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Total Play: Breaking up is hard to do


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For reasons perhaps unique to myself, I have chosen to cancel my subscription to Total play during the first month.  With the assistance of a Spanish-speaking friend, we started the process about one week ago by signing a two-page form and submitting a copy of my ID online.  We then made an appointment for them to pick up the equipment on Thursday between 2 and 7 pm. They never showed and neither did they come the following day.  Calls to TP support were of little help since they claimed they have no means of tracking their service crews. So it's Saturday and I'm still waiting.  I did receive a cancellation number but I'm guessing they must pick up the equipment before things are final.

For the record, I had a similar and lengthy struggle to disconnect from DISH Mexico seven or eight years back.  Took almost 2 months as I recall.  

As for Total Play, their initial installation was sloppy, with the tech deciding to drape the cable along a railing on our upstairs veranda.  The team that came to fix that problem also went the extra mile to try to make their modem compatible with my set up (but ultimately failed because of how the modem was internally configured by Total Play).

I've decided that I am happy with WIZZ, which isn't as speedy but meets my needs and has become very reliable over the past several years.

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I recognize belatedly that I should have received the board’s blessing before cancelling my Total Play service, not to mention posting a somewhat negative comment about the same. As for expressing satisfaction with the ugly duckling of the local internet providers, I plead guilty and beg for mercy from the board community. Apologies to Neil Sedaka while I’m at it. 

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Usually, the reliability of Telmex depends upon where you live and the quality of your connection to the Telmex base station.

Me? I live in upper Ajijic, a few blocks west of the Ajijic, Telmex office/base station. And, usually my connection is reliable and my speed slightly less than 50 Mb/s down.

As a backup, I have the very reliable (at least in my neighborhood) and much slower cable TV, now called Izzi or Wizz or something like that, with a download speed of almost 10 Mb/sec.

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Realize the cow is already out and the barn door closed, but frankly amazed you let the first crew get by with ".....the tech deciding to drape the cable along a railing on our upstairs veranda. .........".      And you did not speak up at that point and say "WAIT a minute here! What gives?  "?  Or are you one of those who simply  leaves people to their own devices and complains later?

My first install was longer than they estimated because I followed them around as they went, pointing out when something was not to my satisfaction..... until it WAS...... still both sides with a smile.   After 2 weeks when I opted for 2nd (TP) TV service to upstairs room, even tho' I told them where to put the cable along the way from modem, via 2 walls in LR on way to opposite corner, they began by doing it differently. "Hold up there , cowboys. Did you not hear what I said?"   Showed them again... and why ...... voila, with a smile on their face. And when it came time to put the hole in the main floor ceiling / upstairs tile floor, had to go with the driller guy and point out a hole in the (wide) grout was less likely to damage anything than a hole in the  middle of a tile..... but had to be done from UPSTAIRS to main (boveda) becasue going down (main)  to up (as he was going to do) would mean a crap shoot on what would happen to upper floor tiles.  Easy-peasy.

Little things like.... "wait guys, you don't NEED to leave 10 extra feet of your white cable coiled up under my desk because you cut it too long....... haul it back, cut it off,  and keep a useful piece for somewhere else" ,  "hey guys, you've left me a HUGE mess of tangled computer wires under here that will be cat magnets, so give me a minute to re-arrange them", and so on made for a rather harrowing but altogether good time. (Maybe an aged gringa, on her back on the floor under the desk, having them hand me various wires so I could bundle them was a funnier sight than they usually see  😜?)

And now when I see them on the street, or pass by in my car, there's always a wave and a friendly hello.... and maybe even a few words of a chat.

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Love that post, Natasha. Sounds like me. This is why I do a lot of stuff myself if I'm capable of it- if I have to stand over them every minute (and you do unless you want to end up irritated) I might as well do it myself. And if I have to hire someone, I've learned to watch them like a hawk.

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Better still would be to take a few days or more prior to installation to go online and study up on FO cable placement (determined in part by type, bending radius, color, local regulations, etc.)  Then experiment with layouts using masking tape and a tape measure to reveal problems and opportunities, length of cable required, and importantly, how to safely penetrate the housing structure if required.  This planning can cover both inside and outside, and induce the owner to tidy up their cable plant in advance, and perhaps move furniture as well.  The installers can then review and comment on the proposed layout and proceed promptly, and the owner can ask them for general advice and about local issues and who to call for effective help while proffering a reasonable tip.

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I had actually gone to a friend's house prior, and learned what I needed to know about install, etc. (change of telmex line,  their basic TV for Mexican news only, and use of my Firestick) The part about getting to the 2nd floor had been intended on Day One, but rejected when I learned what was involved (their TV only). But after 2 weeks of "pondering", I figured it out enough to ask them to come back and do it..... WITH my input.  You can't begin to imagine what they were thinking.....and they actually thanked me for the ideas (to be used in  future).

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I'm a fussy arse so, I guess that makes you three also fussy arses. ;) Total Play just finished installation at my house. The cable went exactly where I wanted it to go. Nice guys, very helpful and I am delighted with the lowest speed available from them. I now have all three (Total Play, Telmex and iLox) for the next couple of months and I intend to check speeds, every day, in the morning, the afternoon around 2 and in the evening... with and without Nordvpn. I'm definitely getting rid of iLox and I've had it for two years. I mean, literally, had it. Unreliable for me in Riberas del Pilar. If TotalPlay stands up, I will first knock my Telmex down to 387 peso package... and, hopefully, eventually, just have a landline with Telmex at 187 peso package. Fingers crossed. To Telmex: You snooze, you lose.

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On 1/22/2022 at 7:14 PM, Natasha said:

Realize the cow is already out and the barn door closed, but frankly amazed you let the first crew get by with ".....the tech deciding to drape the cable along a railing on our upstairs veranda. .........".      And you did not speak up at that point and say "WAIT a minute here! What gives?  "?  Or are you one of those who simply  leaves people to their own devices and complains later?

 

Guilty. I was far more attentive to the installation and operation of the unit INSIDE the house. I had assumed (never assume) that the outside would be a piece of cake since all they had to do was follow the path of the existing Telecable/Wizz cable on the exterior wall. Didn’t occur to me that there was another (albeit lazier) way to do the install. Yes, I should have known from previous experience over the past 12 years. Let my guard down. 
 

Anyhow, Total Play finally arrived unannounced at 7 pm on Sunday to disconnect my system. Three days late.

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1 hour ago, Orygun Duck said:

..... follow the path of the existing Telecable/Wizz cable on the exterior wall.......

TP explained to me they do not touch OR make use of any other company's lines, cables, holes in walls or anything else. Hence Wizz and Telmex sources cut but not used.

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They brought the line in on top of the exterior wall of my house. That wall is also used by my neighbour's Telmex line, my Telmex line and my iLox line. Then it followed the same route as the iLox cable and into my house through the same hole in the wall. So, I don't understand your comment Natasha.

 

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In our case they brought THEIR line from the street to our SE roof corner.  (Main TM line connected at N-Central part below roof level. )   Telmex had put a connection in that same SE corner inside ( can't remember how it got there ) when they installed NEW line  10 years ago ONLY to be used for their modem. 

TP  drilled their own hole below the TM box for their own cable (to their modem). I don't exactly know where Wizz came into the house, but on the main floor they  ignored that co-axial cable as if it wasn't there .

Upstairs, after bringing their own white cable to the TV, I asked if they could shove the Wizz coaxial cable back into the wall where it came out and they obliged.

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