Let's put aside the ethical and legal implications of lying to disaster survivors, and calling your normal free trial month as "disaster relief", and enrolling people recovering from a disaster in a monthly auto-renewing service after a 1 month free trial ...
Actually, no, let's not put that aside. This is repulsive behavior.
"After 30 days, we will move you to a paid Residential subscription, tied the location you are using it in at that time. We will reevaluate as necessary based on conditions in the area. Starlink will notify you as the 30 day mark approaches to remind you of the change."
So Starlink's activation instructions expressly written for the Hurricane Helene relief effort are lies?
Please forgive me if I request a citation. Especially since the information you've provided so far has all been contradicted by official Starlink sources.
This came as a huge shock to those who only got the "free Starlink" through word of mouth here on the ground. We were told, "just go to starlink.com/activate" and type in your address. It was complete horseshit. The worst part about it was phones were in SOS mode, there was no internet anywhere, yet we could load that page to activate, which meant THERE WAS INTERNET. Just not to those who didn't pay for hardware and delivery (to places that are impossible to deliver to even today a week out). Infuriating.
Source checked. Sending in free hardware, and we're creating an update to make service free. Oh, and after 30 days, you'll be renewed on a normal retail plan
Sources: Starlink on X, Musk on X, and the Starlink details page on the free service respectively.
There have been no updated tweets. Seems like something they'd want to keep updated, given they are still tweeting about new countries being added to their service.
> I have 1k from the starlink engineer on ground and he said they've sold about the same amount to others.
Who? Where? How much congestion do they expect with the influx of so many new users (they're already upcharging/slowing down users due to congestion in the US)? With all due respect, this is frustratingly similar to "Trust me bro".
I have no doubt that Starlink - especially their rank and file employees - is trying to help, but we need to keep our expectations realistic on how much they can or will do. Especially with Musk as the helm. Musk lies on X, especially when it comes to who and what has access to Starlink, and doubly when it comes to politicized situations, which I'm sad to say Hurricane Helene is.
As someone here in the heart of it let me elucidate:
1) Residents here on the ground were told Starlink is already active in your area. Just connect through the site with your address. No one was worried about getting "retail dishes" they were told Starlink was providing free satellite internet across the devastated areas, all they had to do was open a website, enter their address and type $0 and boom, they're connected.
2) No one here even COULD get a dish delivered on the fly if they wanted to. Most roads are still to this day broken and impassable.
3) NO ONE HERE THOUGHT THIS WAS A STANDARD "FREE TRIAL" SITUATION. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS ACTUAL RELIEF, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, NO PERSONAL HARDWARE OBLIGATION.
Ultimately, you're making the mistake of thinking this is an article explaining a free trail for those with power, existing internet, passable roads, or existing hardware. The point this piece is making is that it was false advertising to people desperate to let their families know they weren't dead.
It's probably easy from the comfort of your mother's basement out of Helene's wake to spout all of this but a) you missed the point of the article and b) no one gave a fuck about retail dishes. They were told it was available via a website as HELP. As a kindness.
I'd love to see your source on 2000 free dishes. Ask anyone local here when the storm hit if they knew that, how to connect to them (without internet already). I guarantee no one knew until days later.
Let's put aside the ethical and legal implications of lying to disaster survivors, and calling your normal free trial month as "disaster relief", and enrolling people recovering from a disaster in a monthly auto-renewing service after a 1 month free trial ...
Actually, no, let's not put that aside. This is repulsive behavior.
Article is misleading. There's no auto renewal
According to the starlink announcement:
"After 30 days, we will move you to a paid Residential subscription, tied the location you are using it in at that time. We will reevaluate as necessary based on conditions in the area. Starlink will notify you as the 30 day mark approaches to remind you of the change."
These are people with equipment already. You don't need an account to use it so how will you be billed?
You have to create an account to use the promotion.
It's not required. The map isn't the territory.
There's people on ground using it like that w/o activation
So Starlink's activation instructions expressly written for the Hurricane Helene relief effort are lies?
Please forgive me if I request a citation. Especially since the information you've provided so far has all been contradicted by official Starlink sources.
How about they are inaccurate?
I guess I could cite Musk himself but I've talked to people on the ground.
This was created because people have activation issues. Why would they ask you to activate again?
This is classic Musk. Is this guy even capable of conducting honest business?
This came as a huge shock to those who only got the "free Starlink" through word of mouth here on the ground. We were told, "just go to starlink.com/activate" and type in your address. It was complete horseshit. The worst part about it was phones were in SOS mode, there was no internet anywhere, yet we could load that page to activate, which meant THERE WAS INTERNET. Just not to those who didn't pay for hardware and delivery (to places that are impossible to deliver to even today a week out). Infuriating.
The offer is specifically targeted at people buying at retail who have issues activating.
And has never been misleading. You can check the source yourself
Source checked. Sending in free hardware, and we're creating an update to make service free. Oh, and after 30 days, you'll be renewed on a normal retail plan
Sources: Starlink on X, Musk on X, and the Starlink details page on the free service respectively.
I have the same sources it's an offer for free service for people with equipment.
https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841503492445176151
https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841567233417576497
You don't need to activate a plan or even make an account. The dish will just work
https://www.starlink.com/support/article/58126733-e4d2-db62-...
Starlink kit required in the post you did contrary to the post activation isn't required.
If you have a dish, you don't have to sign up for anything
Those are the instructions for new customers. Existing customers can add up to 20 kits to their account you'll note.
These are absolutely tied to accounts, to addresses, to billing information.
Like I said.
You have a dish currently without a plan in the area, you switch it on. It will give you Internet
I said it more politely elsewhere, but:
Citation needed.
I talked with this guy Mike Coryell and this is an interview he had recently.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6362916358112
This is classic nonsense from you.
The article is very misleading
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Respectfully, this correction is wrong on most counts.
Per Musk and the official starlink detail document, it's available for existing and new customers in affected areas.
Starlink on X said they sent ~500 kits as of 10/1, not 2000. Do you have a source for the 2k number?
I have 1k from the starlink engineer on ground and he said they've sold about the same amount to others.
Today's the 8th things change
> Today's the 8th things change
There have been no updated tweets. Seems like something they'd want to keep updated, given they are still tweeting about new countries being added to their service.
> I have 1k from the starlink engineer on ground and he said they've sold about the same amount to others.
Who? Where? How much congestion do they expect with the influx of so many new users (they're already upcharging/slowing down users due to congestion in the US)? With all due respect, this is frustratingly similar to "Trust me bro".
I have no doubt that Starlink - especially their rank and file employees - is trying to help, but we need to keep our expectations realistic on how much they can or will do. Especially with Musk as the helm. Musk lies on X, especially when it comes to who and what has access to Starlink, and doubly when it comes to politicized situations, which I'm sad to say Hurricane Helene is.
I talked with this guy Mike Coryell and this is an interview he had recently.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6362916358112
Thank you for the interview link.
I got in contact with him via another but I first saw him on TV
I think you missed the point of the article.
As someone here in the heart of it let me elucidate:
1) Residents here on the ground were told Starlink is already active in your area. Just connect through the site with your address. No one was worried about getting "retail dishes" they were told Starlink was providing free satellite internet across the devastated areas, all they had to do was open a website, enter their address and type $0 and boom, they're connected.
2) No one here even COULD get a dish delivered on the fly if they wanted to. Most roads are still to this day broken and impassable.
3) NO ONE HERE THOUGHT THIS WAS A STANDARD "FREE TRIAL" SITUATION. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS ACTUAL RELIEF, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, NO PERSONAL HARDWARE OBLIGATION.
Ultimately, you're making the mistake of thinking this is an article explaining a free trail for those with power, existing internet, passable roads, or existing hardware. The point this piece is making is that it was false advertising to people desperate to let their families know they weren't dead.
It's probably easy from the comfort of your mother's basement out of Helene's wake to spout all of this but a) you missed the point of the article and b) no one gave a fuck about retail dishes. They were told it was available via a website as HELP. As a kindness.
I'd love to see your source on 2000 free dishes. Ask anyone local here when the storm hit if they knew that, how to connect to them (without internet already). I guarantee no one knew until days later.
Thanks for the insults.
2k from the SpaceX engineer on the ground. 1k from SpaceX itself.
I can understand if somehow by a game of telephone people got that idea. But the offers are here
https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841567233417576497
https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841503492445176151
Notice the service talk
It even seems to me you'd think people would just get Internet without any hardware
Beggars can't be choosers. STFU. Entitled pieces of poop
I think after dropping $400 on hardware you’re not a beggar and you’re entitled to a damn lot of choosing.
You definitely aren't buying retail hardware for $400