ComplaintsforIq Machines

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Iq machines is supposed to support the internet at my apartment. I am forced into their LSP service, and have no other options for a high speed ISP, and I wouldn't be surprised if they get money from the government as if they were providing real broadband. I have the need to connect my devices to each other, as I could very easily do with a home router connected to a real ISP. This is where things get really strange. Their support is SO bad, it isn't clear whether they run a completely insecure network that is malfunctioning, or whether they have client isolation and other security that is preventing devices connecting. I suspect it is the latter, and they just don't want to provide basic network support. Either way, their support is horrible, which is done purposely by many companies to cover for their inadequacies. In this case, the service provider's address is a residence, which is further indication that they are not and possibly can not perform basic support functions. I just want to have a conversation with someone honest and knowledgeable, and that shouldn't be too much to ask. Instead I get bad answers and unprofessional conduct. I am happy to provide correspondence if needed.

  Business response

  08/16/2024

  Delivering excellent customer service is a core value at IQ Machines – as clearly stated on our website, “we follow a simple rule: when our customer has a problem, that problem becomes our problem, until we find a solution.” Acting in accordance with this principle, IQ Machines has grown steadily, proudly providing technology services (including managed wi-fi) to more than 25,000 residents of student and multifamily housing properties in 14 states. Since its inception in 2013, IQ Machines has never been the subject of a single complaint to the BBB, or any other consumer protection agency – this complaint stands alone. Happily, it is our belief that the resident’s issue was resolved before IQ Machines even received notice of this BBB complaint. 
  
  The resident in question first contacted IQ Machines on July 24, 2024 at 4:15PM, at which time he requested assistance with establishing communications between multiple devices within his own apartment unit over the network at his property. This type of support request is not uncommon, and can result from standard practices employed in some of our networks (in keeping with best practices recommended by the manufacturer of the wireless access points installed at the property, multicast network traffic is disabled on the main network, which in some can prevent a resident’s devices from communicating with each other). 
  
  To provide the functionality that the resident was requesting, IQ Machines employs a second wireless “PSK” network at the property that was specially designed to connect devices with multicast traffic, as well as IOT devices that cannot be easily connected to the main network using traditional enterprise authentication methods. This type of PSK network is used to securely connect thousands of resident devices to our networks at various properties across the country.
  
  On July 24, 2024 at 4:27 PM (12 minutes after initial contact), our support team provided the resident with written instructions for how to resolve his issue by connecting his devices to the PSK network described above.  The resident responded by stating that, “This is just wrong on several levels… you are ridiculously insecure… that is just horrible design… Please escalate this immediately”. The resident did not follow the instructions provided, but continued to send a total of five additional adversarial messages after our normal support window was closed, including one at 12:16AM which stated, “no response at all. No follow up, much less follow through. Amateur hour for certain”.
  
  Our technician escalated this ticket to Tier 2 support, and a Tier 2 technician followed up with the resident the next morning (July 25) at 10:48AM. The technician offered to troubleshoot the issue and asked for additional information. The resident did not respond, and the Tier 2 technician followed up again at 3:36PM the same day with another attempt to provide support. The resident did not respond for nearly 2 days, until July 27 at 3:46AM, at which time he stated, “The problem is not with my devices. The problem is your network”. It was also at 3:46AM on July 2 when the resident threatened (among other things) to report IQ Machines, along with, “the slumlords who own my apartments” to the BBB and other agencies.
  
  The resident offered many theories regarding how he felt the network may be working (which were not correct), and how it should have been designed differently, but our support team would not engage in discussions regarding the security features of our network, which are confidential. Instead, they continued to provide support, but the resident refused to troubleshoot or even answer questions from the technician, asking that we, “please escalate to someone who can read email and won't ask questions that have already been answered.” At multiple points, the resident leveled false accusations about the security of our network and the capabilities of our employees, but our support team continued to provide assistance, nevertheless. They encouraged the resident to connect his devices to the PSK network as originally instructed again on July 27, but he did not connect his devices as requested; he responded only ask for more details regarding the underlying operation and security of the network. 
  
  On July 29, 10:06AM, the resident demanded that we create a private wireless network for his apartment only, broadcasting its own network name, and having its own password, “Please create an SSID of “X-XXX” on an isolated VLAN with a secure password and broadcast on the AP in “X-XXX. Please advise me of this password.”
  
  Creating private wireless networks for individual units is a non-standard solution to the resident’s issue, so our support team could not make this change without management approval. IQ Machines management reviewed the case quickly and approved the creation of a non-standard wireless network for this resident with its own SSID (network name). While this is not the company’s preferred solution, in the interest of resident satisfaction, the new network was activated the same day, and the resident was notified and received instructions for connecting his devices to the new network on July 29 at 5:47PM. The resident did not respond to this message, but our support team verified that the resident’s devices were successfully connected to the new SSID he had requested.
  
  Finally, the support team contacted the resident two additional times to confirm that his issue had been resolved, on July 30 at 2:59 pm, and also on July 31 at 3:07 pm. The resident did not respond to either of these messages, and after a written notification, his ticket was automatically closed due to lack of response.
  
  IQ Machines now considers this issue is resolved, as the resident’s devices are currently connected to the new network with excellent wireless link speeds, and he has not responded to our last three support messages. Note that this issue was resolved on July 29, 2024, and IQ Machines did not receive notification of this complaint until August 6, 2024 (by mail). IQ Machines will continue to provide excellent service, and will help this resident with any issues he may have in future.

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