Host experiences and testimonials thread

[padmaster]

Been with liquidweb for three months now. Too much down time lately. They're down right now. They don't have 24/7 tech support. Gonna move as soon as I find another host. I've read alot of good things about f5hosting.

[RichM]

You could always check out www.HostOrbit.com, their new site is not finished but they accept orders.

:: cPanel 6 Control Panel
:: Unlimited POP3 Accounts
:: Unlimited Email Aliases
:: Unlimited FTP Accounts
:: Unlimited Auto Responders
:: Unlimited Mailing Lists
:: Web Based Email (Horde)
:: Web Statistics
:: SPAM/Virus Filtering
:: FrontPage Extensions
:: SSL Support
:: SSH (upon request)
:: Cron Jobs
:: phpMyAdmin
:: Password Protected Directories
:: Customised Error Pages
:: Addon Scripts (chat, forums etc.)
:: Personal CGI Bin
:: Server Side Includes (SSI)
:: PHP4 Scripting Support
:: Online Technical Support
:: Unlimited Sub Domains
:: Unlimited Addon Domains
:: Unlimited Parked Domains
:: Easy to use File Manager
:: Zend installed
:: MySQL databases

[kodeking]

people rave about unitedhosting.co.uk

[The Wedge]

So far I've been using Rackshack for over 6 months and have not had a problem yet. They are helpful when there's a problem and the support is great. Granted if YOU screw something up there will probably be a fee. But anything on their side is taken care of quickly. I've had an Apache hang-up once which needed a reboot and an email hang-up which they fixed. The support is top-notch if you ask me. They just raised their bandwidth from 400 gigs to 700 for the same price. They also upgraded everyone's current accounts to that. This is my first experience with a dedicated and I think they're great. Hopefully I"ll never have to use anyone else.

[Mainer82]

I would like to add that F5 Hosting is awesome. I haven't had any problems yet. They are very fast, and very very helpful on hosting issues / vb / database issues too.

[sbrg]

XO Communications

http://www.xo.com/

Current plan - X1 - $24.95/month

Been with XO for three years now. Never had any problems. Interface is a little rough. A little pricey. Currently looking for something a little cheaper or at least more for my money.

test

[KeithMcL]

Intersurge.com

InterSurge Hosting - Virtual Basic Plan

URL: http://www.intersurge.com/
I've been with them for about a year and a half (possibly 2).

Pros:

• Excellent Support.
  Not only do they reply to your support tickets within a matter of hours, they go out of there way to include more information than you originally might have requested/needed!
• Very little downtime.
  For the length of time I've been with them there has been very little downtime and if there is any, you've given a very good (technical) explaination as to why they were down.
• They never complain.
  I'm sure since I began being hosted by Intersurge, I've installed scripts, created and then deleted mysql databases far too often. But they've never once emailed me asking me what's the hell i'm doing!

Cons:

• None spring to mind, but if I had to be really picky, it would be the help forums are not as helpful as I'd like. But that's just me being as picky as possible.

[Ksilebo]

Simpli Hosting
http://www.simpli.biz

Current Plan - Advanced Virual (Soon Custom Dedicated Server)

My site on their server - http://www.ksilebo.com or http://www.ksilebo.net (No front page, more network service oriented)

Pros:

1. Really really fast
2. Pricing and plans to fit any budget or site type
3. Excellent customer support
4. Fast Setup

Cons:

1. Some plans are on Sun Cobalt RaQs, which have very unusual home directories, and some limitations.
2. Nothing else really.

I've been with simpli for 3 months now, and so far, they have been up all the time, been really fast, and have had incredible support. I highly reccomend them to anyone seeking hosting of any kind, from a simple personal site up to a corporate one.

[Waterski]

Im running 3 vbulletin websites on Sierra Kilo Hosting www.sierrakilo.net and they have been awesome to me. Great support! Prices are pretty good.


Waterski

[SIINSI]

The absolute worst host I ever dealt with is www.cihost.com These people are criminals! Not only do they lie about your bandwidth, but they RAPE you before you ditch them. Proof that they lied to me...They would send me an email warning me I'm about to go over my bandwidth usage. So after the first couple months of paying out my ass for the overages I decided to take action. The second I got the first email, which was I believe the 3rd week of the month, I shut my site down altogether. Everything, board, homepage, everything. A week later I get an email telling me I did 10 more gigs of transfer!!! I call them and tell them this and the kid had nothing to say and then promply sent me into a never ending loop between tech and billing. They LIE and are criminals. That is a fact. DO NOT EVER USE THEM.

Same here, I too was robbed. Feels good to tell people about it though

[JimF]

Same here, I too was robbed. Feels good to tell people about it though

I wish people would start to see the same thing about VO. I've been lied to 25 times just today.

-jim

[Steve Machol]

Really? Shouldn't I wait until they actually lie to me before I do this?

In the two years I've been with VO I've never had a significant problem with their service or support. I wish I could say the same for my previous two hosts.

[Marc Smith]

Really? Shouldn't I wait until they actually lie to me before I do this?

In the two years I've been with VO I've never had a significant problem with their service or support. I wish I could say the same for my previous two hosts.

Steve,

It may be that you get 'Priority' service from venturesonline because of the visibility of vB's business. Sounds like some others are not so happy and are not experiencing what you are. We all know the money gets the attention.

I'm not sure what you meant by

Really? Shouldn't I wait until they actually lie to me before I do this?

I went to threaded mode to ensure which post you responded to because there was no quote in yours. In so many words, all JimF was saying was he felt guilty (afraid, whatever) complaining about venturesonline because they are vB's host and that he wished others would speak out, without fear of reprisal, when they publicise problems they have experienced with an ISP. I've seen ISP's 'seize' accounts over trivial stuff. Your reply was unrelated to the post - often referred to as a Red Herring. No one asked you to say they lied about anything when to you they didn't.

In some ways, I'm not comfortable posting this, either, because I'm criticizing, if you will, a benefactor - an major vB person. If I have a problem I need solved, you may take this personally and I may not receive the same level of support others do. Personal predjudice can be a real fear for some people - it is a reality. I'm just too old to care and probably too slow to notice anyway. Bottom line is JimF did not say YOU should be complaining even though YOU are not experiencing problems.

So why am I writing this? Because I want to find a host which won't 'give me problems' for the next 2 or 3 years. Or longer! My site is considerably smaller than the vB site. So I assume if they can host you folks without a problem for so long, my site should not me an issue at all.

I'm considering leaving Verio. I bought from a sub from Verio (BlueHill) from about 1997 for several years at US$260/mo (none of which did I resell). The folks at BlueHill evolved into a 'success' and smaller sites (like mine) were given short shrift as time went on. I did not represent the 'big bucks' and support became >NULL - I transferred to GSP for a couple of years because it was close to US$80/month cheaper. But... No 24/7/365 immediate phone support. GSP could take 3 to 10 days to reply to a simple e-mail question. Yet - BlueHill was ignoring me so - heck, why pay for support you're not getting? GSP was 'good people' but then in May-June 2003 Verio switched their setup.

I transferred to Verio directly back in what - June? of this year. I had their old Virtual Server 'C' package {a FreeBSD 'virtual' server} through BlueHill first and then GSP. I left GSP because I needed 24/7/365 telephone - The switch to Verio's 'new' server option caused problems. The same FreeBSD, but other things changed. Now I have Verio's cheapest 'VPS2' virtual srver (at US$149/Month) because they were cheaper than GSP, but more so for the 24/7/365 telephone. i do like to support the 'littler guys'. But - When I was first switched to Verio's 'VSP2' virtual server by GSP a MySQL vsleep issue arose and GSP wasn't there ansering the phone - and I have to admit Verio answers the phone right away. A real person. Unfortunately they can't resolve the vsleep issue. And neither have I yet.

I've used the 24/7/365 at Verio and I've had a real person on the line every time within 2 minutes. But - there are some problems they cannot 'solve'. One is my 'vsleep' issue. There are some 'weird things' about their server farm and how MySQL functions, but I'm not an expert so I'm fishing for solutions.

I'm looking at venturesonline. Because the vB site (as I understand it) is on their servers and my site is essentially totally vB. I'm considering a dedicated server. In fact, I called them today and - for sales I got a recording. I even announced it to my forum members. I admit - no big deal, but to me to have a sales line lead to a recording - I have calls forwarded to my cell phone when I'm out. So my initial impression was middle of the road. I can understand a small comapny being minimally staffed. I can understand if a company doesn't wish to expand (as some of the BEST so choose) and thus sales aren't a big thing.

I'm not a programmer. I'm just a little guy who has kept a site online since January 1996. My first ISP was a guy in Michigan who did it as a favour. I moved back to Cincy and ended up with an ISP in Dayton, OH who booted me because I ran WWWBoard (goodness, perl scripts!) - which is when I went to BlueHill and got a 'virtual server'.

I'm not a 'pro'. But - I've been through a few ISPs and I've seen what these guys seem to be saying and that is they are not having 'satisfactory' experiences. I've lived through the stuff these people are complaining about. They are not complaining because they are NOT having problems. The question is whether their complaints are justified.

What you *might* want to do is talk to venturesonline and ask them to affirm that these problems are or are not 'real'. In that way you are supporting your customers. I might also suggest venturesonline reply in the thread to tell their position or something such.

I would like to get their small dedicated. My only complaint is RAM is cheap and 512 isn't sufficient. BUT - If a problem develops, I don't want to end up in an endless loop because I'm not a 'big' customer. This thread now has me, validly I believe, asking more questions than I might otherwise have. I probably would have initiated a switch today - to resolve this MySQL 'vsleep' issue - had sales answered. I hang up and didn't leave a messge - that's before I saw this post.

From MY Experience: No one answers the sales phone quickly, don't expect anyone to answer in support. As I said, for now, at least, Verio has answered within 2 minutes and that's what I want. If I could only get this vsleep issue solved I wouldn't even bother to switch. No bandwidth charges and they're always 'online'.

Bottom line: Instead of belittling your fans you might want to query venturesonline and affirm they are sufficiently addressing customer concerns and problems.

[Steve Machol]

If you didn't notice, Jim is also a Moderator at vB. Besides I was a vB customer before I was on the vB staff. My experiences with them have been very favorable from the beginning.

And finally, the vast majority of comments here and elsewhere about VO are positive. Nonetheless as in all things, some people's experiences are different from others. The same sometimes happens with our customers. The vast majority are happy with our product and support, but occasionally others do not have the same high opinion.

P.S. My comment was a tongue-in-cheek response to Jim's comment here:

I wish people would start to see the same thing about VO. I've been lied to 25 times just today

Sorry you took this the wrong way.

[Marc Smith]

Sorry you took this the wrong way.

I must have. I just subscribed to this thread today. I've gone through enough ISP miseries that I really want to see honest, unbiased comments. Going through an ISP switch can be heck, especially when there's a 'current issue'.