Sunday, February 07, 2010

Wild Blue Satellite Internet

I have spent 10 days without an internet connection. The thing seems to be miraculously working this morning so I wanted you to know why I haven't been around.  The problem has been determined to be an equipment problem. The dish, or its aiming or the modem. I've been needing a service call.  I've spent about 4 hours on the phone, being passed from city to city to town to technician and even to different countries all in an attempt to avoid having one of their non-existent service men come out. WildBlue doesn't seem to even have someone who can call me about coming out. Maybe sometime this week.
In the mean time I have contacted a different company who will be out to install a new system. I can't wait to make the phone call to Wild Blue saying "I know you just had someone out to fix my system, but You had your chance."
I did find out something that would be of help. If I had purchased my Wildblue service thru Directv, one of their service people would have come out. I've had nothing but perfect response from Directv since I started with them in 1996. If this new company isn't able to provide good enough reception here, I will cancel my Wildblue and then call Directv and have it re-installed and bundled thru them. At least they have an army of skilled service people to help customers.  Great Plains Communications also bears a great deal of the blame for all of this. They are the local distributors for W.B.
Now to go answer some email. I was over my quota (because I couldn't get my email) so most of it was returned. I do have 55 new messages to do something with. Later kids.

11 comments:

LeeAnn said...

When we first moved out here before the cable company had wired our road, someone suggested Wild Blue to us. We turned it down because the guy we got on the phone was very aggressive with his sales pitch, and kept calling us back EVERY DAY wondering if we were going to set up an installation. I finally got peeved at him and told him if he called again I'd charge harassment.
We got cable soon after, much to my relief.
I've heard also that Wild Blue is a pain to try to cancel, so be careful :)

Jerry in Texas said...

Cliff, my internet went out on Friday. It was due to a huge pile of snow that was stuck to the dish and the feedhorn (the part that juts out like a microphone). I swept off the snow on the dish with a broom, and then it worked.

Dad's satellite also went out on Friday. He had ice on the feedhorn. I whacked it with a snow scraper and removed the ice. Then it worked again.

That's my low-tech solution. Then you can tell all of your farmer friends that you had ice on your feedhorn. That will send them home scratching their heads.

Ralph said...

Glad your back up and running. I'm getting ready to buy a new laptob. I might be able to find it a little cheaper somewhere else but really don't care, the service Char has received at this store is remarkable. I will pay more for good service.
Ralph

Rachel said...

I liked Jerry's comment! LOL

Ten days with no internet! Oh my, that's a long time. I had my computer worked on twice in the last week. What a pain! I hate viruses.

I hope you find great service Cliff, no matter which company you go with!

Lee said...

G'day Cliff! Good to see you're still blogging! I've been very, very remiss in that department over the past 18 months, I discovered this morning!

I hope all is well with you and yours and you still have that wonderful sense of humour! :)

Peter said...

I feel privileged to have got that email from you Cliff after reading about all the internet troubles you have had, hope it all sorts out soon!!

Granny Annie said...

Oh yes Cliff this is your post to which I can relate:) Finally DISH sent us repair people from Tulsa (80 miles away) instead of WildBlue (16 miles away) and DISH fixed our problem without charging the $49 service call. It turns out it makes a difference who you signed up with and since we went through DISH we needed to deal with them directly instead of WB. I am jealous that you have an alternative for service and hope it will work well for you. If you end up having to go back to satellite you will be better going through DirectTV.

EV said...

No joke. Reinstall as a bundle- sounds like a plan.

Paul Nichols said...

Ah, technology...

Anonymous said...

Ah, This is great! Dispells
a few contradictions I've heard

Anonymous said...

I have had Wild Blue Internet through Dish Network for a couple years now. Living in the middle of no where, this was the only option.

Dish Network when selling the service made a good song and dance which turned out to be smoke and mirrors.

512 download speed... that is their claim. Well you might get that once in a great while. 128 upload speed.. never going to happen. When you complain they tell you 370 download and 70 upload, is acceptable. Acceptable to whom?

Now they have over sold their service. I can tell you when the kids get out of school and go to bed. Download.. maybe 140 upload, if your lucky.. 30. Far cry from what they sales pitch you with. And their excuse this time.. congestion in the server. And it is acceptable to them.

Glad they are happy. I am not. They don't care. And buyer be warned.