When I arrived in
Scituate Harbor on my annual cruise this year (2011), I set up
my 5MileWifi system, hoisted its antenna up the mast and
connected to the laptop. I picked up a signal, "Mill Wharf,"
from the Mill Wharf Restaurant on the shore overlooking the
harbor —
perfect line-of-sight a few hundred yards away. It was a
secure network, but I arranged with the downstairs pub restaurant
(Chester's) to get its password and connect. Though right
there across the harbor, I kept losing the signal.
I wrestled with this headache for my entire
stay in Scituate, attempted a number of times to reach
5MileWifi tech support, actually talked to some guys in
India during a couple of them. One ("Anide" - sp?) was supposed to
call back the next morning to see if anything he suggested
had worked, but never called. Other messages I left with
both support and sales were never returned.
From my journal/log:
Saturday, July 23,
2011; 9:30 am
On a mooring, Scituate outer harbor
– 11:45 am –
. . . Then there’s the useless 5-Mile-Wifi system.
It refuses to work.
Without it, I’ve learned, I can connect to the Mill
Wharf network, and through it to the Internet.
Granted, the signal is “Weak-Low,” but I can
connect, it works if a bit slow. Using the
5-Mile-Wifi system, it won’t connect whatsoever.
What’s with this?
I finally reached a more-or-less knowledgeable tech
support guy there – of course somewhere in India,
“Raj” – who offered to send me a replacement system,
apparently mine is still under warranty – “Where
would you like to have it shipped.” I again
explained the circumstance. The best – no, the only – resolution was to ship it to my home.
“Maybe on next year’s cruise it will work better for
me,” I replied in defeat. . . .
Anide had given me the
name and e-mail address of 5MileWifi's owner, Joe
[joe@zialater.com], so when I could get a connection, I sent
him a couple messages, but never received any response:
From: Chip Ford
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 12:30 PM
To: 'joe@zialater.com'
Cc: Chip Ford
Subject: Thanks for my vacation cruise!
JOE, YOU AND YOUR PRODUCT HAVE COST ME MY CRUISING
VACATION.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR PRODUCT WHEN I GET HOME.
CHIP FORD --
Ali at support: "5milewifi owner: joe@zialater.com"
From: Chip Ford -- 508-397-****
I'm supposed to be on my annual vacation cruise
aboard my Catalina 22 sailboat, with your 5MileWifi
attached. It hasn't worked since my arrival on a
distant mooring. I have a strong signal, spent a few
hours arranging for the network's password.
Once in a while I can connect -- most often not. I'm
showing four out of possible five bars of signal.
I called your alleged support number:
5MileWifi Support: 301-838-4380 -- Press 3 for
support. ("Anide"?)
Sharine Inc.
Tech Support: "Anide Momashie Bohami" -- spelling
???
Sales: "Meship Jamal" -- spelling ???
Anide made some suggestions on Tuesday evening, upon
my arrival. He was supposed to call back the next
morning to see if they worked. He didn't. Numerous
calls to your alleged support number have dumped me
into his voice-mail. He hasn't returned my calls. I
am about to toss your equipment overboard.
This morning (now Friday -- I leave for home Sunday
morning) I even tried calling and pressing "1" for
sales. I left another message there.
Chip Ford
Cell phone aboard: 508-397-****
Do you suppose somebody can help me get this thing
to work before I get home, find and call you, read
you the riot act, and demand a refund?
Please help me now.
Chip Ford -- 508-397-****
Home Address -- NOT THERE OF COURSE
[ . . . ]
From: Chip Ford
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2011 3:06 PM
To: 'joe@zialater.com'
Cc: Chip Ford
Subject: RE: Thanks for my vacation cruise!
Joe, another wasted day so far – but as you can see,
I’ve found a connection again.
Once I disabled 5MileWifi and am running only from
the laptop’s internal card on a weak signal.
I’ve learned a lot about your product during this
vacation in hell. When you want to pay me for what
I’ve learned let me know. In the meantime, put on
the armor I’m coming at your product when I arrive
home prematurely on Monday morning. Your company has
become my obsession.
See:
http://chipford.com/ripoff/merchants.htm
Thank you for your concern, your
appreciation of my patience, and I’m also sure, your
apologies for my goddamn inconvenience.
See you Monday when I get home – and back to work.
Thanks for this memorable vacation cruise, buddy.
Chip Ford –
A few days after arriving
back home from Scituate in July, a new 5MileWifi booster/amplifier
arrived (with a new software disk). There was no note or
instructions, just the product and disk. I didn't get a
chance to test it until my recent weekend
cruise up to Gloucester on September 11 but it worked
well, perfectly again I believe.
SHOCK: ADDING INSULT TO INJURY
A week later, I received the following
message from 5MileWifi's owner, Joe Boyle:
From: Joe at
5milewifi [mailto:joe@5milewifi.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 12:26 PM
To: Chip Ford
Subject: return of 5mile wifi unit.
Mr. Ford,
Since we shipped you an advance replacement unit,
you must return the defective 5mile wifi unit or, if
you would prefer to keep it we will send you an
invoice for immediate payment.
Sincerely,
Joe Boyle - 5milewifi
Two months after my
headaches and frustration in Scituate with his product, two months
after the problem unit was replaced, I'm now informed that
he wants the old booster/amplifier returned
— or I'm expected to now pay
for it!
Fortunately for me
— and most
unfortunate for Joe and his 5MileWifi company's scam —
I still had it, hadn't thrown it away as junk yet. How many
others would still have a failed piece of hardware laying around
after it'd been replaced, be able to send it
back instead of being charged ex post facto? I shipped it back to him yesterday (Sep. 22, 2011).
I'll bet that doesn't happen often.
But if Joe thought I was going to
pay his invoice for a defective booster
—
"immediate" or ever —
it's obvious that he
doesn't know me. I can't imagine anyone would even consider complying with this
transparent scam.
I like Joe's product, when it works. Support
for his product sucks — and
worse, this obvious scam disgusts me.
I've e-mailed Joe a message with a link to
this page, invited him to respond if he wishes. If he does,
I'll post it here.
THE FRUSTRATION CONTINUES
June, 2012
When the 5MileWifi system works, it works
incredibly well.
Unfortunately, it just doesn't work —
incredibly well or otherwise — consistently, or in my
experience often.
The first time I tried using it this season
it didn't work at all, again.
The worst part of the failures is the utter
lack of tech support whatsoever when it doesn't work
— which in my experience has been far too often.
I just returned from this year's shakedown
cruise —
a
long weekend down to Scituate — and my first opportunity
to use the system this season. Again — it would not
work.
And again — support and/or assistance was
non-existent.
I spent some 20-30 hours of this 4-day
get-away in Scituate Harbor wrestling with my 5MileWifi
system — and the alleged support. I never got it to work —
and I never got a response from 5MileWifi despite reaching
them on the phone (recorded messages with a promise to
return my call), the digital form on their website ("We'll
get right back to you") and even e-mail messages directly to
Joe Boyle, the company's owner.
I've been back home now for a week — and
still haven't received even recognition of my countless
attempts to contact 5MileWifi.
Here's my latest exasperating experience:
Thursday, June 21, 2012; 6:30 pm
Scituate Harbor mooring
When I took out the laptop and hooked it up to the 5MileWifi
connection – it didn’t work! Dear God, not again! I spent
much of my trip down here in Scituate last year wrestling
with this same problem. 5MileWifi support is useless, I
learned then. After I got back to Marblehead, they sent me a
new booster/signal amplifier. I was assured
that it was the problem and their replacement was the
solution. It worked last fall while I was up in Gloucester;
I assumed it would work this year too, was still working.
Shame on me.
Like last year, I attempted to contact 5MileWifi by phone –
with the very same results. Left messages, so far no
response. Oh well, time to go ashore for dinner.
Friday, June 22, 2012; 7:30 am
Scituate Harbor mooring
Back aboard I played around some more with the 5MileWifi
system only to further frustrate myself, left another
message with tech support. After last year's frustrating experience
trying to reach them I recognize that this time will
probably turn out just as futile. I wonder why they provide
a phone number that an answering machine always answers with
the promise of a return the phone call that will inevitably be
broken? Phony appearance that they provide support for their
product?
Friday, June 22, 2012; 8:45 pm
Scituate Harbor mooring
I spent far too many hours today wrestling with the
5MileWifi problem – but that’s my obsessiveness, or
insanity. Why do I think I can make it work when I couldn’t
last season? I tried everything I could think of, including
going online when I got one of the intermittent Wifi signals
from the laptop’s built-in WLAN card, searching for and
downloading other drivers that the “found new hardware
wizard” couldn’t find. I even again downloaded 5MileWifi’s
software to no avail, again. All the other software I
downloaded wouldn’t work with its “802.11 nWLAN” hardware –
I have found nothing that will work with it, make the
5MilieWifi system function.
I’ve called and left a number of message with their “tech
support” – I can’t honestly say I can understand his name,
but it sounded like “Anide.” I finally called, this time
selected the “Sales” option at their phone number
(301-838-4380), got "Meship Jamal" (phonetically spelled)
and knew I was in trouble. I am dealing with the same two
“people” that I had to deal with last year to no avail.
“Meship” was of no more assistance than last time. “The
system is old, no longer under warranty, no it’s not
supposed to work any more, you’re on your own.”
I bought the 5MileWifi system in January of 2009, hooked it
up for the first time during the summer of 2009. It is only
three years old, doesn’t work. The booster was replaced last
fall. But 5MileWifi can’t or won’t assist?
Too late, I was told. Its 6-month warranty on the
replacement booster has expired; I should have tested it
last winter, in the snow and ice, before the warranty ran
out?
In late fall of last year, after going through this same
problem, they sent me a new power booster, told me that was
the problem — then a few months later Joe Boyle e-mailed me,
told me if I didn’t send back the failed unit I would be
charged for the replacement. Luckily I still had it, shipped
it back to Joe, heard nothing further. I wonder how many
others keep old, worn-out, useless parts laying around for
months?
“Meship” informed me that we were wasting his time and mine,
so I disconnected.
I tried calling “Anide” (who “Meship” informed me is
actually “Ali”) again, left yet another message when I heard
his recorded promise, that he was “away from his desk” and
to leave my number and he’d return my call soon. (I’ve been
waiting for over a year for that call from last
year’s problem. “Ali” doesn’t exist, I’m now confident.)
Saturday, June 23, 2012; 2:10 pm
Scituate Harbor mooring
I couldn’t resist not trying the damned 5MileFifi again, but
it still won’t work.
Last year “Meship” had provided me with an e-mail address
for the owner of 5MileWife, advised me to contact him.
Meship and Ali only worked the sales and support end of the
product I was informed.
joe@zialater.com
I’d sent Joe Boyle a number of messages last
year. He never replied to any – until he sent me a message
months after I received the new booster wanting the old,
dysfunctional one back – or I’d be charged.
Catch as catch can, as and when I got an intermittent Wifi
signal I further researched Joe Boyle, found his personal
website: http://www.zialater.com
From there, I discovered e-mail addresses and
phone numbers:
“We Fly with Wi-Fi
“Wifi is getting more and more prevalent everywhere we
go. So far we have been able to get WIFI in about 80
percent of the harbors and marinas that we have visited.
Not only do we get email and web capability, but we are
able to call friends and family for free using Skype (www.skype.com).
We use an external laptop antenna that we run up the
flag halyard and are able to increase the range of our
WIFI by a factor of 10. Having wireless bandwidth aboard
the boat is a huge benefit in getting weather, tourist
information and just plain old staying in touch. We are
evaluating a few new antenna solutions and we hope to
have some feedback and recommendations on these soon.”
EMAIL
joe@zialater.com
(Other family e-mail addresses omitted here)
PHONE NUMBERS
410.504.1907
Current cell phone (USA): 443.995.3951
USA cell phone: 001.443.254.2284
Skype address: zialater
I’ve e-mailed him, called
his listed phone numbers (Current USA works; left a message
there with "Christy," whose e-mail address is one of those
omitted above), again have yet to hear anything back.
Honestly – I don’t expect I ever will.
In my opinion after all
this: 5MileWifi “support” is a scam; it does not exist.
I called and spoke with Darrell Nicholson,
editor of
Practical Sailor, where I’d first learned of 5MileWife
in its rave review a few years ago. He didn’t know how to
reach anyone there and was shocked to hear of what I’ve been
through. He wants to investigate further and asked me to
write up my wholly bad experience – which in part is what
I’m doing here.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Home
After arriving back home last Sunday evening from my long
weekend cruise to Scituate without 5MileWifi working I
brought the antenna and booster system home with me along
with the laptop, continued banging my head against the wall
here. I surrendered Thursday evening, called Dell tech
support.
I spent some three hours (and $248) with Dell technicians –
a waste of time. None of them could get the system to work,
to install the 5MileWifi driver for the “found new hardware;
802.11nWLAN” – and I was passed from Carol to Emitt (3rd
Party Services Dept.) to Dorie (Wireless Dept.) to Anna
(Dell Solutions Support) back to Emitt, then on to Phillipe
(Senior Support).
None of them could get the 5MileWifi system to work (Case #:
859471652), ultimately the $248 charge to my credit card was
refunded – or should have been I hope.
I delivered the laptop, 5MileWifi antenna and booster system
to Peter Bach at
The
Digital Docs yesterday morning. When I picked it up he
told me he couldn’t get the laptop to recognize/accept the
5MileWifi driver either – and he downloaded it fresh from
the 5MileWifi website himself (despite the 3-4 copies of it
on the laptop that I’d downloaded over last weekend and the
one I had from last year). He tried a number of times to get
it to work before giving up as well. (At least he knew when
to quit!)
He installed another Wifi software package (TP-Link
Technologies Co.) and this worked perfectly.
BTW – Peter was stunned by the number of networks 5MileWifi
picked up: He can usually get half a dozen from his shop but
the 5MileWifi pulled in some three dozen – “All of downtown
Marblehead” he figures. I told him that, when it works it
works great – when it doesn’t work it sucks and worse, and
in my experience that’s much too often.
Further Notes:
I’ve been doing some forensic research on 5MileWifi since
getting home. Here’s what I’ve uncovered so far.
According to a review in
MyBoatsGear:
"This product
developed by Joe Boyle who before he took off cruising
had his own Computer Company. Now he is able to use his
expertise and contacts in the Computer world to build a
marine wifi booster product that cruisers and boaters
can use offshore or anchored in a cove. . . "
"... the proliferation of WIFI is a
beautiful thing, says Scott Brunner of 5milewifi"
5MILEWIFI.COM
is indeed owned by Joe Boyle:
Registrant:
Joe Boyle
15703 223rd Ave Northeast
Woodinville, Washington 98077
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: 5MILEWIFI.COM
Created on: 11-Jan-08
Expires on: 11-Jan-14
Last Updated on: 06-Jan-12
Administrative Contact:
Boyle, Joe - joe@zialater.com
15703 223rd Ave Northeast
Woodinville, Washington 98077
United States
(443) 254-3261
Technical Contact:
Boyle, Joe - joe@zialater.com
15703 223rd Ave Northeast
Woodinville, Washington 98077
United States
(443) 254-3261
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.QUANTUMSAILS.COM
NS2.QUANTUMSAILS.COM
Record of the Federal
Communications Commission, Joseph M. Boyle of the above
address:
ULS License - Ship Recreational or Voluntarily Equipped
License - WDC7435 - Boyle Mr., Joseph M
Boyle Mr., Joseph M
15703 223rd Ave. NE
Woodinville, WA 98077
ATTN Joe Boyle
Ship Name: Zia
General Class: Pleasure
Official Ship #: 1125571
ZIALATER.COM
is also owned by Joe Boyle:
Registrant:
Boyle, Joseph
612 Overhill
Edgewater, MD 21037
US
Domain Name: ZIALATER.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Boyle, Joseph
612 Overhill
Edgewater, MD 21037
US
410-991-5575
Record expires on 09-Jun-2013.
Record created on 09-Jun-2005.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.QUANTUMSAILS.COM 216.139.244.147
NS2.QUANTUMSAILS.COM 216.139.244.148
Also at this Maryland
address:
Cellular Alert
Security of Maryland Inc.
612 Overhill Dr.
Edgewater, MD 21037
(410) 798-8004
