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4.5 3650 Reviews

Hughes Complaints Summary

134 Resolved
498 Unresolved
Our verdict: When using services from Hughes with a poor resolution rate, be vigilant. Understand the common pitfalls other customers have faced. Prepare thoroughly for any interactions with their customer service, and consider alternative solutions if your issues are not addressed satisfactorily.
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2:45 pm EST
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Hughes fraud and cheating

Techstar installed equipment. Installer tried to force us to sign up for their internet support, stating HughesNet was so bad that we would spend all of our time on the phone to India. Techstar wanted another $18 to keep HughesNet working.

The service was suppose to be 1MB. It was never over 22KB. Techstar scheduled appointment to correct their shotty installation. Technician never showed up. When I called the local office, the guy said that he had sent the tech home for the day. I told him to cancel my service and pick up the equipment. He hung up on me.

I spent the next 2.5 hours on the phone, primarily to India. None of them spoke english beyond reading from a form. Eventually I got U.S. numbers but they were worthless. Ultimately I spoke to Anna, who was suppose to be a district office over Techstar. She was worthless. Told me if I took the satellite off of my roof, boxed it up and shipped the 50+ lbs. of equipment, at my expense, to MD; they would refund me $200 of my $476.96.

What a total scam. They have no intention of providing a service. Techstar makes their money installing and selling you additional technical support so they aren't going to help. HughesNet is so insulated by foreign countries and indifferent employees that they aren't going to help. After all, they have your money, what do they care.

American Express notified me that they didn't get adequate justification from HughesNet and credited me for the charge. HughesNet promptly turned it over to a collection agency.

Don't get involved with HughesNet or any of their contractors. They provide miserably inadequate service and are only out to take you for every dime they can get. I can't begin to tell you the grief they have caused.

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9:30 am EST
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Hughes sorry I purchased this service!

We purchased HughesNet satellite internet Pro-plus plan for our small business and home use after years of slow (but reliable) dial-up. We spent nearly $700 for the equipment and installation - 2 weeks after installation a rain storm came through and it stopped working. I spent hours on the phone with Tech support and Advanced Tech Support only to be told that "the satellite was down - give it an hour". I called two hours later and the second ATS guy spent over an hour on the phone with me trouble shooting only to tell me that the equipment on the dish was bad. The system is suppose to be sealed but sometimes they aren't sealed good enough and rain gets in and ruins them. He said he would issue a request for service. I heard nothing for two days! Finally on the 3rd day I called our local HughesNet sales office - thank god for them, they were shocked (allegedly) that this happened and are sending a tech today to replace our box. She also told me that no request for service had been submitted from ATS.

Before I called our local company, I tried HughesNet again and asked about a refund - I was told that we would only get $200 back within 30 days of installation and only IF the equipment was found to be in working order. Matt - this particular customer service rep. was NOT happy that ATS told me that the box must have gotten water in it and ruined the board. Matt was also rude and didn't seem to care if we stayed with the company or not.

I tried to call the Corporate office but no one answered. I let it ring for 10 minutes! We are sorry that we purchased HughesNet and now know that we should have gone with our cell phone company. HughesNet takes your money and then treats you terribly - and with the equipment terminating service after one rain - we are in trouble with this company but feel that we have no choice but to keep it or we're simply out nearly $700 bucks!

Don't go with HughesNet if you have any other option - I have two words of warning - Customer Fraud!

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bajaskier
Fond du Lac, US
Dec 30, 2008 9:46 am EST
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Why not take them to small claims court?

Tom

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6:30 am EST
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Hughes scam and cheating

When I signed up for hughesnet, there was no mention of any restrictions on how much you can download. I even told the salesman that I used remote desktop to monitor video security cameras at another location. The salesman told me that there are no restrictions but the speed, which can be upgraded for only $10.00 more per month. But the speed I signed up for should be enough to use remote desktop. The speed is OK for it, but after using remore desktop for a little more than 1 hour, I violated their fair access policy. After violating this policy, they throttle your speed down to less than dial-up. When I called regarding the slow down, they explained to me that I can upgrade to a plan that is double the price I signed up for ($120.00), and that would increase my download threshold to 500 mb per day. My original plan was for $60.00 and only allowed 200 mb per day. If I cancel after only 2 days, I am out the money for the installation, which is $335.00 ! I can not effectively use the service even if I upgrade my plan. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit, please contact me. If any lawyers reading this would like to start the class action suit, please contact me as well. I just don't know how to go about it, but something needs to be done. The policy is way too restrictive, and with the flash and video content popping up all over the net, it's only going to effect more and more people as time goes on. The max amount that you can download in a day is equal to playing an online game for 1-2 hours, or using remore desktop for 1-2 hours!

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charles hager
,
Jun 06, 2008 6:26 pm EDT

I have sent in rebate form.Bill Statements & have called at least 3 or 4 times about my second account rebate. I talked to customer service several times & all to no avail. If you don't want to send the rebate I hope you do it by the time i die! this has been going on since i had your dish installed 11/5/ 2007. Please send it to my address at 23500 Ridge Rd in Trinidad Colorado, 81082. You are punctual every month about taking m payments, but so slow about mailing my rebate.

Sincerely,
Charles Hager.

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Mike
Bonne Terre , US
Jan 25, 2009 2:37 pm EST

I totally agree. A similar situation happened to me. I live in a rural area where my only 2 options for internet are dial-up or satellite. I had dial-up for a year which only connected at 28.8kbps due to the poor phone line signal quality (lots of static & buzzing). I decided to upgrade to HughesNet 2 days ago. I got the home plan for $60/mo. for speeds up to 1.0Mbps. A week before I upgraded to Huges, I reloaded windows xp on my computer. Windows immediately begged me to download and install updates to SP3 among other updates, but I turned them off until I got Hughes. As soon as the installer set up my dish, I turned windows updates back on & left the house for the rest of the day. When I came back home in the evening, I rebooted my PC & tried to browse the web, but it was slower than my old dial-up connection. I called Hughes tech support & they informed me that I exceeded my 200MB/day limit, which neither the installer, nor anyone else at Hughes I talked with previously, mentioned. I had to wait an entire 24 hrs before I could use my new connect (that I was so excited about). I told the tech that windows ran its updates, which caused me to go over my limit. I apologized & asked them to waive my restriction just this once, but he denied me.

I think that as much as I pay for Hughes, there should be at least double the small limit they put on me. Another option would be to increase the restricted speed to around 200mbps instead of 28.8-ish! That would keep me a bit more happy.

I'm a very dissappointed customer now.

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Karen
,
Jul 11, 2008 6:51 am EDT

Same issue here. Installed in 11/07 and offered $150 rebate. STILL no check in July 2008. Every phone call (to India) is answered with wait 10 days, it is coming. Emails were uanswered until recently when I was answered with wait 10 days. It has been 10 days. This is such a scam! The service is not so great either.

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4:19 am EST
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Hughes horrible service 1 out of 10

hughes net is by far the worst possible internet service below is a few reasons to say no to hughes nets horrible service

1.over double priced some what tripled compared to some high speed internet
2.limited amount of use witch can be used quickly
3.support is freakin horrible cant understand them all foreign people i guess plus they know nothing about the damn system they sell i knew more then the people supposedly tryin to help with stupid questions that had nothing to do with the problem
4.no online game playing on xbox or ps3 at all
5.no video streaming cant even use netflix streaming video uses bandwith quicky
6.once you hit the very limited amount you are slowed down to worser then dial up speeds my dial is actualy better when its like that
7. 2 year contract with horrible prices for equipment
8. cant even keep your windows up to date if its a big file you cant download during the day just plain stupid
the are plenty more problems and bad things about hughesnet id just have to think about them bottomline if you have a choice avoid them they will brutally rape you big time the only reason i have it is untill cingular 3g or my phone company puts dsl here its not to far away cant wait till the day so i can call hughesnet and tell them to stick there crumby a** service up there a** the main trigger is the fair access policy garbage i mean dont get me wrong there high prices are horrible but i believe it would help lot even if it was unlimited i mean if there gonna rip you off on prices atleast be unlmited and i wouldn feel so raped

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Update by dtvhacker
Feb 23, 2009 12:08 pm EST

melly j you did not even spell right i did not claim to be anything and yes foreign workers no one understands sucks americans want english they can understand so stop ### and kiss my a** you had no right to post here you tard it did not concern anything you talked about were talking about internet not rape or foreigners get a life

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barbara peeler
flintville, US
Sep 05, 2009 9:20 pm EDT

i also have that trouble. i knew about the fap but didn't figure i would exceed the limit in one day and not even being on my computer i think i'am going to drop them now cause i can't even get on my computer had to disconnect it and go back to dial up to do anything they also told me that if i did go over i would still be able to use my computer like dial up but i couldn't do anything at all not even pull up my aol which i've got to say is better than hughes net

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Got Took
, US
Aug 03, 2009 5:19 pm EDT

Well i just signed up and got Hughes and i tell ya now its the worst crap i have ever had. They never once said to me anything about the Fair Access Policy till my computer slowed down and i called them. Then it took me 15 minutes to understand what that guy was saying cause he wasnt from the good ole USA.
After we talked he lifted the banned and said it can only be done ones and i turned my computer off after that and didnt get back on till the next day and about 20 minute after i was on it went slow i checked it and dam and behold it was there again. So now u can say me and Hughes are in a Cage Match

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lilasgma
Ocala, US
Mar 13, 2009 2:52 pm EDT

Shouldn't the satellite internet providers have to disclose the daily limit of downloads you can access? (FAP - Fair Access Policy) Nowhere in their advertisement is this stated. They lead you to believe that you will have the same service as dsl or cable or even dial up. I was not aware of the "fair access policy" until I kept being shut down after downloading some music (legally) and watching a few videos on you tube. This is the worst! Paying top dollar for this service and only really being able to check email and look up a limited amount of stuff. This is okay for 1995 but not for 2009.
Another thing I don't understand: It's going through the sky. It seems that that should be unlimited? The sky's the limit?

mellyj
mellyj
Rockville, US
Feb 23, 2009 2:23 am EST

Continuation of above post by me.

Ok, you spelled bandwidth right, your spelling and grammar are still horrendous.

Geez man, try harder, would you?

And stop being so xenophobic, it isn't healthy.

mellyj
mellyj
Rockville, US
Feb 23, 2009 2:19 am EST

dtvhacker: (or script kiddie)

Would love to know what you know about rape, probably nothing. You shouldn't talk about things you don't know about as if you do, makes you look like an idiot.

If you care to email me, I'll tell you what it's like. It's worse than you can possibly imagine.

I'd also like to know what is wrong with "foreign" people, you racist ###.

No support for Xbox or PS3? Awww...poor baby. You should really be paying attention in school instead of gaming anyway. Your spelling and grammar are horrendous.
(that means really really bad.)

What exactly is "bandwith" (Here's a free spelling lesson for you, it's spelled bandwidth, you ###.)

If you have to download files that are too large for downloading during normal times, get a download manger and set it to run between 3 and 6 am, the FAP is not in effect then.
Or you can code your own, since you claim to be a hacker. Which is total ###, and you and I both know that. But whatever.

It's unfortunate that you couldn't spend some time doing some research into how HughesNet works. If you did, you wouldn't have had to come on here making bigoted comments, and crying about how much you think it sucks.

Grow up, would you?

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infernus006
OC, US
Feb 01, 2009 10:45 am EST

I'm an ex-subscriber of HughesNet that recently canceled due to the overpriced, overhyped, and subpar service of the Pro-level package. Though I was paying $80/mo I still hit the FAP limit on a regular basis, my service being shut down for days on end for making legal downloads. So I switched back to the ultra-cheap and slow but reliable dialup service that is truly unlimited until DSL becomes available. I have no plans of re-upping my service with HughesNet unless they get rid of the FAP, and I hope it gets banned as per the act of "Net Neutrality" that was already won against Comcast.

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optionforhughesnet
, US
Jan 19, 2009 9:23 pm EST

I also live in an area where you can't get fast internet service. I almost subscribed to hughesnet until I searched complaints.

I have a Verizion USB card for a laptop and was told by the sales guy it will also work on a desktop computer. It is the UM175 USB Modem. I guess it runs on their 3G network and let me tell you it is FAST! It works GREAT! You can watch video's online with no buffering.
It plugs into a USB port on your computer.
I am no longer stuck with slow internet and I can't tell you how pleased I am with the service and how FAST this product is!

My suggestion for anyone who is stuck with dial up and are looking for options for faster internet is to look into this type of aircard or sometimes called a datacard. Check with Verizion or Sprint for products and service in your area.

If you can get pretty good cell phone reception in your area this type of card should work.

Hope this helps.

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9:51 am EST
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Hughes lack of service

I've had hughesnet for a little over a year. Since day one i've had poor service. I've been timed out repeatedly. I was told by one of their technical service reps that I was only allowed to download 2mb of data daily. Most screensavers, even simple ones are over 2mb. The rep also told me if I download between the hours of 3am & 6am. My downloads would not count towards the fap. Wrong, I was still timed out. Now the equipment has malfunctioned and I have now been told that the equipment is out of warranty and any repairs will have to be paid for by myself. Let me tell you I am not a happy camper. I strongly suggest to anyone who is contemplating hughesnet satelitte internet service to look at other solutions. I will cancel my service with this company I dont care what.

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Lhartley
, US
Dec 25, 2015 11:02 am EST

I am having to use my smart phone to send this because our hughes net service is so bad that most of the time we can't use it. It is our only provider here in yakutat alaska since starband went away. We are being ripped off

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budparker
OKC, US
Sep 06, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

Here is information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against HughesNet:

http://www.druginjurylawyerblog.com/2008/09/pbm_files_class_action_against.html

PBM Files Class Action Against HughesNet --- Satellite Broadband Company

The law-firm of Pogust, Braslow, & Millrood, LLC, recently filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a lawsuit against HughesNet, Inc., Hughes Communications, Inc., and Hughes Network Systems, LLC, for breach of contract and frauduluent business practices involving the marketing of the HughesNet® Satellite Broadband Network System.

Filed on behalf of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers, the Complaint alleges inter alia that the satellite broadband Company's nationwide advertisement of "Highspeed Internet by Satellite: Wherever Whenever" was materially false and misleading.

The class action lawsuit also alleges that HughesNet intentionally "oversold" its bandwidth, whereby thousands of HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were subjected to limited Internet broadband accessibility, speed, functionality, and connectivity.

Additionally, it is alleged that HughesNet actively marketed HughesNet® subscribers and consumers to upgrade their broadband plan under the representation that such would result in faster Internet broadband access. Despite this, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers experienced significant broadband delays, including extremely slow uploading/downloading speeds, unreliable connectivity, and the inability to access email. Furthermore, HughesNet® subscribers and consumers were often required to incur additional costs, fees, and early termination penalities, as a result of HugheNet's false advertising.

If you or someone you know is a HughesNet® subscriber and/or customer and have experienced similar Internet broadband related issues, please contact our law-firm for a free consultation.

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4:17 pm EST
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Hughes unlawful billing

Hughesnet has to be the biggest scammer in the world. We had successful internet connection via satellite through Direcway before it was purchased by, merged with or whatever with hughesnet. When my modem failed, I call technical support, which by the way is a two-hour ordeal with overseas telehosting. They agreed to ship me an updated modem for $25 plus a two-year plan. I received the modem and it never worked. After 8 calls to billing and 8 (two hour minimum) calls to technical support, 48 hours total of trying to make the unpgraded modem work I finally gave up. Technical support told me "there's nothing more we can do. Call Billing to cancel) Well, when you call biling to cancel, they inform you that you owe $366 for cancelling the two-year contract. I explained that the modem NEVER worked. Billing says that I have to get a return order from Tech support. Tech support, after many calls, tells me that they have no authority to issue a return order. Hence the circle continues. Now I get collection calls at my office. I run our high net worth group in a large local accounting firm and don't have time to deal with all of this. I guess that out that no one in the organization, absent perhaps the Chairman of the Board has the authority to cancel this charge. Given my work with securities, etc., I am going to start working the corporate headquarters, assuming they really have a US office. Still trying to get out of collections.

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Bill_Little
, US
Jan 27, 2009 4:25 pm EST

Hughesnet is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. I have the same issues as you regarding the bad modem, virtually no connection to the internet and they won't let me cancel without paying a $400 fee. I have been waiting for a service tech to come out and replace the modem for 2 weeks now. Hughesnet says they will credit me for only the number of days I was without service and nothing more. I have spent countless hours on the phone with technical support and spoken with managers in billing on numerous occasions. It is a dead end circle of frustation with no bearing in sight. I have their headquarters location and number so anyone else who has problems can contact them:

Hughes Corporate Headquarters, Hughes Network Systems, LLC
11717 Exploration Lane
Germantown, Maryland, 20876
Phone: [protected]

I haven't actually tried the number but I'm pretty sure the address is correct since hughesnet management gave it to me after a 45 minute argument. They wouldn't give me the phone number which I find interesting. Believe me, this company is as bad as it gets. I have never dealt with more problems for such a long period of time

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5:11 pm EST
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Hughes stuck with overpriced service

I found a better alternative to Hughesnet which may work for some of you. I link my cell phone to my laptop and use it as a modem. it's really not much if any slower than the hughesnet service I usually get. Of course you have to have a data plan but with my carrier I get unlimited access for $25.00 a month which beats the 90 I am paying hughesnet.

As with many others I have read my service is really slow and the download limit ridiculous. According to their own charts if you use the 2nd highest download speed which I have you have approximately one hour of usage at that speed before you reach the download limit and they cut you off for their version of twenty four hours which really means when they feel like it and get around to it they will remove the restriction. Today I called after being off for 27 hours and they said that I'd be up within an hour. We'll see.

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Joseph Nicol
,
Sep 03, 2008 10:33 am EDT

We got Hughesnet satellite service in July 2017 and have had problems with it right from the beginning. As the months rolled by, being a year now that we have had the service - service has gotten even worst.

We have an HN7000S with hoem service and are suppose to get 1.0 mbps service. For that rate of speed you need to be online between 3am to 6am eastern time, after that it drops to 680 kbps and slower. The worst part of all that they don't tell you about is a think called "Fare access policy" - with the service I'm paying for, you are only allow to I download 285mb of data in a 24 hr period, if you download that much in one hr - you are cut off under 24hrs elapse.

I work from home and so does the wife sometimes and we download large file and get cut off after 2 or 3 hrs. Our boss has stopped allowing us to work from home. Hughesnet is a rip off service and the india tech support is useless. They can't fix anything.

If you don't have hughes net - stay away -- we are changing to Verizon WiFi it is better. I hope that takwe me to court for not paying the cancelation fee so I can have the media in the court room so everyone will know about this company.

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AJ
,
Sep 01, 2008 6:44 pm EDT

My wife and I signed up for hughesnet service in June of '07. We live in a very rural farm area and only have 2 options for internet. Dial up or satalite. Tired of slow dial up, we signed up. We paid $400 in advance for the equipment and instalation. We were supposed to get a $100 rebate. We downloaded the rebate form. It stated that we had to wait 2 months. By then the offer was expired. Since we signed up, the service has been slower than dial up. We have complained to customer service which sends you to tech support in India. These people are barley understandable. Eventually they send a tech contractor to your home. This is usally the guy who intalled it. Never fixed the problem. Over 13 months we had maybe 6 service calls. The other thing blamed for the slow service was the fair usage policy. Something never mentioned when we signed up for the service. Asknig for more punishment, my wife and I decided to upgrade our plan to the proplan. The phone call was easy enough. They said all we had left to do was rerun the setup prograhm on our home computer. Half way thru this process, we get an error message. My wife calls the tech support. A week later they send someone to aim our dish at a diffrent satalite. Some where during this process, they inactivated the original account that was in my name and made a new one in my wife's name. Then wanted an immediate payment of $93. This was for equipment for which was already ours. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with billing trying to get this problem fixed. They wanted me to da all the leg work for their screw up. I was supposed to call tech support to get the accounts merged, then call back to billing to get a refund of the money that I was chrged for in error. Finally I had enough. I told them to cancel both accounts and dtop all buisness transactions immediately. Well now they start talking about early cancelation fees. They already closed my account. They have aready voided the agreement. A day later they took $250 out of my account. I am contacting a lawyer and filing a lawsuit against hughes. If anyone else is intersted let me know.

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Jerro
,
Jul 21, 2008 6:02 pm EDT

My satellite internet service developed a problem. After three 1 hour calls to technical support, the problem had not been resolved. Finally asked for a service technician to be dispatched to my home for repairs. Was told that this tech call would cost $125. I said send the tech on out! Tech arrived, fixed the problem and charged me $125. Next billing cycle, Hughesnet charged me an additional $125. So in reality, the service call was $250, not $125 as explained to me. Called billing and discussed the problem with them... did no good, they charge $250 per service call for whatever the problem!

Do not do business with this company... they are scam artist!

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Hughesnet-Shame on YOU!
Greenbackville, US
Sep 22, 2009 4:37 am EDT

I made the biggest personal judgement error of alltime by joining Heghesnet.com. Faster than dial-up? Not hardly. I started with the $60.00 a month plan because I was told by the female sales agent that based on what I described as my daily useage, the system, bandwith and so on, would be plenty.

After day (2) I had already exceeded my FAP (2) times and was told I needed to buy an upgraded plan which now runs $80.00 a month. Any better speed, performance you ask? Not a bit, not even close. You call tech support and they are foriegn nationationals usually in India or the Phillipines and I admit, they sense if duty and purpose cannot be questioned but their knowledge and ability to make decisions are. They have no lattitude whatsoever. When I signed up, I was told I had a 30 grace period, no questions ask refund for installation and equipment if the system did not meet my needs. well they extended that to 60 days after my 3rd complaint. Now when I called to cancel, I was told that the $125.00 pole I had to pay for was not going to be refunded, nor was the installation fee of $175.00. That the most I would get a refund on was $200.00 on an initial out of pocket expense of $524.00. Plus I have to pay for the "slower than dial-up" service used to date. This system works about 50% or less at full capacity. The rest of the time, I get messages that the satelite linkage is experiencing problems...that is about (6) times per day. Speed I promise is same as dial up the other 50% of the day.

I plan to call Hughesnet today at [protected]. I caled the other day to another phone number they had listed and was told the call could not be completed as dialed. I caled (2) more times to make sure I was not making a dialing error myself...but same message came up each successive time.

If the phone call does not achieve anything, I am contacting the FCC, FTC and BBB. hese people need to be investigate for their overt lack of truth in advertising and the fact that they know the systems they offer will NOT meet normal useage needs by customers and have a bait-n-switch operation, probably legal, going on. They sell you a package, knowing it will not work, so you go back only to find out you bought an insufficient package and must upgrade and increase your monthly costs by a whopping 25% just to end up with the same poor quality service.

Please note, if anyone has any suggestions of how I might obtain (REAL) high speed internet without the decepptions, please let me know. I live in an area that does not have cable, DSL or Broadband services...and we are a 1st world nation?

Wish me luck against this misleading 800 lb Gorilla!

Walter A. Bradford waltana02@msn.com

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Hughesnet Dealer
, US
Nov 16, 2011 5:42 am EST

Hughes has a thirty day grace period, couldn't you have canceled during that period for a full refund. Now that's minus installation of course i mean it's not like they could undo the work to install the system. Additionally no provider guranntees any speed that would be dumb on their part. Every provider states up to. So i guess im saying do research before you buy or cancel within 30 days. Hughesnet moves more data to and from space than any other company in the world.

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RKip
Somerville, US
Sep 25, 2011 11:46 pm EDT

YES, all TRUE!

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RKip
Somerville, US
Sep 25, 2011 11:44 pm EDT

I've been with Hughes Net/Direct Way as well for more than 12 years. All the above is true and worst.

FAP should be a rolling 7 day/576hrs. You can not use the service for more than a week... and then return home only to exceed the FAP in a couple hours. Such a shame there is no alternative to force these folks to offering a Fair Plan for a Fair and reasonable price. I pay 80/month for 425MB/24hrs... or at the speed offered app. 1 hr usage a 24/hr period.

They want to state how fast the speed is, which I could live with since there is no other option where I live (like the poor sole above) but the FAP is a complete RIP plan. A perfect example of unfair business practice at work. Almost like dealing with the current government.

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ibbunny
Portland, US
Nov 07, 2010 8:04 pm EST
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Something that my area got recently was wireless. They put a connection for it on a neighbors corn silo and now, that i'm free from that rediculus contract, that's what i'm getting. as long as it's lined up correctly, you should get good service even in the wind and snow (HughesNet can't promise that). you just need enough of a clear line that you would need for HughesNet, and it would be with a more 'local' internet service. They may have to find a place high up to put it, but many places will help and look into that for you

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mainsle
Bethel, US
May 14, 2010 9:56 am EDT

Apparently the only way to resolve an issue is to go through the BBB or other institution, so if you haven't already - do it! I checked HughesNet's rating on BBB - it's an A+! They have a couple thousand complaints registered against them (including the one I lodged against them today with the BBB), and they have all but 1-2 per category resolved, so that gives them an A+ (wow, don't we all feel protected now?). I have been fighting with HughesNet for SIX MONTHS about biling me for for terrible service that I cancelled SIX MONTHS ago. They still want me to pay them; they still keep trying to charge my credit card, and yesterday I got a collection letter. I have a credit score of 796 and have never been late on anything in my life. Enough already. I wish I had answer of another provider for you but I don't. My rural area just got broadband through my phone company six months ago. I would recommend to everyone not to use HughesNet, but to just haul yourself, your kids, your homework, backpack and disks/CDs down to the local library (which oddly enough had broadband long before me), and just wait it out.

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LDStechMD
Hancock, US
Apr 11, 2010 8:27 pm EDT

Not only not very polite, but stooping to childish name calling. Nothing he says can be backed up by real world stats. He fails to mention that upgrading the Hughes system is expensive, because it involves changing out all the equipment. The deals are only for new customers. Once Hughes has you, they know you don't have any alternative and so they are gonna stick it to you when they can. The 9000 is only guaranteed at the same rate for download that the 7000s is, unless you pay for the $120 a month service. Seems to me that name-caller is only out to see more upgrades and put more money in his own pocket. Most users don't have the technical expertise to even understand what they are getting. I know Hughes hates it when i call, because I've already been over all there crap baby-steps and so they can't BS me about what the problem really is. And I NEVER signed up for the crap I have to deal with now -- I agreed to a 4 HOUR FAP threshold, not the unfair 24 hour that they shoved down our throats. Mr. "Hughesnet Dealer", you need to keep your unsupported propaganda out of the complaints area. Name calling is very poor advertising. Hughes continues to go down hill in customer support ratings, and I'll dump them just as soon as there is any viable alternative.

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5:55 pm EST
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Hughes fraud

Hughesnet commercials all over tv promising great service, faster e-mails and better than dial up. Its all a farce and you are being warned right now. Initially it seems like you done the right thing even with the outrageous price and the 2 year contract. Yes once you realize what a rip off you are stuck with a 70 to 100 $ bill for 2 years. Here's what happened to make you mad to no end and I mean no end. If you are like me you like to watch youtube video's or browse myspace for new bands. After about 10 video's or 10 songs you lose service for 24 hours. They call it fap (fair access policy) and for 20$ more a month they will do away with it. If its the slightest bit cloudy, rain or snow your service slows down actually slower than dial up. That has nothing to do with fap. I have wrote to two ohio senators and the attorney general and still nothing has happened to force them to own up to their advertizing which is clearly false. I'm telling you all now if you are thinkig of hughesnet you better wipe that thought from your mind. It will keep you mad and on the phone to india daily. Keep your dial up until they run new lines in your area and they are going to because the old lines are going out and becoming useless. So unless you can live with 60 minutes of internet service a day for 70 to 100 a month go ahead and waiste your money and time. Download 10 pictures and you are done for 24 hours. Don't think for a second that you will be downling any movies it just won't happen. Hughesnet is crap and proof of that is all over this message board. If this is not enough google it. Hughesnet fraud.

You have been warned

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4:54 pm EST

Hughes fap ripoff

They say that the FAP is for abusers. What they don't say is that since they have more customers than their equipment will support, it's ceaper to rip off people than to add sufficent equipment.

Our FAP problem is almost daily, and doesn't matter if the computer is on or not.
Lately, we might be on FAP for a few hours and then off, never knowing when we'll be effected.
It's supposed to be a 24 hour thing, but we get the "FAP yes" warning several times a day, as well as the "FAP no"

I would NOT recommend Hughesnet to anyone.

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smartergeek
, US
Jun 14, 2009 5:04 pm EDT

--------------------
I use HughesNet at my business in a network with 5 computers. We have never bypassed the Fair Access Policy. I think you are not being honest with the use of your system.
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Then your computers are not kept up to date and are potentially at risk. The security patches for most software products will cause you to exceed the FAP.

How do I know? I happen to be a "computer support professional" with over 500 customers ;)

Rex Moncrief
www.smartergeek.com

As a simple example (per machine):

50MBs (megs) = only about 15 songs (legally purchase on iTunes, etc)
Most MS patches or updates are more than 50MB's.
Vista SP1 is 434.5 MBs
XP SP3 is 316.4 MBs
To download the newest Acrobat Reader update requires 20MB's.
An iTunes update requires about 50MBs.

This doesn't include normal surfing, youtube, etc.

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CAT
blenco, US
May 31, 2009 4:48 am EDT

Wild blue will "throttle you down for a month" but they also ALLOw more bandwidth per month..(12000 MB download and 3000 MB up) for the medium package, I have hughes and they allow 200/day= 6000 month
GOD help you if you have tech questions...you will be talking to someone in India that will only offer to send tech guy and charge to align dish... I have ad to call them SEVERAL times, and after hours of confusion end up fixing myself...or it magically starts working fine, , , , , I go through where is dish located? are there trees, bad weather ect..dish is located exactely where their guy installed it! kinda of a joke but better than dial, for the price wish I would have gone thru wireless evdo connection, NO BANDWIDTH issues and always on..same speed or faster..and price is a little cheaper (depending on what package you got with hughes.)

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Joe Blow
, US
Mar 25, 2009 7:08 am EDT

HughesNet has over 12 satellites in the sky (more than any other competitor). They are not selling more equipment than customers. If you want more download capacity subscribe to a higher package. This service has a specific application in rural areas where other forms of internet are not available. There is a free zone between 3:00-6:00 am to download whatever you need.

YOU STATED
"What the major flaw is that Windows System updates do not work this way. They download at any time and only install the updates at the configured time. This can easily be validated by examining the System Event viewer on any Microsoft system."

This is not true. Learn windows, or hire a technician to help. Additionally, I believe your computer has a virus that is causing you to pass the Fair Access Policy. Viruses/Worms utilize bandwith.

I use HughesNet at my business in a network with 5 computers. We have never bypassed the Fair Access Policy. I think you are not being honest with the use of your system.

Last, if you don't like the service you can always go back to dial up ;) -or- Get WildBlue...they will throttle you down for a month when you bypass their Fair Access Policy! And their service is slower, less reliable, and lower download capacity.

This is what you get when living in an area without cable, or DSL. Be happy there is some form of service available. Quit complaining, and move back to civilization if internet is that important to you!

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No More Mr Nice Guy
, US
Feb 26, 2009 7:20 pm EST

There is a major flaw with the Fair Access Policy and HughesNet's documentation of this policy.

The policy states:

What do you recommend I do during the Download Period?
We recommend that you automatically schedule your system updates during the Download Period. We also suggest the use of a download manager software application to assist in the scheduling of large file downloads.

What the major flaw is that Windows System updates do not work this way. They download at any time and only install the updates at the configured time. This can easily be validated by examining the System Event viewer on any Microsoft system.

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M
6:19 am EST

Hughes sorry service/no service

Have had Hughes net for 8 or 9 months now, and intiallly thought it was a great thing. Then we started haveing few little thunder storms. the service went out, called Hughes.net. talked or tried to talk to this real English sounding name with a heavy accent, that I couldn't understand, gave me reference number and passed up to a "higher level" they give me ref. # and pass to "higher level", by this time I am sure I am going to be sent on to talk to Ho ward Hughes or at least his clone. But not so lucky I am told to call thios service agent. All and All i got service back in 4 weeks. And the service man tells me that the sattelite will continue to go out, because it has been installed on a metal roof, and something about the metal and the satelite plus a little lighting knock satelite out. The original installer did not bother to tell me this.
Sure enough in about a month, another thunder storm, no service for 3 weeks. called every couple of days and would spend hours being swithced to higher levels, never did see HOward but I think I caught a glimpse of Walt Disney. This time the service man comes and we have to end up paying him 125 dollars to take the satelite off the roof and mount on a pole.
Thought we had a fix, Right?
Nope within 3 weeks it is out again, just rain and clouds this time. called repeatedly, get nothing done, now over 2 weeks w/o service. I called them and told them to provide service by 5PM the next evening or that was it we would no longer pay them 80 dollars a month for nothing and would at that point unhook everything from the satelite. WHAT CAN WE DO?

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eorsbon81
Scottown, US
Jul 13, 2009 2:08 pm EDT

I also have problems with their service. Please contact the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org That is the only way we can make sure something gets done.

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MCTAG45
Onaway, US
Jul 08, 2009 6:24 pm EDT

I have had Hughes net for a few months, it sucks... They repeatedly build my credit card that they stated they did not keep on file. With out my permission they took a double payment out of my account, I was not behind and did not owe them a double payment.. but this caused a chain reacation of overdraft fees and car insurance issues, because they took money ment the car company. I filed a thing with my bank, now they keep trying to re bill me double every month.
I finally got tired of the mess and came to an agreement with them I paid a 124. dollar payment and they wrote off 102 . dollars.. all is well right? NOT EVEN CLOSE, One week later I get a thing on my net saying i am late with a payment and they are going to turn off my internet... LOL I call and they say it is because of that double payment I filed against.. I said I worked that out withe agent when I made the payment a week ago. They said I did not.. How funny is this.. I have to call India.. and can barely understand the idiots working for them...but I have to keep calling.. So Last night im calling them, and while I was on the phone with a supossed supervisor, (mind you I hear a lot ppl. laughing in the background) I ask my husband to please check the fish in the oven so it doesnt burn, I am then told by this woman marjorie that I was being rude and she was terminating the call.. and she hung up on me. I called back and was told she put in the notes that i cursed at her and that she ended the call... I then ask to be transferred to account specialist to just have this thing turned off.. they refused to turn it off... Saying they were going to start an investigaition and I should fax them my July bank records to show there was no refund posted to my account.. So I did that this morning and as instructed I called them this after noon, They still say i am wrong that I owe them money and they are going to disconnect me, I tell them to go ahead, they transfer me again to an account specialist, he refused to dissconnect me because my husband, who is first on the acount was not here to authorize this, LOL He told them 3 times last nite to disconnect it.. RUN FROM HUGHES NET, DO NOT EVER EVER BUY THEM, , , , THEY ARE GOING TO CHARGE ME A DISCONNECT FEE NOW TO HAVE IT TAKEN OUT.. I WOULD LOVE TO SUE THERE BUTTS OFF... BUT DONT HAVE THE CASH TO DO SO. BUT AT LEAST I CAN WORN OTHERS RUN DONT WALK, DO NOT BUY HUGHES NET...

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7:33 am EDT
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Hughes bad service

My husband got tranfered to Texas from Illinois. We are curretly with hughes Net Internet service. We Told them we couldn't have a satalite service where we are they don't like satalite dishes in the home accociation. Cable only. We asked hughes net to waive the shut off fee. And they told us if we shut off our service that they will put a $300.00 shut off fee on our charge card.

We have 11 months left on our contract. Iasked them if they could waive the fee wwe can not help it if our company has transfered us out of Illinois to Texas we had to go if we want to pay our bills. Basically they told us tuff.

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Geraldene Word
,
Apr 30, 2007 12:00 am EDT

About 5 years ago we were in desperate need of an ISP and we could only get dial up. We called and talked to Direcway for about 6 months before finally purchasing the entire system for over $600. We had it installed and everything went fine, we got a second computer we moved and had the service moved cost another $200 for satellite positioning and such, but we had no problems. Added a third computer to the home network and had no problems. Then about a years ago Hughes.Net took over and OMG we had problems from the first week I got the email. We continued calling customer support for over 1 year now. They continued telling me it was my network setup. I continued to explain to them the only thing I did was watch as my service went from Direcway to HughesNet. I went and spent another $600 on another computer. Upgraded to the HNS7000 still problems. Replaced a second computer another $600. About one week ago I had my husband call because I was fed up. A technician finally came out and checked out our satellite. Positioning was off and he fixed that and fixed some settings. Still having problems I called the repair technician, he said they have SOFTWARE THAT REDUCES YOUR SPEED IF YOU DOWNLOAD TOO MUCH ON ONE SYSTEM. OMG I was furious, I connected to a Hughes.Net representative that affirmed this I was so furious. I pay for an unlimited accountant I am getting limited I am still furious. Letting everyone know. PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE PURCHASING HUGHES.NET!

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Elizabeth Bradbury
,
Oct 25, 2008 3:36 pm EDT

We are not able to get DSL where we live and chose Hughes as our wireless provider. Our wireless connection is down on an average of 60% every day - NO service. The amount of time the service is down has increased with each passing month. We have talked with their customer service in India on three separate occasions, including supervisors and had a "tech guy" come to the house to replace part of the satellite - all to no avail. Our option now is a several hundred dollar "upgrade" with no guarantees for better service or a several hundred dollar bail out fee to get out of our contract. Hughes needs to be held responsible for false advertisement.

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bakerhor
Hornbeak, US
May 26, 2010 3:23 pm EDT

I agree 100% with L Miller I also was not getting what I thought I should so I upgradded not just one level but two and I could not tell the least bit of differance.I can watch two things on utube and it says iv downloaded my lemit.And I also watch Tv adds, about 50 times faster than dial up, and think what a fool I was.lol I Bit like a hungery gater.lol

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madasahornet
Lamar, US
Aug 17, 2009 11:52 am EDT

I am having the same problem. I have paid them their 75.00 per month for AWFUL service...yet, I have to move as there is NO WORK around here. They said they will charge my card 400.00. WHAT can I do?

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L Miller
,
Nov 14, 2008 8:02 pm EST

Don't fall for it! You will not get better service by buying the more expensive plan or at least I didn't. I upgraded from Home plan to ProPlus and still don't get even what I should get with the Home Plan. Very Frustrated but I am in the country and the only option is dial up. This is NO better than dial up except it leaves my phone line free. I laugh, cry then get mad when I see the TV ad about how fast the service is. What A JOKE!

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CARL B. LEGER
Amite, US
Nov 12, 2008 6:32 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I THOUGHT DIAL UP WAS SO SLOW, BUT YOUR SERVICE HAS BEEN WORSE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, BUT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT
YOU WITHOUT ANY LUCK.
WE ARE PLANNING ON MOVING INTO AN AREA WITH CABLE SERVICE AND BELIEVE
ME I WILL CANCEL YOUR SERVICE.
CABLE IS MUCH CHEAPER AND IT IS SO MUCH FASTER.

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Joanne Michanowicz
,
Sep 03, 2008 6:47 pm EDT

It is unbelievable. Over $80.00 per month and still limited.

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R R
,
Aug 29, 2008 6:44 am EDT

HughesNet Internet advertised speeds are FALSE ADVERTISEMENT ...period! Their advertised 1000/200 for the PRO plan which costs close to $70 per month ... generally averages 500/100. I have invested in all the "upgrades" ... antennae, newer modem (terminal adapter), spent hours w/support. ran rediculous "speed tests each support session, have months of speed tests supporting my claim of slow speeds... BUT still poor service.

Maybe it's time for a "Class Action" law suit to bring their advertised speeds into reality. For adverised speeds of 1000/200, many times, speeds will have to EXCEED 1000/200 to AVERAGE 1000/200 when, according to their policy (and support answers) speeds will vary between 650-700/100-150 in a"normal"session..

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Marsh Keintz
,
Aug 14, 2008 11:36 am EDT

I have been a customer for years now with 7000s, 1.5 meg speed, never exceeding the 425 FAP, For the past
2 weeks my speed at 11 am cst drops to 39-75 K (kilo) until 11 pm cst, then returns.
India tech support will not transfer me to higher support.
I can't be the only customer with this same problem.
This is fraud loosing my speed for a consistant 10 hours daily and paying $83 monthly.
i WILL cancel my debit card so they will be charging me $300 cancel fee, good bye
Hughes Net, to think they are running TV ads for new customers.
India Tech support said it's peak hours, but 75K and happens exactly the same hours.
Bull and good bye hughes, I will be posting this on all my Tech support forums.
more than 1 millon members will respect me.
marsh_0x is my log in, Google knows me well.

Marsh

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1:13 pm EDT

Hughes service sucks!!!

I have been a member of Hughesnet for over three years. during this time, while at first, the service was exellent, now, I can hardly get on the internet. I sit and try and try only to get a "TCP Acceleration Error (800.3) - Acceleration Backbones In SYN_SENT State
The HUGHES terminal is experiencing a problem with it's TCP acceleration infrastructure. Retrying the web page may correct the problem."

Retrying the webpage doesn't work, rebooting the system doesn't help, unplugging and doing all the stuff the tecs in India tell you to do, doesn't work. I am looking into DSL which has recently been offered in our area anad I am going to switch. I have spent big bucks to get this system up and running. I do picture uploads for eBay and can you imagine the frustration I feel when I get dumped due to "TCP Acceleration Error...infrastructure problems due to too many clients on the system and inadequate system help"!

Why advertise for more customers when you can't even take care of the ones you do have. And don't tell me I need to upgrade something... I am upgraded our the whazoooooo! Give me good service that I pay dearly for! Or get out of the business! Service folks, that's where it's at!

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d cangelosi
WALLER, US
Jul 08, 2009 12:56 pm EDT

some one help us who do not know what to do to stop this traversty!

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d cangelosi
WALLER, US
Jul 08, 2009 12:54 pm EDT

WE NEED A WAY TO WARN OTHERS NOT TO BE CHEATED.

WE MUST CLOSE HUGHES NET DOWN FOR GOOD AND MAKE THEM PAY BACK TO ALL THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE CHEATED.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICANS IS WE are so used to being cheated that we allow it!

WHERE IS OUR GREAT GOVERMENT NOW?

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11:01 pm EDT

Hughes inconsistent or no service

Inconsistent or no service. I am not getting what has been promised or advertised by Hughes net. I have been a customer with this company when it was formally known as Direcway and there were problems on occasion, but nothing near what I am experiencing now. I recently upgraded to a new modem with the promise from this company that I would have faster speeds and better performance from the Satellite internet service they offer. To get the new modem, I was required to either pay for the modem up front or sign a 2 year contract. Since I have no other option for Internet service other than dial up and I need the speed to upload photographs I sell, I opted for the 2 year contract.

Since that time my service has degraded and I have called in for technical support at least 1 to 2 times per week since august. I have jumped through all the hoops to eliminate the possiblity of a problem with equipment on my side. Since I am very skilled in electronics I have built and fixed many computer systems and I am certain that the problem is on the Hughes net side. Its very ironic that everytime I call in that my service improves shortly afterward.

I would like to cancel my contract but I am stuck with a $300 cancellation fee if I cancel before July of 2010. I am exploring the possibility of canceling anyway and taking my chances in court. I am printing records from the Hughesnet website that do show very degraded service so I can present them to a judge.

Some one needs to step in and force Hughesnet to provide the service it advertises nationally to its customers.

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Penny
, US
Jun 02, 2009 5:59 pm EDT

This is EXACTLY what happened to us! And, we had direcway for YEARS without any real complaints. I have seen this all over the internet.

Not only did we upgrade the modem, we upgraded to a bigger plan too, so we could have even more speed and limits. HA! We have less now than we ever did, and they will not allow you to re-commission the old modem!

I think the FCC should look into them saying they can provide these services when they obvious cannot handle the clients they have.

They seem to cycle the service down to areas at different times for a short while, and then POOF your equipment is mysteriously fixed again (since they keep saying it has to be the equipment). They are not suppose to restrict you, if you do not go over the FAP!

It's ridiculous. But, they get away with it, because those who do have their service - generally cannot get anything else. So, it's take it or leave it. But, it shouldn't be legal.

I hope you do have the means to sue them. I wish you ALL the luck you can imagine!

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Tilia Olivera
,
Oct 30, 2008 5:22 pm EDT

While I don't disagree about your complaint with HughesNet, I don't see what you'd gain by taking them to court. You'd have to spend more than the $300 cancellation fee to hire a lawyer, file the papers in court, etc.

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3:29 pm EDT

Hughes billing

I have called so many times about our bill, I could scream. Hughes.net is charging us $5.00 per invoice. I was told the last three times I called if I received my invoice via email no charge. Today I was told I either give some one in the Phillipines Islands my card num. and have the bill it, or I will continue paying the $5.00 extra a mth. The bills change almost every mth. I have not changed my service, Whats up with this? Its it legal to put a fee for sending a bill/invoice out? If every comp. we dealt with did this, we would have an extra few hundred on top of our bills.. LOL this is By far the Worst Company to date I have dealt with.

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joe24
Houston, US
Nov 04, 2009 1:29 pm EST

When my husband and I lived in Georgia, we went with Direct TV and also purchased the internet through them. Later on the internet part was taken over by Hughes. We had sooo much trouble with their customer service, which at this time was still in America. They never sent bills on time, and when they did it looked as though someone had stomped on it as there was dirt all over it and the typing was sooo bad and mispelled. It didn't even resemble a normal invoice. As I balanced my check book from day to day the check for them never came through. I called them and was transferred from person to person. I asked one person who owned this company and he replied "Howard Hughes, but he is dead." I finally was at one time transferred to an so called executive customer service. She gave me her name and the next time I called they told me she had quit. This fiasco went on every month. One of my attempts, with a name and regular address, I sent a registered letter. No one signed for it and it was returned undelivered. The post office felt so bad about this, they refunded my postage. After months of no checks being cashed it was finally resolved, but when our contract ran out we went with another internet service. I see all the complaints and realize the problem is much worse now. There is no way I would ever purchase internet service with them. I even get a little angry with their advertisement on TV. I advise anyone considering them as their provider DON'T!

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Anne
Huntsville, US
Mar 30, 2009 12:34 pm EDT

I have never recieved a bill or an account number. Just a call from the local person that helps with setting up the equipment. We have had it for one month and still have not recieved a bill/invoice or anything like a contract. What is that about? Anyone else had this problem?

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munchkin_28
Sebastopol, US
Feb 23, 2009 7:02 pm EST

I feel your pain. I have been having a problem with them as well although we are dealing with a lot more money. They charged us over $200 for one month, said they would refund it to our card and on the next pill they were charging us $151. They didn't refund as at all and even worse they charged us more the next month. We called them so many times and they keep telling us that we have been refunded even though we just called the credit card company and they told us that we have not been refunded at all. It's terrible, we called and couldn't even get a supervisor. So now the only thing we have left that we can do is fill a dispute against them and have our credit card company help us. I have never had this much trouble in my life. Once we get this squared away we are going to try and switch companies but its hard because we live out in the forest and can't get cable. Anyway I just wanted to put my rant on here and I hope that somebody else will read this and think twice before signing up with this company.

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11:51 pm EDT

Hughes disgusting advertisement

HughesNet has homepage where ads appear that are disgusting. Most recently, there is an animal rights group called WSPA that has a photo of a bear being mauled my dogs. Click on the photo and it tells how in Pakistan "bear baiting" is common, where a bear, minus his teeth, is chained down and dogs are allowed to attack it. Every time I log on I have to look at that disgusting photo. I contacted HughesNet and they said there is nothing I can do about it. If I am offended by it what about kids that log on and see it. It's just wrong.

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Art
Shepherd, US
Aug 03, 2011 10:31 pm EDT

When you type in a search for HughesNet, you will get pages and pages of dealers with all of the pages pretending to be the 'official' site. So you need to find out who owns the page before you place the blame. The real HughesNet site does not have any pop up ads. Pop up ads pay the page owners for the space, Hughes doesn't need their money and they want to advertize their own product exclusivly.

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4:20 pm EDT

Hughes taking too much money out of my account

I picked a promo plan where they charge me $79 a nonth for 24 months. $59 for service and 20 for equipment. They took out $479 all at once and overdrew my acct. No one would help me I called 8 times and they told me something different everytime. Would send me to a supervisor. Acted like they couldnt help me

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GeorgeandDeb
Morris, US
Jan 14, 2009 7:54 am EST

We also took the promo plan at first with GREAT DISSATIFICATION! After talking to a english speaking American sales person, and then a english speaking American set-up person it all was down hill from there. WARNING: DO NOT GIVE HUGESNET YOUR BANK CARD NUMBER, THEY WILL ABUSE IT! They have distroyed our bank account with mutible billings.
They have shut our service off because of a $ .54 balance and continued billing us on a service that we were not using.
We have mailed them a money order for $20.00 to cover the .54 balance and then was told by some [censored] some where that we had to wait seven to ten days for processing even though the did receive the payment. There excuse was that the computerized billing system is set up that way. After threatening to rip this system out and they can pick it up out of our front yard they some how managed to retstore our service. Amazing is'nt it ?
When contacting billing or tech service we always were speaking to some foreigner who could not speak or understand plain english ( I believe this is to frustrate you a just give up).
The only plan they have to come close to high speed internet is their ELITE PLAN at $120.00 a month for which we finally had to go with but the our monthly billing jumped to $190.00
a month plus.
Some how or some where there must be a federal communication agentcy that can and should investigate this scam!
We constanly check our usage and find that some how we go over our mega bite consumption even at the hours that our pc is not even on. We took to unplugging the HugesNet modem
( there is no on and off switch on it) when we are off line, but still we accumulate mega bite usage.
In short, HugesNet is not what they advertise, period!
Where we live we do not have cable service, we've had dial-up but as eveyone knows how slow that is and its worse for us becauce we live in farm country and the old telephone lines
makes it even worse. Cell phone reception is nil. If there is another satalite system available that is honest and dependable we certainly would like to know of it.

ComplaintsBoard
R
3:12 pm EDT

Hughes fap ripoff!

We live in a rural part of the state that provides no other internet connectivity, and have been stuck with DirecWay's being swallowed by Hughes.net. Without appropriate notification, Hughes.net enabled what they call a Fair Access Policy, but there is nothing fair about it.

They SEVERELY limit downloads, and then LOCK your account to a useless trickle for TWENTY FOUR HOURS any time the restriction is exceeded -- and they count every bit of download data over a 24 hour period. So, when I needed to download a software update that was close to 300mb, not only could I not do it, but I could not do ANYTHING for the next 24 hours.

This restriction is waived between 3am and 6am - that is the ONLY time. How many legitimate users are downloading software updates or itunes music at 3am?

Calls to Tech Support are an exercise in frustration - I have NEVER spoken to a native English language speaker.

AS SOON AS a viable connectivity alternative is available in our location (I am not holding my breath, ) I can't wait to call Hughes.Net and request they remove their ugly dish from our roof.

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c a hall
,
Apr 29, 2008 11:46 am EDT

Hughes has sunk to a new low in service. They were upgrading the email this weekend. It turned into a downgrade. We still cannot send or receive emails form our Outlook accounts or from their horrible webmail account. It's now 3 days after we were to have new and improved service.
With their technical support so bad why did they attempt anything remotely technical in nature.
After failed attempts to fix a problem, their tech support guy told me to go to Google and see if I could find the answer myself.
The problem was as simple as a pop up blocker interfering with accessing the Hughes satelite. A Linksys rep helped me with that bit of info even though it was a Hughes issue.

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mrri77
Farmersville, US
Aug 24, 2010 6:03 pm EDT
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you folks got off easy when i had hughes net installed it was 7hundred dollars for the equipment and 175 dollars for the installation. I was forced to recently upgrade and within 1 year the system died a rep came out and repaired the dish wich then died 3 days later. I called em bk and the rep refused to even come out unless i upgraded again. So i was looking at another 125 service call 49.99 upgrade fee and an aditional 9.95 to my bill each month. So needless to say i am now waiting for dsl to become available or another sattelite company to take hughes place no i will not recomend hughes to anyone even if i dislike the person i wont lol

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ghoulish
Kirkwood, US
Oct 10, 2009 1:02 pm EDT
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The aircards have limited usage too, and have their own connectivity problems and overage problems...buyer beware!

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kobe1955
Warsaw, US
Feb 16, 2009 3:32 pm EST

I dumped them and got an aircard from Sprint that is as fast as DSL for $59 a month!

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That Guy
Garden Valley, US
Dec 05, 2008 1:07 pm EST

I don't necessarily say Hughes is a scam. I have had satellite internet for well over 5 years and since Hughes took it over the service and quality is much reduced. I am considering changing to Wild Blue. Even though there are problems with Wild Blue as well from the feed back I ahve had from neighbors who have it as well as a couple who have changed from Hughs to Wild Blue it is a step up.

Right now my transmitter is going out on the dish and it will have to be replaced. The cost exceeds the change over so it makes sense for me now to change.

What my main compliant is Hughes FAP. Until recently I had only once or twice went into the FAP prior to Hughes taking over. I believe they lowered the threshold. I do know now when I wish to down load some packets and software the files are larger though. But in the past when I exceeded FAP at least I could continue using the internet. Now however I am essentualy out of service for 24 hours.

This is my prime interest for going to Wild blue. The FAP on Wild Blue is based on a 30 day average and from looking at my usage I will never get to their FAP limits. I average 200-250 MB down each day, yes I am an high end users. But this means about 2 to 3 t imes a mount I exceed Hughes FAP and I cannot afford to be out for a full day.

The only thing I can see from my research into the differences with Wild BLue and Hughes is the FAP issue, both have problems, each are about the same cost, each is my only alternative but the FAP issue tilts in Wild Blues favor.

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yamilet Otano
,
Nov 29, 2008 5:20 pm EST

This is a big scam ... because the first thing that I asked to ( hughes net representative ) was that if it is unlimited high speed internet ...and he said ...YES! But the next day in less than 30 minutes I had no internet... or 99% more slower than dial-up! I tried to return it ...because I pay $420 for the dish and modem and $125 for the installation ...so the total was $545 for something that does NOT WORK! and I have to pay $59.99 each month! ... AND HUGHES NET SAID THAT THEY WILL NOT RETURN MY MONEY ! THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE! and I will take this legally and try to sue you ! because when you buy a home you have AT LEAST 3 days to cancel the business and get your money back!
not only your lies about unlimeted high speed internet, ... also the right of the customer to return something that DOES'NT WORK!

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Cheryl
,
Nov 22, 2008 1:13 pm EST

My Phone requires regular updates through iTunes. Hughes pretty much suspends my service before even one update is complete. After that, not only am I unable to finish my update, I cannot even send an email to complain; I am pretty much locked out for the next 24 hours. I certainly cannot get anywhere talking to someone in India, either.

The sales pitch was that, being the only user on my computer, I would never reach the threshhold. This a blatant lie. I would NEVER recommend Hughes to anyone. If there is any possible way to get out of this contract I will do it.

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Trish
,
Oct 05, 2008 1:39 am EDT

Especially when you are paying over 70.00 a month I think it is wrong, and cheating the consumer as well. I just got hughesnet I was with aol and I do web design and alot of uploads and downloads, and wasn't aware of this FAP as they call it.

Fair Access Policy, and if I was aware of it, I would have never signed up and paid 181.00 plus another 133.87 to have the pole installed. Yes, its a bunch of unfair practices, when you are paying triple the amount for theirs when you can get the same service at aol, or netzero.

316.00 for tabbed access...really wrong and cheating ways to rip the consumer...now I cant do no work until 24 hours, boy is my husband going to be mad.

ComplaintsBoard
M
2:54 pm EDT

Hughes beware of hughes net scam

Hughes net nightmare continues, this is actually my 3rd complaint about hughes net. Today I found out they have double billed me the last three months. After 3 ear breaking phone calls and being told somthing different each time, they stated they can not refund my money for at least 14 days. The mistake was made by this poor excuse for a company and they cant refund my money for 2 weeks, they can sure take it out within 24 hours. I would never recommend this service to anyone. We have had nothing but problems with this company, the customer service is awful. If you get someone that you can actually understand, they lie to you. Ive heard 3 different stories each time I called. I cant wait till another service is offered in our area. Hughes net makes me crazy.

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HUSGHESNETISASCAM
Neosho, US
Jun 26, 2009 2:33 pm EDT

Agreed, today is my 30th day for the "satisfaction guarantee" and I'm cancelling and I'm sure will get the runaround from Hadgi in India. The installer was a ### from the word go, couldn't even bury the cable properly and didn't tighten one single nut or bolt on the dish! Thier "basic" is a total SHAM! Standard modem with dialup is much faster. I called about "upgrading" and they said I would be double billed the first month of the upgrade...yeah right Hadgi, go steal your money somewhere else! DON'T GET HUGHESNET, TALK TO YOU SAT TV PROVIDER FIRST! Chances are you will get a local installer who is American and you will most likely always talk to english speaking AMERICANS for cust svc. HUGHESNET IS A RIPOFF! DON'T GET FOOLED LIKE MYSELF AND SO MANY OTHERS HAVE!

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Karin
,
Oct 09, 2008 4:32 pm EDT

I went from Starband to Hughes.net in hopes of getting better service. I am presently paying Hughes.net 130.00 a month for Business internet. Yet, my speed test just showed; 42.5.
I paid in the neighborhood of $1, 200 for set-up.
I think all satellite internet services are a sham. A joke! I have (2) choices where I live; a 26.4 modem or, a satellite connection that works part of the time. How can they legally sell business class internet. It isn't as if I work on and off through out the day to match my connection. I have set hours, so I expect my paid connection to work for me! It doesn't!
In fact, I did the old school download last night. I wanted to watch a youtube video so I requested the download and than drove into town to run errands, came home and watched a movie on my tv, took a shower and than waited an additional half-n-hour for the download to complete. It was a ten minute video I was waiting for...

They should be sued! Their service is worth at most $8 a month!

I am considering purchasing a laptop and driving to a location for internet service. The laptop, gas and alternative internet will still be cheaper than this crap!

ComplaintsBoard
B
4:49 pm EDT

Hughes fair access policy

HughesNet Fair Access Policy is anything but fair. It is not defined, to the user, in any useful way, but may be triggered by the simple act of normal web searches. I can only guess that opening a new web page, before their slow system has opened the current one, is a violation, as that is all that I was doing, this time, when FAP activated. Updating software, viewing a news video, and many other normal everyday web activities activate FAP. Apparently HughesNet is an Email, (no attachments), service only.
Since more of us in rural America are going online, HugesNet’s solution to bandwidth is to reduce service to subscribers. The more subscribers that are made afraid of activating FAP or are essentially at Dialup speed due to activation of FAP, the more subscribers HughesNet can sign up.

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Frustrated in VT
,
Sep 20, 2008 3:17 pm EDT

I could not agree more. Hughes.net is taking extreme advantage of those who live in sparsely populated areas that cable and telephone providers do not want to go to the expense of providing service to.
For the $$ that they charge, for service that is already hindered by the slightest change in weather and has a built-in latency that cripples any secure transactions, they should be severely sanctioned by the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission.

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D
10:35 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hughes fair access policy is a sham

On Sept 8-2008 I had HughesNet installed. The installer left no paper work or instructions. I can live with that. I noticed my computer was running a little slow 2 days later. I sent an email to HughesNet advising them of this but I found out what was the problem. This FAP crap! All I did was watch about 8 short videos on youtube.com and I was spanked on the ### for it. I didn't know it at the time why my pc was running so slow until I went to their website and started reading about their FAP and I looked up my usage. It stated that I was going to be penalized for 24hours because I went over 200MB or close to it. I tried clicking on a link and I swear I could get up and take a shower before the site would load up. I didn't know anything about this Fair Access Policy before I subscribed to HughesNet. This is a money scam. They want you to get mad so you will pay more for more MB's! I thought I could surf the net as long as I wanted to and go to websites that I wanted to. I've never heard of this mess in my life! What is it that we can do? They need to be sued because I never was told anything about any FAP nor was I told that I was only going to be able to download up to 200MB in a 24hour period or I would be punished for 24hours by restricting my ability to surf the net. If this isn't a fraud and a scam I don't know what is. All of this because of watching short little videos on youtube. I've been a customer for 5 days but after only 2 I saw what a fraud and scam these people are. DONT SUBSCRIBE TO HUGHESNET!

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Joe Blow
, US
Mar 25, 2009 7:19 am EDT

If you want more download capacity subscribe to a higher package. This service has a specific application in rural areas where other forms of internet are not available. There is a free zone between 3:00-6:00 am to download whatever you need.

YOU STATED
'The installer left no paper work or instructions."
DID YOU READ THE CONTRACT THAT YOU AGREED TO WHEN YOU SIGNED UP AT INSTALLATION via the computer? IT OUTLINES THE FAIR ACCESS POLICY. HOW IS IT HUGHESNET'S FAULT YOU CAN NOT READ WHAT YOU SIGN?

I use HughesNet at my business in a network with 5 computers. We have never bypassed the Fair Access Policy. Subscribe to a higher package, or don't use the service. Obviously, you don't have other options or you would have DSL, or Cable.

Last, if you don't like the service you can always go back to dial up ;) -or- Get WildBlue...they will throttle you down for a month when you bypass their Fair Access Policy! And their service is slower, less reliable, and lower download capacity.

This is what you get when living in an area without cable, or DSL. Be happy there is some form of service available. Quit complaining, and move back to civilization if internet is that important to you!

Hughes Customer Reviews Overview

HughesNet is a satellite internet service provider that offers broadband connectivity to customers across the United States, particularly in rural and remote areas where traditional high-speed internet options are limited or unavailable. Their services include various internet plans with different data allowances to suit individual usage needs. HughesNet emphasizes its availability nationwide, leveraging satellite technology to provide internet access. Additionally, they offer built-in features such as data-saving modes to help manage bandwidth usage.

Hughes In-depth Review

In Summary: HughesNet offers satellite internet services primarily targeting rural and remote areas where traditional broadband is not available. While it provides widespread coverage and a variety of plans, customers should be aware of its speed limitations, data caps, and contract terms. The installation process is straightforward, but there may be initial costs involved. Performance can vary, especially during peak times, and customer service experiences are mixed. HughesNet includes features like built-in Wi-Fi and a Bonus Zone, but users must weigh these against the overall cost and value for money. The company also shows a commitment to sustainability and community involvement.

Company Overview: HughesNet is a long-standing provider of satellite internet services, known for connecting users in rural and remote areas. Their core offerings revolve around internet connectivity with a focus on areas underserved by traditional broadband.

Internet Service Options: HughesNet offers a range of plans that vary in price and data allowances, with speeds up to 25 Mbps. All plans come with data caps, and exceeding these limits can result in reduced speeds. Contract terms typically require a 24-month commitment.

Installation and Setup: Installation is generally handled by professional technicians and is often praised for its simplicity. Customers receive a satellite dish and modem, but there may be initial setup fees or equipment costs to consider.

Performance and Reliability: Users report that actual speeds can sometimes fall short of advertised speeds, particularly during peak hours. However, the network is known for its reliability in areas where other internet services are unavailable.

Customer Service: Customer service experiences with HughesNet are varied, with some users reporting quick and helpful responses, while others have faced challenges. Support is available through phone, email, and chat.

Coverage and Availability: HughesNet's primary advantage is its extensive geographic coverage, especially in rural and remote areas where other internet options are limited or nonexistent.

User Experience: Customer reviews are mixed, with some praising the service for its availability and others critiquing it for speed and data limitations. The user interface for account management is functional, and the mobile app offers additional convenience for managing services.

Additional Features and Services: HughesNet includes built-in Wi-Fi with its modems and offers a Bonus Zone, where customers can use additional data during off-peak hours. Other value-added services may be available depending on the plan.

Pricing and Value for Money: When compared to other satellite internet providers, HughesNet's pricing is competitive, but it may seem high compared to traditional broadband. The company occasionally offers promotions, but customers should be mindful of termination fees and refund policies.

Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility: HughesNet demonstrates a commitment to reducing its environmental impact and engages in various sustainability initiatives. The company also participates in community programs and strives for social responsibility.

Pros and Cons: HughesNet's key advantages include its availability in remote areas and the inclusion of features like the Bonus Zone. However, the disadvantages of speed limitations and data caps are significant. The service is best suited for users with limited internet options.

Final Verdict: HughesNet is a viable option for users in rural and remote locations who have limited access to other types of internet services. While it offers reliable coverage and some unique features, potential customers should carefully consider the speed and data limitations, as well as the overall cost, before committing. For light internet users and those without other options, HughesNet can be a suitable choice, but heavy streamers and those used to high-speed broadband may find it lacking.

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- Provide detailed information about your experience with Hughes. Mention key areas of concern, any relevant transactions, steps taken to resolve the issue, the nature of the problem, and the personal impact.

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- Click the 'Submit' button to submit your complaint.

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- Regularly check for any responses or updates related to your complaint on ComplaintsBoard.com.

Follow these steps to effectively file a complaint against Hughes on ComplaintsBoard.com.

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