Missing DB, fraudulent promises

[mikmik]

Can anyone tell me where to go to report a hosting company that is not fulfilling services clready payed for?

Speciffically, they charged for a MS SQL db, and enterprise manager, PLUS a Plexus control panel (I thought this was Linux, but anyways they said it is there)

They keep evading direct questions and support ticket request, and suddenly in the last two days DB connectivity has been lost.

It was already set up when arrived, i am very new to all this. I only want the db, and now they are saying we have to pay for one, which is/was already in place, paid for, and being used.

There is all kinds of personal and other membership information on many people in that database. I need to know what are my/my clients rights.

Anyone have any suggestions? the hosting company is in the Eastern US, and there are lots of reports and negative reviews of these b*********! :O)

Thanks very much for any suggestions or ideas.

[mikmik]

Hmmmm. I lost my temper, I sent them a very nasty e-mail, using "F" word, many times.

I put in a trouble ticket that said "Where do I log into 'Enterprise manager'?" over and over.

They finally sent the link :O)))))))))))))))))))))))0

The last programmer couldn't work properly because the wouldn't give this info.

I said, in the nasty e-mail, that 'the next step is legal action, F****heads', over and over.....

In - effin - credible!

[Easywebdev]

Sounds like you signed up with a "kiddie host" using an unlicensed MS sql database and they figured out they need to pay for a license before letting their clients access it.

The worst thing about the hosting industry is that it is unregulated. If a host starts up, gets paid for a years hosting by a 1000 clients and then packs up there is little to no recourse available to the clients.

Do your homework on any host. Check their whois info on any domains. Do they publish their address/phone numbers? if information is vague then that is usually for a reason.

No offence Mik but if it was my hosting firm and I got a ticket like that I would be terminating your account straight away (of course I would have abuse of staff in the terms of service as a valid reason for termination, looks like your host does not).

Calling someone a F****head is crass no matter how irritated you may be with them.

[mikmik]

Easywebdev said
No offence Mik but if it was my hosting firm and I got a ticket like that I would be terminating your account straight away (of course I would have abuse of staff in the terms of service as a valid reason for termination, looks like your host does not).

Calling someone a F****head is crass no matter how irritated you may be with them

No offense taken! I admire your opinion every time.

I don't know why I posted what I did, or even sent that e-mail in the first place. I knew it was wrong before I even hit the 'send' button.
I could have gotten my client into a lot of trouble, and that kind of thing is very unprofessional, to say the least.

You are right about researching hosting, and I always start here withWeb Hosting Reviews (http://www.webhostingunleashed.com/).

(BTW, the host in question has a <3 rating.)

I also see that there isn't a lot you can do in most situations, especially with virtual hosting - which I believe most of your 'budget' plans are.

Thanks for replying anyways, Easywebdev!

Oh! I almost missed the revelvancy of this:

Sounds like you signed up with a "kiddie host" using an unlicensed MS sql database and they figured out they need to pay for a license before letting their clients access it.

That makes sense.

[Easywebdev]

I'm glad you have not taken offense but I call things as I see them.

Now as regards Web Hosting Reviews, I would take what is listed there with a pinch of salt unless you are talking about a hundreds of reviews. It is too easy for the kiddies to get 20-30 of their mates to submit glowing reviews.

The best place to research a host is webhostingtalk.com there are forums there for dedicated servers, virtual hosting, reseller hosting etc and doing a search in the relevant forum will usually yield some interesting results.

From my own experience and time spent at the above mentioned site I would recommend the following providers.

For virtual hosting/reseller hosting (your site on a shared server along with many other sites or you buy webspace and bandwidth in a bulk package and "resell" parts of it on to your clients) I would check these;
httpme.com
unitedhosting.co.uk
clook.net
voxtreme.com

For VPS/VDS (virtual private/dedicated servers, a complete operating system on a shared computer 4-8 clients per machine but you have complete control over the operating system anc can install whatever applications you want/need) check these;
Dinix.com
vpscolo.com/jvds.com (same company)

For dedicated servers (A single computer and you have complete control of it) check these;
Depending on your skill levels - completely managed servers
voxtreme.com
servermatrix.com
clook.net

And finally who I use, a small datacenter in Kansas City wholesaleinternet.com they are only for experienced system admins as all you get is a box connected to the net and a password, the rest is up to you to secure and administer.
Thats all I need in a host and dont want to pay for services I am never going to need.

All the companies I recommended have rock solid reputations built up over the last few years and its hard to find a bad word against any of them on webhostingtalk, whose forum members are extremely knowledgable and can cut through the waffle in seconds.

Hope that helps if you are searching for a new host.
If you have a new host in mind feel free to drop me a pm and I'll give you my opinion on them should I have one.

Happy New Year. :)

[mikmik]

Thanks, man, this is valuable information. That forum looks good, also.
Happy New Year!

[Affiliate Boss]

hosting industry is as crowded if not more so than the web design industry is.

[Chief Blogster]

Xiolink (www.xiolink.com)

I am not an owner or a partner in that firm but I have been in this industry for 6 years and have used many firms but I currently spend over $12K a month with them and regret not using them 6 years ago.

Just my opinion.

[Easywebdev]

Xiolink, I knew I heard that name somewhere. I remember them as RackMy.com.
A really solid company with a good DC and network but a little expensive in todays server market, then again they are managed servers.