Wild Blue Internet: Buyer beware

I’m posting this because I’m hoping it will come up in a google search that will be found by someone who’s looking into acquiring internet access through Wild Blue Internet Company. It should, with the name of the company in the title post. So, for those regular readers of this blog, I apologize for bringing all this up again. I just need to say it once more.

I’m a new WB customer, and have had the service for one month. Prior to this, I had dial-up and I think I was one of the last holdouts. Does anyone use dial-up anymore? It took about two weeks to finally get my internet running up to speed, after the installer was out here four separate times. I thought he worked for and represented Wild Blue, but he works for himself.

The dish is pointed well and we are receiving a perfect signal most of the time.

I called the company this past Monday, after the internet connection had been particularly slow for a couple of days, only to discover that I had been put on something they called “Time Out”. This is a 30-day punishment for those who go over their allotted threshold of downloads and uploads. I have the Valu Pak and wasn’t aware of a threshold, even though I read page after page of their contract. It was in a separate tab at the bottom of their main page that was so small, I didn’t even know it was there. It's under the Fair Trade Policy. The highest amount of information I can download is 7,500 mbps. The most I can upload is 2,300 mbps.

The company states that they’ll send customers an e-mail when they are getting close to their limit. I received nothing, and when I told one of the customer service reps this, they told me that “everyone says that” and they assured me they had sent it. I assured them that I had yet to receive it. Regardless, I think the consequences for going over a limit are a bit harsh, especially when I‘m a new customer who isn‘t very happy with them to begin with, and I hadn‘t been warned about the impending overage. But they have no incentive to keep their customers happy.

The Time Out gives you a connection, but it’s just so slow that, during peak hours (which is when I am home), it’s only good for checking mail and sometimes, we’re not even able to do that. The bad thing is that this lasts for 30 days. And if you go over the threshold again within that 30 day period, it begins again. On that day.

I am still being billed for the full amount, even though my service is almost non-existent. If I want out of the contract, I have to buy out, like it’s a cell phone contract. Ridiculous. I’ve heard two costs of buying out: one is $32 per month and the other is $50. This information came from two different people with whom I've spoken. Every time I’ve called, the technicians were working on some part of their computer system, or their phones were cutting off losing calls. It was something different every day. If you call, get the number of the person you’re talking to before you do anything else. And rest assured, you’ll be calling them back. This happened every single time I’ve called them.

I know that this blog doesn’t get tons of comments, but according to my stat counter, plenty of people are downloading the page on a daily basis. So I know it’s being read. And if this will warn just a few people, I’ll feel better.

I choose to live in the country and I’m not planning on moving just to have decent internet access. And Wild Blue and HughesNet are about the only game in town around here. Don’t tell me to get a phone access card through Sprint or Verizon. My Verizon cell usually works in the house, but I lose a lot of calls, too. So I’m pretty sure the internet connection would be the same way.

So what I’m saying is that if you have stumbled onto this blog because you googled Wild Blue Internet and found this, just beware. Sometimes I feel like I must have eaten a big bowl of stupid for breakfast because I didn’t research this company enough. I thought I had, but oh, well.

To all my friends in the blogging world, I'd love to visit your beautiful sites, but I can't just now. I try when I'm on breaks at work, but until I get out from under this rock, I'll see you when I can. And I will continue to take pictures and post when I am able and I will be content with all that I do have.

~ Country Girl