HughesNet Subpar Contractor Botched Install

We showed him where we wanted the dish installed and where he could run the wiring into the house. We asked him not to mount any wiring to the side of the house. Dish TV ran the cabling into our basement where it then splits off and runs to the rest of our home. We asked him to do the same. Despite this he mounted wiring to the vinyl siding of our house. A HughesNet customer service rep later explained to me that this was not uncommon. Why didn't the installer tell us this? Why did he do it anyway without an explanation? Why not at least mount it to the cinder block wall directly below the vinyl siding?

The installer decided to use the same entry point as the Dish TV cable. The hole was not wide enough so he drilled into the hole to make it wider. In the process he drilled through the Dish TV cable causing the TV to go out. When we informed him that we lost service as soon as he started drilling he said that it wasn't anything he had done. Just coincidence. He later admitted that he drilled through the cable (after he heard me on the phone talking to Dish TV) but assured us he would fix it. We assumed that he would just replace the cable. Instead he cut out the damaged portion of the cable and added connectors to each of the ends which he said he would connect later using a barrel. He mounted the dish, ran the cables and connected the modem. Everything seemed OK. The installer said that he had to run to the Home Depot to grab a barrel. He assured us that once he returned and installed the barrel he would do a walk through.

I expressed concern about the new connectors he added to the Dish TV cable being outside exposed to the elements. He said that he would seal and wrap them to keep them protected. He returned 35 minutes later, hopped out of his car, installed the barrel, burred the cable into the ground and took off. He never came back into the house to speak with us or perform the walk through. Shortly after he left the TV went out again. We went outside to check the connection. Not only did he not seal or wrap the connectors the installer never even crimped the connectors. The wire had shifted causing one end to come out its connector. We had to electrical tape the cable back together.

We were now concerned about the rest of the work the installer had done. We got up on the roof to look at the satellite. The installer had ripped off one of the roof shingles. Instead of telling us this he just sat it back into place. There were pieces of zip tie and wiring scattered around the dish. He shoved the plastic bag the bolts came in behind the dish instead of throwing it out. He cut some sheath off of the grounding wire, made a hook out of the exposed wire and looped it around a random part of the dish. He did not secure the wire to the dish. We followed the grounding wire which lead to the vinyl siding he had mounted the cables to. The grounding wire ended there.

We later reviewed the pictures the installer took and uploaded to the company’s website. He attached a prop to our electrical box making it look like he had run a grounding wire to it and took a picture. He then removed the prop. We then took a look at the cable going into the house. He ran the cable under the ductwork instead of around it. It is actually tight against the ductwork. He ran the cable through the doorway in our basement instead of off to the side the way the rest our cables/wires (including the Dish TV cable) are run. The cable runs to a hole in the floor which leads to my work area. The installer left the modem on the floor.

When I attempted to move it up to the desk directly above it (about 2 ½ feet) I discovered I could’t. There was no cable to spare. The modem was actually sticking up at a slight angle because the cable was so short. I called Dish the next day and spoke to a customer service rep. She assured me that she would escalate the call to the HughesNet Post Installation team. I waited a week but got no response. I called again and was informed that the notes were there but the call was never actually escalated. It was Fri. The rep (Mary) informed me that someone would get back to me by Tues. I finally got a call from Juan ** on Thurs. We went over the info again. He said he would have to escalate the call to their Distributor Escalation team. He said this team would contact the company that performed the install and have them send out a different installer to address the issues.

I informed him that I did not want the same company coming to my home again. He said he would have to get back to me. He told me that I would have to take pictures and e-mail them to him which I did. Another week went by with to communication from HughesNet. I called again and spoke to Juan ** (the paper got wet so I could’t make out his full last name). I went over the info AGAIN. He had me wait on hold while he spoke with a rep from the Post Installation team. I was informed that HughesNet had contacted BMB Com and told them to contact me to get the issues resolved. Despite the fact that I had made it clear I did not want this company coming to my home again. He said that he spoke to his direct supervisor and the MOD. This was the only solution they could offer me.

So to recap. HughesNet hires a company which sends out an installer who is lazy and deceitful. The installer damages my home and doesn’t tell me. He damages the cable to my Dish TV service and doesn’t fix it properly. He botches the install. I contact HughesNet and get the run around. In the end (23 days later) the only solution HughesNet has is to have the company that caused the problems in the first place come back out to fix the problems they created.

I wish I would have done a little more research on HughesNet before I signed up. I would have seen the complaints about that poor service (both the Internet service itself and HughesNet’s customer service). Bottom line. Don’t give HughesNet your business. I know that if you’re considering satellite Internet your choices are probably limited. Go with Exceed or Verizon’s Home Internet (previously called Home Fusion) service and save yourself the frustration of dealing with a company that could care less about its customers.