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My Unsatisfying ILOX experience


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My experience with ILOX has been a nightmare.

It began in early 2018, when ILOX requested 300 Lakeside residents interested in their new fiber-optics internet system to sign up and provide “seed money” before they would begin installation. I bit. I was among the first to sign up, opted for the most expensive option, the one with the most TV stations, and paid for a year in advance. My neighbor did the same. We knew it was a calculated risk.

I paid cash. ILOX does not have any of my credit card numbers. This becomes important later.

At the time, I was told the numerous TV channels included many English language ones, including the basic ABC, CBS, and NBC. This was a priority for me. It was, I later learned, a lie.

The request for 300 backers was met and installation began. As for a completion date, I was told to be patient; it would take a while for the fibre-optics to be installed. But since I had showed my support early on and lived on the carretera in Ajijic I would be among the first served. Being a realist, however,I did not have expectations this would happen before 2019.

I watched as ILOX vehicles began their work in central Ajijic. Then I began hearing reports of satisfied customers getting “hooked up.” It’s coming! I thought. And then I watched the ILOX vehicles pass by my carretera address and move westward.

After a few weeks, my neighbor and I went to the ILOX office where a “customer service rep” looked at our papers and said, “Two months.” We explained we knew new customers were getting priority service over us. He repeated, “Two months.” We obediently waited the two months and returned. Another “customer service rep” looked at our papers and repeated, “Two more months.”

We became angry and insistent. She took our papers again, looked confused, and asked, “You are neighbors?”

“Yes.”

“In Ajijic?” she asked.

“Yes! Look at our addresses!”

She then noticed instead of being coded AJ for Ajijic and my account number, I had been coded JC for Jocotepec and my neighbor had been coded CH for Chapala. Because those towns are at the far ends of the installment, they would be served last. That is why the reps repeated “Two months.” It was a safe estimation.

These errors caused a long, unnecessary, frustrating wait to get installed. A nice way to treat an early investor.

The installer came the next day. I was prioritized. That’s the least they could do after their screw-ups. It was June 2019, 16 months, many unnecessary, after I signed up. He instructed me how to transfer my existing TelMex number to ILOX. It didn’t work. At the subsequent ILOX office visit, I discover I had been assigned an ILOX number but had not been informed of that.

As for TV coverage, the numerous English language channels were hardly numerous. And, of course, the networks I had specifically asked about (ABC, CBS, NBC) were not included. So, I had to investigate streaming services as an add-on. Adding that expense did not bother me; being lied to did.

WiFi TV streaming service was added. Their installer/technician was helpful, courteous, and professional. And, for the first while, things seemed OK. Then buffering problems, and other snags, appeared. At first the technician was puzzled. Then he saw a pattern. His other customers who, like me, had piggy-backed WiFi TV onto ILOX had the same problems. Those with other internet providers did not.

He figured out what the problems were and tried working with ILOX. But the problems returned. It was, needless to say irritating and frustrating.

And then COVID-19 invaded the world.

With everyone quarantined at home and locked-down, internet, TV, and streaming services, were over-loaded. They simply could not meet the constant demand. I had constant buffering from March through June. Of the 21 channels I had marked as “Favorites,” I generally could receive 3-5 without initial buffering. But even those, would begin to buffer every three-to-five seconds after perhaps twenty minutes.

The technician has done some experimenting and has discovered that although ILOX’s speed is quite fast, other internet providers with considerably slower speeds do not have the buffering problem. It appears the difference is the source of the internet provider’s signal. I’m not technologically savvy; I don’t really understand the whats and whys, but I knew what I had to do.

I dropped ILOX as my provider this week as my paid-for year was ending. But days before I did that, I received an emailed bill for the next month’s service. Obviously, they couldn’t bill a credit card, because they had no number. In cancelling, the rep asked for a cell phone number. “Why would I give you that?” I asked. “I’m cancelling. You have my email address.” The rep looked at me dumbfounded.

Because I recently have moved, I am using the existing provider and getting better reception. But I am also experimenting with another option.

After what I went through, is it no wonder that I do not recommend ILOX as an internet provider?

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Yes had same experience with three different streaming providers.  Am testing a new one that works with ILOX right now without VPN or holding a dead chicken over your head 🙂.  When generally available I will publish name but right now they are overloaded cutting folks over to new product. It works quite well and uses a distributed server network.  Never seen a buffer with product. 

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Just to provide a balance.  I've had ILOX for a little over a year with very few problems.  My speeds are as advertised (100Mbps) and there have been few outages.  I find the pricing very reasonable - $629.00 per month.  My suggestion has always been NOT to buy the TV package.  There is a new service called Directv Go in Mexico.  It's about $13.00 US per month and has quite a few English language channels.  https://www.unocero.com/entretenimiento/cine-y-tv/directv-go-servicio-streaming-mexico/

You can also subscribe to Sling TV,  Hulu Live, YouTube TV,  Fubo TV, etc.... if you use the right VPN.  

The only thing I found disappointing was the modem supplied by ILOX.  It has a very weak wifi signal but I took care of the  problem by purchasing a WiFi Router on Amazon for about $80 US.

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2 hours ago, Brikk66 said:

My experience with ILOX has been a nightmare.

I believe that I was the first  here at Lakeside to experience the ILOX nightmare!

I didn't think that the ILOX nightmare could be worse for someone else than it was for me!

I was wrong!

I feel for you!

The good news is that you don't have to suffer with ILOX any longer.

The bad news is that you will suffer on this board by many people telling you how wrong you are!

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3 minutes ago, All Day said:

Just to provide a balance.

I don't see it as a balance. I believe that a large majority of ILOX' clients have been adequately served by them.

That's just the point.

It shouldn't be that a large majority of ILOX' clients have been adequately served by them.

It should be that all of ILOX' clients have been well served by them.

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8 minutes ago, NLU said:

I believe that I was the first  here at Lakeside to experience the ILOX nightmare!

I didn't think that the ILOX nightmare could be worse for someone else than it was for me!

I was wrong!

I feel for you!

The good news is that you don't have to suffer with ILOX any longer.

The bad news is that you will suffer on this board by many people telling you how wrong you are!

There is no "right" or "wrong".  Some people have had bad experiences, many others are enjoying the service.  I think it's the same with all telecommunication services around the globe.  It was the same in the States with AT&T, Comcast etc............

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8 minutes ago, NLU said:

I was wrong!

was meant to refer to

I didn't think that the ILOX nightmare could be worse for someone else than it was for me!

I was referring to "The bad news is that you will suffer on this board by many people telling you how wrong you are!"

 

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I just signed up for the internet only service. $425/mnp per month. They quoted three to four month lead time to install. That’s like AT&T in the old private line days. You’d think Telmex would be all over this with 30 day install lead times and a competitive broadband service.

 

 

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Not only ILOX.

Lets face it, here at Lakeside  the majority of people who have good experience with the other couple yo yo's, CFE and TELMEX lucky for them

But if you happen to have a "sick" Meter or Line/Service.........  most times it is easier to move to an other house than hope for a satisfactory fix.

Given the inferior infrastructure to carry the services etc I wonder how "anything" works.

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