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All reviews of WildBlue


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Reviews:
read 346 reviews (83 positive) (182 negative)
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Six Month Rating

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Speed test results 3 year trend
(346 Reviews)
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Review by realon See Profile
Posted: 1 year ago
member for 4.9 years, 31 visits, last login: 83 days ago


Heath,Franklin,MA
Contract price not specified.
"Quite stable connection, especially for satellite service"
"Expensive service, equipment must be purchased and can't be reused by anyone else, bandwidth cap is extremely annoying"
"Far better than dialup and the best I could do for the three years I had it. Dropped it for DSL at half the price ASAP."
Pre Sales information:
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Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)

    In the rural area that I live in, satellite was the only option other than dialup (which wasn't really much of an option itself) until recently. We also have no cellular telephone reception in the area at all. For the last three years, I had WildBlue, and the connection was rock-solid except for the worst storms. I could seriously surf even in rain and snow. Only in the worst thunderstorms or blizzards did it cut out, and usually just for a little while. That's better than friends who had worse connectivity nearby with HughesNet. The latency was still horrible, but there's no way around the limitations of the speed of light, so I don't blame that on the company in any way. Once a download or media stream started, it was usually quite solid and at the advertised speeds.

    Still, I had to purchase the equipment for a few hundred dollars, sign a 2-year contract, and at the end of it all, the best I could do was to return the modem for a $50 rebate that I haven't yet received (it's been over a month). They insist that every new subscriber still purchase all of the equipment, so I couldn't resell or even give away the equipment to a friend that was interested. That, and the service cost 2-3 times what equivalent broadband of any other type cost. Finally, the bandwidth caps did cause me trouble now and then when I actually did things like downloading an entire game that I purchased online or attempting to download ISOs for RedHat and such. Once they throttle the connection due to exceeding the cap, they don't throttle it back until you're below 70% of the cap. If you exceeded it because of a few large downloads (like I did), then it could take days or weeks until one of those downloads rolled off your rolling 30-day average.

    I only dealt with their tech-support on a couple of occasions, and although eventually helpful, it was cumbersome as hell. One time it took over 45 minutes just to get someone to reset the password so that I could login to the portal to view my utilization stats to help avoid going over the cap.

    Needless to say, as soon as I had another option (DSL became available), I took it. Amazingly, cancelling the subscription to WildBlue was the best cancellation experience I've ever had. Now, if they just provide the rebate on the modem that I sent back, it'll be a clean done-deal with no real complaints from my end other than that the nature of the service WildBlue provides is only worth the cost if it's the only broadband option available. In that case though, I think it is worth it as long as you're willing to pay and commit for several years.



    Followup comments:
    Forums » comments on review of WildBlue

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Review by captak
Posted: 1 year ago
(review was emailed from domain attglobal.net)


Rochester,Thurston,WA
Contract price not specified.
"They did get the installation done as promised"
"They promised high speed reliable internet connection - don't believe it - they did not deliver"
"Never let your friends do Wild Blue!"
Pre Sales information:
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(ratings below consensus)



    I would like to post a review on Wild Blue Satellite service. They promised
    speeds faster than HughesNet - a more lenient fair access policy - free
    installation - reliable access - and delivered NONE of the above. We have
    had them less than a month and our internet has been down more than it has
    been up.






    Followup comments:
    view ALL 5 comments
    BigVe

    join:2005-07-15
    Gulliver, MI

    Just one word apply

    CANCEL
    permalink · 2008-11-18 19:31:40 · Reply to this

    Wild Blue

    @wildblue.net

    Wild Blue

    Attempting to do just that - this is also not easy with Wild Blue. Will try again tomorrow.
    permalink · 2008-11-20 01:02:29 · Reply to this

    ftp12345

    @wildblue.net

    Wildblue service

    I must've had a good installation as I've had great success. Whatever speed I was signed up for, I got.

    Due to business needs, I'm now using their top services and, except for the usual lag for satellites, I'm very happy. I can even use VPN to gain access to company resources/networks (though at a much slower rate (usually 8-11K download speeds)

    I do have problems with weather from time-to-time, but it usually doesn't last long.
    permalink · 2008-11-24 17:45:02 · Reply to this

    CPtak

    @plu.edu

    Re: Wildblue service

    You are very very lucky. Enjoy! Maybe it is just our location in the Northwest however overall Wild Blue customer service has been awful. We have been trying to cancel. So far we have spoken to the account person who tried to upsell us to get us to what they promised in the first place, then we got to the supervisor who promised to call me back in 1-2 hours after holding me on the phone for 1 hour. They called back 4 hours later to tell me they need to further research the account and that they would call back in 1-2 days. Understand we have only been on Wild Blue since October 21. How much research can there be? It has been five days and still no call. Next call after Thanksgiving.
    permalink · 2008-11-24 18:00:06 · Print · Reply to this

    TT

    @wm.com

    Not impressed at all.

    For me in NH for highspeed it was Wild Blue or Hughes Net (rural no other highspeed available). Couldnt afford Hughes so I went with wild blue. Nightmare with install - Promised 8am-12 on a monday they showed up at 730 at night. Dish was bad. Promised they would be out on wens 8 am to fix. Tech showed up with NO equipment. Promised he would be back on thursday and didnt show. Promised they would be back on sat didnt show. Finally on monday they showed up and put in new modem and new dish. Worked great FOR ONE DAY. Wens I get rain and lost service. This weather was nothing compared to what I have coming for this winter. If this is the case I will not have internet all winter long. I would NOT recommend this service at all!!!!!!!
    permalink · 2008-11-26 07:52:37 · Print · Reply to this
    Forums » comments on review of WildBlue






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Review by (hidden by request)
Posted: 1 year ago
(review was emailed from domain cs.com)


Venice,Sarasota,FL
Contract price not specified.
"zero"
"Not told about possible $200+ additional charges for installation and charged $50 to cancel the order."
"STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!"
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
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Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)

    When I initially called for information about installation, I was not told that a hole would have to be cut into the roof, but on rental property, the owner must give permission. The alternative is to put up a pole and attach the HUGE dish to it. All this at an additional cost of approximately 200 to 300 dollars. When I changed my mind because of the cost, I cancelled the order and was charged a $50 restocking fee. Had I been told about the installation requirements BEFORE I ordered the service, I would NOT have ordered it in the first place. Then they STOLE $50 from my account for a bogus restocking fee.

    Followup comments:
    view ALL 3 comments

    Qoiz

    join:2005-06-26
    ·Cox HSI

    lame

    typical wild blue bullcrap.. but hey at least it is only 50, you can easily earn that back in an hour. and you will feel proud knowing you EARNED your 50, they had to steal theirs, so you can laugh at them for being so ridiculously pathetic! hehehaha!
    --
    I have had Direcway/Hughes for years. I've had trouble with them some until the latest system DW7000. It is blazing fast 1 to 1.5 kbps down most of the time- Kath159
    permalink · 2008-11-12 00:08:54 · Reply to this
    wcnghj

    join:2008-05-01

    Refund

    If it was a credit card or checking account, call your bank, you are entitled to a chargeback.
    permalink · 2008-11-13 14:54:41 · Reply to this

    Island Jeff

    join:2005-07-18
    ·WildBlue
    ·TDS

    Re: dish size and holes

    quote:
    I was not told that a hole would have to be cut into the roof
    How were you expecting it would be mounted? Is this a flat roof where you were looking for a non-penetrating mount?
    And when you say "cut into the roof" are you talking about the lag screws which secure the mount to the roof?
    quote:
    The alternative is to put up a pole and attach the HUGE dish to it.
    My normal wildblue dish is smaller than a typical TV dish network or direc tv dish. It's not as small as a wireless internet panel, but I don't think I'd describe it as huge...
    --
    Very happy TDS DSL user | Wildblue in Lake Michigan
    permalink · 2008-11-15 03:12:45 · Print · Reply to this
    Forums » comments on review of WildBlue

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Review by Wildblusucks See Profile
UPDATED: 1.1 years ago
member for 1.1 years, 1 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago


undisclosed location
Contract price not specified.
"Fast install to prevent buyers remorse and hope you dont check reviews first"
"FAP, customer service is poorly managed"
"FAP has ruined it all. Management too greedy, poor customer service rep has management telling em to BS anyone who calls"
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)

    So, I expected usual issues with satellite internet like it not working in the weather/storm/fog.I have satellite tv and it doesn't bother me. That is ok. I also was ok with upfront knowing of the advertised 500 millisecond latency. What ruined this company is a thing called FAP.

    FAP stands for "Fair Access Policy." As I was soon told by a customer service representative after being on hold for 25 mins. Basically it is a limit to how much you can download. When you reach the limit your speed is decreased to the point you cant even use it any more. My limit is 12 gb. They try to use that as a steping stone for you to buy the more expensive package to get a few more gigabytes per month. But a larger package would mean faster speeds and I would reach my max threshold for the month faster. Basically it would be pointless to upgrade.

    12 Gigabytes is not enough per rolling 30 days. Every day the internet has a trend of increasing memory intensive sites. 12 Gigabytes would have been perfect back in 1995 but not anymore. i don't know were they actually get their statistics of "average usage."

    So how crappy does the performance degrade to when you use your 12 gb limit? Mine was horrible. The advertised latency of 500 milliseconds (actually was 1200 millieseconds) upped to a range of 20-400 seconds. That means that if you clicked on something it could take up to 2 or 3 minutes to load as punishment for exceeding your "threshold" of 12 gigabytes for the last month. More than that, one you let the page start down loading, it decreased from 100 kb/s download to 15 kb/second.

    If you kept using the connection way past the "threshold" then it would completely shut off and you would get an error screen "cannot load page." If you had homework to do, to bad, just get that F and send another $50.00 check to Wildblue.

    I dont download large files I surf the internet, however, a few other people use the pc for surfing as well. I have not P2Peer programs installed. Despite that, the web site says I am 18 gb over thresshold averaging a little over 2 gb a day. Something doesnt seem right. (direct connection no wifi).

    Worst Internet Ever. I will tell everyone I meet how crappy Wild Blue is. They keep tring to give me free months to forget about the problem so I dont disconnect. I am currently waiting for a new dynamic broadband wireless service that I am switching to. Google wireless broadband along with your closest largest city and hopefully you should find some competition.

    FAP=Lower bandwidth Wildblue has to buy at the expense of customers, a canker of market inefficiency that hopefully will go away when competition comes (or the government burreu of laziness gets off their asses).

    UPDATED:

    As an update, the official "Fair Access Policy" can be found at: »wildblue.com/legal/WildBlue_Fair···2008.pdf

    I just checked the bandwidth meter today after the 1st day. It says I only used 100mb for light surfing/email in the last 24 hours. However, on the threshold usage page it says I used 2.6GB for that day. ??? According to the FAP service gets degraded to 128 kilobit connection. The mathematics does not pan out. 128kb= 15 kilobyte per second download. If I were to download something continuously for 24 hours given good weather and no interference, that should be about 1.3824 GB per day? 128kbps/8bits=16kb/s*60sec*60min*24hours=1,382,400kb per day max = 1.3824 GB is the max I could download continuously for 24 hours which I did not. 2.6gb in that day is mathematically impossible. (providing I did the calculation correctly pretty sure I did)

    Followup comments:
    view ALL 7 comments

    Chrono

    @wildblue.net

    switched to EV-DO

    Wildblue is so horrible, I couldn't agree more. Right now I'm trying to work on getting cable down our road, but in the mean time, I switched to Sprint Mobile Broadband. If you can get sprint service I would highly recommend it. Its about just as fast with little latency and A LOT more reliable in bad weather. However, most companies impose a 5GB cap so watch out.

    Hope your internet situation works out well. Best of luck in the future
    permalink · 2008-10-14 16:48:32 · Reply to this

    John the plumber

    @wildblue.net

    your a moron

    Every ISP on the planet has a fair access or fair usage policy? How is WildBlue's fault that your a moron?
    permalink · 2008-10-17 15:37:51 · Reply to this

    wildbluevictim2

    @hyatthsia.com

    Re: your a moron

    I can tell by your attitude you must work for wild blue cutomer service or if you don't they want you to work for them you are just the kind of mean and insulting person they are looking for. Oh and by the way my isp does not have a limit or fair usage policy. com-pair.net check it out wild blue defender.
    permalink · 2008-10-27 16:49:21 · Reply to this

    Island Jeff

    join:2005-07-18
    ·WildBlue
    ·TDS

    higher level plans = higher faps

    quote:
    My limit is 12 gb. They try to use that as a steping stone for you to buy the more expensive package to get a few more gigabytes per month. But a larger package would mean faster speeds and I would reach my max threshold for the month faster. Basically it would be pointless to upgrade.
    This logic is flawed.

    If you're running something like P2P that causes usage without your control or desire, just turn it off or put tighter controls on it (whether you upgrade or not.)

    If you upgrade your package you can download and upload noticeably more content. The objective I assume isn't to test how many hours you can saturate your connection but rather to download and upload the content that you want to transfer. The fact that you can accomplish a given amount of work/transfer faster on a higher level plan should be a bonus.

    Of course satellite is expensive. To get the same FAP as a $49/month DSL plan will take two wildblue enterprise plans or $400/month.
    --
    Very happy TDS DSL user | Wildblue in Lake Michigan
    permalink · 2008-10-17 16:13:23 · Print · Reply to this

    sid_viscous

    @myvzw.com

    Re: higher level plans = higher faps

    Just to clarify:

    -not all ISPs have a FAP - my DSL runs continuous @ 180k to 260k (range of SpeedTest.net tests I just did), forever. No FAP at all.

    -this is better than FAP speeds (from HN or WB) by far. I misread the promotional blurbs and assumed FAP speeds from satellite would be faster than my DSL.

    -bottom line: Just about *any* DSL is better than satellite internet.

    --sid v.
    permalink · 2008-10-29 15:23:28 · Reply to this

    Simba7

    join:2003-03-24
    Billings, MT

    Re: higher level plans = higher faps

    said by sid_viscous :

    -bottom line: Just about *any* DSL is better than satellite internet.

    --sid v.
    Try *ANYTHING* is better than satellite internet.
    permalink · 2008-11-18 12:22:57 · Reply to this
    doggylover

    join:2008-11-29
    Malibu, CA

    This is happening to me as well!

    I have been shut down as well 15 days ago under FAP and have not used the service for 15 days. There was no service at all for a week and now just dial up speed. My usage still shows at 84% during the past 30 days rollover with 15 days of non-usage. This doesn't make sense and when I asked the supervisor on what date will my usage go down to 0 % (or nothing) if I don't use the service, she said never but still show 20%. Well the way I see this if you don't use your service for 30 days then it should close to nothing, but not 20% the way this lady is telling me. I have the Propack service for 17 Gb and did not reach the 80% threshold in 10 months but apparently this past month something happened which I still have not figured out. Now I am monitoring all my usage and my EVDO card stats and don't even come close to their limit. I feel we need to find all the previous customers that have had similar issues and fight them legally, otherwise they will keep on doing it over and over.
    permalink · 2008-11-29 16:47:51 · Print · Reply to this
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Review by slip72 See Profile
Posted: 1.1 years ago
member for 1.5 years, 59 visits, last login: 84 days ago


Stratford,Kings,CA
Contract price not specified.
"available anywhere"
"tech support, service"
"stay away from wild blue"
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)

    i was ready to cancel after two months. if you dont live in the city and there is a school near by (miles) your house you can purchase equipment to get service from the schools service. you will have to get in touch with someone that handles the schools internet service.

    Followup comments:
    Forums » comments on review of WildBlue






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Review by .
Posted: 1.1 years ago
(review was emailed in)


Medford,Taylor,WI
Contract price not specified.
"none"
"slower than dial up, no reception if it rains, or is foggy"
"I hate this internet service"
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)

    There is no guarentee with this service. I complained right from the start. I should have stuck with dial up. I thought I would save money and have faster service. WRONG!!!!!! I am stuck for 24 months, what a waste. I have the value pack, but they still told me it would be faster than dial up. There has to be something they can do. I have another year of this to go.

    Followup comments:
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Review by Sdub757 See Profile
Posted: 1.2 years ago
member for 1.2 years, 3 visits, last login: 1.1 years ago


Wakefield,Sussex,VA
Contract price not specified.
"Some Days, Very Good Connectivity"
"2-3 Outages A Month, Slow Connectivity When Cloudy, Latency Issues, Worst Customer Service Ever!"
"GET WILDBLUE AS A LAST RESORT TO BROADBAND."
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)

    Considered Getting HughesNET, Currently Have Sprint EVDO, WildBlue Satellite Internet.

    I Currently Have The PRO Package, (1.5Mbps Downstream) (256Kbps Upstream) Not Always Guaranteed.

    The Install Process Went Extremely Well.

    I Currently Have A: VIA SAT Satellite Modem, And A WildBlue 65cm X 75cm Elliptical Ka-Band Antenna.

    No Good Experiences really, BAD Experiences: Slow Connectivity, Bad Customer Service, Fair Access Policy Is On A 30-Day Cycle, Unlike HughesNET. They Have A 24-Hour Cycle.

    Followup comments:
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Review by hans190271 See Profile
UPDATED: 1.2 years ago
member for 1.2 years, 0 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago


Bardstown,Nelson,KY
Contract price not specified.
"friendly customer service great techs"
"speed performance"
"not worth the money"

    I cannot complain about the customer support o the techs or the equipment ... all works for me .. up graded to platinum at some point but still felt ripped off to pay $90 for what you get for $20 with dsl. I feel that this will never die out since they can sell this very limited broadband service in areas that give no other choice. To me very unethical due to the price and quality of service. I ordered the service very enthused .. actually got referred but shortly after using it for a while just started to get aggravated to think about the price/quality of service relation. Understand here that I just do email and web browsing like WEB EMAIL etc. no fancy video downloads or bandwidth intense web sites. Again THE SERVICE IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY

    Followup comments:
    view 1 comment

    q81

    @entergy.com

    you can't compare dsl/cable with satellite

    if you feel like you are getting ripped off then try getting a sat phone plan for a price comparable to your wireless plan. satellite communications aren't cheap.
    permalink · 2008-09-18 07:26:24 · Reply to this
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Review by cavecasa
Posted: 1.2 years ago
(review was emailed from domain wildblue.net)


Concordia,Cloud,KS
Contract price not specified.
"none"
"everything"
"worst service I have ever experienced"

    This service is worst than dial up. I have had problems from beginning. Finally I scheduled a service call which was supposed to happen on August 20 and tech never even showed up!!!!! Now It is telling me I my password which HAS BEEN THE SAME SINCE i FIRST SIGNED UP UP WITH WILDBLUE is invalid. How stupid!!!!! I will be so glad when my contract is up. I am in Denver Children's Hospital with my grand daughter and can't even get into my email. Like I need this!

    cavecasa@wildblue.net

    Followup comments:
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    Qoiz

    join:2005-06-26

    you

    got screwed
    permalink · 2008-09-07 20:22:58 · Reply to this

    wildbluesucks

    @ldrenshospital.org

    you got screwed

    As if I hadn't figured that out
    permalink · 2008-09-09 01:29:44 · Reply to this
    rdavidsf

    join:2008-10-08

    ==WILDBLUE :: SAMBA MUSIC ON HOLD!

    OK, so I drilled down to the WILDBLUE website to find a toll free number. When told that the phone is being answered in the Caribbean, I asked "promptly" and POLITELY to be transferred to an AMERICAN in USA, because I do not like to do business with off-shore accounts. Then, I hung up, redialed to inquire what they were offering... three times, count them 3Xs my call was BLOCKED.

    Any way, any how~ the CONSENSUS here on this FORUM is that WILDBLUE is just a blue streak~ not worthy of my Internet support or subscription! MY thanks for posting all the grit about WILDBLUE! No thank you~ I would LIKE to find another satellite service [here in the desert of Wonder Valley -- I've ONLY had dial-up for FOUR years]. I want real connectivity. Any suggestions, please
    permalink · 2008-10-08 18:50:01 · Print · Reply to this
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Review by zq8_blazer See Profile
Posted: 1.2 years ago
member for 1.2 years, 5 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago


Strongs,Chippewa,MI
Contract price not specified.
"Fastest I can get"
"Really high monthly bill, even higher service calls, long hold times"
"Get it if you can't get any other for of high speed"

    I cannot get DSL, Cable, etc... that is why I have Wild Blue, why else would I have it? The dependability is good and the speed is usually around 1,000k w/ the middle package. I hate the $70 a month bill, $95 service call is a joke, and the 2 year agreement/cancellation charge is also a joke.

    Followup comments:
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    Disgusted

    @wildblue.net

    Wildblue reliability/dependability

    I went from earthlink to wildblue.BIGGEST MISTAKE I'VE EVER MADE!Half the time I can't access the server and the other
    half I spend trying to access my emai.
    SLOW??? Heck even molasses is faster.
    Sucks
    permalink · 2008-08-29 13:02:03 · Reply to this

    redsie

    @wildblue.net

    it sucks!!

    I would get rid of it today if I could..suckered into 2 more months of this crap.
    I have a repair man here at least twice a month...and they NEVER get it right..always a different excuse.
    I have had less internet time in the last 6 months than I have had since before I got this wildblue.
    I hate dial up so this is all I am offered at this point. When my contract is up I am going to try Hughes Net
    permalink · 2008-09-02 14:40:31 · Reply to this
    zq8_blazer

    join:2008-08-27
    Strongs, MI
    ·WildBlue

    Re: it sucks!!

    To fix the internet yourself you can buy a satellite finder meter off ebay for satellites, it's the same kind they use and costs about $15. You'll then need some cable with ends on it and place it between the satellite and the lines running to your modem. I did this and it speeded my internet up a lot and I get dropped a lot less too. The guy that installed mine was an idiot.

    THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY so don't mention anything to Wild Blue about you working on it.
    permalink · 2008-09-10 13:57:42 · Reply to this

    redsie

    @wildblue.net

    Re: it sucks!!

    Wow, thanks for the info...I will try to find one today!
    They came back the day before yesterday and now are telling me I should move my pole..yeh right, let's dig up my yard some more...Unbelievable!
    permalink · 2008-09-11 07:14:09 · Reply to this
    Forums » comments on review of WildBlue






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