misleading info given by sales call and now need to pay early termination fee, HELP!

[branbonm]

When I first called and asked questions about the service It was explained to me that if i were to meet or exceed my data the speeds would be reduced but streaming would still be possible.. well after the first month we didn't have any issues but 2 days into our 2 month web pages hardly open...

Can anyone help with this?

Thanks in advance!

[maratsade]

• Have you exceeded your monthly data? (According to other users who have been in FAP, streaming in low quality video works, so what the sales person told you is accurate)
• Is there weather in your location and/or at your gateway? Weather can significantly impair the service. 
• You should open a free account with Testmy.net and begin to run speed tests several times daily. These are required for the mods to look into issues such as speed.

*I am not a Hughesnet employee or representative. This is a customer-to-customer tech support community, and I am a customer.

[GabeU]

@branbonm

To expand on maratsade's information, the instructions for the speed tests that the reps may need are as follows...

To help the HughesNet Customer Service Reps get a head start on your speed concerns, please create a testmy.net account (if you do not already have one) and, while signed into that account, perform 3-5 tests during different parts of the day, then share the account results link with us here.

Most important points to remember during this test:
-do the tests while directly connected to the HughesNet modem with a LAN cable (NO third party Router or Wireless devices can be used)
-disable the WiFi while the speed tests are being performed
-use the manual 25MB size download test file 
-If testing upload instead of download, please use the manual 4MB size upload test file
-space each test at least 5 minutes apart
-post your testmy results URL here, it may look something like http://testmy.net/quickstats/yourusername

For a more in depth guide on running the tests, please visit: http://customer.kb.hughesnet.com/Pages/7001.aspx  (due to being an older page, the test sizes are incorrect for Gen5 (please use the test sizes listed above, in bold, for Gen5)).

The Reps are on M-F from approximately 8AM to 5PM Eastern. They will be the ones to address your speed issues, but they will need these tests to do so.

If you are unaware of how to disable the WiFi in the HT2000W, please see "How do I manage my built in WiFi modem?" in this PDF.  Please be sure to click "Save Settings" after unchecking "SSID Enable" for each of the four tabs individually (2.4Ghz, then 2.4Ghz Guest, then 5Ghz, then 5Ghz Guest).  

[branbonm]

thank you GabeU! This was very informative. I will open a account with testmy.net and start recording the speeds. I did record the speeds i was getting from Speedtest. But if it’s required from test my.net i will do that. I just upped our data so our speed is back to normal for now. 

[GabeU]

@branbonm

While speedtest is okay for general knowledge, it's not accepted for troubleshooting due to the way in which it tests.  Testmy.net is requested because a specific size is used for each test, keeping the testing parameters identical with each test performed, and because of the way it handles the higher latency.  It also gives more information with each test result.   

On a side note, speedtest uses a LOT of data per test, so I avoid it especially because of that.  Maybe not that much when out of data and your speed is throttled, but when you're not throttled it can use 70MB or more per test.  I just ran one test and it used 81MB.  

[debbie.jean.bro]

Hi @branbomn,

I highly suspect your issue was being in FAP (Fair Access Policy, meaning when they slow you way down because you have run out of data).

I think this for two reasons. First, you mentioned the first month went fine and just a few days into month two you were running super slow and couldn't stream. Well, you get unlimited data the first month, so that makes a lot of sense.

Second, you mentioned you upped your data and therefore your speeds were back up to normal. That tells me you had run out of data and were being throttled, as it is called. Once you purchased more data, your speeds were returned to normal.

It is true what @maratsade, @GabeU, and your sales rep told you, in a technical sense. When you are in FAP, it is mainly just good for text browsing--you can read the news, check your email, etc. But it's not much good beyond that because it's just so darn slow.

If you want to stream something short on Youtube, you can probably do it in low resolution, if you pause it at the beginning and let it load (give it LOTS of time to load!). But if you want to stream a movie, forget about it, unless you have the patience of Job! You'll be buffering every 15 seconds and it will take you 4 hours to watch a 90 minute movie (in my experience ).

OPTIONS:
• Buy more data
• Stream movies during bonus time (I think it's 2:00-7:00 AM most locations)
• Set your device to download movies during bonus time and then watch them whenever
• ALWAYS watch video in the lowest resolution available! There are other threads on here that explain how to do that.
• Search the history here and learn all the hacks for using less data. Just watching in low res vs. high res can increase your streaming time by a factor of three or more!
• Do Netflix the old-fashioned way, via disc by mail.

With Hughesnet, you cannot watch unlimited movies because you have limited data. However, you CAN stretch the data you have immensely by learning some simple tips and tricks!

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Debbie

[maratsade]

"When you are in FAP, it is mainly just good for text browsing--you can read the news, check your email, etc. But it's not much good beyond that because it's just so darn slow."

Actually, people who have been in FAP have reported that they can still stream, as long as it's in low def.

[Hardy]

Hello Brandon,

  Thanks for posting and welcome to the community! I apologize about the difference in speeds.  I have run some diagnostics, and everything looks up to par on my end. I would follow what GabeU has suggested so we can see if your side shows any differences than what I am getting.  Thank you.

*Felicia*

[GabeU]

@branbonm

I should have read your post more carefully.  

Some people are able to stream after they have exceeded their monthly data allotment and have their service speed throttled, but there are no guarantees that this will be possible.  The sales rep certainly should not have given you a definitive answer that you could.  

Normally, I would suggest requesting a sales call review if it's been no longer than 90 days since that sales call, as they only save them for around that length of time.  If it's determined that you were, in fact, misled by the sales rep, you may have recourse in the form of being allowed to cancel the service with either a reduced, or zero, ETF (Early Termination Fee).  However, you mentioned that you were given this info "When I first called."  If by this you mean it was an initial call for information, and then you called back to sign up for the service, the call containing the incorrect information would not be available for review as they only save the calls in which the actual sign up/sale is completed.  

So, if the actual sales call is the one where you were given the incorrect information, I would definitely request a sales call review, which you can do in this thread.  The reps may actually do it, anyway.  But, if the incorrect information was given during the initial call and not the actual sales call, there's probably nothing they will be able to do, unfortunately.

Again, I should have read your post more carefully and I apologize for not doing so.  

This reply is ONLY concerning the information about being able to stream after going into FAP, not the other issues you may be having.  Those issues are discussed in the other replies. 

[JLA123]

I have the same situation. I was told that the service would work for Netflix and for my daily workout videos from Beachbody on demand. The service is terrible and subpar at best. I can get audio but can't see the faces on my workout videos. Netflix is constantly buffering. The support solution for the buffering is to change the Netflix to use SD. Why would I do that when I have TV that supports higher quality video than SD? I've followed all of the steps from support to make things better and to no avail. I want to cancel my service and do not believe that I should have to pay the cancellation fee because I was given misinformation from the sales rep. I need help too!

[maratsade]

JLA123,

Your TV may support HD, but the satellite service doesn't support HD very well at all, and even when it does, it eats up so much data that it's not a good idea to use it. 

You're free to cancel the service at any time, but you will have to pay the cancellation fee as stated in the contract.  You can also work with the mods here to improve your viewing experience, but you need to also accept the limitations of satellite internet technology.  It is not the best technology for streaming, and even though you can stream successfully with it, you also have to be aware of and plan for the limitations.

*I am not a Hughesnet employee or representative. This is a customer-to-customer tech support community, and I am a customer.

[GabeU]

@JLA123

If you are attempting to stream in HD, please be sure to turn off, or snooze, the Video Data Saver.  If you would like to troubleshoot the issue, please start a new topic in Tech Support, as this section (myAccount and Billing) is not for troubleshooting.