Hughesnet's Idea of Customer Service

Joseph Collins · 3728

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Offline Joseph Collins

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on: October 09, 2012, 08:55:39 PM
Yes, a topic, rather than a post.  Because sometimes... you just need more than a post.

As some of you might be aware, I'm on satellite Internet.  Specifically, I'm with Hughesnet. (Before anyone says anything, we have absolutely no alternative ISPs where we live.  Trust me.  We've been checking rather religiously over the last four years.  It's either Hughesnet, WildBlue (which is somehow worse), or dial-up.)  Hughesnet has a real record of hit-and-miss service, but lately, it's been exceptionally spotty.  Usually, I'm alright with the little hitches here and there.  When I started encountering an error with Tumblr a few months ago, I found a solution to the problem and kept with it.  However, the problem came back, so I not only used the same solution to fix it, but decided it was time to talk to Hughesnet themselves about it.

So, about a month ago, I posted a thread on the official Hughesnet forums titled "Tumblr and TurboPage Function" which detailed a problem I'd been having with Tumblr when my TurboPage Function was enabled.  Long story short, with TurboPage on, Tumblr would log me out when I tried to ask a blog a question.  The response I got back, as you can see, was not exactly satisfactory.

After a month of on-and-off responses, they basically tell me "You should probably upgrade!"  My question?  Why?  Why should I upgrade when my current service, up until the last year or so, has been acceptable?  Why should I upgrade to something that may be superior performance-wise, but vastly inferior in the long run?  Why should I upgrade?  So your engineers won't have to deal with my problem?

As I said there, I realize that Katie is just "doing her job" and trying to push the new hardware to people, but you know, not everyone is going to want to upgrade.  And as I also said, not everyone can upgrade.  I know I certainly can't.  Do they know that?  Probably not.  But telling me the simple solution to my problem is to upgrade certainly is not going to instill me with confidence in my company of choice.

Conversation from Start to Finish (in case the thread gets nuked)
[spoiler]The initial post.
A response from the next day.
My response a few days later.
Four days later, still no response.
Six days later
My less-than-professional response on the same day detailing the exact steps for the problem.
Fifteen days later, no response...
Two days more and a brief response.
The response I got today.
And my response to that.
Katie sends her regards.
And I finally just give up.[/spoiler]



Offline Quickman

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Reply #1 on: October 10, 2012, 08:45:14 AM
:|

Well.  That's...  That doesn't make me too eager to get satellite Internet any time, now.  I've considered it once or twice (I have DSL, currently.  Centurylink around here is pretty good), but with the problems you're having... and with how I see cloud cover interfering with Dish Network at times, it doesn't put my faith in the system.  And the customer service...

What bothers me most about the customer service is the lateness of the replies.  Fifteen days?  Seriously?  it takes that long to troubleshoot a problem and run a few comparisons with other systems?  I can understand that if you were, perhaps, sequencing DNA, but you're checking for an error on freakin' Tumblr!


Offline Joseph Collins

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Reply #2 on: October 10, 2012, 08:31:05 PM
Do not get satellite internet.  Do not get satellite internet.  Do not.  It's like cell phone internet, but available in more areas.  For example, here's my plan:
Quote
Daily Bandwidth Allotted: 525 MB
Maximum Banked Bandwidth: 1050 MB
Maximum Download Speed: 1.6 Mbps
Usual Download Speed: 0.5 Mbps
Maximum Upload Speed: 250 Kbps
Usual Upload Speed: 70~ Kbps
Now mind you, your speed absolutely will vary depending on time of day, local weather, remote weather conditons, if HughesNet is jerking with you or not**, the number of users on at the time, solar winds**, if it's a full moon**, whether or not you've bathed recently*, if your computer has porn on it*, dish pointing, quality of the cable used, your type of router**, and so forth and so on.  The only up-sides to satellite internet are 1. it's nearly impossible to trace your IP address, since it's dynamic (like AOL), and 2. it's available in 99.9% of the country, whereas DSL and cell phone internet might not be.
* I'm kidding about these.
** I'm not kidding about these, but I also can't be 100% certain of them.


It's also expensive as hell.  From what I remember, the cost after installation was something like $1,000.00, plus we're paying about $90.00/month.  We'd be paying more, but we own the equipment outright (which is why the initial installation -- which was a "non-standard installation," by the way! -- was so high).

If you're serious about looking into satellite internet, I highly suggest you poke around DSL Reports' HughesNet and WildBlue forums and take into consideration what everyone has to say, maybe ask some questions if you're not sure about something, and most definitely read the reviews for the respective satellite services before you make any serious decisions.



Offline Quickman

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Reply #3 on: October 11, 2012, 08:14:22 AM
I'll stick with DSL.  My installation costs were around $206, and I was still paying off about $85 each month for other installation fees, as in order to properly hook the damn thing up, they had to get the local electrician involved.  My cost has dropped $70, now, but I'm still paying for a modem rental.  I also have a federal LifeLine program helping with some of the cost, though Pennsylvania sales tax doesn't help matters much.  Considering how much my Internet is currently...  I'm gonna stick with Centurylink.


Offline Hiryu

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Reply #4 on: October 11, 2012, 09:34:52 PM
Yea, it must be hard to find something up to your standard of speed, eh Quickman?



Offline Quickman

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Reply #5 on: October 12, 2012, 04:35:33 AM
It is difficult indeed.  And to find that standard at a reasonable price?  Practically impossible.  For the sake of my finances, I often have to sacrifice speed... :(


Offline Ladd Spencer

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Reply #6 on: October 12, 2012, 05:06:42 AM
Now I really wonder if Quick Man ever gets faster optics, so he doesn't run into the wall all the time.


FEELS  ;^;Which has the massive scrotums?


Offline Quickman

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Reply #7 on: October 12, 2012, 05:12:40 AM
Well... I did go to the eye doctor yesterday.  In two weeks, I'll have new glasses and will be seeing better! :D


Offline Ladd Spencer

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Reply #8 on: October 12, 2012, 05:34:58 AM
I meant the robit but that's cool. I think I'm going to try out contacts next time I visit the eye doctor.


FEELS  ;^;Which has the massive scrotums?


Offline Protoman Blues

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Reply #9 on: October 13, 2012, 04:29:59 AM
 <3 U FIOS



Offline Dantonumanoa Ongdolota Amycronicon

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Reply #10 on: October 13, 2012, 05:36:11 AM
<3 U FIOS
This.
Except every time the cable box (FiOS box?) needs to be turned on. Waiting five minutes only to see SLUSHY MAGIC on my TV is irritating.

Oh, and before someone say that I should just keep it on, my father made it a rule to turn off all the [tornado fang]ing power surges in the house to save power.


I put on my [twin slasher] face.

I also go by Spectro D., Idylleaus, Malabar, and Dumb-bit Twofuck.


Offline Ladd Spencer

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Reply #11 on: October 14, 2012, 05:49:34 PM
Your father is crazy. Many things draw more power being turned on and off than they do constantly on. Computers are like that, I know that much.


FEELS  ;^;Which has the massive scrotums?


Offline Joseph Collins

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Reply #12 on: October 15, 2012, 10:07:13 PM
Welp, it took a month to get resolved, but wouldn't you know it?  HughesNet fixed the problem!

I can now not only ask questions as myself on Tumblr with the TurboPage Function enabled, but LiveJournal no longer logs me out!  Awesome!

Month or no, I really can't argue with the results.  They fixed it.  And that makes me happy.  :D



Offline Ladd Spencer

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Reply #13 on: October 16, 2012, 12:46:31 AM
Maybe it was a legitimately new problem for them.


FEELS  ;^;Which has the massive scrotums?


Offline Joseph Collins

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Reply #14 on: October 16, 2012, 02:01:13 AM
That thought did occur to me.  It wouldn't be the first time someone's reported something to them only for HughesNet to go "lolwut, really?"  Just seems odd that of the thousands of customers HughesNet has, I'd be the only one to speak up about this problem...



Offline Ladd Spencer

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Reply #15 on: October 16, 2012, 02:18:41 AM
You'd be surprised to find out how timid people actually are. And how obscure your problem was. Grandma isn't gonna have that issue, only a power nerd would.


FEELS  ;^;Which has the massive scrotums?


Offline Quickman

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Reply #16 on: October 16, 2012, 03:56:44 AM
Heh, I know all about the obscurity of the power nerd...  And so does my local Wal-mart's electronics section.

"Hello, I'm looking for an SATA/IDE-to-USB adapter.  Do you stock these?"

"..."



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