7 Reasons Why Hosting Customers And Providers Are At Odds With Each Other

Posted on a web design blog by Jordan in Articles

In some ways, your hosting provider may not be your best friend. Difficulties can arise from many different situations. Here are seven ways customers can be at odds with their providers and how to resolve them.

1 – Customer Care and Assistance

One of the most prevalent complaints from customers is the amount of time it takes to reach a customer care representative. Some customers have been on the phone for hours, constantly being redirected to different people and still hanging up with their problem unresolved. Some people even complain of rudeness and disrespect from a customer representative. Keep track of when and how long your calls are. Send an email to them detailing your poor service experience.

2 – Poor Performance

Another common complaint is that a hosting company is not providing the promised service or that the services are not working properly. Sometimes, hosting companies simply neglect their obligations to their clients. Again, keep track of what services you are not receiving and contact them immediately.

3 – Fees

Billing for online organizations can be cumbersome, especially for new sites. Many try to sneak in fees to charge their new clients. Watch out for set up fees, late fees, other strange fees.

4 – Difficulty Discontinuing Service

Service providers will forget to tell people that in order to get the special low price they must agree to a 12-month contract. When a customer tries to discontinue service, they may find out that they are locked into a contract that they cannot break. If you have this problem and are unable to reach your hosting company, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or contact your credit card company where the amount was billed.

5 – Billing Errors

Sometimes customers are improperly billed for services. Some complain that they were over charged or charged even after they discontinued the services. Sometimes it can be very difficult to get your money back. If there’s proof that you were improperly billed, send copies to the billing department.

6 – How the Hosts Use Your Private Info

In extreme cases, some customers have complained that their information was given out to third parties and even had their identities stolen. Many providers say they have a secure method of payment but they do not. They can also sell information to other companies as well. Take a look at their confidentiality agreement, make sure the host has verified and secure transactions, and does not sell information to third parties.

7 – Is Your Service Provider Just a Reseller?

Your hosting company may not be a hosting company at all. They may not be actual service providers, but instead a middleman. This is called reselling. Resellers are companies that buy bandwidth from hosting companies and then resell them to their customers. This can make it difficult if a reseller has not set up a good customer service department to answer all their clients’ questions. They also cannot guarantee the equipment since it is not even theirs. Remember to investigate and ask many questions when seeking a service provider.

My biggest pet peeve is to go with a hosting company that other people have heard of. If no one knows about it, the site looks like it was built in 1995, and all the information is generic garbage, do not buy a plan from there. Also, it’s a side note, but do not give out confidential information on Twitter or anywhere else where the hosting company cannot be verified.

This is a guest post by David Walsh of WHS. WHS is a place to find reviews on web hosts and read hosting articles about extremely dorky things like domains, hosting, and the Internet.