Lack of customer service, weather sensitivity top concerns for Starlink users
By Zion Rufus
Among other challenges, the operation of Starlink, an advanced broadband satellite internet in Nigeria is now fraught with complaints as users report lack of customer service, pricing, weather sensitivity, and a complicated DIY installation process.
Deployed in Nigeria with the aim of bridging the existing internet connectivity gap across rural communities, and delivering high-speed, low-latency internet to users, the satellite internet constellation company operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX now faces criticisms from users who have complained about the lack of communication channels.
In a conversation with MARKETING EDGE, Oluwafemi Siji-Kenneth, a product specialist at Paystack decried the $599 price of Starlink which is more expensive than most kinds of internet.
Highlighting additional expenses associated with using the Starlink network such as paying for an extra wireless mesh, a battery pack, an extra adapter, and an expensive subscription fee, Siji-Kenneth noted that the disadvantages of Starlink far offset its advantages for potential customers.
He said: “There is no battery pack, you have to buy an extra battery pack that they sell separately, you can’t use the regular battery pack. It means you just have to keep committing your money to starlink. Starlink does the work, but when you think about the financial commitment in comparison to the value it brings, it is really not that great.”
He continued: “Considering we can’t pay with our regular naira card as a result of FX restrictions, we are compelled to pay in dollars which brings the total value to about $600. I don’t expect that there are so many people that can afford almost $600, so that’s a little bit too expensive. That’s on the cost side of things. But then there’s the subscription challenge which ideally should be about N19,000, but it’s about N42-43000 per month. It also makes no sense that there is no customer service. I’ve been trying to pay for a subscription, but my card is not working, the same card that I use to buy it and when you want to reach out to them to understand the errors, you can’t reach out to anybody.”
Another concern for the product specialist was speed and a complicated DIY installation.
“When I first set it up and got it on the ground to test, I got speed as high as 200mbps; however, when I placed it on the top of my roof, I’ve been getting as low as 30 mbps which does the work in fairness; but sometimes, when it’s windy or when it rains, you end up losing network completely. The installation is another big issue. I didn’t get the original adapter ( it has different poles that you can use to hang it, which you still have to order from starlink itself, I didn’t get it) I just used the regular pole that it came with and my electricians helped me do some makeshift installation.”
Kagan, a podcaster and tech content creator decried Starlink’s immobility and lack of customer service.
“Why is there a starlink in Nigeria and there is no customer service? If there is something wrong with my order there is nobody to call, text, or email, and even when I do send an email, and open a support ticket, nobody responds. And let’s not start with the fact that you need constant power supply to use this device,” Kagan stated in a podcast currently making rounds on social media.
He continued: “There’s no battery pack option, if you are going to buy starlink you are going to. If you set up your starlink in one location, you cannot move it to another location, you are going to have to pay an extra subscription fee to move it from place to place. Starlink is the real definition of when it rains, it pours. The minute it gets cloudy and rains a little bit, that internet speed that everybody is so in love with is going to go ‘kaput’. It doesn’t stop there, even when starlink is at its best and the sky is completely clear and it’s sunny, the uploads are horrible. For someone like me, the majority of work I do on the internet is uploading videos to multiple platforms with different devices all of the time. There’s also no internet port out of the box, you have to buy an extra adapter to be able to have an ethernet port and the wireless range is not very wide, you have to pay for an extra wireless mesh to expand range and that costs like an extra 186 dollars.”
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