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Plagued With Problems -- Just Ordered Viasat To Complement Hughesnet (Am I Nuts?)

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southernsierra
Sophomore

Plagued With Problems -- Just Ordered Viasat To Complement Hughesnet (Am I Nuts?)

Hi all,

 

I have had a host of problems since becoming a hughesnet customer 1 year ago. I live in an extremely remote area of the county in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California at a high altitude (7000 FT). Weather is suprisingly calm for that high of elevation -- very little precipitation. There is no gas station within 1 hour of the area. Infact, there is only about 200 private parcels within a 1 hour drive -- the rest of the area is national/federal land and raw wilderness. There is no cell phone service within 1 hour of the area.

 

Considering my remote place, I didn't exactly expect smooth sailing with internet. However, my dish alignment has been an issue 4 times now over the last year. This is a vacation home, so I can only visit on weekends and OVER half of the time that a tech is dispatched, the tech does not actually show up at all which has wasted 4 of my weekends in total over the last year. The tech that DOES come has been great -- driving 4 hours one way each time to fix my dish. Techs have even called me day of and stated "Oh you live up there? Oh, no. I can't come that's too far" after having a confirmed appointment. The last time the reliable tech visited, a couple months ago,  he moved the dish to a new location and replaced the entire dish to see if that would fix the issue. It worked for 3 months until now and tech support is saying it appears to be another alignment issue so he needs to come back out.

 

I reached out to the CEO of hughesnet via linkedin a couple months back after a tech failed to show up for 2 consecutive weekends despite me having an appointment and was connected to a nice woman, Nancy who tried to help out and get a tech back out to me. I notified her of this new issue (4th issue) and she has basically told me that living in such an area may be prone to such issues and she wishes me luck. Great. This is not acceptable to me. There has to be SOME way to secure the satellite so that it works longer than 3 months.


So while I have an appointment set up the following weekend for the tech to come out (in which the tech MAY or MAY NOT actually show up), I have gone ahead and ordered Viasat Internet to complement the Hughesnet. I figure even if Viasat is spotty and alignment is an issue at least ONE of the dishes will be working at all times.. hopefully.

 

I figure Hughesnet will keep breaking every 2-3 months and then I can toggle between it and Viasat as needed. Sucks to have to order TWO satellite internet plans just to have reliable internet but I have no other options. DSL, even with multiple loop extenders, does not even make it out to my place which the phone company has been working to fix for over a year.

 

Just some thoughts on life.

 

Andy

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Southernsierra, I took a look into your account to see how the tech visit went (you could say I was a bit eager to see how everything went). Looks like they got out there and moved the dish onto a pole mount for you and quite a few other things taken care of!

 

This makes me really happy!

Let me know how everything's running. 

-Brooke

View solution in original post

34 REPLIES 34

@C0RR0SIVE 

It is up to each company and installers what days the want to work and be open.. We don't do sundays.. But some do.. I already work 6 days a week.. I'm to old to do 7

I'm glad we are getting you taken care of, although I wish it had been sooner! 

 

Keep me updated or just shoot back a reply if you have any questions.

-Brooke

Just a very late thought from another remote location user.  We had to have our pole mounted (concrete set) Hughes dish realigned once, we blamed the neighbor's loose dog but it might have been a curious bear, as we had a heavy pole mounted bird feeder pushed over by a bear at about the same time (he left signs...).  We ended up fencing in the TV/Hughes dish setups to keep wildlife away from it.  

That's a good idea! Thanks -- may consider it. We have bears too.

 

The guy is supposed to come out on Sunday to set the pole. EXCITING TIMES.

Southernsierra, I took a look into your account to see how the tech visit went (you could say I was a bit eager to see how everything went). Looks like they got out there and moved the dish onto a pole mount for you and quite a few other things taken care of!

 

This makes me really happy!

Let me know how everything's running. 

-Brooke

Southernsierra, I haven't heard from you, I hope all is well!

 

Due to inactivity, I'm going to close this thread, but feel free to post a new thread should you have any further questions or concerns we can address! 

 

Thank you. 

-Brooke

KatBro, that's a great suggestion, thanks for sharing! 

 

-Brooke

Bears, moose, and elk are big and strong!  And young bears are very curious, that one also rolled a 50 pound salt lick around on the ground like it was a golf ball. 

 

He also left pawprints (7 feet off the ground) on the sidelight windows beside our front door, and tore up the pumpkin that was on the front porch.  Lessons learned, no more pumpkins left outside to decorate or salt licks inside the fenceline.

 

The joys of rural living..... 

maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

Wow.  I think the largest thing I get here is deer. 

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV


@maratsade wrote:

Wow.  I think the largest thing I get here is deer. 


We occasionally have a bear sighting here, though I've never seen one, personally.  I have further south while in PA.  

 

We have lots of deer, of course, though if I ever see one interested in my HughesNet dish I'll think I've entered Bizarro World.  😛  

Wow! I just read this whole thread and it was like reading a mystery novel! Will the installer show? Will his truck break down in the mountains? Will he be rescued by a beautiful countess? Or will a rogue bear thwart their new love? LOL!

I live out in the country in WA state, but not nearly as remote as you are! I get deer, moose, the occasional elk, but no bear. The pig from up the street escapes once in a while. Two years ago we had big wildcat tracks in the snow in our yard one morning! That was the winter a family of deer slept in my carport at night.

Anyway, I do really feel for you. How very frustrating this situation must be! Usually, installers do a satisfactory job. I've had HN for a little over two years and I don't think my pole has moved a smidge, even in our occasional 50+ mph winds.

I'm waiting with bated breath to see if the installer showed up and performed as expected! GOOD LUCK!! 😀
maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

The deer here are too focused on eating grass and berries and don't seem to care about the internet at all. Luddites, the lot.

 


@GabeU wrote:


We occasionally have a bear sighting here, though I've never seen one, personally.  I have further south while in PA.  

 

We have lots of deer, of course, though if I ever see one interested in my HughesNet dish I'll think I've entered Bizarro World.  😛  


 

@Amanda  I messaged you about this.. It was not me..