'Scammed by Starlink': Customers are frustrated with price hikes for uplink kits they still haven't received months after paying $100 deposits

Alan Sbi was fed up with his satellite broadband provider because they wouldn't work with other internet services. Sbi paid a $100 deposit for the Starlink uplink kit in February of 2021.

Sbi told Insider that he hadn't received his uplink kit and hadn't heard anything from Musk's satellite internet company. Even though customers are still waiting to receive their hardware, Starlink has just raised its prices.

In March, the company told its customers it was raising prices because of inflation. The price of a Starlink uplink kit went from $500 to $550 for customers that had already paid a deposit, and from $500 to $600 for new customers. The Starlink subscription cost went up for all users.

Sbi requested a refund of his Starlink deposit because of the price hikes, but has been unable to get hold of the company to get his money back.

Sbi said that he felt he was cheated by Starlink. There shouldn't be any conditions on how to receive my money back after the company had my money for over a year.

Sbi is not the only customer who is frustrated with Starlink.

After about a year, Rich Kecher said he had trouble getting his deposit back. He told Insider of a lack of communication from Starlink, which had pushed back the start-date for service in his area from November 2021.

Kecher said the price increase was the final straw.

After ordering Starlink in April of 2021, she received two emails from the company, one about the price hike and one about the payment confirmation.

She told Insider that she doesn't want to cancel her order because she needs some kind of internet. She said she was unhappy that Starlink had increased prices before she received her uplink kit, and that Musk was making money on our money.

She said Starlink hadn't responded to any of her emails.

The Starlink kit was given to Tim Nash in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He was hit by the Starlink price hike one month later.

Despite paying more than he anticipated, Nash said Starlink was well worth it, but he was dissatisfied with customer service.

Nash asked how to get help if your internet isn't working.

Lluc Palerm, an analyst at Northern Sky Research, said that Starlink customers had something to get angry about.

Palerm said that they are a startup and their main focus is on the constellation and development, so it is not surprising that their customers have recieved very little support.

He suggested that Starlink terminals were worth more than the cost, with the industry putting each terminal at around $2,000.

Insider verified the complaints of four Starlink customers through proof of purchase emails and correspondence.

Insider asked for comment from SpaceX, but they didn't reply.