NEW email Problem!

[RobertOder]

I can NOT send email from either Outlook, nor Macintosh mail, nor iPhone nor iPad.  I can receive email just fine.  It appears that all of my email clients are suddenly unable to log into the outgoing server.  I believe something has gone wrong with the outgoing email server.  It does not accept a login from my email clients.  I have been a Hughesnet user for over 20 years.  This seems to happen every year in December.  Is some key tech support person on leave?

I NEED my email.  Would someone from Tech support please respond?  I posted this complaint yesterday and nobody responded.

Tech support please respond ASAP.

Robert Oder

Temecula CA

[Reid Eichner]

I think Robert has something with his comment on the software that authenticates users.  I have tried over and over to send emails from my Modzilla email program, my desktop Mac at home and my iPhone.  Nothing works.  It sometimes immediately gives me an error saying it doesn't recognize  me and other times it will time out and come back with a similar message.

Reid

[RobertOder]

Hi Amanda:

That screen is long since gone.

I think we are at the point where HughesNet needs to commit the resources to widen the service bandwidth for email service and/or fix the software module that processes authentication to the server from third party clients (i.e. Outlook, Macintosh Mail, etc.). I have tried to use the webmail page, and, come on, it is a mess by any standard.  We all have written service agreements with you to provide service that includes email.  Even though you may wish you did not have this problem to fix, you are obligated to fix it.  Please fix it.  You need to improve the hardware and/or software.  That is the bottom line.  A Deal is a Deal.

Thank you very much for your time.

Robert

[maratsade]

" We all have written service agreements with you to provide service that includes email."

Can you please provide the part of the service agreement that says the service includes email?

[RobertOder]

Im sure I can.  It is at my main office, and I'll be there next week.  At the time I signed up for Hughesnet, the agreement included up to 5 email address.  They may have changed that since the date I signed up (twenty years ago), but the basic premise of an agreement is that one party cannot just arbitrarily fail to do what's agreed to without the other party being in agreement with the change.  

They cannot take away part of the agreed upon service any more than you can take away part of the agreed upon payment.  Simple as that.  

Thank you for chiming in on this issue.  I greatly appreciate all of you who have contributed in a positive manner.  

Robert

[maratsade]

Thank you very much, Robert. If you could post a picture of the pertinent part of the agreement (without revealing any personal info, of course), that'd be awesome.   What year did you sign up with HughesNet? I think you said something somewhere but I can't find it right now, and I don't remember if you mentioned the year.  Did you ever upgrade, like going from Gen 4 to Gen 5? That would start a new agreement and the new agreement would be the binding one.

[RobertOder]

I started with Hughesnet about 20 years ago, when I went out into the country.  At that time, five emails were part of the service.  I upgraded once, about 15 or more years ago.  I never thought the newer upgrade was worth pursuing.  I will dig it out, but be patient.  I am at a satellite office (no pun intended) and I'll be back home in a week or so.

The internet service per se has been remarkably reliable - albeit a bit slow at times - but in the last few years the email has degraded tremendously.  

[maratsade]

I was with DirecWay, which turned into HughesNet (and this improved the service tremendously). I've been very happy with it and have had some issues every so often, though I've found the company to be responsive, a lot more responsive than others (looking at you, Verizon). I don't use the email, except for notifications, and so I haven't had problems with it. Once it stopped forwarding the notifications, but the issue got resolved.  

No rush at all -- if you can share the old contract, that'd be super, but it's not a demand or anything. 😊 When you upgraded, the old contract was likely superseded by the new one. 

I like Gen5, it's better than Gen 4, and I plan to upgrade to the new system (Gen 6?) when it's ready. 

[GabeU]

@maratsade 

I'm curious about that too. Though it would often say 'five free email accounts' or something similar in an advertisement, including on their own website, I've never seen anything in the subscriber agreements guaranteeing anything about email service. Granted, I started my service with DirecWay in 2004, then didn't upgrade to Gen4 until 2016 and then Gen5 shortly after it became available, but I always read the subscriber agreements before I signed up/upgraded, though I admit the one for Gen5 I only skimmed, as it was a rehash of the Gen4 agreement, more or less.

[maratsade]

@GabeU , I'm curious too. I don't believe the agreements state that email accounts are included, though it may be mentioned in the non-binding website and adverts. The agreements I've seen do have a section (3.2) where email accounts are mentioned only to show examples of how the company can do whatever they want with their product. 😲

But Robert may have something different, and I'd really like to see that agreement. The thing is, though, when we upgrade to a different service (like from Gen 4 to Gen 5), we enter into a new agreement which supersedes the old one, and none of the agreements currently posted on the legal node state anything about the service including email. 

Section 13.2 is also quite interesting. 

[RobertOder]

it does redirect to an inbox.  list on the left, empty on the right.  then you click on the email you want to read.  sometimes the selected email loads on the right.  most of the time nothing happens.  its is a pretty bad portal.

Robert

[RobertOder]

Yes, Remy.  That's what we've done.  That is extremely basic stuff.  What next?

[maratsade]

Since it happens every December, could it have something to do with higher loads on the server? Just saying; it's not like I know what I'm talking about...

[RobertOder]

is there anybody ut there in HughesNet tech who can help?  Is this to be the norm?

Robert

[maratsade]

Yes, they have a tech department. The reps on this site will contact the engineers/techs on your behalf if needed.   Remy is working with you and you've replied to his question; now you need to wait until Remy replies to you again.  The reps here aren't  here full time, unfortunately, and there is no unmediated way to contact the techs/engineers directly. 

[Reid Eichner]

I hope someone gets this corrected SOON!  I am having the same issue.  I cannot send emails.  It has been off and on the past month but now nothing can get sent.  I also use this for business so it is VERY important this gets fixed.

Reid

[RobertOder]

Hi Reid:

I feel the same pain you do.  I really don't know who to complain to.  The moderators on this site say they contact system tech people.  Apparently, they are middlemen.  The system tech people take their time solving the problem.  Every year in December it gets very bad.  This has happened several years now.  I think there is some key technical person who needs to intervene and keep things running, and he goes on Christmas vacation, so the problem remains unfixed.  I cannot find any other explanation, and the HughesNet people are not willing to give me one.  Unfortunately, I am in a rural location and I have no other options for internet service.  And just changing to another email provider would be very expensive, as we are in the Real Estate business and our email is on signs all over two counties.

I know the above does not help you any, but maybe if we keep complaining enough, maybe somebody will fix the problem.  I have had HughesNet for over twenty years.  These Hughes people owe this to us.

Take care and please keep in touch.

Robert

[Reid Eichner]

HI Robert,

It was actually comforting to see someone else is having the same problem as I have been.  I rarely get on this site but decided to see if there is a big issue with Hughesnet - and there IS!

I have been with Hughesnet for over 23 years and I, to, live in a rural area so I feel your pain.

I hope someone gets on this right away and gets it fixed.  It is VERY frustrating to say the least.

Take Care,

Reid

[maratsade]

I can't imagine you two are the only ones with this issue, and it's good that you are reporting this too. Are you both on the same beam? 

[timderry]

They are NOT the only ones, this has been ongoing for the last few weeks. A solution I am trying now is changing my password to conform to what they want now. I have had the same password for years but it did not have a Capitol, Number, or other symbol....we shall see if that makes the problem go away. 

[Reid Eichner]

Not sure if changing your password would help you but I hope it does.  I have had the same password and email from day one  but, like you said, it has been ongoing for hte last few weeks.

It seems it goes away for a while but today it is not going away at all.

I hope someone is paying attention at Hughesnet!!

Reid

[RobertOder]

Hi timderry:

If all of us complain frequently enough, maybe they might get tired of us and finally fix the problem.  I don't think it's a password issue.  My password works just fine eleven months of the year.

Robert