such as special moldings, cosmetic hardware or routing to hide exposed cables.
• Pole Mounts or Custom Mounts - if one is deemed necessary by your installer.
• Removing or repairing previously mounted equipment.
• Special site surveys to determine the optimal location for your HughesNet antenna. ($125 Service Fee Applies)
Note: Installers may charge a customer up to $125 to install a pole mount located within 25 feet of the customer's residence. (Antenna cables must be Buried / Protected). Pole mounts that are installed more than 25 feet away from the residence or that are more then 6 feet out of the ground are considered non-standard.
Here is information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against HughesNet:
http://www.druginjurylawyerblog.com/2008/09/pbm_files_class_action_against.html
PBM Files Class Action Against HughesNet --- Satellite Broadband Company
The law-firm of Pogust, Braslow, & Millrood, LLC, recently filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit against HughesNet, Inc., Hughes Communications, Inc., and Hughes Network Systems, LLC, for breach of contract and frauduluent business practices involving the marketing of the HughesNet® Satellite Broadband Network System.
Filed on behalf of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers, the Complaint alleges inter alia that the satellite broadband Company's nationwide advertisement of "Highspeed Internet by Satellite: Wherever Whenever" was materially false and misleading.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that HughesNet intentionally "oversold" its bandwidth, whereby thousands of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were subjected to limited Internet broadband accessibility, speed, functionality, and connectivity.
Additionally, it is alleged that HughesNet actively marketed HughesNet® subscribers and consumers to upgrade their broadband plan under the representation that such would result in faster Internet broadband access. Despite this, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers experienced significant broadband delays, including extremely slow uploading/downloading speeds, unreliable connectivity, and the inability to access email. Furthermore, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were often required to incur additional costs, fees, and early termination penalities, as a result of HugheNet's false advertising.
If you or someone you know is a HughesNet® subscriber and/or customer and have experienced similar Internet broadband related issues, please contact our law-firm for a free consultation.
I second your emotion.
service doesn't even work
I too had the same problems with the over-pricing. I was told the $100.00 installation would not apply and then when the serviceman arrived my roof was not good enough to put the dish on and a pole was installed for the dish for an extra charge of $150.00. No copies were left of anything that I had to sign. I was told I was locked into a 2 year contract. Now the internet doesn't even work though the "blue lights" function all the time. Needless to say, I am using Verizon broadband to report all this! Hughesnet will not get paid, however, I am cancelling the service, and reporting them to the BBB and cancelling bank payment for failure of services.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
fighting for no service
It sounds like I'm not the only one that has had serious problems with HughesNet. I signed up for their service the end of December, 2008. I also had problems with downloading.
My service was supposed to be buying the equipment for $20/month on top of my regular bill. On January 16, 2009, they cut off my service because they said I owed them $400 for the equipment plus the monthly fee. I called them, and they said I had to fax them a copy of the agreement, which I never got a copy of. The only thing I have is the copy of the pole installation - which cost me $135.
I have been fighting with them ever since to try to get shipping labels to send the equipment back to them. And now they've turned me in to a collection agency.
And the fight rages on . . .
I tell everyone I know not to get HughesNet. Their internet service is poor, and they're customer service is the worst I've ever seen. And I've been in other countries that aren't trained for customer service like we are in America - and the untrained were better than what I've had with HughesNet.
I hope my registering this complaint will help to save someone the struggle I'm going through with them.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
well i have hughes net and the very first day i had it i couldn't do aything so i called customer service and they said i had exceeded my bandwith and i hadn't downloaded or uploaded anything the only thing that was downloaded was what the tech downloaded but they said it was from my computer and it was also done when noone was home i think hughes net is a rip off just like wildblue
You know, I just remembered when I initially called to set up the installation the lady told me that for an additional charge, I could have speedy service. For some reason I just thought that was unneccessary. LOL! That was the last time I spoke to an American.
Hughesnet is the most disgusting, incompetent, uncaring company I have ever had to deal with EVER. They know that most of the people who contract for their "service" have no other options for Internet access, so they do whatever they please with no regard to their customers. I am currently embroiled in yet another issue with their technical support with no end in sight. They refuse to deal with the evidence but prefer to circumvent the problem. Yesterday they sent out a techy, who drove 100 miles to my residence with no replacement parts. Now I get to wait another 3-5 business days to set up another appointment. Why aren't these people working for the government where their stupidity would be more appreciated?
I am also in a battle with Hughes net. I have had horrible internet service for years. It was getting ridiculous, butting I had to have a day to be able to talk to the techs in India, which never helped so it was always my last resource. Can we talk about the uploading at 3am, I had no knowledge of Fair access rule until I violated it a few times with OS upgrades. In the last year it has just been a nightmare to do anything online. I was told if I upgraded my service it would be fixed. If I upgraded I had to agree to another year of service. The upgrade never worked. I want to get out from under them as fast as I can. I went to Verizon for a trial thirty day run with their air card. I forgot how nice it is not to time out with my bank and not get dropped every five minutes. Shame on Hughes net.
Here is the address to the main office
Hughes Network Systems
11717 Exploration Lane
Germantown, MD 20876
ATTN: Customer Service
Acct #_____________
Verizon has the answer for me I am still in the trial period but I already see the difference. AND its cheaper! I have a local store to go to if I have a problem, not some hard to understand guy in India named "Steve" I don't see how in the world they can run their commercial about being fast, Verizon kicked their butt. I live in a very remote area and I thought Hughes was my only option. I have a guest with the aircard and it worked fine here. I can't stand dealing with Hughes and I hope I never have to again.
Brenda
I also have HughesNet...I might just as well have dial up. I have called customer support and basically was told it was my problem now since I signed a contract. We live in the country and are unable to get cable or fios. I can't wait until my contract runs out...I am done with HughesNet...does anyone else no a provider that is honest and cares about the service their customers get? I would like to start looking for another provider...if anyone knows a provider please email me at Bevrlee44@aol.com
Had them for 3 yrs nd they are the worst company out there.If the wind blows, raining, snowing or just a cloudy sky the service does not work.When you call them, they are hard to understand and can't fix the problem or say your antenna needs repair and want to charged you for it.They advertise that they have fast service and fast than dailup, well they are not and I think dailup is faster than my hughsnet service.Far as I am concern hughsnet is garbage.
Hughes Reviews 0
If you represent Hughes, take charge of your business profile by claiming it and stay informed about any new reviews or complaints submitted.
About Hughes
The service is known for its availability, as it can reach locations beyond the reach of cable and DSL. HughesNet offers various plans that differ in data allowances and speeds, designed to accommodate the varying needs of its customer base. These plans come with a built-in feature called the "Bonus Zone," which provides users with additional data to use during off-peak hours.
In addition to internet services, HughesNet also provides business solutions tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises. These solutions include business-grade high-speed internet and additional features such as enhanced security and business support.
HughesNet's equipment typically involves a satellite dish and a modem, which are required for the connection to the satellite network. Installation is conducted by certified professionals, and the company provides customer service and technical support to assist with any issues or questions that may arise.
While satellite internet is generally not as fast as fiber or cable, HughesNet's service is designed to support common online activities such as browsing, emailing, and social media engagement. However, due to the nature of satellite communication, there may be higher latency compared to other types of internet connections, which can affect real-time online activities like gaming or video conferencing.
Customers considering HughesNet should evaluate their internet needs and geographical location to determine if satellite internet is the most suitable option for them.
Here is a guide on how to file a complaint against Hughes on ComplaintsBoard.com:
1. Log in or create an account:
- Start by logging into your ComplaintsBoard.com account. If you don't have an account, create one to proceed.
2. Navigating to the complaint form:
- Locate and click on the 'File a Complaint' button on the ComplaintsBoard.com website. You can find this button at the top right corner of the website.
3. Writing the title:
- Summarize the main issue with Hughes in the 'Complaint Title' section.
4. Detailing the experience:
- Provide detailed information about your experience with Hughes. Mention key areas of concern, any relevant transactions, steps taken to resolve the issue, the nature of the problem, and the personal impact.
5. Attaching supporting documents:
- Attach any additional supporting documents that can help validate your complaint. Avoid including sensitive personal data.
6. Filling optional fields:
- Use the 'Claimed Loss' field to state any financial losses and the 'Desired Outcome' field to specify the resolution you are seeking.
7. Review before submission:
- Review your complaint for clarity, accuracy, and completeness before submitting it.
8. Submission process:
- Click the 'Submit' button to submit your complaint.
9. Post-Submission Actions:
- Regularly check for any responses or updates related to your complaint on ComplaintsBoard.com.
Follow these steps to effectively file a complaint against Hughes on ComplaintsBoard.com.
Overview of Hughes complaint handling
-
Hughes Contacts
-
Hughes phone numbers+1 (866) 347-3292+1 (866) 347-3292Click up if you have successfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (866) 347-3292 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (866) 347-3292 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (866) 347-3292 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (866) 347-3292 phone numberCustomer Service+1 (844) 737-2700+1 (844) 737-2700Click up if you have successfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (844) 737-2700 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (844) 737-2700 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (844) 737-2700 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached Hughes by calling +1 (844) 737-2700 phone numberSales855-543-5405855-543-5405Click up if you have successfully reached Hughes by calling 855-543-5405 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached Hughes by calling 855-543-5405 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached Hughes by calling 855-543-5405 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached Hughes by calling 855-543-5405 phone numberOrder by phone
-
Hughes emailsguest.services@hns.com100%Confidence score: 100%Support
-
Hughes address841 3 Fountains Drive, Unit 248, Murray, Utah, 84107, United States
-
Hughes social media
-
Checked and verified by Andrew This contact information is personally checked and verified by the ComplaintsBoard representative. Learn moreJun 13, 2024 - View all Hughes contacts
Most discussed complaints
you cannot manage your usage, but you will get suspendedRecent comments about Hughes company
Hughes internet and tv
ViaSat
29 reviews
GoNetspeed
1 review
POP Telecom
36 reviews
EarthLink / Windstream Services
92 reviews
Foam Order
5 reviews
Our Commitment
We make sure all complaints and reviews are from real people sharing genuine experiences.
We offer easy tools for businesses and reviewers to solve issues together. Learn how it works.
We support and promote the right for reviewers to express their opinions and ideas freely without censorship or restrictions, as long as it's respectful and within our Terms and Conditions, of course ;)
Our rating system is open and honest, ensuring unbiased evaluations for all businesses on the platform. Learn more.
Personal details of reviewers are strictly confidential and hidden from everyone.
Our website is designed to be user-friendly, accessible, and absolutely free for everyone to use.
Hughes Net Internet Satellite Service has the most uninformed and rudest support/service system I have encountered. Give me India over this group. Good luck if you choose to go with this company. I was foolish to consider signing up for this internet service. I'm not.
I simply wanted to change my installation billing from the debit card I submitted to direct withdrawal from checking after I lost my debit card and had to cancel it. Hours of calls to several different departments, I reached an operator who was changing the billing information, and she said that she had computer problems...call back. I did. This operator referred me elsewhere and the maze of calls to departments continued. Finally, on internet support, I got the number, [protected], where the problem could be fixed. Wrong. The service lady wasn't sure that she could, but didn't think so. I asked for a manager. The female manager was agitated and rude. She said the change couldn't be made. I recounted my history of almost having it changed, and the mentioned that I had been referred by the internet service department. She responded with sarcasm. I asked for her name or operator's number, and she said, "Call ended, " and hung up. Very irritating experience but I can cancel before getting hooked into a two year sentence/contract with this so-called service.
I think you you stop advertising that HughesNet is the fastest download there is. I think it is bull crap. I sit here waiting and waiting for eons for things to download and I find it to be very tiresome. We are paying right at $100 a month for crappy internet service. I did call customer support right after we got your system, they told me that HughesNet was not up to some of the newer computers. I have a Compaq which is about 4 months old running windows 7. Your customer service told me to download Firefox, which I did, and it runs only a tiny amount faster than Windows, but still the service and download time is AWFUL. Customer service said that if the Firefox did not correct my problem that I would need to downgrade my Windows. I think that is ridiculous. Why would I want to purchase a new grade computer only to downgrade it? that is stupid! If ever someone asks me about how the quality of your system is, believe me, I will not refer them to you! Have a great day.
I called Hughes for there satelite system and talk to there sells department they suggested I go with there Pro plan with two computer hook up with the free installation, when the service guys came out here, they told me there was only going to be the one computer hook up and the other would cost me $50.00. Now everything is hooked up, 30 min after service guys leave the system keeps turning off and rebooting leaving your work on line stranded, called tech support and they said it will cost me more money to have sevice guys come back out to replace the modem, and that they would'nt refund my $50.00 for the hook up on the second computer and... I would have to pay the shipping to have the other modem sent back to them. So now I find myself stuck paying for a product that doesn't work, After 24 hours dealing with tech support and not having a reliable internet service, I told them I wasn't going to pay out another penny until there system was up and working correctly, Haven't got to the $300 discontinue bill yet! NOT PLEASED AT ALL> WASTE OF MY TIME AND MONEY!