EVula
08-05-2001, 07:28 PM
If anyone here is hosted with AWC (Advanced Web Creations (http://www.awc.net)), I'm sure you're having the same problems that I am.
I've had my website (EVula's Lair (http://www.evula.com/)) hosted with them since April 2000; my dad's company (which I work for, too) also has theirs on AWC. We have experienced an incredible amount of downtime with our email; for hours on end, OE will sit there and spin while trying to contact the server. Recently, their email servers completely botched everything. I had to call them, and I got an automatic message when I selected the "Misc. Problems" selection saying "AWC is aware of email problems, blah blah blah" and I just hung up the phone, assuming (silly me) that if there was a fix for the problem, they would have put it in the auto message.
Later in the day, I called Billing to see about cancelling the account. I mentioned the email problems, and the lady forwarded me to Tech Support so that I could get some stats to give to Billing for a refund. The guy at TS was finally able to talk me through the email problems. I thought that was great, but it doesn't explain why the automated message didn't mention how, or why it wasn't on their site.
And the thing thats got me really pissed off is that my website, as well as that of my employer, was completely unavailable earlier today (I didn't try FTP or mail). Thats the second time this week that it has been down, with absolutely nothing from AWC explaining themselves. Their website is a pathetic resource for information; their only "Support" pages are some old FAQs. Their "news" has been the same for at least 6 months, mentioning upgrading services, but failing to do so.
Another problem: On top of the sparatic email service, I've had problems sending mail to two different email providers, one of which is earthlink.net. This really makes contacting clients that use them difficult, and makes us use other accounts, which we shouldn't have to do.
Now, just to make it clear, I haven't contacted them (other than about the email problems) until right now, but still, I think its pathetic that they don't let their customers know at all what is going on.
Well, I guess I'm done. I'm going to be moving my site soon to HostRocket! (http://www.hostrocket.com); I've already got another site with them, and the control you get is a hell of a lot better than AWC's, as well as being half the cost for about twice as much service.
Update: Hahaha, before I wrote this, I sent an email to AWC with pretty much the same stuff I put in here. According to the postmaster, it had this "fatal error":
553 **-*.awc.com. config error: mail loops back to me (MX problem?)
554 hostmast@**-*.awc.com... Local configuration error
The "**-*.awc.com" (which is censored for this post) is what the tech support guy told me to put as my pop server. I just re-sent the email using a different SMTP server; nope, got the same bounceback. I emailed their "webmaster@awc.net" address that they listed on their website.
Congrats, AWC, I can't email to tell you how much you suck! Good job!
Ugh. Now I get to call them tomorrow to find out what the hell is going on, unless one of their support people surfs this site (I can only hope) so I can get some support without chewing up my workday on the phone.
Edit: fixed vB code
I've had my website (EVula's Lair (http://www.evula.com/)) hosted with them since April 2000; my dad's company (which I work for, too) also has theirs on AWC. We have experienced an incredible amount of downtime with our email; for hours on end, OE will sit there and spin while trying to contact the server. Recently, their email servers completely botched everything. I had to call them, and I got an automatic message when I selected the "Misc. Problems" selection saying "AWC is aware of email problems, blah blah blah" and I just hung up the phone, assuming (silly me) that if there was a fix for the problem, they would have put it in the auto message.
Later in the day, I called Billing to see about cancelling the account. I mentioned the email problems, and the lady forwarded me to Tech Support so that I could get some stats to give to Billing for a refund. The guy at TS was finally able to talk me through the email problems. I thought that was great, but it doesn't explain why the automated message didn't mention how, or why it wasn't on their site.
And the thing thats got me really pissed off is that my website, as well as that of my employer, was completely unavailable earlier today (I didn't try FTP or mail). Thats the second time this week that it has been down, with absolutely nothing from AWC explaining themselves. Their website is a pathetic resource for information; their only "Support" pages are some old FAQs. Their "news" has been the same for at least 6 months, mentioning upgrading services, but failing to do so.
Another problem: On top of the sparatic email service, I've had problems sending mail to two different email providers, one of which is earthlink.net. This really makes contacting clients that use them difficult, and makes us use other accounts, which we shouldn't have to do.
Now, just to make it clear, I haven't contacted them (other than about the email problems) until right now, but still, I think its pathetic that they don't let their customers know at all what is going on.
Well, I guess I'm done. I'm going to be moving my site soon to HostRocket! (http://www.hostrocket.com); I've already got another site with them, and the control you get is a hell of a lot better than AWC's, as well as being half the cost for about twice as much service.
Update: Hahaha, before I wrote this, I sent an email to AWC with pretty much the same stuff I put in here. According to the postmaster, it had this "fatal error":
553 **-*.awc.com. config error: mail loops back to me (MX problem?)
554 hostmast@**-*.awc.com... Local configuration error
The "**-*.awc.com" (which is censored for this post) is what the tech support guy told me to put as my pop server. I just re-sent the email using a different SMTP server; nope, got the same bounceback. I emailed their "webmaster@awc.net" address that they listed on their website.
Congrats, AWC, I can't email to tell you how much you suck! Good job!
Ugh. Now I get to call them tomorrow to find out what the hell is going on, unless one of their support people surfs this site (I can only hope) so I can get some support without chewing up my workday on the phone.
Edit: fixed vB code