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Customer Base = Scamming Hughesnet

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ericdanielle
New Member

Customer Base = Scamming Hughesnet

Well, this is a forum and forums are for open discussions right?  As the title indicates, what are your thoughts on Hughesnet's customer base actually trying to scam Hughesnet.


I have read through a lot of posts on the forum.  Not all, but a fair amount are from users of Hughesnet service expressing hatred with the service, and what appears to be ALL ending with "I want my money back" or "I can't pay for the Early Termination Fees" or "I need my fees waved".  Some users are given FREE data tokens, WHICH THEY USE, and still want refunds.  Overall I'm hearing and gathering the customer base saying "Give us service, but I don't want to pay.  I want to burn through as much data as I can, and in the end I want all my money back no matter how long I have used the service".  It truly is sad, and people should be ashamed of themselves.  You mix up your junk and bad behavior so that legit folks don't have a fair shake.  It says in the fine print that you will pay an ETF!  Tough $hit!  You signed up didn't ya.  You reached in your purse, wallet, jar, pillow case, and gave them your card, which is EQUAL to your signature.  Just because you didn't read extra information or didn't research prior to signing up, is not Hughesnet's problem.  "They didn't tell me..."  Bull!  They did too!  The agent on the phone didn't sit in silence!

Deep breathe...  🙂

I have always been told/taught to READ the fine print on everything, and do the research.  If then and only then you decide to give it a go, IT IS MY FAULT.  No one HELD A PERTICULAR WEAPON TO MY HEAD AND FORCED ME TO SIGN UP OR PURCHASE ANYTHING IN MY LIFE!  You have a choice.  It was the clearest of choices!  Sign up for Hughesnet or Don't.  As a consumer, and a citizen of the United States of America, you had a choice.  Hughesnet is not a monopoly.  There ARE other services out there, and you had the option of going with a different one, or researching a different service.  But you didn't.  You also CALLED them or placed an order online.  YOU DID!  Not hughesnet!  If you called them to order, the person on the other line just didn't say, "Give me your credit card, and good luck".  THEY EXPLAINED THINGS TO YOU, and it was up to you to listen, and ask questions if YOU don't understand.  They are a business, and if they can get someone to sign up without asking a single question, WOOT WOOT!  Gas stations would love it if you walked in handed them your credit card, and you said "CHARGE WHATEVER YOU WANT" and you walk out with nothing, don't fill up and drive off.  Kinda makes you look stupid doesn't it?  SAME HERE PEOPLE!

I'm glad that my service is above what I expected.  I am sorry for those that are legitimately experiencing trouble.  Just like buying a car, you will experience trouble at some point.  I just hope that if I experience problems, that two things will happen...


1.  Hughesnet will guide me through the issue as best as they can over the phone or via the forum, and send help out if it is feasible.

2.  My installer is nice enough that I can call them for assistance or input.  If I feel I need to.


I wish all the best to everyone!  I hope in the end I can help someone that is having a legitimate problem, I hope this forum never goes away, as it is VERY entertaining to read the complaints.


Eric

88 REPLIES 88
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Eh, I grew up here, so the snow I'm used to.  In the seven years that I lived in VA I got to experience a small earthquake, the edge of Hurricane Dennis is 1999, and in 1998 I was privileged enough to be in a sheet metal made building, full of sheet metal supplies, in which a tornado tore out the back wall while we were all inside.  The first two were interesting, while the last thing wasn't very fun, as you can imagine.   

I'll stick with the snow, though I do miss VA very much.  LOL. 

Lab-Lover
New Member

Snow to me is so foreign! I have only ever lived in FL! I watch in fascination as people drive thru it during winter!
Lab-Lover
New Member

Thanks! So, we are back to the beginning! HN doesn't notify you this is happening!? How do you take advantage!?
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Well, I think that Hughesnet is assuming that people are watching their data, being that it's a capped service.   Watching it from day one to day two would immediately show somebody that something is up.

I, though, like many others, think that Hughesnet needs to be more proactive in notifying people of the resets.  It could easily be done in the disclosure that's read by the rep during the sales call.  They could do a lock screen that people would have to read and click on before using the service.  Something. 

I was of the understanding that there is now a notice sent in an email to new customers about the resets.  My parents got nothing of the sort.  Perhaps the info was wrong. 

Lab-Lover
New Member

I really like the Lock Screen Idea!
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

For someone that's not used to the snow it can be comical, but dangerous, too. 

In Nov 2014, over the course of three days, parts of the Buffalo area got seven feet.  It was interesting, to say the least.  LOL. 

Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

So, we are back to the beginning! HN doesn't notify you this is happening!? How do you take advantage!?

Interesting to say the least.

There are several avenues to purchase service through:


By phone direct to Hughes

Online direct to Hughes

Through a local dealer

Through Directv or Dish as resellers

Through VAR's such as Montana Satellite.


In the first two, I agree that Hughes SHOULD disclose the 10 or 20 day period.

Now lets look at the title of this thread Scamming.


A customer is going to choose among a number of plan offerings and those offerings are going to be priced according to the size of the data plan.

Therefor a user has to know  what they are buying and what they are entitled to.

Now when a user sees their allowance being refresh daily what do they do ?


Call Hughes and inquire ?

Not look a Gift Horse in the Mouth and download away ?

Post here in the Community.


Now who is scamming who ?

I'd say that the second action is more of a scam than Hughes failing to tell a user they have a short term "extra".

No good deed goes unpunished.

This "deed" has caused more trouble than its worth. Danged if you do, danged if you don't.


 

BirdDog
Assistant Professor

I know what I did when I first got Gen4 and it was resetting everyday, I asked about it here. Seemed strange since I knew it was now a monthly allowance instead of my old 7000s daily allowance.

Don't understand people who sign up for capped plans then don't monitor usage from the get go.
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

I really like the Lock Screen Idea!

Me, too.  I don't know how hard it would be to implement.  I know they do it for billing, or at least a screen that notifies when past due, but the only problem with a lock screen is it, in itself, could cause problems.

I think adding it to the disclosure during the sales call would be the best way to go.  But, again, if people were vigilant about their data usage, which they should be with a capped service, they would see what's going on.  But, again, I do think it should be disclosed during the sales call.   

Also, I agree with Gwalk in that I don't believe it's a scam. 

Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

ha ha ! I'm getting over on you and "getting something for nothing" may enter into it.

That tends to be a one way street.

I still think that 5 days with proper notice is enough to get updated and still evaluate the service.


GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

I know what I did when I first got Gen4 and it was resetting everyday, I asked about it here. Seemed strange since I knew it was now a monthly allowance instead of my old 7000s daily allowance.
What an odd thing for us to do.  LOL.  I thought that my Status Meter was having a hiccup.  I asked and Corrosive told me about the resets.   
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

I know what I did when I first got Gen4 and it was resetting everyday, I asked about it here. Seemed strange since I knew it was now a monthly allowance instead of my old 7000s daily allowance.
What an odd thing for us to do.  LOL.  I thought that my Status Meter was having a hiccup.  I asked and Corrosive told me about the resets.   
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

I still think that 5 days with proper notice is enough to get updated and still evaluate the service.
If there was proper notice there would be no need to reduce it to five days, though for most people five days would be enough.  Notification is the true problem.  I'm sure glad they put gas gauges in cars. 
BirdDog
Assistant Professor

Is similar to buying a new car and the gas gauge never goes off full reading. I'd be asking about it.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

We heard Ya the first time 🙂

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Well, I needed to get my point across.  I post so little and rarely on these boards that I wanted to make sure what I had written would be seen. 

I've been pretty vigilant in deleting the second one, if the system lets me, but I didn't notice it this time.  Hmmm...I think it's time for another cup of Maxwell House.   

BirdDog
Assistant Professor

The Get Satisfaction bot likes to automatically "double down" posts it likes. It's true, seriously, it's true.
Lab-Lover
New Member

For the record, I don't think I have ever used the "scam" word in reference to HN. I don't think they are scamming, I think it is a matter of lack of communication, in many ways. Lack of communication w the new customer, and lack of communication between HN departments. I truly do not think that HN has a clue as to what is happening from department to department. Then, you top that off with poor customer service, and it is a recipe for disaster.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

My "scam" remark was in reference to one of the keywords in the topics title:



I have to agree with you on "communication" but having said that ... computers and networking are complex subjects in and of themselves. Then add in the additional complexity imposed by the ODU/Satellite/ Gateway equipment you now have a subject that is hard to define in very few words that can be understood by novice users.

You just can't wrap it up and deliver it as a "Unified Theory Of Satellite Communication".

Rich1
New Poster

I agree with Lab Lover, I don't think it's a scam, just lack of  communication.  The first assumption I make about every HN customer is if cable or DSL was available, they would be using it because of cost/performance.  That is not a knock on HN, it's just a clear choice on bang for the buck.
I'm guessing it would be a  weird concept for 95% of the US population connected to the Internet to monitor data download usage. Particularly with TV advertisements bombarding them with  HBO, Netflix, Amazon, etc, etc streaming and wonderful media things to do on the Internet.
I think HN sales should position the service as an option much better than dialup but realistically not able to stream movies or play online games.  It's basically a web browsing, light data usage service.  Nothing wrong with that (other than price), but being super clear in that message would help first time shock and ongoing expectations.  
BirdDog
Assistant Professor

Once again I feel compelled to say video streaming can be done in moderation and at lower definitions. Certainly not 24/7, 12/7 or even 4/7.