new customer, unhappy want to cancel, but they say i am stuck in contract.. help?!?

[gpreine]

OK, so I have no other option for internet at my home other than satelite or cell service. I was told when I signed up for this service that NetFlix would run normally even once my "preferred Data Allowance" was used up. The first month of service, we used it for the ps3, ps4, laptop and both cell phones, all the time and it worked beautifully until about 6 days before it was renewal time. So, upset and angry that we were lied to , we figured we would continue service (since we really only want it for netflix) i took both cellphones off the wifi, and the ps4. not even a full week into our 2nd month, we are out of data and it would not stream netflix. now, I want you to understand that during this week period, we did not use netflix, it was only my wife on the laptop checking email and some facebook. We got to watch 2.75 episodes of walking dead on net flix befoire it quit working. I called in and she said we had been using the data more than we realized.. so, we put a password on the router. (tech should have done this when he set it up) and we got 4 more gigs of data. watched 3 episodes of walking dead. and we are almost out again?!?!?! i am streaming in SD, and nothing else was on the wifi except netflix during the period after we got the 4 gigs. this service will not last us a week, more or less a month. and I do not see paying $80 a month, plus $10 to netflix, to watch 5 episodes of anything a month. What are my options for getting out of this contract??? 

[Chris11]

Hi gpreine,

Thank you for posting and welcome. Here is a bit of categorization for reference when it comes to data use.



Three hours of standard definition video can consume a good amount of data. So that sounds about right. You may want to try a low definition. Typically users do not realize how much data an activity can consume and also that uploads are counted as well when it comes to data. With that said here are some tips to help you get a better handle on data usage.

Keep in mind there are countless factors that can use your data:

- more devices are capable of connecting to the internet: phones, tablets, gaming consoles, SmartTVs, and even refrigerators can connect wirelessly to the internet. Keep track of what devices you leave running on Wi-Fi.

- automatic-updates: your computer and any other programs you use will often keep working in the background, even if you're not actively using that program, in order to keep your system/program up-to-date. Anti-virus programs will periodically use your internet connection to check back with their malware database for any updates. You should have an option to turn off auto-updates and/or schedule them for a later time.

- multimedia content: Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, news sites, and other websites will contain videos, animated gifs, and sound clips that may start playing as soon as you land on the site. So much content, so easily available almost everywhere on the internet. For starters, try disabling auto-play video on Facebook:

https://community.myhughesnet.com/hughesnet/topics/how_to_disable_autoplay_videos_on_facebook

or adjusting your Netflix playback quality to SD: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/87

- more data sources can be found here, as posted by a fellow community member: https://community.myhughesnet.com/hughesnet/topics/data-usage-sources-common-and-not-so-common

The most important tool to download is the Status Meter, available in the Customer Support Center, to help you monitor your data usage: supportcenter.myhughesnet.com

Your cooperation and patience are greatly appreciated. We look forward to hearing back from you.

Thank you,

Chris

[deepdiver1]

I think someone needs to find out who told this customer he would be able to watch Netflix. I have heard these similar complaints from others and I believe Hughes and other satellite providers need to control and be responsible for their sales reps.  I use the DVD plan because it isn't possible. And do miss streaming shows which aren't on DVD.

[jburrell]

I can relate to this.  I moved into a new development underground lines for homes hadn't been trenched yet.  I had no choice but to go with Hughes Net and I specifically asked is this like Wild Blue where you get so much data to use a month and then you continually buy more if you run out?  No, no, no..   nothing like that.  Stupid me.  I didn't know a thing about satellite internet to know I was being flat out lied to.  I was told I could use my Kindle to watch Netflix, movies, etc. and I'd still have enough to stay on the internet or facebook all day long.  Cripes, I log on to read email and scan facebook a couple times a day and I don't even do Netflix or movies anymore and I'm going to need to up to the highest level just to do that.  What a ripoff to people who have no choice but to use satellite internet.  I will glady pay the 400.00 cancellation fee once another service is in this area because it's going to cost me that much in just a couple of months anyway.  Very disappointed in this company and the way service was sold to me.

[maratsade]

>> I didn't know a thing about satellite internet to know I was being flat out lied to. 

You didn't do any research regarding satellite internet before subscribing to the service? There are limitations to satellite internet, but the new Gen 5 is pretty good for streaming.  You can of course pay the cancellation fee, or you can try letting the community troubleshoot your issues with you to improve your service. Sometimes tweaks are needed.  If you're interested in the latter, often it's helpful to post your own thread in the Tech Support area, so it's more visible to the community and the mods.

[Liz]

Closing this two year old thread that's since been addressed and hijacked way too many times. If you have a concern, please start your own topic in the appropriate board to receive help if you're ready to work with the community.

[Amanda]

We hooked up a Smart TV to a HughesNet HT1100 and streamed the original Batman in HD with subtitles and there was no buffering. What seems to be the problem?

Amanda

[deepdiver1]

I think someone needs to find out who told this customer he would be able to watch Netflix. I have heard these similar complaints from others and I believe Hughes and other satellite providers need to control and be responsible for their sales reps. . There are a lot of people who do not understand the issues. And are gullible to these sales tactics. The sales people are agents of Hughes through a contractor/agent and work on commissions which leads them to misrepresent the plan. Maybe they don't even understand themselves. I use the Netflix DVD plan because it isn't possible to stream. And I do miss streaming shows which aren't on DVD, such as Longmire.

[deepdiver1]

The problem isn't speed, its how many Gb you need to use in an hour.

[Amanda]

Hi deepdiver

When you say this, do you mean that the customer should be told they cannot watch endless movies on Netflix, or that just it won't plain work? If so.. We've tested it at two different locations, HD Netflix even works with no buffering, Skype video calls work with no buffering and minimal lag... alot of customers here use Netflix.. I suppose I don't understand what you mean completely.

Thanks
Amanda

[BirdDog]

We stream quite a bit of Netflix although at low definition to save data. Could stream HD if wanted to eat data like a Pac Man.

[deepdiver1]

How much data per hour with SD?

[Amanda]

Oh okay! So our sales representatives are required to disclose to any customer who mentions that they are going to watch Netflix of the following:

Download the status meter to track usage
Watch Netflix or other streaming services in Standard or lower definition
An approximation per plan of how many hours of netflix can be watched total without doing anything other than Netflix on the connection (no facebook, email, web browsing - netflix only)

This is a requirement, again, on every call where the customer mentions they will be streaming video.

Thanks
Amanda

[fay1959]

I WAS NOT told this. I was told I would have no trouble streaming. It's just my husband and I and we don't stream often. I do watch Big Brother live feeds and I get 30 seconds of watching and 15+ seconds of buffering. I'm sick of it. I want out of my contract. I was mislead.

[GabeU]

@fay1959 

Instead of spamming in multiple threads, wouldn't starting your own topic in the tech support section to address your issue(s) be the smart thing to do?  

[deepdiver1]

Yes they cannot watch endless hours. Yes it works fine until you run into FAP.

[deepdiver1]

Aha, from Netflix:
"Adjust your data usage settings

Adjusting the data usage settings for your account is the easiest way to reduce the amount of bandwidth used while watching Netflix. There are four data usage settings to choose from. Each estimate below is per stream:

• Low (0.3 GB per hour)
• Medium (SD: 0.7 GB per hour)
• High (Best video quality, up to 3 GB per hour for HD and 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD)
• Auto (Adjusts automatically to deliver the highest possible quality, based on your current Internet connection speed)

To select a setting that works best for your Internet plan, navigate to the Your Account page and select Playback settings in the Your Profile section. It can take up to 8 hours for these changes to take effect. Restricting data usage may effect video quality while watching Netflix."

[deepdiver1]

Amanda, I am referring to educating and controlling promises made by sales people. CSR's have to deal with the problem which sales creates.

[BirdDog]

Low definition uses about 200-250 MB per hour from my experience. And yes, it can take up to 8 hours for a definition change to take effect. So if someone goes from HD to SD then immediately watches 2 movies they will probably still be using HD data amount.

[BirdDog]

Everything works fine until you run into FAP.  🙂

I wonder how many people watch endless Netflix on their phones?

Still question this statement:

I use the Netflix DVD plan because it isn't possible to stream

[deepdiver1]

I agree,  I should not have said it isn't possible. It is a function of using low res and how much your data plan allows, i.e., sorta how much you want to pay. I have 10 GB and barely stay within it without any Netflix.