I'm floored by the number of people who are angry when they decide to cancel their service before the two year contract is up and then, as they agreed to, are required to pay an early termination fee. And/or have to return the equipment they leased.
Or the people who claim they never signed a contract. Hughesnet, or any company, would not be delivering service to you without a signed contract.
I'm also surprised at the number of people who are surprised by these things. Do people really sign contracts they don't read?? (I suppose that's a rhetorical question.)
I am old enough to remember when a handshake was good enough for both sides to honor an agreement. It seems now that even a multi-page written contract is not enough.
People seem to think that they can simply ignore a contract when it suits them to do so. Does a person's word mean nothing anymore? (also rhetorical)
This is not a problem unique to Hughesnet. I see it in many areas of life. A young woman recently told me she isn't going to repay her student loans because she didn't get a job after graduating. I explained a) the student loan contract explicitly states that not getting a job in your field after graduating is NOT a reason for not repaying the loan, and b) nothing will ruin your credit more, and for longer, than defaulting on a student loan. She didn't care. She felt she had been given a raw deal, even though both federal student aid and the school had upheld their end of the contract. I'm stunned that people can just decide to not honor a contract.
Except in very rare cases, the deal with Hughesnet is explained clearly by the salesperson over the phone. The installer then explains it again (at least in my case he did). Then you have the opportunity to read the entire contract before signing it. Every prudent person should read any contract in its entirety before signing!!! I don't care how long it takes. Don't worry about keeping the installer waiting. Read the contract! That also goes for buying a car, a house, etc. Read the contract!! And understand it. Don't sign it until you understand every word of it AND agree to it.
Don't like the terms of the contract? Don't sign it. It's that simple. No one is forcing you to have home internet service. Life is possible without it. I don't love everything about the Hughesnet contract, but since my choice for internet where I live is Hughesnet or Hughesnet, lol, I decided I could live with the things I don't like. If I couldn't, I'd have the option to go to the public library, Starbucks, McDonald's, or my school for free internet.
When I sign a contract I honor it. This doesn't make me some kind of hero (or it shouldn't!). That should be normal adult behavior. If I had decided to cancel within the first two years I would have paid the early termination fee. If I ever move, or if Comcast ever gets out here to the boonies, I'll return the leased equipment, because it isn't mine. That's called being a responsible citizen. That's how you end up with an excellent credit score even with a low income.
And I guess that's my rant of the day. 🙂 Honor your contracts. Make your word the most valuable thing you own. Thanks for listening.
