Hughes Support thinks we're all guilty of FAPs - HughesNet Satellite (2024)

WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 2:26 pm

I had an ugly phone conversation with someone named Jim at Hughes support this morning. If it is any indication of how flippantly they take our complaints of poor service, I think we don't have much hope.

I called to complain about poor service on SatMex5 1070. When he refused to acknowledge any systemwide problem I asked if he'd looked at what folks were saying at DSLReports. He then told me that most of us who reported poor speed here were guilty of FAP violatons.

We got into a shouting match and then I hung up.

(I had posted this info on the "Hughes we have a problem" thread but think it important enough so it warrants its own)

When a company's tech support people have that much contempt for their customers, it makes me wonder how we will ever get what we are paying for.

goldenrod2
@206.28.x.x

goldenrod2

Anon

2002-May-31 2:45 pm

grohgreg to WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 2:56 pm

WayUp

ya hafta understand that Tier I isn't actually there to provide tech support. It's the screen, the filter - the script reading cannon fodder that initially separates the pissers from the moaners. They aren't given authorization to do much at all - other than answer the call, hang up - or escalate.

If your round pegs fit into their round holes - and you stroke them nicely - you may get escalated to the second screening level; Tier II. More contract hire here - with a short list of more technical workarounds - but still severely limited in what they're actually authorized to do for you.

If their little bag of tricks doesn't cure your ills - and you stroke them some too - you might get escalated to where the real tech support lives; people that actually get a Hughes paycheck. This is Tier III and IV and the engineering levels where you're promised the 24 to 48 hour phone call that never comes.

Or you could simply come here. I think we have a much better turn around time.

PB folks, I'm only describing the HNS*DirecPC support chain. Sorry.

//greg//

WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 3:06 pm

grohgreg

Member

2002-May-31 3:23 pm

I always shake my head when I see "threats" of class action. As if the thread on Hughes BBB standing isn't proof enough, take my word that class action suits are water off that Germantown duck's back. They have a battery of full time lawyers - I'm even on a first-name basis with one of them - that get great big paychecks to cover HNSs backside against all comers.

The class action thing was tried a few years back, there are still plenty of documents about it floating around the internet. HNS lost - they don't care. They went straight back to biting the hands that feed them, so we - with the hands - just have to learn how to stroke the big dog, and simply hope that something good comes of it.

This is not defeatist, it's realist - just learn their way of doing things, and make it work for you.

greg

goldenrod2
@206.28.x.x

goldenrod2 to WayupHere

Anon

2002-May-31 3:31 pm

Tyrod to WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 3:53 pm

Ya know. I think we're probably being caught up by an onerous user agreement. I did my homework before I got into is DirecWay deal. I thought I had all my bases covered. From the postings on this board, I knew the system to be somewhat problematic. Nevertheless, I decided to go ahead with the installation. When the install guy showed up, even before he did the install, he hands me a 4 page "fine print" document. Then he tells me if I don't agree to it and sign it, I'm still liable for his $200 installation fee. What's a person to do? Anyway, after the guy leaves, I read the fine print of the fine print and find out basically Hughes doesn't guarantee anything. I suppose they could shut down their internet operation right now and I'd still be on the hook for my hardware costs. And from other threads, I guess Hughes doesn't have any problem turning you into a collection agency even if the problem is their fault. I gather alot of people at this forum are dissatisfied with their satellite service. My only real complaint is that they don't announce when their going to screw around with their network. I try to get on and I have to mess around with my proxy setting just to smurf the net. I'm a reasonable guy and I don't mind playing around with the system on occasion, to get it to work. But my clients, wife, daughter etc. just don't understand. All I hear is, "I can't get on the net again, this internet service sux". Don't even get me started on FAP. Even though I've only been FAPed once. And I did that on purpose! Hughe's policy on FAP is so vague that I doubt it's stand up in court. Nevertheless, who's got the time to sue. Knowing you stand a good chance of losing.
Lastly, for the most part we're all in the same boat. Don't have any prospects for other broadband service. If you want broadband you gotta go with DirecWay and they act just like a monopoly with a captive audience. Their customer service is one of the worst I ever encountered. And their policies are horrible. The best advice I can give anyone is "don't expect too much and you won't be too dissatisfied".

Tom

blinsc
join:2002-05-10

blinsc

Member

2002-May-31 4:03 pm

Tom!

You're on SM5 1110. Are you able to access www.level3.net and/or www.sky.com ? I can't ping or access either of those sites with proxy on or off.

Please let me know your results.

Thanks.

goldenrod2
@206.28.x.x

goldenrod2 to WayupHere

Anon

2002-May-31 4:08 pm

WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 4:12 pm

Maybe a more workable suggestion is to spread the word far and wide about how bad their service is. Maybe an internet chain petition with a link back to a Hughessucks.com sort of site where the totals were tallied. If the media then did a story on it, it might get Hughes' attention.

As far as customer agreements - sure they probably got us there but there are truth in advertising laws that they are breaking. They have no right to claim "blazing speed" or to redefine the term "broadband" in an effort to sign up more people to further clog their oversold servers.

I'd like to see a monopoly like this get the attention of the various attorneys general of multiple states.
(It would give them someone else besides Microsoft to beat on)

Jitterbug6
join:2002-03-29
Harrison, MI

Jitterbug6

Member

2002-May-31 5:40 pm

Tyrod to blinsc

Member

2002-May-31 6:27 pm

Sonicus to WayupHere

Premium Member

2002-May-31 8:53 pm

said by WayupHere: Maybe an internet chain petition with a link back to a Hughessucks.com sort of site where the totals were tallied.

The domain name you would need (www.hughessucks.com) is not taken. Some quotes on how much it would cost to register the domain are at the site below... lol!

»signup.domaindirect.com/ ··· hessucks

Oh yeah by the way, I went back to ISDN after the rates dropped (never got DIRECWAY) and am crusing along at about 122Kbps down and 106Kbps up. I should also note that it is extremely reliable, and I get pings of about 80ms. Have fun screwing hughes!!

zzzking to blinsc

Premium Member

2002-May-31 9:17 pm

blinsc said:
-----------------------------------------------------------
"You're on SM5 1110. Are you able to access www.level3.net and/or www.sky.com ? I can't ping or access either of those sites with proxy on or off?
-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm on Satmex 1110 and I can access both of those sites. Their ping times average 950

mechanicsc to Sonicus

Member

2002-May-31 10:23 pm

said by deathkeeper:
The domain name you would need (www.hughessucks.com) is not taken. Some quotes on how much it would cost to register the domain are at the site below... lol!

I say we buy the domain name and donate it to Copperhead for all the crap he's gotten from Hughes lately!!!

mechanicsc to WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 10:27 pm

said by WayupHere:I called to complain about poor service on SatMex5 1070. When he refused to acknowledge any systemwide problem I asked if he'd looked at what folks were saying at DSLReports. He then told me that most of us who reported poor speed here were guilty of FAP violatons.

Well, I know I'm not guilty of any because I have given up on the concept of using this system as a real broadband connection, so I don't get FAP-ped anymore.

Beaten into submission by Hughes!
Thank you sir, may I have another???

Tyrod to WayupHere

Member

2002-May-31 11:43 pm

I think it's good for this forum to exist. You can easily see it alows people to vent their frustrations. As to the point about "blazing" and "broadband". I seriously doubt that there are any legal defintitions of either. Of course Hughes is prolly gonna say that both are anything faster than dialup. And what's worse is that they don't really don't have to deliver on that promise either. As long as they provide something faster than dialup occasionally, they probably would be off the hook. After all, they're trying! Or so they'll claim. Why do you think they give out service credit so liberally? IMHO the only real recourse is with your wallet. It you don't like the service take your business somewhere else. I think that is the message that Hughes is sending. Complaining to the government about Hughes to stop the Echostar deal is a thought. But if you're actually sucessfull and stop the Echostar deal. I think you'll see service really degrade. Business don't like customers that complain to the government. Especially when the complaints are a deal buster.
As to the point about the user agreement. I think when you run websetup for the first time you have to "accept" a user agreement to continue running webstup.
As to getting a website to pressure Hughes into action. Goto www.faceintel.com You'll find a website run by current and former employees of intel with real issues with intel. Intel just laughs at the site. I imagine Hughes would be the same.
I think it's a sad state of affairs for some DirecWhatever users. I genuinely feel sympathy for the people that got nothing. Next time, do more homework and don't believe all the hype a company gives you. Remember, Papa Johns uses better ingredients.

Love Ya, MEAN IT!!!!!

griminal to WayupHere

Member

2002-Jun-1 4:40 pm

One thing to remember folks is these people we are talking to are one the clock.

If you had to work at a fast food joint that served crappy burgers, you'd get into quite a bad mood from all the customers coming back and jumping your ass.

It's hard but I always try to be "nice" to folks doing their jobs.

[text was edited by author 2002-06-01 16:42:30]

zzzking to Tyrod

Premium Member

2002-Jun-1 5:17 pm

blinsc
join:2002-05-10

blinsc to WayupHere

Member

2002-Jun-1 5:31 pm

The statement "DIRECWAY Internet access is not guaranteed." probably gets them off the hook for any legal issues you can throw at them.

I've only had the service for about a month, but I'd like to shoot a question out to the veterans (gray and white dish):

Has the service improved since you initially signed up?

I'm an optimist so I would like to think that eventually we will be in satellite broadband utopia (ha ha). I'm also paying month to month so if we ain't, I'm gone. :P

Mad-as-Hell
@direcpc.com

Mad-as-Hell to WayupHere

Anon

2002-Jun-1 6:15 pm

PetDude to WayupHere

2002-Jun-1 6:29 pm

Mad-as-Hell, just so you know "who done it", I removed your other posts with the same message. Please feel free to express your opinions. There is no need, however to spam the forum with them. Folks around here are pretty good at reading everything, so once is generally enough.

Now, had you signed up for membership here at BBReports and not be posting completely anonymously, I might let such a thing slide. You never know.

Mad-as-Hell
@direcpc.com

Mad-as-Hell to WayupHere

Anon

2002-Jun-1 6:35 pm

Wolf7 to blinsc

Member

2002-Jun-1 6:37 pm

said by blinsc:

Has the service improved since you initially signed up?

In the long 5 month that I have had this service. I have seen it go from good to lousy on 1250. Then transfered to 1070. Where it rocked along great for about a month. And for the last two month it has been up and down. Mostly down. To the point of almost useless. Especially for the cost hardwareand price of service.
But I still hold out hope that this too will pass and things will once again improve.

PetDude to WayupHere

2002-Jun-1 6:54 pm

Mad-as-Hell,

1. Advice in getting involved in what? In the site? Go to the front page, push members, and join up. Read the site FAQ's and the forum's FAQ's and you are all set. Getting involved in a class action suit? My advice is go fishing instead. That way, your local bait and tackle store gets some money. The other way, the only people who get anything are lawyers. Users get higher prices to pay for the lawyers, Hughes, who by the way has been down that road before, changes nothing, win, lose or draw. Those are just facts. I may not like them but they are simple truths.

2. I am a Forum Moderator for this and a couple other forums here.

3. No.

br0adband1
join:2002-04-20
Portsmouth, VA

br0adband1 to Mad-as-Hell

Member

2002-Jun-2 6:19 am

"I am an IT Executive with a fortune 500 company"

Uhmm... and you're using satellite Internet service? Is it just me or does that statement smell... fishy?

N2DEEP to WayupHere

Member

2002-Jun-2 9:50 am

If you do not like the service then terminate it. Yes, this service may not be what was initially promised, but it is much better than dial up. We can argue all day long and threaten class action, but saying and doing is two totally different things.

By the way I am happy with my one-way.

mechanicsc to br0adband1

Member

2002-Jun-2 10:19 am

said by br0adband:"I am an IT Executive with a fortune 500 company"

Uhmm... and you're using satellite Internet service? Is it just me or does that statement smell... fishy?

It's just you... because being an IT executive and living in a place that cannot get any other form of broadband are mutually exclusive things.

It's not like the phone company goes "Oh look, there's an IT executive with a Fortune 500 company living here, we better run an OC48 out to him immediately!"

DeiselCat to WayupHere

Member

2002-Jun-2 11:40 am

chachalaca to WayupHere

Member

2002-Jun-2 2:55 pm