Though I have no doubt that, if you wish to keep the service, they will work with you to get the lens problem fixed, I think a problem you may run into regarding the desire for compensation for two years of poor service may be that there's no way to determine when the lens broke, nor at what point it started to contribute to any problems, if it did, in fact, contribute to any problems. It certainly could have. The main purpose of the lens is to keep water out, while at the same time allowing the "eye" to receive the signal that's been collected by the dish.
Regarding the picture, it would definitely be a good idea to post it.
As you may already know, though I always say to those who are new or haven't posted in a while, regardless, the reps are on M-F from approximately 8AM to 5PM EST. They usually reply within a working day. 🙂
@Patticv wrote:
How and where do I post a picture that shows my broken lense?
You'd post it in a reply. There is a Photos button at the top of the message body to add photos. But, with that said, it's unlikely to make any difference at this point. I only suggested that it would be a good idea to post it in lieu of what a HughesNet rep might say, but what I figured they may determine is what they did, in that there's really no way to know when the lens broke, nor if it contributed to any issue(s) with the service.
The plastic barrier in the front of the transceiver is nothing more than some extra protection from rain, bugs, etc, and can actually be removed. It is a misnomer to call it a lens as it does nothing to focus anything: It does nothing electronically to the radio signal to or from the dish and the transceiver's feedhorn. It will not affect performance in any way, whether on or off the transceiver. End of.
@MarkJFine wrote:The plastic barrier in the front of the transceiver is nothing more than some extra protection from rain, bugs, etc, and can actually be removed. It is a misnomer to call it a lens as it does nothing to focus anything:
True, but by that descriptive we at least knew what she was referring to. I've heard others refer to it as that, as well. With that said, maybe something like "radio protective cover" would be more appropriate? I'm sure it has an actual name, though I can't seem to find it.
If you remember, it used to be a simple thin layer of plastic film glued to the front instead of a plastic cap.
@MarkJFine wrote:If you remember, it used to be a simple thin layer of plastic film glued to the front instead of a plastic cap.
Like the following? This is what I had with my original DirecWay system (circa 2004). It eventually started clouding up, and I would sometimes see condensation built up behind the "eye".
I also hated the arm on that dish, as it had that large, bulbous housing, which wasps just LOVED to build nests in.
Correct.
True story (and I may have mentioned this before): One of the groups I used to manage provided comms support in South Korea. Their satcoms were constantly under attack by buzzards, particularly the feedhorn covering. They had to put makeshift barbs on it to keep them from landing.
I don't know why you'd expect the company to compensate you at all. They're a business, not a charity, and they charge fees for services, including tech visits. You stated that "they told me I would have to pay to have someone to come out to fix it," which indicates you knew there was a fee to get the equipment fixed. It seems you didn't want to pay this fee and so you never got a tech to come and check/fix the equipment. And while you're free to make these decisions, of course, you shouldn't blame the company for them.
*I am not a Hughesnet employee or representative. This is a customer-to-customer tech support community, and I am a customer.
Patticv wrote:
How and where do I post a picture that shows my broken lense?
By the way, I would never expect full reimbursement, but an equitable amount based on my many calls and Hughesnet agreeng how slow my system was working that someone from Hughes would reach out to me with some kind of compensation. That would have gone a long way in PR for you and us continuing to stay with you. I certainly understand the different payment options. But you couldn’t help me over the phone and you never once suggested that I might need someone to come out and check my external parts. How was I to know when none of your specialist technicians ever suggested to us.
Hello @Patticv
Thank you for reaching out to us. I am sorry to hear about your experience while you had service with us. In regards to the lens causing the issue, as was already stated, its function is to protect from water and elements. This could have caused an issue but would have been impossible to determine unless a technician was on site. You stated that we required you to pay for the technician to come out and check the equipment, which was true. We contract through a third party service and therefore we charge a service fee. There is Express Repair which significantly lowers this cost of the normal dispatch fee and has no contract associated so it can be removed if deemed no longer necessary. A technician would have come out to fix this lens which could have resolved the problem if this was indeed the cause. Since you were not willing to pay the fee, a technician was never sent out. There are situations where we do waive the fee and would have reversed the cost of this once the broken lens was discovered.
As far as compensation is concerned, your account has already been canceled and a refund for the entirety of two years without documentation of this being the cause of your issues is not possible. I do apologize but there is nothing further we can do at this time.
-Damian