New Customer...and now I'm freaked out...

[roehleriowa]

Hello there. My name is Matt. We just started with HughesNet here in Iowa just a few days ago because my mom/Roxanne wanted Dish TV. We asked what internet they used, so they said Hughesnet. We knew nothing about them so said yes.

Granted, the guy who installed the Hughesnet dish was pretty grumpy and kinda rude...but I just let it go. But reading up on it, it seems in reading it's all of these horror stories and have yet to find a positive review from anyone on here, and it freaks me out about this service.

Pretty much every topic on here or every review i find on google is a negative aka 1 star review. So after reading all of this...you'll understand my fear.

And the guy who installed it didn't give us much info. I had to call and from what I understand, if you go over the usage your internet will get slow aka 1.5 mbps, is that correct?

Forgive me for my dumb questions, but as a new customer I must ask. At 1.5 mbps...would I still be able to watch videos on youtube if I put them on 240 or 360p?  I do stuff on youtube and I had wanted to stream on youtube (it's where I talk in front of  camera in front of my subs) or talk with my friend on skype but have a bad feeling I now won't be able to do that with this.

If something goes wrong with the internet, how much does it cost to get it fixed? Again...sorry if I sound paranoid and sketchy...but when you read enough horror stories and have yet to read a positive experience that anyone has had...it's understandable for me to be a bit scared, so to speak.

[GabeU]

@roehleriowa

First, the ratings and reviews.  Due to human nature, most people don't tend to go out of their way to rate or review a product or service that they are satisfied with, but if they're not satisfied with it or something goes wrong, the likelihood of them rating of reviewing that product is much, much higher.  And, of course, those will be negative rantings/reviews.  

With that said, many of HughesNet's over one million customers are satisfied or happy with their HughesNet service, including many on here.  I'm one of them.  

Regarding how much it would cost to get your service fixed if something goes wrong depends on many factors, but most importantly what the problem is, what may be causing it, and what is required to fix it.  But, more or less, and I'm just a fellow customer so this isn't an official response, but it can range from zero to a standard tech visit fee, if a tech visit is even needed, but even then it all depends on what the problem is and the cause of it.  Your best bet if you have an issue, though, is to come here and post of it, as many issues are easy to diagnose and fix without a tech visit ever being needed. 

As for being able to watch Youtube videos in 240p or 360p with a speed of 1.5Mbps, though there's no guarantee, you should be able to.  As for Skype and such, keep in mind that upload speed is important, as well.  

One additional thing.  If HughesNet is connected to your Dish TV receiver so that you can watch On Demand programs, make sure to keep a close eye on your data.  Satellite TV receivers may end up using a lot of data, even when not actively watching things on demand.  And, though Dish receivers seem to not have as much of an issue with this as DirecTV receivers, I'd still keep an eye on it, just in case.  

Hope this helps.  

[roehleriowa]

No...it didn't really help. I know you're trying to be nice and I thank you for it. But the response just made me even more freaked out.

So watching videos is 'maybe and maybe not'. That's disappointing to read. Skype is like a question mark/maybe? So I might not even be able to talk with a friend via voice call on skype?Tech Support does cost which is disappointing (I would understand if it was something that I did to cause it)...also, it'd be kind of hard to go on here to ask if the internet is out (can't really get on here to ask if no internet). I just don't have the time in my life to constantly check data usages because of the Dish TV. You said many on here are satisfied but the only positive customer I've seen on here is you, granted I would love to hear more from the other positive customers. So if any of them read this, please feel free to answer.

I'm not trying to be rude about this. It's just these guys now kinda scare me for the next 2 years.

[GabeU]

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@roehleriowawrote:

Tech Support does cost which is disappointing

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Many people who have experienced a technical support issue have had their service fixed without it costing them a dime.  Not all technical issues require a tech visit, and not all tech visits cost the customer when a tech visit is required.  

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@roehleriowawrote:

it'd be kind of hard to go on here to ask if the internet is out (can't really get on here to ask if no internet).

Not all tech support issues cause you to not be able to get online.  And some people have alternate means of being able to go online if their HughesNet is down.  If you don't, you'd have to call tech support in that event.  

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@roehleriowawrote:

You said many on here are satisfied but the only positive customer I've seen on here is you

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This is a support site, not a review site, but keep reading.  There are plenty of posts scattered throughout where people have talked about their good experience with this service.  

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@roehleriowawrote:

Skype is like a question mark/maybe? So I might not even be able to talk with a friend via voice call on skype?

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I've never been in FAP, so I can't say with any certainty what will and what won't still work.  Secondly, every beam is different, as is everyone's experience, and what works for one person many not necessarily work for another.  There's no hard and fast rule of what will or won't work, especially while someone is in FAP.  The idea is to not go into FAP in the first place.  FAP speed can be "As low or lower than 1Mbps", so there's no guarantee that you'll even see 1.5Mbps while in FAP.  

But, here's the sad thing.  Dish only suggested HughesNet because that's who they often partner/bundle with, but a Dish receiver will work with any ISP as long as it has adequate speed.  Though I'm sure you know this by now, if your area has access to ground based internet, like cable or fiber, or even high speed DSL, that's probably what you should have gone with.  😞  

[roehleriowa]

Wasn't really my choice. It was her choice. I wasn't there when she did it & I found out until later. She's much older and she doesn't know much about these things and pretty much the Dish TV guy sweet talked her into HughesNet without telling her anything bout what hughesnet even was. She didn't even know it was another dish they had to install into the roof until they came out, cause the guy on the phone told her nothing. Guess I'll just have to save up money to cancel, which will take time. And yes, I understand it's at least $400 to terminate let alone needing to send the stuff back...so guess I have to start saving.

[maratsade]

"You said many on here are satisfied but the only positive customer I've seen on here is you, granted I would love to hear more from the other positive customers."

I'm perfectly happy with my service. I've been a customer for over 12 years.  Edit:  I don't use Skype but I watch videos on Hulu and Netflix all the time, and they work well.   I have even used VPN just fine (others haven't been able to).

[roehleriowa]

Just so I know ahead of time and know for the future...if I do want to cancel in the future, how much is the termination fee? Because some have said $400 while others are saying $800? (yes I know i'd also have to return the stuff...no I'm not canceling now because I don't have that money in my back pocket to do so right now).

Plus now I'm hearing stories that they'll overcharge you on your bills and stories of them stealing money from your credit card and so forth?

Could someone who works at this company please tell me these things/clear things up? And perhaps tell me what should I expect specifically per month for a bill (i'm on the 10 GB plan)? The person I'm living with made these decisions while I was out of the home and without my knowledge, and unfortunately she's not too knowledgable on how all of this works (she's in her 60s), she only got this because Dish TV told her to do so...so now I have to deal with this stuff.

So again, could someone who works at this company tell me:

*what to expect bill-wise per month (on this 10 GB plan)

*is a termination fee $400 or $800 (so I know for future reference)

*these stories of people being overcharged and/or having money stolen/taken from their credit cards

And if people ask, no she didn't talk to HughesNet on the phone. The guy from Dish TV talked to her and didn't give her much info about HughesNet. Just said 'it's the internet we work with' and gave no more details. And yeah I get it...of course it's not the Dish TV guy's job to say anything cause he doesn't work for HughesNet, he works for Dish TV. I found out about it too late since it was installed by the time I got home...unfortunately just one of those things where she didn't know better. I had to find out via my own research this whole thing about 10 GB, etc....so again the answers to the questions above would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[GabeU]

@roehleriowa

The ETF for residential accounts is $400 for the first 90 days, then $15 less per month thereafter.    

The ETF for HughesNet Voice service, if you have it, is $10 times the number of months you have remaining on your contract.  

http://legal.hughesnet.com/ServiceTermsAndConditions-current.cfm

As for your bill, the HughesNet price for the 10GB plan is $49.99 per month.  The equipment lease fee is $14.99 per month.  Your taxes, however, will depend on your state and local rate, if applicable.  

HughesNet doesn't steal money from your credit card, nor do they overcharge you.  You're charged what is due them.  However, if there is something on your bill that doesn't seem right you can ask for help in this same section, or you can call 866-347-3292.  My bill has been correct every month for the last 13+ years.     

If there is some sort of bundling discount it will most likely be on the Dish end, not the HughesNet end.  

I do not work for HughesNet, but the answers to your questions are known publicly.  Any private information requested would be a different story, and answered by a rep via private message on here.