Hughesnet---Don't Do It! I've been a customer of this satellite internet provider for five years. Like you probably, I have no other internet access choices other than dial up. Rather than restate what the good people have taken the time to say here let me just add that every complaint is 100% valid and true. Congratulate yourself on taking the time to do some research before making the same mistake we did. I would just like to add some specific examples of what you will not be able to do on the internet using Hughesnet. Take your time. There are better satellite services out there and Howard Hughes would have nothing to do with this company today.

First, the Fair Access Policy is nothing more than a scam to get more money from you. It has nothing to do with making sure the light downloader has the same amount of access as the heavy downloader. There is no shortage. Obviously if there was you would not be able to increase your download threshold by simply paying more money per month. It bleeds the people who rely on the internet to make a living, as a single source for entertainment or as a main source for communication... no exemptions for emergency use included.

Second, even when limits have not been exceeded Hughesnet speed is marginal at best and of course it's always your fault. The results of my "speed test" say my download speed is somewhere between 700 and 750 kb/sec. In reality I've never topped 120 kb/sec and that number spirals downward each second. If it's not your fault it's the weather or something else beyond their control. They try to convince you that a signal strength of 65 out of a possible 100 is good reception. But how does all this relate to the user? All versions of Windows have crucial service packs provided at a later date by Microsoft. But, for example, you can't download SP2 for Windows XP without exceeding the Fair Access Policy's (or FAP) threshold and then discovering it's going to take 50+ hours or so to download the rest at a speed less than half that of dialup! All satellite providers use an FAP but Hughes' is by far the most restrictive.

You want to download movies from Netflix or anywhere? You can't do it. You want to buy and download a game for your computer or Xbox? You can't do it. You want to play a game online against others on the internet? Forget it. The latency is even worse that of dial up. To be concise, with Hughesnet you miss out on half of what the internet offers.

As a teaser they give you the hours between 12 and 3 a.m. eastern time as "recess" when you can gorge on downloading without penalty. But still, the slow service does not allow you to finish downloading in 3 hours and the final 1/4 of the program will come at a speed that will take days to complete. One more thing, streaming videos will also put you over the threshold. You must limit your You Tube browsing to just one or two at a time. You also will not be able to catch up on any of your favorite TV show episodes now offered on the net for free. Even at full speed they start/stop at a rate that will have you tearing your fingernails out one by one. Hit 'em where it hurts. Don't subscribe to terrible service with non-understandable support and drop them if you did.

This is what I get for a "premium" subscription costing $80 per month.

Stephen Johnson
Johnson Valley, Ca.
Praying for cable or DSL soon.

This is the worst ISP I have ever had. Then I come to find out I have a 2yr contract (much like a cell phone) that I can not cancel without paying a fee of a couple of hundred dollars! This FAP policy is bogus. Says you can't go over the set downloading usage or your connection will slow to a speed slower than dial-up. - Which happens when I'm not even using the computer. Even when I haven't breached my downloading usage, I don't think this connection is any faster than any DSL I have ever had. My recommendation is steer clear of Hughes Net... WASTE OF MONEY!

I have had to reboot my computer recently, I called hughes net to get a service tech out to my house to reinstall the hughesnet service page. They still have not come and i have had NO one contact me to let me know how to do it myself. I live in a rural area with no trees around my house and my computer is slower now than when I had dial up in the city. I am very disappointed in Hughesnet. I also found out if I want to cancel my contract with them it will cost me $700.00. Is there anything else I can do?

I was tired of dial up as most of the complaints have written about. So i decided to go with hughesnet.Boy was that a mistake.I was at home when the installer put the system in and was at my pc when he fired it up.Took about 30 mins to load everything. tools ect. So we decided to do a speed test. I had the pro plan, 1 meg down 200 kb up . The test did all of 192 kb down and 8kb up. I said hold on thats not right. Installer said it would get better in an hour or so. Back to surfing the net for an hour or so. With it dropping packets worse than dialup. The hughesnet website would not even come up with in 5 mins.

So i call tech support after the hour or so was up . Some guy i could not even understand tried to help me. I asked to be put on another sat.He said no. No help there we hung up... So i did another speed test 3 hours later(around 11 pm) it was 200 kb down 12 kb up. I call tech support again. Same thing no help. Was told it is a shared service. I asked this guy so what do you tell the guys paying for the elite plan at 189$ a month for 3 megs down and they get about 300 kb? The tech said the more you pay the faster it is but its still shared. That sounds like fraud to me.

So i stopped payment on the 400$ check, canceled the service after contacting them 4 times in 24 hours I was told no we are not going to do anything to help you get better download speeds. I sent a letter in to the better business bureau. The BBB is still working on the complaint as we speak. I did receive a phone call from hughesnet asking me what happened i told that person the system is junk and it is fraud what you guys are doing. The person said well i checked the records and you never got to executive customer care. I said ya think? Maybe after 4 phone calls and telling the last tech i was going to stop payment on the check canceled my account (which took about 2 seconds for them to do) maybe one of you executive persons should have called? I got a blank answer to that. I asked what happened to the customer is right policy is it dead and gone? She said no. I said yes it is have a good day.

So now i owe 199$ for something i don't even have. Plus i took the satellite system off my house and took it back to the installer myself. Now they want 300$ from me because i didn't return it. ERRm yes i did back to where it came from.

Do Not fool with hughesnet unless you have 400$ to throw away.

Raped ape.

Some of the worst service I have EVER seen. And I say this having spent years working in the utility industry! The only contact that can be made is to people in India who offer nothing but flowery apologies instead of necessary assistance.

Formal complaint filed this morning with the BBB.

I requested last week for my password to be reset, as the login does
not recognize any username or password combination that I am
putting in. I have forgotten what it is. I was directed to the
Password Reset option on the Customer Care page. As directed, I
am attempting to put in the Site ID, Serial Number, etc. and I keep
getting an error that it is not recognized. I was then directed to
contact Technical Support, which I did. I have a transcript of the
hour-plus conversation.

I asked for the representative to review the case information, and I was still asked what the trouble is as if I were talking to a wall.

I also asked multiple times to be put in touch with a representative in the United States and was denied.

I repeatedly asked that the situtation be escalated to a manager, and was denied.

The only suggestion I was given was to create a new account.

Obviously, there is an existing account to which my payments have been made without fail for over four years, through which I receive automated contact from the company, and which I am now considering dissolving altogether in search of a company with support on this continent.

The resolution that I seek is to be contacted directly by an English-speaking management representative in the United States and to have my login information reset so that I may access my account.