Tingting

I'm writing this not to beat anyone up, but just as a general word of advice for those of you who may be relatively new to the area or clueless/uncaring with all of the changes in the roads during this "wonderful" time of construction. I know that there are many problems, on all sides, when it comes to motos, cars and traffic, but please be aware of your surroundings if you're the one in the car. Yes, scooters/bikes/whatever dart out, but many cars also cut them off when the moto has the right-of-way. Yesterday, I was in the right-hand turn lane (NOT the ciclopista), signal blinking, in front of Steren and heading to the libramiento when a driver heading towards Ajijic had left some space in front of his/her car to allow a car turning left from Wal-Mart to enter. That would have been fine, but the driver went straight across to enter the turn lane and didn't have a clear view of whether or not it was already occupied by a vehicle and it was - me. The driver damn near wiped me out...and hubby was in the car right behind me. Two heart attacks for the price of one! Fortunately, I wasn't going that fast and could brake, but please remember that those on scooters/motorbikes and bicycles just cannot stop on a dime. Even though I was in my lane, not speeding, wearing my helmet, blah, blah, blah, being "in the right" wouldn't have made me any less dead had that car been even one second later. The sad thing is that I don't think he/she was even aware. 

Ferret, you have to order it 24 hours in advance...well worth it.

Good food, reasonable prices and you learn to tune out the noise. Only negative for us is that the service is a bit spotty. It's still a great place to go and conveniently located.

WOW! Thanks everyone for the info. I'm a technodino, but even I can see that the 48.58 (above) sure beats our 13-15 (when it works). The Telcel signal in the home is very strong, so this looks really promising.

On 2/27/2020 at 6:29 PM, chicamysterious said:

Thank you go solar I will pass that on I just sent it to the person who just got one via whatsapp. We will see.

Appreciate the help

Chica,

Apologies in advance if I missed something, but are you trying to deposit your $$ to a Mexican bank and it's a US check? I ask because I have TRICARE and do everything online. The bill is local, I fill out the handy-dandy DD whatever form (2462?), attached a scanned copy of the bill and relatively quickly (for the gov) the $$ is deposited to my US bank. I then turn around and pull out $$ from an ATM. If you want it for a Mexican bank, sorry for my missing that bit...I was dropped on my head as a child

Has anyone tried this company? We're sick to death of TelMex's inconsistent internet and are ready to try someone else. While our service is usually fast (for here), it's not consistent and the buffering factor is beyond acceptable.  We're in Chapala Haciendas, so I don't think Ilox is an option. Any ideas/suggestions, etc would be appreciated. Oh, and  we've already tried/are using range extenders, new modem, etc. TIA.

Slainte, while lakeside could have said it a bit more tactfully, that doesn't change the kernel of truth that was intended. There have actually been folks who have said, "Why should I pay? Let the gringos." Of course, the vast majority on BOTH sides are conscientious, I think we all just get frustrated at how little can be done to get the slackers off their asses.

9 hours ago, geeser said:

Over the years fracs and condos have tried to collect from morosos. You can put a device in the line to restrict flow. You may also cut the water to the lot off completely but have to have a public faucet or tap available for the remoso to bring his bucket down to get his water. That has been considered as "not cutting the water off completely" the benefit has been mixed. Morosos who won't pay their fair share think nothing of running a hose to a vacant casa and stealing the water. It's a tough situation without an easy solution. It is hard to enforce the rules even municipalities can't or won't force the sale of properties to collect taxes though the laws do exist on the books. 

You're absolutely right, but the same folks who think nothing of not paying their fair share also think nothing of breaking/altering/whatever to the devices. I've  also seen the "lost" hose that somehow managed to find its way to an empty lot and connect itself up...all while the output end is at home. Another problem is that a lot of homes are still under previous owners' names as far as the fracc knows. Heck, there are at least 3 on our street and 2 of them are dead!

On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2020 at 5:19 PM, oregontochapala said:

I cannot, and perhaps a better term than "rule" is " law".

What was told to me was that a fracc cannot deprive a resident of water, but they may restrict  the water delivery. The road to this solution was hammered out between the bod, attorneys, and Simapa. Again, this was told to me, I was not there. 

This has garnered repayment of a considerable sum of money, but it is a constant battle. There will always be morosos for a variety of reasons.

My memories are rusty, but I believe it's because the law states that you cannot cut off water as it's one of the people's rights; however, you can severely restrict the amount by delivery and those who are in the moroso status get theirs cut down to 10%. Of course, I think another very good help was/is the list of morosos that gets published every few months. Amazing how many (still) morosos are now in a "paying it off" status.While I won't saw who/where/whatever, our neighbor was one of the most blatant and the amount has gone down TREMENDOUSLY since the first time the name/address appeared on the "List of Shame" and the most recent one. Sometimes it actually pays to work within the system.

22 hours ago, Guiness said:

Bottom line....we still a new well or you have no water. Pretty simple. Eric,get in the game. No options. Choices are two

 Water or No water. Maybe you would be a great candidate to volunteer your time and join the Board of Directors for the upcoming year. We need people who are passionate and have an interest about their investment in the Fracc they bought into. Sign up and help!!!!

 

Not to mention information was sent house-to-house in BOTH Spanish and English and it pretty clearly laid out why a well was needed. There have also been e-mails sent. Is it inconvenient? Sure, but I hardly think this is some diabolic plot for the board to get a load of money out of everyone. Meanwhile, go to the meeting, ask questions until you're satisfied and then vote.

FWIW, we've seen several boards come and go. It's a thankless task and it's a lot easier to sit on the outskirts and criticize rather than to be one of those who are actually trying to make a difference in the fracc. JMHO. 

We used to love their crispy duck. Hope that is still good because a b-day is just around the corner and duck sounds good.

We went once and were so disappointed that we've never been back.

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Tks so much, Ferret, for posting all of this. While I know almost zilch about all of this (courtesy of miseducation), at least there are now a couple of places to start...very, very fascinating!

If you have to resort to an exterminator, Rene of Fumiga is fantastic. Have you talked to the folks at the garden center near the Oxo? (that little shop, sorry I can't think of the name...) They're also very helpful and knowledgeable.

On 2/5/2020 at 5:31 PM, Carnivore said:

It's simply no longer a restaurant worth visiting.  The lovely location and premises, if managed hands-on by a manager who cared along with with trained staff who actually had any concern about how they treated the clientele could have made the N.P. a premier Lakeside destination.  It was once but isn't any longer and it is not worth wasting a visit.  Simply curtailing your hours isn't the way to "grow a business" ....just the opposite is usually the result.  Actually, the Old Posada is now a far superior restaurant.  

Whatever your business......when you lose interest.........move on and give the depleted clientele that remain a break!

 

Exactly.

21 minutes ago, Alpha1 said:

Tingting, I was given a reasonable explanation and supporting information on the increase. My measurements and their "estimate" were virtually identical, based on this I paid. I spoke to an English speaking  gentlemen there as well who was courteous and very understanding who helped in clarifying the situation.

Alpha, I honestly don't know if you're now happy or not with your outcome (hope happy, of course), but I do know this is a frustrating time for many. I was extremely happy with our outcome because it actually saved us a step (going through a lawyer and having the same outcome). I was just trying to give others my particular experience in the hopes that folks would go in a little less riled up once they understood what was behind the increases. 

(Edit because I'm clearly not writing with a sharpened pencil!) OOPS...my bad (what a surprise!). Sounds like things worked out for you, Alpha. I'm really glad!

First, don't panic if you get a higher amount. As has been previously explained, they are using satellite to check on the actual square footage versus old records. Due to another issue, we had a property survey done and found we had a LOT more than what's on the deed...not quite as much as the municipality thought, but still... We were going to go through a lawyer to do the right thing and get the records updated, but it was a change of administration and it wasn't the time to do it, according to the lawyer. In all honesty, it got put on a back burner and we forgot. Then, I went to pay the predial. Wow, did it change...much more than expected. So, I went and explained the situation (there is a gentleman who speaks excellent English if you need help and he's really nice...in fact, they all are) and was told to bring our survey in. I went back the next day and the rep took the new stats, entered them into their data base and VOILA! we're now up-to-date and saved the lawyer's fees. Heck, I was happy (probably surprised the hell out of the official). Yes, it went up, but it is now accurate and fair. It was also as fast as possible in a busy time. The officials aren't looking to screw you over with a "gringo tax," they're just updating the database. 

One other note:  they're just doing their jobs. I saw a lot of folks trying to jump the line, get irate, etc, etc, over something we're all going through. Just be patient, be polite (bring a book or your cell) and wait your turn. In the end, we're still paying less for the entire year than we paid 15 years ago for one month in our last home in the US.  And yes, I know I'm comparing apples and oranges

Dermika

Color me MAJORLY impressed with the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) of our consulate and especially with Sra Ana Becerra. I'll try not to bore you with too many details, but it was time for me to apply for SSN and I had no luck online. As it turns out, if your credit card company (or any agency) uses credit protection on your account (ie, will freeze the card/account/whatever) if they suspect fraud, then you may have a problem creating your account online. Of course, with the dark cloud that lives over my head, I was one of the "lucky" ones. I called the SS main office and spoke with a very nice rep who tried to help me go around the system, but it wasn't possible because I don't have a US phone for callback purposes (identification verification).  I was a bit panic-stricken because it's the holiday season and I knew that it'd take forever to get an appointment at the Consulate in Guadalajara, but there was no other way around it. So...I found the e-mail address and sent a request for an appointment. IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS of sending the e-mail, I was called by Ana and told that my application could be done on the phone, if that was acceptable to me. Are you kidding?! She barely got the words out before I agreed. Ana verified some personal info to make sure it was me and then did it all in less than 10 minutes. A few minor details were sent via e-mail (bank info and another) and that was it. My application was made with no trip needed to Guadalajara. Christmas came early!

A big Bravo Zulu/Attagirl to Ana and my heartfelt thanks.

19 hours ago, RickS said:

Has she done any implant work for you?

Ummmmm...didn't I start out with "While I have zero implant knowledge..."? Having said that, no, but just wanted to give a "shout-out" for her as others have done. We've had the usual (crowns, fillings, cleanings) and have always been satisfied with her work. Excellent dentist, very nice person.

While I have zero implant knowledge, I can say that Dra. Rosio has been our dentist for nearly 15 years and we've always been very happy with her.

It's a yearly thing and yes, we do give. As someone else has said, they're paid very little. I'd like to think good of them until proven otherwise. I know I sure as hell wouldn't want their job. If nothing else, there are plenty of local charities who can use all of the help you can give. 

Thank you!

Quick question...when selling a vehicle, do the plates stay with it or does the seller remove them and the buyer have to get a new set when registering it in his name at the Recaudadora? TIA

Costco was really good to me on the one time that I had to return an electronic item. Long story short, it was the Lopez Mateos one (not by the Gallerias) and I had purchase security cameras, not knowing that they were wired when we needed wireless. There was actually a legitimate reason why, but it was still 31 days after the purchase when I was finally able to return them...in the exact same condition as they were on the day of purchase.  It was one day out of their acceptable return policy. The electronics manager said, "No," but the woman from Customer Service who was helping me then spoke with the Big Cheese. When they looked up my record and saw that I did a lot of shopping there, they gave me a one-off exemption. Of course, I immediately turned around and spent even more! I would have accepted a final "No, " if I'd had to, but BC was smart and made a very nice gesture that has kept me loyal.