The Grass Is Not Greener on the Other Side of the Fence

Here is one example of a recent post on the Hughesnet forum.
Customer satisfaction at Hughesnet seems to about the same as at Viasat.
Conclusion: Satellite internet technology needs further competition before some of the public will be satisfied.

"Why I canceled service with hughesnet after 15 years
Called and asked for an extension of my vacation mode, told it couldn’t be extended and to continue would have to have it on for 6 months, guess for the mice to use. This is the way to lose a long time customer, as I promptly canceled my service. DIRECTV and my local telephone company allowed for indefinite suspension. Guess Hughesnet thinks it has a strangle hold on their customers, if they are willing to lose one of their first customers like me, I will make it a point to never return and to discourage others"

Chaim Isaac Lipschitz

35 Posts
48 Reply Likes

Posted 1 year ago

1 year ago

Hfcomms

112 Posts
152 Reply Likes

Conclusion: Satellite internet technology needs further competition before some of the public will be satisfied.

Mission impossible. No matter how hard any company tries there will always be customers that think they got the shaft. Go to the terrestrial Internet provider forums and they are full of people who are bitching and griping as well.

As has been said many times most customers of Exede and Hughesnet are satisfied with the service. I had Hughesnet for 13 years before I went to Exede and had no real complaints knowing the limitations involved. These forums attract people who are having problems. A lot less people come here because things are fine and you find that with any forum for any company in the world you can name. If both Hughes and Exede sucked as bad as the impressions you get from their forums they would quickly be out of the residential Internet business.
A small number of customers will have problems that are not addressed to their satisfaction and they will be very vocal about it. Some of the complaints are legitimate and others are not and they either don't understand the limitations of satellite based Internet or just want to make waves. Both Hughes and Exede try to address customer concerns within the framework of the people that make all the decisions and they pretty much chart that course successfully.

(Edited)

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4 people like this

2018-06-19T18:49:18+00:00

Chaim Isaac Lipschitz

35 Posts
48 Reply Likes

Since you were with hughesnet for 13 years before switching to Exede, why did you switch?Would you do it again?

2018-06-19T22:11:19+00:00

VeteranSatUser, Champion

5133 Posts
3171 Reply Likes

I wouldn't agree most people are satisfied with satellite internet. I have had it over 20 years and I am not satisfied! Is it the best thing I have available to me where I live? Yes. If I had a better alternative available to me, I would drop satellite internet in a minute.

High latency, low primetime speeds, severe data usage restrictions? How are people satisfied with that?

That being said, to me Viasat is the best of the "last resort for internet options".

2018-06-19T22:53:18+00:00

GabeU, Champion

1723 Posts
1071 Reply Likes

These forums attract people who are having problems. A lot less people come here because things are fine and you find that with any forum for any company in the world you can name.

That's just it, and with review sites it's similar, though for different reasons. With the latter, people rarely take the time out of their day to write an unsolicited review when a product or service works as it should. But, when they have an issue, they are much more apt to do so. So, to the casual observer, a product or service can look terrible, when in reality, for most people, it's fine.

Then, of course, you have the types of complaints. "I used my data in four days! Their service *$(@#." No, actually, that's your fault, not XYZ's. I often ask people who make claims like that: "If you fill up your gas tank, then drive all over the place and run out of gas on a road in the middle of nowhere, do you blame Ford or Shell? I bet not."

2018-06-20T20:31:57+00:00

Hfcomms

112 Posts
152 Reply Likes

Since you were with hughesnet for 13 years before switching to Exede, why did you switch?Would you do it again?

I was on a Hughes 9000 modem with the rolling 24 hour fap. The local installer does both Hughes and Exede and he recommended the switch. I wanted to try a newer/quicker satellite and I could of upgraded the Hughes or try Exede and the installer said he was doing more Exede lately so I tried Exede.

The Viasat1 service was superior to both the Hughes 9000 series as well as a little better than NextGen. Been very happy with Exede and would do it again. No Viasat 2 plans available in my area yet and I'm on an older modem with 12Mb capability but at times I've seen up to 15Mb to 17Mb and I can do pretty much anything I want so at this point for me no real reason to upgrade to Viasat2.

As a disclaimer I've installed both KU and C band satellite dishes and I installed my own Hughes system. They say you can't but there is a workaround for it. I would of done that with Exede but couldn't justify spending the $ for the specialized satellite meter required. I know how to make sure I get a good installation and I can fine tune the dish if necessary but so far there is no reason to. So yet, I'd do it again.

(Edited)

1 year ago

Steve Frederick-VS1/Beam314, Champion

3082 Posts
1979 Reply Likes

It is not just the satellite internet providers that have the 6 month limit on their vacation plans. At my lake place, I have had Time Warner, now Charter/Spectrum. They have a 6 months max on their vacation plan, then a requirement to pay full fare for a minimum of 6 months.

Hfcomms, you hit the nail on the heard that most people only get on these forums when they want to gripe about something. Every now and then someone will come in and express positive thoughts.

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2 people like this

1 year ago

GabeU, Champion

1797 Posts
1131 Reply Likes

I remember that post well. I can't speak for the person's phone company, but DirecTV does NOT allow for indefinite suspension, and I doubt most companies do. The person wanted an exception to the rule, and some rules aren't bent. You can't please everyone.

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1 person likes this

1 year ago

VeteranSatUser, Champion

5133 Posts
3172 Reply Likes

Sirius XM allows 5 months. I sometimes do it, but it is such a hassle, I usually don't. They don't want to make it too easy to suspend service.

Correct me if I am wrong, but if you suspend Viasat service you can only renew it with what plans are available? That is a good way to lose a Freedom or 150GB "unlimited" plan!

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2 people like this

2018-06-19T23:43:44+00:00

GabeU, Champion

1746 Posts
1087 Reply Likes

Eek! That would be unfortunate.

2018-06-20T02:11:11+00:00

Andy Schack

854 Posts
758 Reply Likes

You are correct VetSat. I had a customer put their system on vacation and when they restarted it, they had to pick from a current plan....they were NOT happy. Viasat's habit of changing plans every other month caused a LOT of angst for many people. Hopefully the VS2 plans will stay somewhat static.

Andy

2018-06-20T02:22:56+00:00

VeteranSatUser, Champion

5133 Posts
3172 Reply Likes

Agreed. Plans changing like the weather causes a lot of confusion among current and prospective customers.

.Plans at my location have changed at least 3 times in the last month.

2018-06-20T04:09:07+00:00

Michael McDowell

624 Posts
234 Reply Likes

Yep.... got me that way once! Fortunately wasn't the Freedom plan. :-)

2018-06-20T13:14:09+00:00

Brad, Viasat Employee

3411 Posts
1279 Reply Likes

That's true. You can only resume to the current available plans

12 months ago