Topic 'Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware' in forum 'HughesNet Satellite' - dslreports.com

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:56:00 EDT

monicakm posted : Well I'm back on the phone again with HN to try to get to the bottom of this. Waiting for another supervisor. I'm questioning the "for the first three months" that's noted on their website. Without (and maybe with) written proof of $60/month as long as I keep the same plan, I'm screwed.
Milton (supervisor #3) said that the technician who installs my equipment will have the written agreement with everything that's been stated to me by Hughes today. If something is not accurate, I can refuse the install. He sees where I was promised a locked in fee of $60/month for as long as I keep this plan but is checking to make sure they can actually do that...they can. The caveat is if I decide to upgrade to a faster plan, then decide to go back. I'll incur the higher monthly fee. Already knew that. When I pointed out the "for the first three months" on the web, he said "that is for new customers". At least I'll have everything in writing tomorrow.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:38:36 EDT

silbaco posted : Looking at the front page of Hughes website concerning the powerplan, it says:

"† Offer represents $10 savings on Power plan $49.99 promotional monthly rate. Valid on Purchase or Lease orders between 09/17/12-12/31/12 on the Power plan only and does not apply to other Service Plans. HughesNet service must remain active for a minimum of 31 days. Other restrictions may apply. Offer void where prohibited by law."

Once you click view details for the power plan it says:

"† Offer represents $10 savings on Power plan $49.99 promotional monthly fee for the first 3 months. Valid on Purchase or Lease orders between 09/17/12-12/31/12 on the Power plan only and does not apply to other Service Plans. HughesNet service must remain active for a minimum of 31 days. Rebate submission must be received by 12/31/13. Other restrictions may apply. Offer void where prohibited by law."

Does anyone know which one is correct?

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:36:47 EDT

monicakm posted : I just signed up for Gen 4 and listed (in another thread) what they promised me. After reading this message, I called back to verify and asked them to EMAIL me the details of our agreement. They would not email me a copy! Said they can't. Whaaaat? That's fishy! But, instead of a $20 discount for 6 months, it's a $20 discount for 12 months. I have case numbers and supervisor numbers. What I needed was a recording of the conversation since they "can't" email me a copy of our agreement :mad:
So upfront, I know that the cost will be $60 (10 of that is lease fee) a month, $40 a month for the first 12 months. After all the readings to confirm and talks with two supervisors, case #, etc, if they call and say "oops..." I will hurt someone :p

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:51:32 EDT

compuguybna posted : Install might be free, Equipment might be "FREE" (meaning no up front cost or the equipment), but there is a $9.99 PER MONTH rental fee. always has been, probably always will be.

UNLIMITED? Yeah right, on satellite? NOT! even cellular/mobile broadband is slowly moving away from "unlimited"....even then its "FULL 3G/4G for 5GB", then throttled for the rest of the billing cycle. companies stretch the definition of the word "unlimited" so far its not funny.

i'd get any offering from HUGHESNET over the phone IN WRITING first.

said by DamonLee22 :

I had Hughes Net for two years and was not satisfied with the service or the $82 dollar cost every month. I decided to go with a new line of service on my cell phone and got the data connect device instead. I called Hughes Net and cancelled my service and was immediately transferred over to a lady who began offering me the new Gen4 Service... She explained to me the equipment would be Free, Installation would be free, and I would receive Unlimited Data for a fee of 49.95 plus tax per month... I didn't take the deal, but didn't sound too bad... I already signed the contract with my phone service. My suggestion to anyone who is unhappy with their service with Hughes Net should call and tell them you wish to cancel the service, I'm sure if you have been with them for a couple of years they will give you the same offer.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:33:51 EDT

sharkyyoung posted :

said by DamonLee22 :

No such thing as unlimited data on Hughes, and as far as the equipment being free that would have to be in writing.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:53:36 EDT

anon posted : I had Hughes Net for two years and was not satisfied with the service or the $82 dollar cost every month. I decided to go with a new line of service on my cell phone and got the data connect device instead. I called Hughes Net and cancelled my service and was immediately transferred over to a lady who began offering me the new Gen4 Service... She explained to me the equipment would be Free, Installation would be free, and I would receive Unlimited Data for a fee of 49.95 plus tax per month... I didn't take the deal, but didn't sound too bad... I already signed the contract with my phone service. My suggestion to anyone who is unhappy with their service with Hughes Net should call and tell them you wish to cancel the service, I'm sure if you have been with them for a couple of years they will give you the same offer.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:04:26 EDT

james1979 posted :

said by jizwiz :

So far I haven't been able to get anyone at HN Support to even answer the phone, so I can't even make the determination whether or not the upgrade is good.

I was directed to this link when I called about upgrading to Gen 4 :

»gen4upgrade.hughesnet.com/login.cfm

If your ZIP and SAN check out (i.e., you *can* upgrade now), you get directed to this link which has the plans available for existing customers:

»gen4upgrade.hughesnet.com/plan4.cfm

I was told that the Power plan would not be discounted to $49.99 a month for existing customers. So Hughes created a Power Plus plan at $59.99 a month (the same as the undiscounted Power plan) which just has an extra 5 GB / month of "Bonus Bytes".

So for me, there was a $99 upgrade fee and a $50 mail-in rebate. As documented on another topic, I was also charged $125 by the installer for a new pole mount. And also, existing customers were not allowed to purchase their equipment when I put in my upgrade order, so there's also the $9.99 monthly equipment lease free.

So for me, a minimal upgrade to Gen 4 cost $225 up front, with a monthly bill of $70.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:11:54 EDT

anon posted : So far I haven't been able to get anyone at HN Support to even answer the phone, so I can't even make the determination whether or not the upgrade is good. I have had HN for about six years and I think that they suck! I pay for 1mps and am lucky to get 350k.

I couldn't upgrade to the 9000 because I couldn't place a dish in any acceptable location and still see the sat. I had to top some trees to get what I have.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:41:22 EDT

sharkyyoung posted : Business plans will come out at a later date. At least that is what I have heard.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:39:56 EDT

sharkyyoung posted :

said by silbaco:

To my understanding (which could be wrong) Viasat and Hughes are not using their satellite's full capacity at this time and not all capacity will be made available for consumer services. They also want to fit a lot more than 50k people per satellite. But even so, I don't think anyone disagrees that the caps are a little low.

Has Hughes launched Gen4 business plans, or are these existing plans supposed to serve businesses as well?

said by Elkhorn:

I'm currently using an HN7000, 1.4mbps & 475mb daily allowance and bucket refill.
I'm seriously considering GEN4, I realize that in theory I won't be able to download as much, but, that's not really an issue.
I've kept a list of my daily uploads and downloads for 5+ years, and I average 6-7 gig down/up per month. I rarely use the free period during the wee hours.
I also get up at 6 am daily, so the first 2 hours on GEN4 would come off my night time allowance.
I don't need 10 mbps, I'd be thrilled to just get 25-50% of that on a regular basis.
I like the monthly cap as opposed to daily, and I'm disciplined enough to monitor my usage and stay out of trouble (no teens using my internet either.....)
So, wish me luck, I'm gonna make the jump *grins*

Good luck! Hope it works well for you.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:58:07 EDT

silbaco posted : To my understanding (which could be wrong) Viasat and Hughes are not using their satellite's full capacity at this time and not all capacity will be made available for consumer services. They also want to fit a lot more than 50k people per satellite. But even so, I don't think anyone disagrees that the caps are a little low.

Has Hughes launched Gen4 business plans, or are these existing plans supposed to serve businesses as well?

said by Elkhorn:

Good luck! Hope it works well for you.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:45:00 EDT

Elkhorn posted : I'm currently using an HN7000, 1.4mbps & 475mb daily allowance and bucket refill.
I'm seriously considering GEN4, I realize that in theory I won't be able to download as much, but, that's not really an issue.
I've kept a list of my daily uploads and downloads for 5+ years, and I average 6-7 gig down/up per month. I rarely use the free period during the wee hours.
I also get up at 6 am daily, so the first 2 hours on GEN4 would come off my night time allowance.
I don't need 10 mbps, I'd be thrilled to just get 25-50% of that on a regular basis.
I like the monthly cap as opposed to daily, and I'm disciplined enough to monitor my usage and stay out of trouble (no teens using my internet either.....)
So, wish me luck, I'm gonna make the jump *grins*
--
HN7000S 99 West 1250 MHZ Professional Pro Windows 7

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:44:30 EDT

TexasRebel posted : I'll be ditching ViaSat/Exede this coming week because they don't want me as a customer, because I'm the squeaky wheel type that wants their crap to work without me having to constantly unplug, reboot hardware.

Hopefully, Hughesnet will be more reliable in me not having to constantly unplug their hardware to fix software glitches as ViaSat/Exede has. I've had Exede for 6 months and technology wise, it's blazing fast for what I've used it for. I've seen up to 24Mbps down and 4.5Mbps up. But once I was DAPPED after a little over 2 weeks of normal usage, then I had to deal with the twice per day modem recycling to put me back into a highspeed mode during LNFZ. The only problem is, after it did the recycle, it broke DNS/DHCP between the modem and router. I duplicated this with 3 different routers, 2 linksys and 1 $500 Sonicwall TZ100. The only way to fix it was unplug modem and wait 2 minutes and then plug it back in and then refresh the WAN side DHCP on the router, then it worked as it was supposed to.

Anyway, I've been doing some research.. Most cable internet companies only have about 10Gbit connections to a internet backbone. Possibly in larger cities they have up to 50Gbit. So in saying that, with ViaSat-1 and Hughesnet Gen4 having somewhere around 130-150Gbps of total bandwidth each, why are each of them using such low data capping on their subscribers?? Again, cable companies have 10Gbps to 50Gbps and may have multiple connections to the internet and they have up to 50,000+ homes they service and they have data caps at 150GB or more.

Why does ViaSat & Hughesnet market their products with being able to watch movies, videos, video chatting, and other media rich internet content and then give you such low data allowances?? Data allowances have nothing to do with Fair Access. Fair Access should be controlled by QoS metrics which balance out bandwidth for everyone on a beam if congestion is detected.

IS there will be anyone at either one of these companies that can answer my question?? Who at these satellite companies, thought 20-25GB for $110-150 was affordable?? Seriously, who are these people and do they even use their own product??

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:43:39 EDT

grohgreg posted :

said by Doc Lithius:

Do uploads count against your monthly bandwidth on Gen4?

Yes they do. But if it's any consolation, they count on both Wildblue and Exede as well. And FWIW, more than 90% of the average consumer throughput is on the download side anyway. I'm not talking P2P enthusiasts or dedicated gamers or website developers, just simple home users. They represent the vast majority. For them, the fact that the upload is counted against the total - is really rather insignificant.

//greg//
--
HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w "pure" Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1001H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 15/MSIE9 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2012

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 06:32:43 EDT

C0RR0SIVE posted : Yes, uploads count sadly. Thus it is slightly annoying having to take that into consideration when you haven't logged how much you do up+down for the last few years.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:10:03 EDT

chances14 posted :

said by Doc Lithius:

Hey, I thought of another question not too long ago.

Do uploads count against your monthly bandwidth on Gen4? Because they don't count against your daily bandwidth (and haven't since 2010-ish) on the HN9000, at the very least.

Yes uploads count against your cap on gen 4

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:45:22 EDT

Doc Lithius posted : Hey, I thought of another question not too long ago.

Do uploads count against your monthly bandwidth on Gen4? Because they don't count against your daily bandwidth (and haven't since 2010-ish) on the HN9000, at the very least.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:12:53 EDT

One More Too posted : If I were still a Hughes customer, my interest in moving to a Gen4 system would be based a few other factors. And I expect that the difference will be even greater when comparing complaints from 7000 customers to those from Gen4 customers.

First, Hughes seems to be making it quite clear that their priorities in the future are not going to based on the older Ku sytems. While I'm sure that they will continue to maintain a Ku presence, they continue not to reduce leases on the Ku transponders when their current leases expire. Also, it would appear that, recently, there have been a larger number of complaints from 7000 system customers with regard to connectivity issues, and it may well be the case that maintaining the infrastructure to keep 7000 systems working reliably is not going to be at the same level of priority as will be their efforts in maintaining the Gen4 systems. While I'd think that the 7000 systems will be officially supported for some time to come, even through the last couple of years, the complaints from 7000 users regarding service reliability that show up on boards like this one would seem to far exceed those from 9000 system customers.

Also, after being a Hughes customer for 5 years, I was able to get a WISP connection almost years ago. While speeds are not at the level of those with terrestrial connections, I've had consistent 6 megabit per second down speeds with no limits on bandwidth usage, but the nicest things about the connection, compared to the satellite connection that I had, have been relatively low latency, the ability to use a VOiP phone connection, fast https and ftp connections and transfers. It has been so nice to be able to do banking, paying bills, shopping on-line, etc. without having to deal with the slowdowns that have come with secure satellite connections. Also, with my Hughes connection, it would take me 10-15 to update a single page on my website via ftp transfer. With my WISP connection, I can do the same update in 20 seconds. Thus, I would be looking at how well Gen4 systems can handle https, ftp, etc. and whether they are capable of working with VOiP. If there are improvements in those areas, a move to Gen4 from a 7000 system would be worth it just for those improvements.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:16:40 EDT

anon posted :

said by grohgreg:

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR? Some business principles just don't change. In this case, You want more? Pony up !!

//greg//

I know, I know... Just irked that this time around what they advertise as more is actually less in the end when you tally it up, and it's a whole new set of quirks you must learn to work with/around in order to use the system.

No worries here sticking with the older system, I just wish they actually implemented Gen4 to be what they initially advertised it to be bringing to users!

I knew it would have limits, but the current caps are not in direct correlation with the speeds offered. Those caps would be more inline with the speed possibilities of the 7000S/9000 systems, not the much faster Gen4 systems.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:30:23 EDT

grohgreg posted : I'm getting to think that personal responsibility died in 2008. The number of people that want something for nothing in the last four years is startling. Whatever happened to an understanding of the basic precept: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR? Some business principles just don't change. In this case, You want more? Pony up !!

//greg//
--
HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w "pure" Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1001H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 15/MSIE9 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2012

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:10:15 EDT

anon posted : Sorry Greg, I didn't mean that rant to sound directed towards you in any way!!

As for our situation, we were on the Pro plan on the 7000 for about the last 5-6 years. We started on the basic plan, but that didn't last long at all.

We very recently had a hardware failure and was upgraded to Gen4 they said, but they installed a 9000 modem luckily! Huge mistake w/ customer service, I had to do a call review over what was sold to us and what we were billed, ect - and finally get retention to take $100 off the bill. The call review was only in regards to the amount billed vs what we was told, nothing to do with Gen and I'm glad we didn't wait to get it either. They did say still we would get Gen4 with the 9000 modem, but just meaning faster speeds at a future undisclosed date (Doubt it).

Anyway, no back on topic haha! No, we were on the Pro plan on 7000 w/ grandfathered allowance @ 425 daily, and after the upgrade recently we were moved back to the base plan w/ 9000. So yes, now we are unwilling to go back to the Gen4 $80 a month plan. And that is for two reasons, why pay more for less data and tighter restrictions? And, now that we are back on a cheaper plan that offers more than the $80 we were paying with the 7000S it doesn't make sense to go back to $80 a month again (For less allowance)

If we had not just moved to the cheapest plan, and was considering the $80 a month Gen4 plan as an upgrade, then we'd still be concerned about the 30GB monthly limit. Sure we might currently only use that amount or just under, but that is ONLY due to the current constraints. A much faster service provided by Gen4 and the monthly limitation still would not be an upgrade (Aside from hardware as you mentioned). And with faster service, everyone will be using much more than they are currently simply because it would be possible due to faster page loading, easier to actually browse, ect.

So, if the plans were actually more instead of less, we'd upgrade in a minute, even back to the $80 a month plan! I feel in order for Gen4 to be an upgrade, or at least even compete evenly with the current plans, Gen4 without any free time would need to be at least 30GB for the base and 40/45GB for the mid-range plan. currently they are less allowance than what's offered with older hardware and those plans due to the daily limits, rollover, and free period.

Again I apologize, I didn't mean any of that to sound argumentative or directed at you! I was just replying directly to you initially in order to let you know how long we'd been using Hughes.

@ one More Too

I don't really have a complaint with Gen4 no daily rollover, mainly the monthly limit and LOW cap amounts! I only mentioned it due to how the rollover works with older hardware currently, without a monthly limit in place. I do fully understand what you mean about rolling data with Gen4, and you are correct. But the lower overall monthly limits are what concerns me, mainly with no daily amount or daily reset, and MUCH faster service, you could easily burn through your monthly allowance without blinking an eye and then either be limited for weeks at a time, or have to try and limit yourself for weeks at a time in order to not run out. Having to do that, or even worry/think about it, doesn't sound like an upgrade to me at all.

You're right about the amount used daily, we are heavy users and don't always use a full days amount, and don't always use the free period. But we are not a single user household, and we browse heavily all day, so we do often use very close to our limits in the non-free periods on many days a week, especially on the weekends, even without downloading anything just browsing. And watching our total bandwidth with a router I can see how even the middle priced Gen4 plan would be a hindrance for us compared to what we have now with the 9000, or even what we had with the old 7000S

That faster Gen4 speed and monthly limit will immediately catch up to MANY users! I even suspect the light browser like you mention will easily get used to doing more just because of the faster speeds being possible, and would very quickly start having to learn how to limit their usage in order to restrict themselves around the monthly limit.

You guys very well may be right, Gen4 is probably an upgrade for a very light user, but for a family or even a single heavy user I don't see those plans as fitting for anyone like that, especially considering the offered speeds!

I'd be much happier with 5Mbps and much higher caps, but that's just my dream haha! If it wasn't for our recent hardware failure and subsequent forced upgrade to 9000/Gen4? (New contract), we probably would have switched to Excede due to it's Gen4 speeds but nightly free time offering. Now we have to wait out our contract with 9000 :(

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:42:44 EDT

One More Too posted :

said by MeAgain4

We were so ready for Gen4, and VERY anxiously waiting being able to get it! But without a bucket, ZERO free time, rollover, ect. and miniscule monthly allowances, there's no way we could enjoy those faster speeds. Well, maybe we could for a week or two (Or less) haha!
[/BQUOTE :

It may well be the case that Gen4 is not for you, but your complaint about no rollover with Gen4 plans is one that is not valid. In fact, the Gen4 plans have a rollover that is substantially more generous than is the rollover with your existing plan.

What you have now allows you to rollover unused bandwidth into the next day, but, if you don't use it in the following day, you lose it. With the Gen4 plans, you essentially have a rollover that allows you to maintain access to unused bandwidth for the entire month.

For those customers who use virtually all of their daily allowance every day and who use the FAP-free time regularly, they may well have access to more bandwidth by staying with their current service plans. I suspect, however, that the more typical customer has ups and downs from one day to the next with regard to daily bandwidth usage, and I also suspect that the more typical customers only rarely use the FAP-free time. And, because the rollover does allow customers to maintain access to unused bandwidth for the entire month, the more typical customers will actually end up with access to more bandwidth with a Gen4 plan.

My typical daily usage, for example, averages under 100 MB per day. With a Gen4 plan, I would be able to have my normal usage and also be able to scatter several full length HD movies into the mix without having to do so in the middle of the night. That is something that would be completely impossible with the existing plans.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:14:53 EDT

grohgreg posted :

said by MeAgain4 :

Ahh, well 7 year Hughes user here, and NO WAY is that an upgrade for us!

When I used the word "upgrade", it refers to hardware upgrade. I'm perfectly content crossing straight over from my current $80/mo plan to the counterpart Gen4 plan. I was merely stating that it's adequate for my usage patterns.

But from your little rant, I think it's reasonable to conclude that you spent those 7 years on the basic $50/mo plan. From that one can extrapolate that you are unwilling to spend the extra money to get the extra data allowance. So in the unlikely even you transition to Gen4 - you'll probably take this very same rant with you. Actually, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see you complaining about the chintzy Exede allowance some day.

So besides depending upon what you're comparing it to, you also have to accept that you get what you pay for. If that proves insufficient, you have only yourself to blame.

//greg//
--
HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w "pure" Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1001H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 15/MSIE9 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2012

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:46:07 EDT

anon posted :

said by grohgreg:

said by MeAgain4 :

I'm sure ALL new customers will be thrilled with Gen4, until they start hitting their caps far sooner than expected!

Give it a month or three, and I'm sure the low cap damage complaints will start rolling in!

Ahh, well 7 year Hughes user here, and NO WAY is that an upgrade for us! Speeds sure, but allowance and ability to browse freely (and by browse I mean factoring in / knowing and being used to the limits current/older and new/Gen4)... not by a long shot.

We barely swam by on the Pro plan, on 7000S, hitting FAP once or twice every few months if we weren't paying attention. So I guess that isn't so bad, but the only reason that was possible was the addition of the free window at night, otherwise it was always a daily pain (Like when it was bucket style w/ no free time). Now on the basic plan on 9000, and we seem to be doing OK on that, due to the free window and the 2 day rollover. If there wasn't rollover I'm sure we'd have to go back to the Pro plan for it as well.

I tracked our total up/down last month, and we hit 20GB with 11 days left in the month, so maybe we could swing it on the mid priced Gen4 plan, but I doubt it. And I seriously doubt that would be possible once you factor in the speed improvements and all that offers to a heavy browsing user. Without that free window at night, there isn't even a place to plan large downloads you need, you'd just have to download them as needed and hope and pray you don't run out a week before refill time.

It already took years to get used to working around Hughes current limits/quirks, I think it's crazy for anyone to even think about taking a few more years to get used to their new lower limits and tighter restrictions.

I know, we all have our likes and dislikes, and we all browse differently, so there will always be users in both boats. I feel sorry for anyone that blindly jumps to Gen4 that actually uses the internet daily (Many hours of heavy browsing I mean, not just email and check a few web pages here-n-there), especially families.

We were so ready for Gen4, and VERY anxiously waiting being able to get it! But without a bucket, ZERO free time, rollover, ect. and miniscule monthly allowances, there's no way we could enjoy those faster speeds. Well, maybe we could for a week or two (Or less) haha!

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:37:46 EDT

anon posted : Not really we have low pings . Sorry sat just sucks soon as you understand that life is good.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:40:45 EDT

compuguybna posted : No worse than cell phone carriers launching faster speeds on LTE with crappy caps.... Faster speeds only makes you blow thru your cap faster (because you can do more now)...

said by MeAgain4 :

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:36:24 EDT

grohgreg posted :

said by MeAgain4 :

Depends upon what you're comparing it to. Folks switching from conventional/terrestrial broadband, perhaps. But I'm a 12+ year Hughes subscriber, paying $80/month for a 13GB allowance - and I seldom use the off peak window. So you won't hear any complaints from this Gen4 upgrader.

//greg//
--
HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w "pure" Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1001H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 15/MSIE9 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2012

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:59:29 EDT

anon posted : I'm sure ALL new customers will be thrilled with Gen4, until they start hitting their caps far sooner than expected!

Give it a month or three, and I'm sure the low cap damage complaints will start rolling in!

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:15:44 EDT

BajaSat posted : I can tell you that the details of the "official" HughesNet upgrade program through resellers have been a moving target, and many of us are still trying to find out exactly what will be charged for the upgrade, and how much commission/install fee the reseller will receive to make the sale. This has made it more difficult for the reseller to offer incentives since he/she doesn't know what he has to work with.

It seems HughesNet has been trying to take upgrade sales directly before rolling out a defined program to its resellers.

That said, Gen4 has proved to be an excellent product for our area, and 100% of our customers have been thrilled with it. I have a list of potential upgrade customers I'm sitting on until I'm sure of the details. I'm hoping to confirm this week.
--
Baja Satellite
US and Baja Mexico
»www.BajaSatellite.com

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:58:14 EDT

C0RR0SIVE posted : What you hear from a re-seller isn't always going to be what the corporate entity allows. A re-seller is nothing but a re-seller. They have no control what so ever over costs. They usually get paid incentive per each customer, so chances are, they are lieing out the rear end to get you to sign up through them instead of the actual company or another seller.

Never take a resellers words, always do your research when buying.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:44:40 EDT

anon posted : I understand Sandy T. I've been lied to since day 1. I've called Hughesnet and the local Hughesnet seller Entersource and have been mislead on both ends. I was going to get excede when I started my service a month ago, but they guaranteed me Hughesnet was going to be fast and they would waive the $199.99 setup fee because I was already a customer. They told me they had been to conferences and trainings on it and it was guaranteed. Did they follow through with it when I called back again? NO. I was even told my first month would be waived when I was first looking into signing up with Hughesnet. When I went to sign up the next day they told me that it is impossible and that their are "no notes" on my account to back up this claim.

Now here we are with gen 4. I called Entersource and they said call Hughesnet. I call Hughesnet and I'm told it is impossible and there are "no notes" to back up this claim. I had went to entersource multiple times and even talked to the VP and they told me "No need for notes to be added. It will happen automatically guaranteed! This was promised to me by the VP, the saleswoman and the installer. I even talked to another salesman there a few days later who also guaranteed it . Now all Im hear is that stupid comment of cant do it and no notes mentioning I was told that again. I'm starting to regret the day I ever signed up.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:16:59 EDT

anon posted : So far, right now, yes they will reinstate the lease fee at the end of the contract. And of course today Hughes came out with the purchase option. ha ha. I will call Exede tomorrow to see if they plan to follow Hughes or not. See what I get told.

But I planned to cross the bridge when I get there. So far this is working very good though.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:46:56 EDT

nedriv posted :

said by Kman08 :

I am on Exede as of today and cancelling my Hughes account. I was tired of all the drama. Called Exede las Friday, I am up and running this morning on the Exede 12 plan, @79.99 a month, 15GB unlimited nights, all my emails are up and running, no issues yet. Nice speeds so far, not HOT, but not cold either.

I prepaid the lease up for two years and saved $40.00. So far so good.

At the end of the 2 year contract, do you have to pay the lease monthly then?
--
HN9000 /

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:25:57 EDT

anon posted : I am on Exede as of today and cancelling my Hughes account. I was tired of all the drama. Called Exede las Friday, I am up and running this morning on the Exede 12 plan, @79.99 a month, 15GB unlimited nights, all my emails are up and running, no issues yet. Nice speeds so far, not HOT, but not cold either.

I prepaid the lease up for two years and saved $40.00. So far so good.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:31:32 EDT

anon posted : You don't only have to beware of the contract price. We were with HughesNet for years and years and had trouble with equipment constantly. But worse...the advertised download speeds were a joke. They were not even near what was advertised and you can just google to find that complaint everywhere. So I am extremely wary of the advertised download speeds of Gen4 until I see quotes from actual people that it is as advertised (notice that they say 'up to' 10Mbps). The 20Gig/month allowance is especially what got my attention. If download speeds are truly as advertised then the 20Gig/month allowance beats Verizon's 5Gig/month allowance!

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:54:56 EDT

BajaSat posted : The poor quality of HughesNet's auto-notification Emails sent to new customer sign ups are the problem. They are not very descriptive and do not include any mention of discounts or special offers, nor does it include local taxes.

I answer this question frequently after I place an order. Here is an exerpt from an auto-otification sent to a Gen4 pre-sale customer:

Thank you for your order.
Please print this email for your records.

The Summary of your order:
Order Number: 434XXXX
Payment Option: Lease -
Service Plan: HughesNet Gen4 Power - $59.99
Site Account Number (SAN): DSS3026XXXX
PIN #: XXXX

Dear HughesNet Member,

Congratulations and thank you for signing up to be among the first to upgrade to HughesNet Gen4!

In Fall 2012, Hughes is rolling out its 4th-generation high-speed satellite Internet service – HughesNet Gen4 – to give you more of what you need, including dramatically improved performance and support for high-bandwidth applications like video and music.

Your dealer should be able to supply you with a breakdown of costs and discounts, since they have access to this information. However, if you placed your order directly through HughesNet rather than a local dealer, you may hve more trouble getting this info since the CSRs there may have no idea what you're talking about (having never seen these Emails).

Bottom line: Check his/her rep first, but buy from a local dealer instead of from HN. A good dealer should know the ins and outs of getting you what you're expecting, and going to bat for you with HN in case of a problem. They can also fix your order quickly in case of an error.
--
Baja Satellite
US and Baja Mexico
»www.BajaSatellite.com

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 09:11:34 EDT

grohgreg posted : Well, I probably helps that I'm a retired telecommunications/satcom engineer. But my point was not reliability, it was cost. But it should be noted that I've owned Hughes hardware that lasted 6+ years without failure. I've been a Hughes subscriber for 12 years now, so I do have a pretty good frame of reference.

I was actually addressing the long term cost of lease vs buy. Again, I don't have the exact dollar figure to buy this new stuff. But historically - when rebates are considered - I can buy the hardware for one up-front payment equivalent to ~18 months of lease fees. After that, you're still paying. I'm not. Plus, I'm also protected by the regular hardware warranty for 24 months as well. After that - like you said - I have the option to buy a "better alternative"

//greg//
--
HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w "pure" Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1001H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 15/MSIE9 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2012

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 07:20:25 EDT

anon posted :

said by grohgreg:

Personally, I'd pay for the hardware up front. If I'm not mistaken, the purchase price will - after the $200 rebate - be about what a lessee pays in the first 18 months.

//greg//

Hughesnets contracts out to the cheapest manufacturer for there own modems, boxes, ect.

Hughesnets quality/reliability for there consumer hardware is just as bad as there service. For this very reason I HIGHLY ADVISE renting the junk.

Beside in another 2 years there will most likely be better alternative to HughesNets Crappy satellite internet!

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 07:15:58 EDT

anon posted :

said by compuguybna:

Amazing this was sent from verizon.net...... Someone immitating Ellen Martz at ECC. how hilarious!

by the way, corporate addresses are hns.com, not hughes.com

said by Ellenhughes :

Sandy T - try sending this post in an email directed to Ellen.martz@hughes.com. I'm sure we can figure this out to make it worthwhile for you.

I also would like to say, that IS the email address for Ellen, as I have had email from Ellen and several higher ups at hughes before, they do end as @hughes.net for the most part.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 07:06:37 EDT

compuguybna posted : well, my contact was William.Smouse@hns.com, so its possible hns.com, hughes.net, or hughes.com goes to the same address/person, depending on how their mail server is setup.

However, its probably a longshot that Ellen Martz is scouting the dslreports forum using an ANON user id, and posting from a verizon.net.

anyway, anyone that's every dealt with ECC probably has a list of email addresses they've corresponded to.

I think we've been trolled.

said by PCsongBird Sorry Comp, but you are wrong on this one. My contacts at HN are indeed hughes.com addys. I don't think I have spilled any state secrets by replying here. In fact indeed, this probably is Ellen trying to get on top of things and help.

Edited to add: Sandy T, since you now have Ellen's attention, I would certainly follow up with her on your issues.
[/BQUOTE :

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 06:57:09 EDT

A Tech posted : Sounds to me like the wires on this deal got crossed. i.e. the offer you describe appears to be what HN offered for HN 9000 spaceway service and not the Gen 4 service. Hard to say for certain.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 22:27:41 EDT

PCsongBird posted :

said by compuguybna:

Amazing this was sent from verizon.net...... Someone immitating Ellen Martz at ECC. how hilarious!

by the way, corporate addresses are hns.com, not hughes.com

said by Ellenhughes :

Sandy T - try sending this post in an email directed to Ellen.martz@hughes.com. I'm sure we can figure this out to make it worthwhile for you.

Sorry Comp, but you are wrong on this one. My contacts at HN are indeed hughes.com addys. I don't think I have spilled any state secrets by replying here. In fact indeed, this probably is Ellen trying to get on top of things and help.

Edited to add: Sandy T, since you now have Ellen's attention, I would certainly follow up with her on your issues.
--
HN9000/Elite/94�57'W:Spaceway3/.74m/1w/Dual 3.2G P4 4G DDR2 Rackmount (Pro Tools Computer)- Toshiba Satellite 5105 - HP Pavilion dv7 i7 6G DDR3/D-Link wired/WinXP-Pro-SP3 & Win7 64bit/Firefox 2/IE 8/Opera 10

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 19:51:16 EDT

grohgreg posted : »gen4.hughesnet.com/explore-plans clearly shows the Gen4 Power plan as discounted to $49.99 and that the $99 activation fee is waived. But this is for new customers only, and expires 12/31/12. Roughly three months. After that the plan reverts to $59.99 with no activation waiver. Those early adopters will see their bill go up in January. The two year thing must somehow have gotten confused with the 24 month commitment. The same page also clearly states the $9.99/mo equipment lease.

Personally, I'd pay for the hardware up front. If I'm not mistaken, the purchase price will - after the $200 rebate - be about what a lessee pays in the first 18 months.

//greg//
--
HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w "pure" Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1001H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 15/MSIE9 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2012

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:38:28 EDT

anon posted : Sandy T - as I said, please try to reach me. If the Gen4 ordering process needs fixed we can help you. FYI Hughes has a social media presence today and we frequently scan all media.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 17:13:35 EDT

compuguybna posted : Amazing this was sent from verizon.net...... Someone immitating Ellen Martz at ECC. how hilarious!

by the way, corporate addresses are hns.com, not hughes.com

said by Ellenhughes :

Sandy T - try sending this post in an email directed to Ellen.martz@hughes.com. I'm sure we can figure this out to make it worthwhile for you.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:44:21 EDT

anon posted : Sandy T - try sending this post in an email directed to Ellen.martz@hughes.com. I'm sure we can figure this out to make it worthwhile for you.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:41:39 EDT

anon posted : They have not clarified anything yet, including they want to charge me the $99 that I was told would not be charged when I signed up on Monday and they charged my credit card $50 for the first month's service. They cancelled my sign-up from Monday and want to resign me up at new rates and installation charges. I told them I would not sign up for the upgrade if they changed the deal I signed up for and paid the $50 for on Monday and got an email confirmation for on Monday.

Re: HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:23:22 EDT

compuguybna posted : there is a 9.99 PER MONTH LEASE FEE for the equipment.

that's not hidden.

so, you are more than likely getting the 49.99 plan for 2 years, PLUS the $9.99 fee added for the lease of the equipment.

So, that equals ~ $59.99.........

did you CLARIFY that it was 59.99 PLUS 9.99???

HughesNet Gen4 Buyer Beware

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:11:06 EDT

anon posted : So far, as an existing Hughesnet Customer, my experience has been bad. If they honor their written and verbal commitments to me, I will amend my post. But, I am just going to say, “Buyer Beware”. I called on Monday morning based on an email I received for Free Installation and No upfront leasing. Quote from email follows:

“Call 877-515-5689 Now and be among the first to get HughesNet Gen4 and our limited-time $0 down special. We’ve combined our best service with our best offer ever:

Free Standard Installation ($199 value)
No upfront leasing fee ($99 value)
Plan starting at $49.99/mo.* ”

I signed up first thing on Monday morning. $49.99 for the first 2 years; $59.99 after that. $50 changed to my credit card up front that would be applied to the first months service. When I received the confirmation email, it said $59.99/month. I called on Thursday to question that and was told there would be an additional $9.99/month. They said they would listen to what I had been told in the recorded call from Monday morning to see what I was promised, and a supervisor would call me back in an hour. That didn’t happen. This morning, I received an email cancelling my order with no stated reason. I talked to the man that signed me up originally and he said they were just told that they couldn’t honor my order and gave me another number to call at Hughesnet to sign up again. I have called that number. They are somewhat clueless, but they have promised to get back to me. They now say I must pay the $99 upfront leasing. They have taken my information and say they will call me back today. If they can’t honor the original offer they made to me, I will not do the upgrade. Again, “Buyer Beware”. If you are not satisfied with this, after the install, you can’t downgrade. And, I am not trusting a company that is changing their word to me daily and not honoring previous commitments.