Well Folks,

After many years of jumping from hosting provider to hosting provider, I have decided to get a dedicated server from DialToneInternet. My needs for a dedicated server are:

1. To have a place to consolidate all of my domains, and if nothing else to place a small, basic site at each domain, rather than continue to have them sit at Register.com or NetworkSolutions.

2. To have more control over my hosting needs, to be able to control all aspects of my web "empire"!

3. With the amount of domains I have to be able to host them all at a reasonable price!

My choice was narrowed down to the following companies:

RackSpace - Located here in the great LoneStar State, so I would have been going with a "neighbor". For my needs their prices were a tad high. And I think I may have to pay sales tax on the server lease since I am a Texas resident.

Alabanza - Whew, prices through the roof, and all of the latest fiasco's they have pulled on clients and the recent network issues, I have a domain hosted with an Alabanza client right now and my site has has a few access problems.
Catalog - Very nice and helpful staff, good prices, decent hardware. And since I am going to be in Oklahoma this weekend for a dog show, I asked if I could stop by and get a tour, they were all for it. But their network just seems so slowwwww. I have done ever test I am aware of and that network just takes forever to respond.

DialTone - Excellent network, with tons of connectivity, the server interface is okay for what I need it for, although I already have some suggestions for them, based on using the demo. Email has been answered very promptly and by the same person, Roland. Top Notch hardware, and what appears to be a competent tech staff. Prices very fair, good bang for the buck! No set-up fee.

~ Marcus

[Edited by MDB on 10-09-2000 at 06:23 PM]

Hi,

I called DI today, and asked for Roland so that I could place my order for the server. I was transfered to his Voice mail. I left a message and my cell phone number so he could get in touch with me to place the order.

I waited a while, went and ran some errands, and waited for the call from DI. The call did not come, and since it was nearing closing time for those on the East Coast I called back and this time got Roland on the phone. He and I discussed some things and then got to the nitty gritty of ordering the server. Roland then faxed me the contract in pdf format, for me to complete and fax back to DI. I completed the contract and faxed it back.

DI called about 30 minutes later saying that my credit card company said the ZIP code matched but the rest of the info did not, and so I would need to fax in a copy of my credit card. Hmmmmm, the address on the contract is the EXACT address my credit card is billed to and the address where I recieve all the statements. I figured since it is a PO Box that maybe DI's eyebrows may have been raised. I sent an email to Roland, he apologised for the inconvience, but said that they needed a copy, so in a little while I will head to a copy machine to get a copy of my credit card to fax in to DI!

~ Marcus
Future Web Hoster! :>)

It's definitely due to the P.O Box. I work for an ecommerce company and have encountered similar problems in the past.

Roland is great and you should have no problems dealing with him.

I dont use a PO BOx but had the same card problems, they said my zip code isnt correct. I told them five years here and its the same zip as my bank call them not me. It is a valid zip, and i never heard back on that one :)

Well I went to the local Staples last night and tried to make a copy of my credit card. This is a Gold Visa card (dark color) and neither myself or the Staples employee that was helping me could get a clear copy to print, all were much to dark to read. Yes, we made every known adjustment to the copier machine.

I emailed DI and told them that I still do not understand why they needed a copy of the card. But none the less I had attempted to get a copy to fax them, but was unsuccessful.

After playing phone tag with Roland and Jessica in the billing department, they finally decided that a copy of my credit card statement would be all the proof they needed. I offered to give them another credit card that I have to bill from but they said just to fax them the statement for the original card.

I faxed the CC statement to them. I emailed Roland and asked if they now had everything they needed and would they be able to start setting up my server. He said yes and that I would have the login information for my server by 6:00 PM EST today.

Well, it is now 5:50 CST. Which makes it 6:50 EST and no server info from DI, maybe better luck tomorrow!

~ Marcus

Di must use a screwy bank!

Marcus, I had some thing similar happened to me, my credit card middle name did not match ...grrr... but after talking to Roland also (very popular guy!) they took care of it and I am very happy so far with the performance of the server.

Let us know when you get your server running okay?

Thanks.

Jaguar,

I have read your psting on various forums and seems that they have always tried to help you. The fact that you do not want to accept how the 95th percentile works, does not mean DI is a bad company. Try to give more constructive opinions about any company.

I was charge with some extra bandwidth the past month and I am failry new with them but I want to give quality service to my customers and to know that I can always burst or any of my customers makes me feel protected.
_________________________
Di must use a screwy bank!
__________________

Thanks.

Refuse to accept how the 95%, whatever! Let see you've been with for so little time I hardly think your in a position to criticize me or my experiences with DI. This is one post that you should not have made, it was not in your place to respond the way you did!

What does my remark about their bank and the fact
that it has so many errors about our credit cards at first have to do with anything else? answer: NONE!

Play nice you two. Do I have to stop the car? :)

Something my mother always threatened my sister and I. As *if* we actually thought she'd leave us in the middle of the road and drive off. Shhheeeesh. Anyway, I suppose the extra hoops you have to jump through is just to protect you and them which, although a bit of an hassle, is a good thing.

Hi Everyone,

Well, yesterday morning I emailed Roland and informed him that Tech support never got my server setup or if they did I never received an email with the server info.

Roland in his usual manner quickly returned my email, said he was sorry for the delay and he would get right on it to find out what was happening.

A few minutes later he emailed me to say that the billing department had sent the approval email to the tech department late the previous day, and that is why the server was not ready. He also said that they were working on it and I would be able to access the server within a few hours and that he would extend my thirty day free tech support in accordance.

A few hours later, I indeed got the email from DI tech support with my server information. I logged in and all appears well.

~ Marcus
Future Web Hoster! :>)

Originally posted by jaguar
What does my remark about their bank and the fact
that it has so many errors about our credit cards at first have to do with anything else? answer: NONE!


My current theory is Angelfire is a DI agent/mole

later

DAvid

What a pleasant surprise,

After getting my server from DI, I imediatly went to register.com and setup the nameservers that I had DI setup on my box. Very easy to do with registers control panel. Then I went back and deleted the name servers for all of my domains on register.com. Once I had the emails for deletion I went to the confirm links and removed the old name servers. Then added my new DI nameservers to all of my register.com held domains. Then I went to my server and added a virtual domain for each of my domains.

This morning nearly all of the domains were servered via my DI name servers to the default page set-up by the DI server interface. All that were still pointing to the old nameservers were being served by my DI server by late this afternoon. WOW, I love it already!

Then the fun part, the few domains I still have at NetworkSolutions. I went to that site and did the 'ol generate the email thing, reply to the email, then reply with codes to the final email. Still waiting on those domains to update with my nameservers. With NSI in charge who knows...................

~ Marcus

You should look into using http://directnic.com

They're cheaper ($15/year) and their control panel is excellent. You can change your default nameservers for your profile and automatically apply them to the domains you specify. Transferring domains over to them was very easy as well.

Wow, sounds like alot of work just to get some good web hosting :(

~UberDragon

This is a bit of an old thread, 5 years old. :rolleyes: