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

In March 2022, SpaceX told its customers it was raising prices because of inflation, among other things. The price of a Starlink uplink kit rose from $500 to $550 for customers that had already paid a $100 deposit for the service, and from $500 to $600 for new customers. The monthly Starlink subscription cost climbed from $99 to $110 for all users, and many are frustrated with Starlink's delays, price hikes and apparent lack of customer service. "I feel I was scammed by Starlink," said Alan Sbi, a Starlink customer who hasn't received his uplink kit after a year of waiting and has not been able to contact the company for a refund. "This is not fair business practices. The company had my money for over a year, I need that money back, there shouldn't be any conditions on how to receive my money back." Rich Kecher, in south Virginia, said he'd had trouble getting his Starlink deposit refunded after about a year. He spoke of an "outrageous lack of communication" from Starlink, which had pushed back its expected start date for service in his area from November 2021 to late-2022. Lluc Palerm, an analyst at Northern Sky Research, said Starlink was "not putting resources into customer services so it's natural that you get those kind of complaints." Palerm added, "They are a startup, and their main focus now is on the constellation and development, so it's not surprising that their customers have received very little support."