I was not able to get on line for 7 days so hughesnet sent out a repairman. I was told a service call would be 125.00. I agreed but when the serviceman came out he said I wouldn't have to pay the service call because the part on the dish was installed wrong and moisture got in and keeped the signal from getting through. He also said I was still under warranty. Then I get my Discover bill and they charged me 44.21 for which is what I should have paid for the month minusthe charge for the 7 days I was without service. Instead my discouer statement showed 169.21. 125.00 plus the 44.21 reduced monthly charge. I called them and complained and they said they would have to check with the boss and call me right back. I have not heard anything from them for two days. July 5 th is the last day of my warranty and I think they are waiting to tell me I'm out of warranty. If you can help I'd appricate it because being retired and on a fixed income a125.00 is a lot of money. Thank you.. Gary,

My girlfriend and I moved to Gladwin, its a small farming town in mid-Michigan. After a few months of having no internet or TV we decided to get Hughesnet since the neghibors had it. We stopped at a local "computer shop" in town. I say "computer shop" because they deal mostly in Alltel cell phones. Anywho, they send a guy out quick as can be with the promise that we'll have high speed, broadband internet. Broadband yes, but not speed wise. Its broadband as in the cable it broad compared to phone cable. Thats it. The Alltel shop said they would be giving us a free installation. A guy came out and set it up, charged us $125 for a pole in out backyard even though we had a satellite pole already as the previous tenants had DishTV. After its set up and theres a hole in the side of my house which you can see through he takes the $125 and goes. He leaves me the boxes which is fine, I like boxes. When I get an account statement I find that they've charged me $270 for nothing at all. I've never signed a contract, i've never spoken to these people and it was a struggle to get rid of their service. I had it for four days and have already decided that dial-up would be better. i've signed nothing, given them one check for $125 and now have a hole for insects to crawl in and out of my house through. The worst part is that I had no connection 80% of the time and when I did it was slower that 56K. They've said they will refund me the $125 and the activation charge but I have yet to recieve any of that.

I cannot believe that I pay over $90/month and cannot even watch a ballgame on Hughesnet. I loose service in the third inning. I called customer service and got a woman in INDIA who did not have a clue what I was talking about. I finally got a manager who explained that I had exceeded the download limit. I ONLY use Hughesnet on week ends when I have much business to perform. Obviously, I got no work done. I had to drive to the public library twenty minutes away, sit in their parking lot, and work. So, I pay about $100/month for a couple hours a week!!! I too did not know about the limits on the account when I signed up. One of my students tipped me off, so I knew that the lady in tech support was WAY off base when she wanted to check my modem. I spent HOURS three years ago with Microsoft tech support from India and knew what a waste of time that would be.

I can only echo the other complaints already stated and warn people to stay away from Hughesnet! Not only is it SLOW for highspeed (dial up is at times faster), but they completely disregard complaints and refused a refund.

Within 2 days of signing up, I realized this was NOT going to work. After calling tech support and being on the phone over an hour, I was finally walked through a series of steps on the computer to determine the "problem". There was a "red flag" on our usage, which we "discovered" and I was informed that we had gone over our limit of time. I was never aware there was a limit, since our cheap dialup had no limit! It is on their website, but unless you are a computer guru, it probably goes over most people's heads (and it's in the fine print). I was told we have about an hour of download time per day, and my sons gaming was out of the question as was Youtube and much time on Facebook. With 3 teenagers, that's ridiculous. I was told there is a free time that you can download all you want - between 3 - 5 A.M.! I was then told the high speed would return after 24 hours.

At the 30 day "satisfaction" time, I called to cancel the service. I was transferred to someone who talked me into trying an additional 30 days at a higher speed. I was told that all "free trial" offers would be extended to the 60 day period, including the $472. I was charged for installation and activation. I was also told that would not cause me to have a cancellation fee. I asked for clarification on the refund 3 times, and was always told that it would be credited back if I should choose to cancel before the 60 day time period. KNowing I would probably still have to cancel, but not having a better alternative yet, I accepted the deal and documented it with numbers and dates, etc.

After finding a much better, and faster highspeed service locally - with NO cancellation fees ever and only $200. up front cost (yhti - if you live in the St. Louis area), I called to cancel Hughesnet before the now 60 day trial expired. I was told that I couldn't cancel without an early termination fee, even after explaining the last conversation to them. I was also told I would not be refunded the $472., but could receive $200. if I returned the equipment. AFter an hour on the phone explaining the earlier conversation, I was told that it was there policy to not refund the installation fee, and they were sorry for any "misunderstanding". I told them I would be filing a report with the Better Business Bureau (which I have done) and calling my credit card company to dispute the charges. I also told them I will be telling everyone I know to avoid Hughesnet, which is why I am posting this as well!

2 days later, I noticed my credit card was charge for $300. from Hughesnet! When I called to check on it, they had charged me the early termination fee afterall. After explaining AGAIN the situation, and providing the reference numbers, the did refund that amount - or said that they will.

Bottom line: Avoid Hughesnet! Look into local options, and if those aren't available, you are better off with dial up!


2 days later,

I have paid 89.00 per month for internet service with Hughes.net. It has NEVER worked properly. Their technical department has pages of complaints I have made. Their billing department is demanding over $497 after I discontinued the service. I told them I would send the equipment back to them but they said they do not want it; it is mine! I asked them why I would want, and pay for something that does not, nor has ever worked; they demand the $497 anyway. This is going to affect my credit rating. I am requesting a total refund of everything I have paid them over the past year, over $89 per month because what they promised and advertized has not, nor has ever worked properly. For example, I pay my consumer credit card and bank on line. Some weekends when I was going to pay my bills, the computer was not working, for the entire weekend, and it was too late to send the payment to the companies by mail. And some companies have a $10 charge to pay by telephone! I have lost over $1000 dealing with Hughes net and I request a total refund from them! They are not getting another red cent from my pocket. How many other consumers are they doing this to?
I would appreciate if your good offices could investigate the promises and practices of the "fly by night" internet provider. Furthermore, when I would call their customer service department or their technical department, I would speak with someone, at times for over an hour and they could not understand my English, and I could not understand them. The whole situation has been a total nightmare. I would go to bed some evenings and not be able to sleep. If you would, could you investigate the practices of this company? What do I do to get a refund of what I have given them for something they promised and they did not deliver?