Hello Hughes Support Team
We're longtime customers. Thankfully really haven't had any issues in the years we've been with Hughes. We stick with our data allowance, pay on time, never had a need to even call customer service in all our years. I guess that's why I'm still baffled by my recent experience.
This month I was backing up our computer and realized we were going to run out of data. Having never purchase tokens before I thought, it's worth it to get our files backed up this month. Clicked to purchase token and received an error that read, "Oops. We could not process your request. Please give us a call at 1-866-347-3292, to continue with your transaction. Error code: TOKEN111." I thought, must be a system error. I'll give it a few minutes and try again. Tried a few more times, rotating between desktop dashboard and phone app, and then thought it wasn't that big of a deal to add data/tokens so gave up. Searched the online community and saw a thread that made me think it didn't work because we still had a couple of gb on our anytime data. Our status meter was at 2.2 GB of data left for anytime data with 17 days to go in our cycle. So I walked away, the extra data/tokens wasn't worth my time calling customer service at that point.
A week goes by, I opened my app to check our data and a pop up comes up saying, "You're out of data." with the purchase tokens button. What the heck I thought, maybe it'll work. I select an amount and try again. Receive the same error code. But today, I have a few minutes and I call the number.
In my queue waiting for billing, the auto attendant tells me I've paid my bill and my next bill will be SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARs more than expecting! I reach a representative and ask him if I heard correctly as that's a pretty huge jump. He tells me it is due to my token purchases. I explained to him there must be some mistake as I was unsuccessful in purchasing tokens, getting the error code and why I tried so many times. He tells me I should have called customer service last week when I saw the message. Calmly, I explain my logic; I chose not to call in because I didn't need the data that badly and valued my time over calling customer service over data. I ask him to remove the tokens as I don't want them and to adjust my bill. He explains they are unable to take tokens back. I explain I am willing to pay for one token purchase but not in excess as their system is showing.
I am then put on hold for several minutes. He returns and tells me he can confirm Hughes did have system issues during this time but that I should have called customer service last week. I request a supervisor who patiently listens and offers a slight discount. I ask him what my experience should have looked like - what would a successful token purchase have looked like? He shared I should have received a congratulations message and confirmation that tokens were added to my account.
That makes sense to me; we wouldn't be in this call if that had happened even once. I asked him to review my account - have I ever purchased tokens? No. So, is it logical I would have purchased such an excessive amount? I asked, how was I (a reasonable, long time customer, first time token purchaser) suppose to know tokens had been purchased once let alone several times with these conditions:
• Error message with each attempt to purchase token: "Oops. We could not process your request. Please give us a call at 1-866-347-3292, to continue with your transaction. Error code: TOKEN111."
• No email confirmation of a token purchase, no message or notification in the app/dashboard
• No transactions listed in my billing section
• Status meter reads: 0% remaining data
• Pop up when I log into the app "You're out of data. Purchase Tokens"
• The HughesNet desktop dashboard didn't show I had any Token Bytes available - only suggested the purchase of tokens
The supervisor listened and placed me on hold, came back to the line, apologized again, recognized none of this was my fault but his hands were tied and the best he could do was take off 38% of the excess bill.
The supervisor offered to educate me for future token purchase reference where I should notice tokens available messages. I explained such messages were not there as I tried to purchase data. Further, I explained had the terminology "data tokens available" been listed somewhere (especially if anywhere near a "purchase tokens" button) I would have assumed it was telling me I could purchase - not that I had data/tokens available to me. In addition, I explained that exact terminology (term "available") is used on the purchase token page. Using the word available on a "purchase" page and to inform a customer of what they have to use is conflicting.
I would suggest adding the tokens into customers anytime pie graph or create a third pie graph for tokens - consistent imagery in a location we're conditioned to look when gauging data available would be helpful.
Long, long story short...I am grateful the supervisor listened, that he was able to do something, that the tokens won't expire and my money isn't going completely down the drain...but it still just doesn't feel right. I do nothing wrong, experience a system error, spend my time on the phone with customer service and am still going to be paying a couple hundred more on top of my bill - not a splurge I'm interested in investing in now or frankly ever.
I would like to see the app developers do something with this feedback, for Hughes Community searchers (like myself a week ago) to see what TOKEN111 could mean to them, and for Hughes to re-evaluate if 38% off the excess bill is truly the best they can do. (my customer service case file was 117-494-925).
Thank you for your time and consideration.
