26 replies to this topic

[zalternate]

So if you have really slow speeds(especially in  'primetime') and can't get anywhere with WildBlue, send a note to the new owners.  


http://tech.yahoo.co...iasat_wild_blue

Quote

Satellite equipment maker ViaSat buying Wild Blue

   * By DEBORAH YAO, AP Business Writer - Thu Oct 1, 2009 8:18AM EDT

ViaSat Inc. is acquiring Wild Blue Communications Inc., a provider of high-speed Internet access via satellite, for $568 million in cash and stock, the companies said Thursday.

Privately held Wild Blue, in which Liberty Media Corp. holds a 37 percent stake, will become an operating subsidiary of ViaSat, which makes satellite communications equipment for defense and consumer markets.

Carlsbad, Calif.-based ViaSat plans to buy Wild Blue for $443 million in cash and $125 million in new common stock. Liberty Media, controlled by media mogul John Malone, will appoint a representative to ViaSat's board. Mark Carleton, senior vice president at Liberty, is Wild Blue's chairman.

ViaSat is planning to launch a satellite in the first quarter of 2011 that will enable Wild Blue to offer speeds of 2 Megabits per second to 8 Megabits per second — closer to those offered by cable operators. Currently, Wild Blue's speeds top out at a DSL-like 1.5 Mbps.

ViaSat plans to hold prices essentially the same for consumers, which range from $39.95 to $79.95 a month for speeds of 512 kilobits per second to 1.5 Mbps.

Wild Blue, based in Denver, serves 400,000 subscribers of which around 90 percent have dial-up Internet access as their only alternative. The company holds 44 percent of the U.S. satellite ISP market.

The higher speeds will enable easier downloads of videos and other multimedia for Wild Blue's customers. Wild Blue's service is resold by DirecTV Group Inc., Dish Network Corp., AT&T Inc. and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative.

The purchase marks the first time ViaSat will be dealing directly with consumers. The deal, expected to close by April, should boost ViaSat's earnings before one-time items.

Wild Blue has struggled with having enough capacity to add more customers, and ViaSat's new satellite should provide the bandwidth needed to grow.

Rival satellite ISP HughesNet, a unit of Hughes Communications Inc., also offers higher speeds, but ViaSat's new satellite should make Wild Blue more competitive.

Note that in the story about the "Wild Blue's speeds top out at a DSL-like 1.5 Mbps". Satellite is nothing like DSL. And 1.5Mbps is the slow end of DSL now a days. The mention of 'DSL like', is a bit of false advertising on WildBlues pages.

Quote

WildBlue's always-on broadband Internet connection provides a user experience similar to most DSL services.

http://www.bbb.org/us/
Since WildBlue is trying to stay fully accredited(as in getting a satisfaction grade rating). For over a year since being dis-credited.
WildBlue still is not allowed a rating on the consumer problem resolution satisfaction scale.
BBB complaint form.
https://odr.bbb.org/...getstarted.aspx

http://www.bbb.org/d...lage-co-9036631

Quote

BBB issues Reliability Reports on all businesses, whether or not they are BBB accredited. If a business is a BBB Accredited Business, it is stated in this report.

Find out more about this business:
Arrow BBB Accreditation
Arrow BBB Rating
Arrow Business Contact and Profile
Arrow Business Management
Arrow Licensing
Arrow Customer Complaint History
Arrow BBB Program Participation
Arrow Government Actions
Arrow Advertising Review
Arrow Industry Tips
Arrow BBB Copyright and Reporting Policy

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BBB Accreditation

This company has been a BBB Accredited business since April 2006. This means it supports BBB's services to the public and meets our BBB Accreditation standards.

Wildblue Communication's BBB Accreditation was revoked on June 26, 2008, which was due to the volume and pattern of complaints on file with the BBB. The company appealed the revocation before the BBB Board of Directors and on September 19, 2008, they reinstated the company's BBB Accreditation with stipulations.

The company has made commitments to their customers and the BBB to correct the underlying reasons for the complaint issues brought forth. The company has also agreed to regularly meet with the BBB to participate in a monitoring program to ensure these issues are not further developing within future consumer complaints.

The BBB Board of Directors also agreed to leave the company's rating as 'NR', ('No Rating'), while the company continues to improve on their complaint issues.

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BBB Rating

Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of NR .

Click here for an explanation of BBB Ratings

WildBlue Communications encourages consumers to contact WildBlue's designated Executive Escalations team at WildBlue's corporate office prior to filing a complaint through the Denver BBB. This Executive Escalations team may be reached via email at executiveescalations@wildbluecorp.com. WildBlue has committed to address these emails by providing consumers with a response within three business days. Please include the following in the email:

First and Last Name on the Account
Phone Number on the Account
City, State and Zip on the Account
Account Number (if possible)
Detailed Description of the Issue

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Business Contact and Profile
Name: WildBlue Communications, Inc.
Phone: (866) 945-3258
Fax: (720) 554-7500
Address: 5970 Greenwood Plaza Blvd Ste 300
Greenwood Village, CO 80111-4735
Website: www.wildblue.com
Original Business Start Date: May 1999
Principal: Ms Rosalind E. Stauthamer, Consumer Affairs Manager
Customer Contact: Ms Rosalind E. Stauthamer, Consumer Affairs Manager - legal@wildbluecorp.com
Email Address: legal@wildbluecorp.com
Incorporated: May 1999, DE
Type of Business: Internet Access Providers, Internet Services
BBB Accreditation: This organization is a BBB Accredited business.

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Business Management

Additional company management personnel include:

    Mr. David Leonard - CEO


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Licensing

Many local municipalities, townships, and counties have registration, bonding and/or licensing requirements. The BBB encourages you to check with the appropriate agency to be certain any requirements are currently being met.

Permit and license requirements for regulated industries in the state of Colorado can be viewed at the following website: http://www.colorado....dustry-license/

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Customer Complaint History

Based on BBB files consumers are complaining about connection speeds, constant interruption in service, not receiving the promised download speeds, not being informed about the FAP, problems with the TRIA card, VPN, Router, or third party billing and/or installation, and poor customer service.

When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

BBB processed a total of 1309 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 1309 complaints closed in 36 months, 320 were closed in the last year.
These complaints concerned :
40 regarding Advertising Issues

2 - Advertised price not honored
1 - Advertised service not available
6 - Advertised terms not honored
6 - Advertisement misrepresented a product
19 - Advertisement misrepresented a service
3 - Bait & switch advertisement
2 - False or unsubstantiated claims in advertisement
1 - None of the Above - Advertising Complaint Issue
241 regarding Billing or Collection Issues

69 - Failure to correct billing errors
4 - Failure to provide itemized billing as requested
12 - Failure to substantiate charges
19 - Improper collection practices
41 - None of the Above - Credit, Billing or Collection Complaint Issue
44 - Unauthorized bank debits
52 - Unauthorized credit card charges
148 regarding Contract Issues

56 - Failure to honor a contract or agreement
15 - Invalid or false contract
71 - None of the Above - Contract Complaint Issue
6 - Unauthorized changes to the contract or agreement
200 regarding Customer Service Issues

111 - Failure to provide promised assistance or support for products or services
42 - Failure to respond to phone calls or written requests for assistance or support
1 - Inappropriate behavior by customer service personnel
46 - None of the Above - Customer Service Complaint Issue
7 regarding Delivery Issues

1 - Late delivery of products
1 - Non-delivery of products
5 - Non-delivery of services
6 regarding Guarantee or Warranty Issues

1 - Disputed warranty coverage and/or terms
2 - Failure to honor money-back guarantees
3 - None of the Above - Guarantee or Warranty Complaint Issue
45 regarding Product Issues

7 - Defective, damaged, or incorrect product received
38 - None of the Above - Product Quality Complaint Issue
114 regarding Refund or Exchange Issues

56 - Failure to honor promised refunds, exchanges, or credit
22 - Failure to honor refund, exchange or credit policies
36 - None of the Above - Refund or Exchange Complaint Issue
50 regarding Repair Issues

30 - Delayed completion of repair
2 - Failure to honor a repair estimate or agreement
2 - Failure to provide invoice or estimate for repair upon request
1 - Improper or inferior repair
12 - None of the Above - Repair Complaint Issue
3 - Repairs resulted in additional damage
71 regarding Sales Practice Issues

9 - None of the Above - Sales Complaint Issue
14 - Sales presentation did not disclose complete pricing information
11 - Sales presentation did not disclose key conditions of the offer
7 - Sales presentation misrepresented the product
15 - Sales presentation misrepresented the service
2 - Sales presentation not consistent with advertisement
2 - Sales presentation not consistent with the written agreement
11 - Sales presentation used dishonest sales practices
387 regarding Service Issues

25 - Delayed completion of service
22 - Failure to honor service estimate or agreement
256 - Improper or inferior service
83 - None of the Above - Service Complaint Issue
1 - Services resulted in additional damage (exp. Damaged product during shipping)

These complaints were closed as:
1006 Resolved

487 - Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer acknowledged acceptance to BBB.
505 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.
4 - Company resolved the complaint issues, but not within BBB's timeframe.
5 - Company offered a partial (less than 100%) settlement which the consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.
5 - Company offered a partial (less than 100%) settlement which the consumer accepted.
303 Administratively Closed

260 - BBB determined that despite the company's reasonable effort to address complaint issues, the consumer remained dissatisfied.
28 - BBB determined the company made a reasonable offer to resolve the issues, but the consumer did not accept the offer.
7 - BBB determined the company provided proper verification that indicated there was no obligation to resolve the issues of the complaint.
8 - BBB determined that while the company addressed the complaint issues, the complainant was dissatisfied and the matter was outside BBB Rules of Arbitration.

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BBB Program Participation
This company has agreed to use special procedures including arbitration, if necessary, to resolve disputes through their participation in the following programs: BBB Identification, BBBOnLine.

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Government Actions

BBB has no information regarding government actions at this time.

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Advertising Review

BBB has no information regarding advertising review at this time.

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Industry Tips

Choosing an Internet Provider

If the thought of choosing an Internet service provider (ISP) or of switching to a new one fills you with dread, you're not alone. As more and more ISPs crop up and the options get increasingly complicated, the supposedly simple task of getting on the Internet takes on a new dimension.
Your BBB suggests you do some homework before deciding on a particular provider.

The first thing to look for when choosing an ISP is whether they have an access number that is a local phone call for you. Otherwise, you may end up paying the phone company more than you pay the ISP. If you reside in or near a large or medium-sized city you should have no problem finding an ISP with a local access number. However, if you live in a rural area you may not have much luck in finding one at all. If you can't find an ISP with a local access number, be sure you get the best long distance rate possible.

Price is a large factor when choosing an ISP. Most providers offer a monthly fixed, flat-rate with unlimited online time. If you're only interested in surfing for brief periods at a time or you just need e-mail access, look for pricing that reflects the actual time spent online. Ask about discounts if you opt to have your payments made automatically by credit card, or for signing up for a longer period. Keep in mind, that the lowest price is not always the best deal. Find out what features are included in the price, such as e-mail, Web page hosting, filters for downloading, etc.

If you're new to the Internet, you should look for an ISP that will help you get things up and running. Ideally, look for a service that offers a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week support and preferably an 800 or local phone number. Call the number at a time representative of the hours you'll be keeping and see how often you get a busy signal or get placed in a queue, and for how long. If you already have Internet access, check out the company's web site and see how informative it is and how easy it is to navigate. Look for the frequently asked questions area, which can save you time in the long run by answering those more obvious questions. Also, check the company out with your BBB.

Find out if the ISP has enough modems. Also, know if it has sufficient bandwidth to the Internet to properly support all of the users who log on.

Finally, ask for recommendations from friends and co-workers.

Internet Business Opportunity Advice

The FTC offers this advice to consumers considering an Internet-related business opportunity:

* Consider the promotion carefully. If it claims buyers can earn a certain income, then it also must give the number and percentage of previous purchasers who achieved the earnings. If an earnings claim is there - but the additional information isn't - the business opportunity seller is probably violating the law.

* Get earnings claims in writing. If the business opportunity costs $500 or more, then the promoter must back up the earnings claim in a written document. It should include the earnings claim, as well as the number and percentage of recent clients who have earned at least as much as the promoter suggested. If it's a work-at-home or other business opportunity that involves an investment of under $500, ask the promoter to put the earnings information in writing.

* Study the business opportunity's franchise disclosure document. Under the FTC Franchise Rule, many business opportunity promoters are required to provide this document to potential purchasers. It includes information about the company, including whether it has faced any lawsuits from purchasers or lawsuits alleging fraud. Look for a statement about previous purchasers. If the document says there have been no previous purchases but the seller offers you a list of references, be careful: the references probably are phonies.

* Interview each previous purchaser in person, preferably where their business operates. The FTC requires most business opportunity promoters to give potential purchasers the names, addresses and phone numbers of at least 10 previous purchasers who live the closest to the potential purchaser. Interviewing them helps reduce the risk of being misled by phony references.

* Contact the attorney general's office, state or county consumer protection agency and the BBB both where the business opportunity promoter is based and where you live to find out whether there is any record of unresolved complaints. While a complaint record may indicate questionable business practices, a lack of complaints doesn't necessarily mean that the promoter and the business opportunity don't have problems. Unscrupulous dealers often change names and locations to hide a history of complaints.

* If the business opportunity involves selling products from well-known companies, call the legal department of the company whose merchandise would be promoted. Find out whether the business opportunity and its promoter are affiliated with the company. Ask whether the company has ever threatened trademark action against the business opportunity promoter.

* Consult an attorney, accountant or other business advisor before you put any money down or sign any papers. Entering into a business opportunity can be costly, so it's best to have an expert check out the contract first. If the promoter requires a deposit, ask your attorney to establish an escrow account where the deposit can be maintained by a third party until you make the deal.

* Take your time. Promoters of fraudulent business opportunities are likely to use high-pressure sales tactics to get you to buy in. If the business opportunity is legitimate, it'll still be around when you're ready to decide.

Source: www.ftc.gov

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BBB Copyright and Reporting Policy

As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business.

BBB Reliability Reports are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Information in this BBB Reliability Report is believed reliable, but not guaranteed as to accuracy.

BBB Reliability Reports generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Reliability Reports are subject to change at any time.

If you choose to do business with WildBlue Communications, Inc., please let them know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Reliability Report.

ID: 9036631
Report as of October 1, 2009 10:57
Copyright© 2009 Better Business Bureau 

[micwa1]

What a WB mod/employee said about it:

Quote

WB Steph's

Hi everyone, thought I would check to see if there are questions from today's announcement. Everything will remain status quo. Our customer care will remain in the U.S. and pricing will be the same. The $39.95 mentioned is for areas in the west that have a lot of open capacity and that price is only for 12 months. Then it goes back to $49.95 per month. The good news about the acquisition is that ViaSat will be launching the first next generation satellite in about 18 months which means A LOT more capacity, product enhancements and increased throughput speeds. Could be 5MB down.

http://wildblueworld...ead.php?p=18290


Sounds like this could really turn out good.

[zalternate]

The ViaSat1 is going to be an interesting satellite in capacity.
But if WildBlue ends up with two seperate FAP policies to go with the ViaSat1's possible special offers of being able to stream video's to your hearts content, then people on the older satellites are going to look to upgrade, or feel like they are on dialup, again.


http://www.viasat.com/broadband-satellite-networks/viasat-1
[quote] Transforming Satellite Broadband
The demand for broadband by satellite is indisputable, as is the growing demand for more bandwidth. Both times a new broadband satellite has launched, a spike in subscriber uptake followed. Then within months, capacity was sold out in key geographic areas, capping subscriber growth.


ViaSat-1 is aimed at meeting this obvious demand:

   * Economically deliver Internet multimedia
   * More capacity than all current North American satellites combined
   * Two million subscribers
   * 10 times the throughput of any other Ka-band satellite
   * In-orbit costs only a fraction of even the newest satellites in orbit
   * More – and cheaper – bits in space
   * Enable service on a par with DSL and cable

Bringing Subscribers What They Want
Current satellite systems aren’t designed for the high bandwidth applications that people want, such as video, photo sharing, VoIP, and peer-to-peer networking. The solution is to increase the capacity of the satellite and give customers more bandwidth at the same price.

Eclipsing All Current Capacity
The chart shows the baseline designed capacity of ViaSat-1.

Expressing the gains in terms of service levels, median DSL speed in the U.S. is 768 Kbps and median cable speed is much faster, at about 4.5 Mbps. ViaSat-1 will let distributors price a basic service at 2 Mbps compared to 512 Kbps now, raising satellite to about the 80th percentile of DSL. Premium plans would easily surpass the best DSL service, and put satellite well above the current median for cable.

Expanding Our Role as a Technology Supplier
We are expanding our role in the Ka-band satellite market, where we are already the leading technology supplier. Over the past few years we’ve assembled an exceptional team of technology providers that make this innovation possible:

   * US Monolithics: The leading Kaband satellite ODU supplier
   * ECC: DVB S2 SkyPhy chips
   * ICT: Web and application acceleration software
   * ViaSat Antenna Systems: Ka-band  teleports
   * Comsat Labs: Satellite payloads and system design

An Experienced Team of Ka-band Innovators
The venture joins us together with strategic partners with a record of innovation and success in this market:

   * Space Systems Loral
   * Telesat Canada
   * Eutelsat



To enable ISPs and satellite service providers to expand their network reach and compete more effectively, we offer this low cost bandwidth and ground system technology.
[quote]

[tommie gorman]

Normal scenario for a new company. The old wild blue had to show bigger profits for the sale. But Soon Viasat will also increase and lower bandwidth trying to pull more profits once more. Its a viscious.  And if you believe all lies by companies ........... I am sure if you look in any sat section here this will be nothing new. Just like when hughes took over from Dway. There are still tons of complaints from that changeover.  The grapes will still be sour, but it does feel good to wish. 

[micwa1]

You can't make everyone happy. 

No need to be that cynical about everything. 

[tommie gorman]

Quote

You can't make everyone happy. 

No need to be that cynical about everything. 

If experienced is the same as cynical, then guilty as charged. Actually I hope the best. I just hate it when they pull the wool ever others eyes just to boost the sales. Which is probably  what this is. Get new customer base if possible. And try to not scare off the old customers. 

[fikester]

I actually would like to see WB succeed.....when there is competition good things will happen, otherwise Hughes seems dormant.

[tommie gorman]

Quote

I actually would like to see WB succeed.....when there is competition good things will happen, otherwise Hughes seems dormant.

Isn't that the truth. Its why as bad as they are doing I still enjoy AMD in my puter. Its all that keeps intel from going back the way they were before AMD came along. 

[compuguybna]

Via-Sat1 sounds promising............ SpaceWay3 sounded promising . . . . .

But its all in the way the NOC manages traffic flow.  I still believe Hughes would be good if they didn't purposefully throttle.

Still hanging onto EVDO Wireless Broadband for now.  Its been good for 4 months going now . . .

[tommie gorman]

Mines been good for over 2 years now. I'd never go back. 

[Siryak]

"* Enable service on a par with DSL and cable"

This is the kind of statements that angers me. This is NEVER going to happen with a high orbit satellite. Not unless someone figures out how to transmit radio waves faster than the speed of light. Satellite can not and will not ever compete with DSL or cable.(Unless it is some kind of MUCH lower orbiting satellite)

Also if Viasat wants those satisfaction ratings to go up, then they need to find a traffic shaping technology that doesn't make the already atrocious satellite latency 2-4x what it should be.

Now this is what a real internet connection looks like. 

:::.. Download Stats ..:::
Download Connection is:: 17717 Kbps about 17.7 Mbps (tested with 25598 kB)
Download Speed is:: 2163 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (Main)
Test Time:: 2009/10/03 - 6:46pm
Bottom Line:: 309X faster than 56K 1MB Download in 0.47 sec
Tested from a 25598 kB file and took 11.836 seconds to complete
Download Diagnosis:: Awesome! 20% + : 193.18 % faster than the average for host (embarqservices.net)
D-Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-UG19Y8NFI
User Agent:: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.3) Gecko/20090824 Firefox/3.5.3 GTB5 [!]

Pinging google.com [74.125.45.100] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.125.45.100: bytes=32 time=22ms TTL=53
Reply from 74.125.45.100: bytes=32 time=22ms TTL=53
Reply from 74.125.45.100: bytes=32 time=21ms TTL=53
Reply from 74.125.45.100: bytes=32 time=22ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 74.125.45.100:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 21ms, Maximum = 22ms, Average = 21ms

[generallee76]

  Does anyone really think that this sale will make any kind of positive change for the existing Wildblue/Dish.   It would be nice if the new upper crust would look at all the complaints that have been filed against Wildblue about their service and current abilities in certain parts of the country.  I would like to see them help the existing customer base with their issues and then expand, BUT......So,  if there is anyone out there with the new Via-Sat1/Wildblue can you tell us honestly what will happen...... I know it will never be real DSL but it needs to be better, at least what your paying for close to 24/7.

              SO WILL VIA  SAT1 HELP??????   LETS HERE FROM YA     

[Siryak]

Quote

  Does anyone really think that this sale will make any kind of positive change for the existing Wildblue/Dish.   It would be nice if the new upper crust would look at all the complaints that have been filed against Wildblue about their service and current abilities in certain parts of the country.  I would like to see them help the existing customer base with their issues and then expand, BUT......So,  if there is anyone out there with the new Via-Sat1/Wildblue can you tell us honestly what will happen...... I know it will never be real DSL but it needs to be better, at least what your paying for close to 24/7.

              SO WILL VIA  SAT1 HELP??????   LETS HERE FROM YA     

Honestly I wouldn't hold my breath.

[generallee76]

  Your 100% correct.  I will not hold my breath waiting for  Via Sat1  to help the existing customer base that are having speed problems.  But if these customers were helped,  they are actually the bread and butter of the company's  word of mouth by an existing customer's saying yes, Via Sat 1 is a great company.  That WILL NOT HAPPEN unless they cure the problems what exist within the current customer base.  I have suffered with poor speeds TOO long.  VIA SAT 1,  step up

SO AGAIN,  IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE FROM VIA SAT1 THAT WANTS TO SPEAKUP AND TELL US WHAT YOUR GOING TO DO, THAN??????     

[tommie gorman]

My satelite problems .... and probably yours also ... undoubtably will not end till you get away from them someday. And best of luck on that venture one day. To me its almost like looking for a soul mate. Hoping beyond hope that one day she will be there. 

[micwa1]

[fikester]

I recall reading all the great news about Spaceway3 reducing pings, higher speeds etc. a few years back.....I'm just not impressed. The ViaSat-1 sounds great though, guess we will see. I noticed WB has quit installing again after checking my zip code.

[generallee76]

     So I will ask again,  seeing todays is Monday...... Is there anyone from Via Sat 1 that wants to tell all existing Wildblue customers what your going to do for us???????  We would like to here from Via Sat 1 on this issue.....  

[micwa1]

Quote

I recall reading all the great news about Spaceway3 reducing pings, higher speeds etc. a few years back.....I'm just not impressed. The ViaSat-1 sounds great though, guess we will see. I noticed WB has quit installing again after checking my zip code.

Ok so if they did allow you to sign up (obviously they are over capacity for your gateway) and then you suffer from the SLOW and SLUGGISH speeds.  Would you be happy then?

They can't just throw a new satellite into orbit whenever they hit their capacity. 

Hopefully ViaSat-1 will solve some for this (for at least a few years).

[tommie gorman]

Spaceway was sent up in 07, they had plenty of time to send up the next. Thats no excuse really. If their getting the cash it should be that simple .... yes.

And generallee76, why not start a new thread if this is not working for you. It will help by the way till they over sale it once more. Its how they do it.