What do you suggest we can do to stop "Host Abusers"

These are those people who use 29 days or less and then want a refund and then move on to another host to do it again.

Please don't make stupid comments just suggestions on what we as host companies can do to combat this. If you don't have any legitimate ideas please don't respond.

Lets stop "Host Abusers"

:)

Thanks
Jonathan

Ever hear of www.hostabuse.com ?

Actually NO

I dont mean a website that in its "testing stages"


:D

If you offer a refund within 30 days, then you are going to get those. It is the cost of offering that. I'm guessing the majority doesn't do that, so don't let the one who abuses it get your knickers in a bunch (or of course, don't offer the 30 day refund thing).

Do you offer full money back guarantee?

Most hosts do

Do you offer it for 30 days?

Most hosts do

Do you charge setup fees?

Some do, some don't

You weigh taking a chance versus turning away potential customers.

Also, although we as hosts are taking a chance, so is the customer. They don't know if our service will be what they are looking for. If they decide not to stay, we lose the cost of the hosting we provided. But they also lose-they lose their time and effort in trying and then having to do it all over again.

But for the past month I have tried 3 different hosts. I've cancelled 2 of them at 30 days exactly. For the first host (gearhost.com), when I called to cancel after the first week, they promised me a service if I waited but I never got the service (nor did they ever refund my account) As for the other host (smarthosting.com), when I tried to cancel them the second day of service, they made it hard for me to cancel and charged me set up fees for services that they hadn't even set up, so I kept the account and put a large file on it to download just because... honestly, I was being a spiteful host abuser then. My third host, (ecommercediscovery.com) rocks so I'm not cancelling them.

sorry.
ochiba

Originally posted by bahres
Actually NO

I dont mean a website that in its "testing stages"


:D Oh . . . . . . You want something that's already in place. :rolleyes:
I gathered from your first post that you wanted some suggestions; as long as they weren't too stupid.
I'd suggest, as others have pointed out, just don't offer something you're not willing to provide.

... should be called "To refund or not to refund though". Personally I feel that 10 business days of refund are enough for someone to see if a hosting account is good. Also I would give that refund (statement in TOS is vital!) only if the client is actually demending it due to something you have promised and not fulfilled. If someone asks for refund without reason... well that is not good enough IMHO.

I am personally someone who would give a customer a refund if I see that I have indeed failed my promises without the client even demanding it :)

:rolleyes:

This is the cost of doing business, much as fraud, chargebacks, spam, etc... You just gotta live with it.

The HostAbuse.com idea is a GREAT one, but only if the majority of hosting companies actually use it. The question is...does anyone use the service?

I gathered from your first post that you wanted some suggestions; as long as they weren't too stupid.
I'd suggest, as others have pointed out, just don't offer something you're not willing to provide. [/B]

'Spot On' - Totally agree.

Thankfully, we don't suffer from this problem, but if we did the first question would be 'What are we doing wrong, that people don't want to stay'?

Originally posted by BarrySDCA
The HostAbuse.com idea is a GREAT one, but only if the majority of hosting companies actually use it. The question is...does anyone use the service?

I signed up a while ago, but never got approved. Luckily we haven't had much abuse to report lately.

Originally posted by bitserve
I signed up a while ago, but never got approved.

Same here. It's been very much a project in the works I think, up until now. I dragged out the old email, and checked...we're in. You might want to check now as well.

Whether a host has 1 or 1001 users abuse their system, hostabuse.com is a great idea, and we'll set our signup script to check their database. Membership should be mandatory...think of the potential.

Gary

I think what he's looking for is something similar to what credit card and insurance companies have always done, calculate risk factor. Not out to cut down on money lost through refunds, just target people who sign up fully intending to demand a refund 30 days later.

A risk site might show how often a person has switched hosts in a given length of time, based on voluntary reporting from hosts, just like payments are recorded on your credit history. Now, having several hosts in a short time is certainly not indicative of a problem customer - the "history" information would simply be a flag to say "hey, be wary of this customer just in case". An email to the customer could clear it up, "I've had horrible luck with hosts".

My view anyway. I don't do the volume to worry about it; cost of business. Nevermind implementation would be a considerable, and not-foolproof, effort. But an interesting philosophical topic.

Originally posted by Editor
Same here. It's been very much a project in the works I think, up until now. I dragged out the old email, and checked...we're in. You might want to check now as well.

You don't check your email every day? :)

No...I trawled the mail archive for the username:password that previously didn't work, and now it does. :)

Gary

Originally posted by Editor


Same here. It's been very much a project in the works I think, up until now. I dragged out the old email, and checked...we're in. You might want to check now as well.

Whether a host has 1 or 1001 users abuse their system, hostabuse.com is a great idea, and we'll set our signup script to check their database. Membership should be mandatory...think of the potential.

Gary

To me hostabuse.com looks like SCAM !!!

Why?
23-08-2001
Thank you for enrolling in the Host Abuse Registry!
You can access the registry at http://active.hostabuse.com

Your login is:*********

Please be advised that only web hosts will have access
to post domain names to the registry. You will not have
access to immediately post domain names, as we must first
verify that you represent a web host.

As this registry is still getting off it's feet, there is much
more to come.

We now have in place a script for remote database access. With the
simple addition of one sub-routine to your existing perl script,
you will be able to query our database from your own CGI scripts.

We welcome any suggestions and or comments.

Sincerely,

Michael Gleason
Host Abuse Registry

25-08-2001
Hello,
we subscribed two days ago to your service and the password to access the member area don'd work.
It actually never worked. Please send us a new password so that we can access the member area.
Thank you.
Regards

No answer .......

27-08-2001
Hello,

we subscribed two days ago to your service and the password to access the member area don'd work.
It actually never worked. Please send us a new password so that we can access the member area.
Thank you.
Regards

No answer.....

30-08-2001
Dear Mr. Gleason,
it's a week ago we asked for support and said that our password don't work.
And another 5 days ago we asked again.
Without having a valid account we do not need a subscription to your website.
If there's no answer from your until Saturday, 1st. September we will consider
our subscription terminated and demand that our assoiciated details will be
immiadiately deleted from your database. We also demand an written confirmation.


No answer......

Now YOU tell me if hostabuse should not look as SCAM !!! to me? Hostabuse doesn't look like in a development phase to me. There's not even an notice about it at their website.

Hey, this was my first post in the Web Hosting Forum :dunce:

Originally posted by microsol
Hostabuse doesn't look like in a development phase to me. There's not even an notice about it at their website.

There was something somewhere...I'm sure of it. Probably about 3 months ago. We did the same...emailed them...can't remember if we got a reply though. But either way, the login works now.

The idea is good, if nothing else.

Gary

to clarify the legal position regarding refunds

in the uk
under the distance selling directive and until the eu legislation comes into effect you are bound to offer 7 days refund or 14 days should it go to court on any goods returned with the following excpetions
-perishable goods
-any service already started
-software, dvd's and music and videos
if the good are not of merchantable quality or are missold you have 30 days or 6 years should it go to court.
oh and have fun, charge a restocking fee. all goods must be returned in resaleable quality.

in europe
the 7 days is extended to 30 but with the same exclusions.

Hosts are not required by law to extend any money back guarantee unless they missell or the service doesnt work.

as for the us, im not clear on their law, anyone care to enlighten us :)

heres a good one for you, a customer bought a laptop and thought she had 3 months to return it fully working just cos she didnt really want it any more. mental. truly mental.