Hughesnet is a scam

[TriciaS]

I have been using hughesnet internet for the past 4-5 months now on the fusion plan. I called tech support to ask if the fusion plan was available in my area and they said yes. After setting up the fusion modem and the booster, I have had nothing but problems. Paying 120 dollars a month for "low latency internet" when I am getting 500+ms on average. I called multiple times and it took 4 phone calls to get a technician out here to "replace the radio" because one of the tech support on the phone barely spoke english and didn't take any notes during the phone call which is completely unprofessional. After the technician came, he spent 6 hours to replace the radio, and the fusion modem, turns out the modem that was given to me was an outdated product, and this whole time I was being charged for a service that they did not give me the hardware to support it. They did not tell me, nor the technician that it had to be replaced. After the technician tried to get it set up, he couldn't get the software to properly setup and said it was an issue on hughesnets end. He told me he had been working for hughesnet for years and its one of the worst isps in Michigan. After all of the troubleshooting he couldn't fix the problem, and said it was in the hands on hughesnets engineers to fix on their end, its been a week and it is still not fixed. This whole time we have been charged 120 dollars a month for the fusion plan AND WE ARE NOT GETTING IT. We have been scammed and I know for certain they will not get this fixed. And I have no hopes for calling support because half the people there are mindless and speak broken english, the technician who was here to help said it himself, that the people in tech support dont know what the **bleep** they are talking about. I am tired of this being used by this isp for money and getting horrible support overall. This is the worst experience I have ever had with any internet source provider and they are asking for 400 dollars to cancel. DO NOT BUY HUGHSNET, IT IS A SCAM. 

[GabeU]

This is a SUPPORT site, not a rant and rave site. 

You could ask for SUPPORT, but instead you rant and rave. 

[TriciaS]

I am sorry but I am tired of this. I will ask for support then. Is there any way I can go down a tier in the plan so I am not paying for a service I am not receiving, without a fee? Is there a way I can cancel the contract entirely and be done with hughesnet without a fee since the past 4 months I have not been getting what I am paying for? 

[maratsade · Accepted solution]

• I think we can all sympathise with your frustrations.  However, that still doesn't make the company a scam. It's a business, subject to and operating under business laws. And they have a tech support site (this one) where you can reach out to people who can help you.
• There are things you can do:
  • You can call the 800 number and ask if you can downgrade -- keep in mind that this might initiate a new contract. Ask them about this before you agree to downgrade. 
  • You can work with the reps on this site. They are very helpful and they will try to improve your experience. If they can't, you may have some recourse with regards to the service termination fee. Remember though that this is satellite internet, so it's not like cable or fiber. Keep your expectations realistic. 
  • If all else fails, you can go into arbitration to resolve your grievance. See section 5 of the subscriber agreement, which explains the arbitration procedure.  
• Best of luck to you.  

[Earlzwow]

TriciaS,

We've been HughesNet members since December 2023,  didn't sign up for the fusion account but opted for the elite service plan etc.

.

Great speeds when it can or wants to provide it, but let's talk about the 24.1.1 code.

Two weeks into the month 200GB is used up, no more priority data, throttle it down to 3mbps or less. 

Right now it's running at 1.1mbps.  I can't even Netflix.

Not to mention the DNS troubles, or the 2 defective routers that had to be replaced.

Locked into the 2 year contract. 

I ask, have they performed a quality service ?

Is HughesNet a scam ?

?

[maratsade]

It's not a scam, @Earlzwow.   It's a business that sells data packages, splitting the finite, limited data from the satellite into packages for over a million users. As a business, they operate under the law, and they operate under policies to make sure the finite data is divided fairly.  When you use up your allowance, you're not cut off; you're throttled, and when that happens, you have no access to data hogs like streaming. 

Two weeks into the month you have used your data allowance. Your household is the one using the data.HN sells you a data package; they don't use the data for you.  Streaming consumes enormous amounts of data. The fair access policy is there to provide fair access to all subscribers, as satellite data is a limited amount, not infinite. It's different from terrestrial internet such as cable or fiber. It's up to users to budget their data so it lasts the whole month. 

It seems it makes you feel better if you blame the other party, but you're the one using the data, not them. Perhaps your time would be better served contacting your representatives and asking them to bring fast internet into your area. Fast internet companies aren't interested in rural areas or other areas of low population density, so they stay away. Contact them and ask them why they can't be bothered with rural areas.