Anonymous
map-marker Kabul, Kabul

Expesive internet that barely works

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This internet is for deployed soldiers, and when it does work (which is hardly ever) it's so slow I can't even skype. I have never even heard of a $60 a month internet being this slow, even dial up is faster. I get it, we're in a hostile foreign country, but don't get up my hopes and dreams of seeing my family thru skype and dash them away like that, biggest waste of $60 ever. I only wish that companies would stop praying on us soldiers, we do enough for our country as it is, quit raping us like we owe you something, you owe us for your freedom.
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Loss:
$60
Reason of review:
Not as described/ advertised

Preferred solution: Full refund

Anonymous
map-marker Kandahar, Kandahar

Overpriced poor internet service.

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I will try to be as fair as possible considering I had a bad experience with SniperHill in many occasions.

This is NOT my first deployment so I have previous experiences with this company before and I have something to compare to since I've also used other available services. I'm currently in KAF and I opted to use the Expert service for $90 a month. Previously I was using a similar level service from IFONE Neda for the same price (wireless only) and I had the chance to use my friends mobile hot spot service provided by Huawei.

SniperHill, despite the fact that is probably the oldest service established since the Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns started, shows NO IMPROVEMENT on the services they provide. I understand the cost for being an undeveloped country, the risks and the technology used to provide service but you can tell there has been no noticeable improvements since at least 2008. The service is slow, the service is spotty and their equipment is outdated. The other two options I cited before are much better choices and I would gladly give them my business if it wasn't because, being close to redeploy, I wouldn't be able to receive their service on other locations I will be arriving shortly.

I know SniperHill is a business and they try to maximize profit but my impression is that they do it at their quality expense. You can't tell me that in 6 years and being sometimes the only game in town you haven't profit enough to invest on an additional dish or routers.

SniperHill hides this lack of interest on improving their service (perhaps in light of the retrograde mission) behind technical jargon like latency, broadband, etc.

Maybe to the inexperience user it sounds legit but when I hear the excuses that clearly under trained technicians provide and when I use other internet service providers I realize that a better internet service is possible. SniperHill just refuses to improve.

If you still have time left in Afghanistan and if your location offers other services, my advice is to AVOID SNIPERHILL at all cost. You will spend more time login back in over and over again and nobody needs that stress added to the ones we already experience from being here.

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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Columbus, Ohio

Sniper Hill internet service is poor quality

Sniper Hill service is horrible, but people use it because it is the only company available in the majority of the FOBs around Afghanistan. I think AAFES needs to authorize additional vendors to sell internet service at US FOBs. I little competition might make the company reevaluate their mediocre service and start delivering a quality product. I have difficulty using skype even though I pay for a premium plan and the hours are off peak. The helpdesk technicians could not care less about user experience. The local 3G service is faster most of the time and costs less. I don’t understand why AAFES allows this company to charge so much for such poor quality service. I feel like Sniper Hill is taking advantage of soldiers.
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Loss:
$90
Anonymous

TOTAL RIPOFF!!!!

I'm currently in Afghanistan and this company is an *** joke. Pay $90 a month for garbage speeds and then on top of that constant drop outs and outages. What the *** were we as a government thinking when we gave this contract to them. The idiots at the stand don't know anything. Today there was a power outage and now nothing is working like it previously was. I used to have my router setup so that it would allow me access via my ipad and it seems like they are blocking that too. Nothing but issues all around with this and I hate it!
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Loss:
$90
Zayden Nhb

Slow internet

I've been paying foe the top of the line Internet 90$ a month. were down to our last 2 months in country so i purchased a step lower. it is supposed to run up the 70kps and its not even close I'm hard wired in, it kicks me off and the highest iv seen with it is 23kps. I really would like to get the quality i pay for my orders didn't not include a refund. I'm glad to have Internet but not at this cost and quality. if u are deployed bring your own Internet and split the cost with a battle. it would be cheaper and much faster and u wont get blocked from sites
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Loss:
$6590
Anonymous
map-marker Kandahar, Kandahar

Poor service, High price

For this service, which is soon to be the only service available at Kandahar Air Field,(the competitor's contract was not renewed), you pay high prices and get *** service. There are numerous service outages and when there is service, it is slow. Sometimes, Sniper Hill extends your service for amount of time the outage lasted, sometimes not, but usually not. There are always an abundance of excuses. One of my co-workers called them for service once, they came, stayed for 5 minutes, fixed nothing, and left. People use this service not because they like it, but because there are no other feasible options.
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Loss:
$10
Anonymous
map-marker Kabul, Kabul

Sniperhill sucks

Sniperhill is ***. Pages take forever to load. Skype is near impossible. I had to download some training stuff from my company, Sniper hill doesn't allow downloading. For 90ish bucks a month i should be able to do whatever i want. Instead, i can do nothing. This service is a scam and should be looked in to by our Government. Taxpayers are footing the bill for this and not getting what they are paying for. This should be brought to the attention of courts and Sniperhill should be forced to give at least half of the money back to their subscribers.
View full review
Loss:
$90
1 comment
Guest

I have just looked thru the reviews and i agree with every single one of them. Sniperhill is a joke and should be ashamed to charge us that much and not offer the service we are paying for.

I have a macPro and no ethernet connection so i need wireless. But of course Sniperhill does not want you to use a router which i think is BS...I am in my third year contracting and to stay connected with fam is super important. Our government need to seriously evaluate this issue and fix it. I say Sniperhill does not deserve to stay on this contract and a different provider need to take over.

I used to be on a different FOB and been on Kandahar for about a year.

There was no Sniperhill and now i regret complaining about the internet there because this here is outrages. We might be over here and make more money but i am far from rich and im over here for a reason and it is def not to waist my money!

Anonymous

SniperHill is a ripoff

I have used SniperHill in Iraq and Afghanistan, not because it offers a decent service, but because it is the only game in town. That said, the service is terrible. They constantly oversell what little bandwidth they provide. It does not matter what bandwidth package you buy, the speed will always be POOR! You cannot do much with 5k download speeds. There are actually times when you cannot send an email. SniperHill needs to open the purse strings and purchase more bandwidth or limit the number of customers per month. To rip off the people over here is a shame.
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Loss:
$100
Abhimanyu Oph
map-marker Gurgaon, Haryana

Sniperhill internet is a fake company

Hi Sir, Please help me because sniperhill internet company offer me as a Accountant with us for US amry camp Afghanistan. Right now he is told me we r not offer u for any designation. but he already send me appointment letter and LOA for US Army camp Afghanistan. sir right now i am jobless. because i am resign our current company his told me resign soon your current company so i am resign to our current company. Sir i have allot of prof he is appoint me. i was working with io-global service pvt ltd us army camp phoenix Afghanistan sniperhill offer me in afghanistan and he told me you go to india soon. Then we will send u visa and ticket. i come here in india on dated 17 jan 2012 then i inform to sniperhill right now i am in india he told me u wait few days i will send u visa and ticket. But right now he told me we r not offer u . Sir please help me because right now i am jobless . I hope u will help me. Regards Abhimanyu kumar singh Email id: monu395@***.com +91,0957221**** India
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Loss:
$36
Abhimanyu Oph
map-marker New Delhi, Delhi

Sniperhill is a fake company

Hi Sir, I am Abhimanyu kumar singh i am from india, sniperhill offer me join the company as an Accountant and told me resign to current company soon right now i am resign our current company. then sniperhill send me appointment letter and LOA. But right now i am told his when are you send me visa and air ticket. then he told me i am offer you any designation. i have allot of prof. i request to you please send your email id then i will send u all mail u can check .my email id: monu395@***.com.
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Loss:
$36
Anonymous
map-marker Dallas, Texas

Sniperhill is ripping off our GI's in Afghanistan

90 dollars a month for terrible service? Are you kidding me? That is a ridiculous price for - Multiple interruptions of service! Slow downloads AND this *** company will log you off IF you dare trying to download drivers or updates for your software! AND they seek out wiFi routers setup in the rooms and disable them!! Try using your iPad or a macBook Air without wiFi... what a blatant ripoff of our GI's serving in Afghanistan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone needs to have the stones to toss these jerks off our bases! Even TimeWarner would be better than these thieves! Can Sniperhill
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Loss:
$270
scott B Grq
map-marker Columbus, Ohio

Sniperhill and all who run and work for the company are a group of thieves and liars

The review type only lets us select between I am Pissed, Neutral, and I am Pleased, but none of those three options describe what i am feeling now because I am extremely irate. I pay 90 dollars a month for what is said to be "gaming speed" internet by our beloved Sniperhill internet provider out here in afghanistan. My first week of service consisted of 3 out of the 7 days being "down" and the remaining 4 days working at intervals. the internet cuts out every hour or so in mid-use and makes me reconnect. I'm a Sgt in the US Marines. We do not make much money. Most likely way less than the people running sniperhill, but after a day of IED explosions and rounds being shot at me, I might want to talk to my wife and kids to unwind a little from a few near death experiences that have taken place earlier in the day. Therefore I paid for Sniperhill internet service in order to use skype on my very tight budget of a wife and two kids, but the internet speed is UNABLE TO SUPPORT SKYPE ON NON-PEAK AND PEAK HOURS. All the advertisements on their webpage of download and upload bandwidth are all false. We file complaints on their "quality control surveys", but they do not do a *** thing about it. Okay I understand im in a combat zone and it might be a little difficult to have a strong internet signal, but DO NOT LIE TO US and say that it's "fast internet". AT THE VERY LEAST YOU CAN THINK ABOUT LOWERING THE FREEKIN COST. The majority of their surveys have NEGATIVE RESPONSES, but it's like they don't get the message. Why is our government still hiring them? Who do I need to speak to in order to have them cancelled? I could probably have a petition that wrapped around the block to have them removed in a week. Someone help!
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4 comments
Guest

Totally agree. although it Sniper Hill has no heart or soul, it is also the fault of the DoD for allowing this to happen.

In this day and age, why is it not provided for the troops?

Why does the DoD allow companies like Sniper Hill to stick it to the Soldiers, Sailers and Marines? (i didn't say Airmen because in Bagram, they have free WiFi)

Guest

my friggin Roshan data plan is faster than sniper hill and it only costs 45 for 5gb for 30 days. I don't even think I could manage pull 1GB down from SH even after persistently trying for hours a day for 30 days.

It really IS that bad.

I'm gonna order a bently-walker dish and swallow the startup costs if it's allowed. this is BS

Guest

I hate this internet. I can keep connected but cannot do anything.

it takes forever to load pages. skype? lmao yeah right! And it won't let you download anything..

for 90ish bucks i month i should be able to do what i want.

instead, i can do nothing. this company is *** and should be charged in court.

Guest

Use Bentley Walker, they have new KA-Band services..can offer 4mbps for $100 a month in Afghanistan

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Anonymous
map-marker Fort Lauderdale, Florida

SniperHill robs our boys and girls in Afghanistan...

Ninety dollars a month makes a big hole in the deployment pay of our soldiers. Yes, it's great having the service, but why does the government allow sniperhill to rob our kids blind for it ... ??? If it costs so much for Sniperhill to provide the service, why doesn't our government subsidize the cost so such a large chunk of our soldiers' deployment pay isn't paid to that company. If it is not that expensive for Sniperhill to provide the service, why is our government allowing sniperhill to charge that much?? It's bad enough our soldiers are where they shouldn't be ... at least help them stay in touch without robbing them blind.
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3 comments
Guest

What do people expect? We are in a 3rd world country and you are complaining about a service you DONT need.

If you are not happy about the service, cancel, then find an MWR hotspot and use it.

Stop complaining about the speed and price. You don't have to have it/

Guest

Deployed at Bagram, Sniper Hill is now only internet provider. 90 bucks per monhts, but almost never 128kB (the lowest rate), outages few times a day.

I complied at their office and that *** said we are in Afghanistan. So, he should know that people are dying in Afghanistan every day, regardless of their job or company.

*** on this group of idiots. For skype it is terrible, sometimes it goes few minutes and interupted.

Thanks to AAFES to hire this company to steal our money. :cry :upset :?

Guest

I hate this internet. I can keep connected but cannot do anything.

it takes forever to load pages. skype? lmao yeah right! And it won't let you download anything..

for 90ish bucks i month i should be able to do what i want.

instead, i can do nothing. this company is *** and should be charged in court.

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Thomas J Wzw
map-marker Chicago, Illinois

SniperHill Internet Provides Poor Quality Service to Deployed US Service Members in Iraq

SniperHill Internet Service provides poor quality service to US service member who are deployed to Iraq. SniperHill charges $85.00 a month from US service members for 128K internet connection.

Most of the time you can only get about 68K. There are very frequent service interuptions. SniperHill guarentees that service members can use "Skype" and other services to call home, but the bandwidth has difficulty supporting it and the calls are frequently dropped.

SniperHill should be forced to drop thier high prices or improve the quality of thier service.

Our US Service members and the civilians who support them are deployed in harm's way. They deserve better internet service than an $85.00 rip off.

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Loss:
$85
38 comments
Guest

Actually snipperhill is worse than anything, every time i need to do something the net is down, i have paid for Delta and its way too bad i don't actually know the times it work coz anytime i log in its either down or too low to perform, i wish i had bought some biscuits instead, its a complete waste of money

Guest

It is horrible how they take advantage of the Soldier's condition (deployed, away from family and friends) and make a ridiculous amount of profit from it. They are completely heartless and do Zero for the Soldier.

They have the monopoly because they managed to get contracted by AAFES. I am not sure who's hands these people shook to get the contract, or who on the inside they may know, but they need to lose this contract. I have received better service from local national contractors and better prices while serving in smaller FOBs.

It is my only hope that we are in a position that we are no longer in conflict OCONUS.

I would take a trip to Houston just to watch them go out of business.

Guest

No compete contract is just begging for quality of service to go down; no matter what part of the world your in. Tech.

is tech. It's all decent, but when you have no competition it reduces the pressure or need to improve the quality of your service. When SniperHill decides to install a system on a base, it forces us competitors to shut down all of our networks and loose all of our customers. SniperHill blows.

Anyone that says otherwise probably forgot what it was like when there were multiple service providers on each of the large FOBs.

No Compete Contracts should be illegal!

:)

Guest

@james .. in BAF you can buy both at the cell shop at the PX ..

ensure you activate the sim for 3G service... Roshan also has 3G in BAF as well

Guest

mike where do you get the sim and usb connector!

Guest

I am at BAF, and have used both IO GLOBAL & Sniper Hill paying $85-$90 a month. I now use Etisilat through a SIM and USB connector.

USB connector was about $100 and the service is $35 for 5GB. Works great!

Much faster than my hard wired IO Global at $90 a month.nly downside is that it's not unlimited, so downloading a lot will make it go very fast. Skype workes great!

Dariah Qpm

I am on a small FOB here in Afghanistan. SniperHill is not an option.

I ended up getting my own system (two 1.6m dishes and all the equipment to make a WiFi hotspot area about 1000m by 500m. I have spent over $4000.00 doing so. After paying for everything, and doing my best to keep people on here and paying their fair share ($75 for contractors and $50 for active duty) I give 170kps for contractors and 156kps for active duty. The monthly bill is $2800.00 for 2140kps down and 512kps up.

I end up loosing money every month since I am only willing to put the number of people on the system that it is designed to support. I get complaints from people all the time about "can I get a deal". "The bandwidth is too slow".... I mean seriously I am out all this money trying to make life on this little hole in the wall FOB better (my system is the only one here like this) and people are still ungrateful.

I know how hard it is to set up and maintain this system and how much it cost just for one back-haul capable wireless router ($750.00 for a cheap one).

What I am saying in a long winded way is I would love to have SniperHill here then I would only have to pay $120.00 a month for "ok" bandwidth not what I have to do here at this FOB every month. Just saying it could be worse and you could have to do what I am doing just to talk to the family back home.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Dariah Qpm

I am sorry that your experience was not a positive one. However, I believe there are many VSAT services that are much less expensive than the one you purchased.

I constructed an ISP network on FOB Salerno, which directly competed with Sniper Hill's service. I had to turn people away because there were so many frustrated Sniper Hill customers. I used a Bentley Walker service as my nework backhaul and I would call it satisfactory. I setup a TS2 Idirect Infinity system(which is considered an older technology by VSAT standards) in Iraq a few years back and the network was very fast.

I had luck with DD-WRT for added funtionality on my routers/APs. It also saved me significantly on costs.

Based on the economy of scale that Sniper Hill enjoys, I just can't understand why they have such poor service. Again, I am sorry that your experience was bad, but I don't think that Sniper Hill should be given a bye because of the dificulties that you encountered.

Guest

We are in a 3rd world country in a war zone. I am just happy to internet at all.

Some of our fellow Soldiers don't even have internet outside the wire. If you are here just for internet you need to reevaluate yourselves.

Guest

Hi it's march 2013. Sniper hill still sucks in camp MARMAL don't pay 90$.

Buy the cheap service. It seems to be just as fast.

(Fast is used very loosely ) or get a haji SMS card other than ROSHAN and use that as your Internet. I do believe a congressional inquiry is needed for this blatant rip off, but as with all military contracts a congressman is involved and pulling strings to make themselves and their buddies rich.

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toed
map-marker Baghdad, Baghdad

SniperHill Internet Service

I have been using Sniper Hill only because it is the only internet provider in my area. It is the worst ripoff scam, I have seen. It gives poor internet service to the deployed service members. I know for a fact the internet can be better than what we have. It's down a lot, poor service, and *** poor all overall. I would not recommend Snioer Hill to anyone...again this is the only internet provider in our area. A refund should be in order to all people having s#%t! I would ashamed to say this this is my company I work for. This is Horse S#*t!!!! SniperHill guarentees that deployed service members can use "Skype" and other services to call home, but the bandwidth has difficulty supporting it and the calls are frequently dropped.
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2 comments
Guest

:( This company is a joke! I can't stay connected to my husband for longer than 6 minutes when it drops the call.

Very upsetting to all.

Not to mention how much your charging for these men and women to use the service.(because it's the only one out there for them). Come on do the right thing either refund or change your price!

Guest

i agree with the comment about *** poor internet connection for the deployed service members but it is the only service provider. I think the price needs 2 be changed until u guys get this service corrected, its ridiculous. my husband gets very upset wen they only have 10-15 minutes 2 talk 2 family n calls constantly dropping.

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finesxybonde
map-marker San Antonio, Texas

This company is a joke!

Words can't describe how bad this "company" really is. The connection speed is slow, it lags and you can't skype for longer than 5 minutes. That is disappointing when these solider or contract workers are over there and all they want is decent internet to call home on and see family and friends. These men and women deserve better for the price.My fiance has been using this company for only a month and we have tried numerous times to communicate and it just not worth the frustration or hassle connecting, disconnecting, over and over. IT SUCKS BAD!
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Loss:
$90
1 comment
Guest

I hate this internet. I can keep connected but cannot do anything.

it takes forever to load pages. skype? lmao yeah right! And it won't let you download anything..

for 90ish bucks i month i should be able to do what i want.

instead, i can do nothing. this company is *** and should be charged in court.

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