First a little about my experience with resellers.

I had a hobby gaming site that I created, hosted it with a "small" hosting company - not as a reseller - great service and support - then - he was bought out by Dot5Hosting - my domain name expired and it had been registered through the original host - well this "hobby" site had thousands of hits per day, a google PR of 5 and links from paramount.com and startrek.com - long story short - took me 5 weeks to get the domain name restored - and in that time - lost ALL my hits. So I went with a reseller account on another provider.


A short time later I went with fastactionhosting.com - what a great job they did - Eric was truly supportive and my sites rarely even blinked let alone had any downtime. Then that company was bought out - by hostingblocks.com. I also have a RS account with hostdime.com and am now shopping for a very reliable RS system that will allow me to automate everything - less hassle for me, leaves me time to do what I like - designing webs.

So - this brings me here - I have started looking at two companies (so far tonight) and will probably be doing so for the next couple of days, as I do not want a repeat of previous problems.



Company #1 - hostgator - this site actually got me here by replying to a bid request - thier email stated that- "Do a search on their company at the world's largest hosting forum at www webhostingtalk com / search.php...This will bring up every good and bad comment ever posted about us." - I did and read several posts, both good and bad, but decided that if they are willing to help me find un-biased opinions I should at least give them a shot. So I went to hostgator.com - Upon reviewing thier plans - thiers is $5.00 more per month than hostdime and $15.00 more expensive that hostingblocks. I am willing to pay more for a quality host. I read through thier specs for the "alluminum" plan - (c'mon guys give it a better name than reynolds wrap)
PROS - private name servers, free billing system (whmautopilot) which will integrate with the shared SSL - allowing customers to pay by CC without paypal or 2checkout (or so thier support tech lea told me) - otherwise compares to my current hosting as far as services. --Support-- I used thier "live chat" system to ask my question about SSL certs and WHM - it was instantly answered and dealt with in a professional manner. - Still considering them -
CONS - some negative comments on these boards, not a lot - they also do not offer the "end-user" support.

Hosting Company #2 - hostingzoom - I found them by browsing the forum - with a lot of good comments from users, they get a slight advantage - Thier HZ1 plan is the same price as hostgators - I no longer need a smaller plan, I need private nameservers and such, so no problem there. Thier billing system is ClientExec and I am not familiar with it, so if USERS have opinions on it - I would love to hear them. PROS - I also used thier "live chat" system to ask some questions, the window came up and said there was one request ahead of me - but it took 10 seconds and I was chatting with Vlad. They also offer "end-user" support, so that I don't have to deal with those issues - a nice bonus, the less off my plate the better. CONS - The lack of SSL integration with thier billing software, and I did not see an offer for shared SSL, only an option to buy one.

So that's my story for tonight, I will post updates as they happen and as I shop around. This is not a request for hosting companies to solicit me, so if you do - you will not be considered, I do however consider this an opportunity for hostgator and hostingzoom to clarify on my questions. I will also be calling thier toll-free numbers to test that as well. The one thing that I will say to anyone shopping - take your time, test the provider, monitor thier servers and read these forums, the time you take prepping your RS hosting will pay off in SPADES compared to the problems you will have with a bad one.

Thanks for reading my rants and raves - hope it helps someone else.

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Todays research -

varhosting / gazzin / resellerhostingsite

Anyone have opinions on these companies or the 2 mentioned in my previous post?

Also a bit of an editorial here, when I first looked for hosting, I purchased a "cheaper" solution - then tried to stay cheap. Fact is that is the reason I am here today, looking for reliability and stability. If you don't enjoy moving your sites around every few months, do not go the cheap route, even with good service seems as though these companies are bought out quickly.

I would vote for hostgator.com. I have only been with them for two months so far, but what I've seen is very good.

One thing, though:

free billing system (whmautopilot) which will integrate with the shared SSL - allowing customers to pay by CC without paypal or 2checkout (or so thier support tech lea told me)

True, but please keep in mind that you will still need a merchant account, if you want to process credit card payments without a third party processor.

You can integrate SSL into any billing software if you purchase your own certificate. Free shared SSL is also offered but if you need to to work with clientexec, it may or may not work since the license maps to the domain name. It's a wise choice if you are using a merchant account to get your own SSL anyway or you'll more than likely have clients question the URL change in their address bar on checkout. If using a 3rd party gateway, you won't need SSL.

I have a reseller package on hostingzoom. Got to say, Kiet does make sure that their services is top notch. And their end user support is also accessible to reseller (i mean the tickets).

So far , no complains. no downtime recorded by host-tracker.com and siteuptime.com. I have been with hostingzoom for 2 months .

i wont say they are the best, but I would say they are truly providing a new segment in the hosting industry (namely reseller who wants to leave client support to their server provider)

All the best with ur shopping

Joshua

Todays update:

Today I looked at the three next companies -

#4 - Varhosting - Good pricing scheme overall, I like the optional client exec (I would want it, but I like options). 60 day moneyback guarantee is good, a little extra time to determine thier suitability. They allow adult content and offer end user support. Thier live support chat could use some fine tuning, I dont think that the operator quite understood my questions. PROS - lower cost, end user support, 60 day money back guarantee. CONS - relatively new, thier myfastsupport system seems to be inoperable.

#5 - Gazzin - Thier pricing is exceptionally lower than the others, thier 1.1 to 11 ratio is a lil different from the norm - they do not offer the "client software" such as whmautopilot - I appreciate they are a BBB member. So PROS - lower cost, master website doesn't count as part of reseller plan, allows adult content. CONS - no toll free support number, no client mgmt interface, no end user support.

#6 - ResellerHostingSite - pricing is comprable to the others, but thier bandwidth is double 1/20 ratio, I cant tell if they offer private nameservers or not - they do charge a $50 setup fee, only one that I have seen so far. They allow adult content.
PROS - bandwidth is higher, although thier 'live chat' button floating accross my screen annoyed the crap out of me, thier technician was knowledgeable and actually saved them from a slight bashing here on WHT - Good Job SCOTT - CONS - a setup fee? I really don't mind it, but no one else charges one, kinda puts you at a disadvantage in the market. No end user support, and as far as I can tell no client mgmt system.


---So that's my three for the day, all seem like pretty good companies, but my list is narrowing. This also has raised a new question - adult content. A client of mine has a "slightly adult" theme - although it is not "hard core" porn by any means, would a host that does not allow adult material consider it a violation of AUP? Who determines what is Not Acceptable - Like would a site for adult discussions be "adult" or for an adult information site, or do they mean just "hard core porn"?

Tomorrow we will see how they handle "The Email of Doom" - I have some very serious questions, thanks to reading the board here at WHT, I have seen some experiences that would scare the crap out of me - and I want to know what these companies do to prevent it, or how they handle these situations.

Engage -
Michael King, Designs Edge

Originally posted by DesignsEdge
This also has raised a new question - adult content. A client of mine has a "slightly adult" theme - although it is not "hard core" porn by any means, would a host that does not allow adult material consider it a violation of AUP? Who determines what is Not Acceptable - Like would a site for adult discussions be "adult" or for an adult information site, or do they mean just "hard core porn"?

The host would detemine what is allowed - if you are in any doubt concerning the content of a site you should contact them first with details and ask if it OK.

BTW - good to see you are putting the effort into choosing your provider instead of just basing your decision on lowest price :)

Update:

The "email of doom" has been sent to the two last contenders.

I am shopping for a new reseller account, I need private nameservers, etc. I have reviewed your plans, but have some questions. First - would this site: (removed) be considered adult in nature and violate your AUP? Secondly, is the master account name the "catch all" email address, this functionality is important, as I use several different names @ my domain name, and don't want to have to create pop accounts for each one - i/e test@domain.com bob@domain.com need to all fall into a master email if not an actual account. (I can clarify this if needed). Third- If my account or my clients accounts go over their bandwidth, how is this handled? Notification at X GB, suspension, or a hefty bill after it is way over? And finally - have you ever been banned by AOL's new spam policy, and if so how have you dealt with it, was it resolved successfully? Thanks for your time -

Also - a side note - I received an email from hostdime - I intend to craft a reply to Manny - but would like to take a moment to thank him for the email - he was concerned about my statements regarding hostdime. Any host that will take the time to talk to clients is well respected by me. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer private nameservers or end user support, otherwise I would stay with them, and may still as a secondary provider - I will keep you informed.

Thanks for reading this - oh and BTW resellerzoom replied in minutes, they had further questions, but have not replied to my answers.....HG sent me a "canned" response, still waiting for a real person to write me.

I would reccomend you to check out following as well:

http://sonataweb.net/specials.html
http://www.piwebhosting.com/resellerhosting.html
http://site5.com/resellers/specials.php

thanks for posting your experiences so far...
I just started to look into reselling and this forum looks great. I have not looked very deeply around here but wanted to know why you are not choosing to stay with hostdime?
Q2; have you looked at surpass hosting? what do you think of them?
I mainly ask because I was about to choose between them. Apparently they share the same datacenter but surpass has lower prices and no phone support.

thanks

EDIT: I just realized that you mentioned not staying with hostdime because of end user support

Originally posted by NeoGen
[B]I would reccomend you to check out following as well:


mmm site5 looks good, but it is only a temp offer.. their regular prices are not very friendly :(
ht site5 . com / resellers / plans.php

Originally posted by DesignsEdge

#4 - Varhosting - Good pricing scheme overall, I like the optional client exec (I would want it, but I like options). 60 day moneyback guarantee is good, a little extra time to determine thier suitability. They allow adult content and offer end user support. Thier live support chat could use some fine tuning, I dont think that the operator quite understood my questions. PROS - lower cost, end user support, 60 day money back guarantee. CONS - relatively new, thier myfastsupport system seems to be inoperable.



I thought the same when I went to check it out. This is the proper link: http://www.myfastsupport.com/KB/

Hi, DesignsEdge. I know what it's like to look for a reliable hosting company. I've been through three in the last couple of years with two of them being both HostGator and HostingZoom.

I was with HostGator a several months. The service started out excellently but started caving in at the end, of course. My sites receive over 2k unique visitors per day with almost 30k daily total hits. I was using a large number of resources for my HG Aluminum account and actually had my sites "suspended" first without warning then, aftering repeatedly asking HG what happened, I was informed that too many resources were being used. I totally understood that after finding out but was initially flabbergasted that my sites were initially suspended without warning. Made me look very unprofessional and affected my credibility, I'm sure. I then found out that the server I was on had a hard-drive failure and that HG couldn't indeed determine if my sites were the result of the server issues. I found out they're very quick to point the finger to their clients and will suspend an account at the drop of a hat. At that point, I decided to move on. HG was very helpful in backing up my data for me. We parted on good terms and I wish them well.

I found HostingZoom here on WHT after doing a bit of research. They came highly recommended and I thought I'd give them a shot. The initial sign-up procedure was very awkward in that their billing system is hyper-sensitive. I had to put my CC in three times just to get it to accept it. My bank received the transaction but, for some reason, HZ did not. Fortunately, the owner and I worked it out and I became a customer.

I've been with HZ going on two months and haven't looked back. My sites number at #4 for the most utilized on their server and we've worked together to ensure they're optimized for both my, their other clients and, ultimately, the server's performance. They're extremely quick to respond to technical support issues, even at 1am on a Sunday morning. They offer anonymous support to their resellers' customers and top-notch hardware, IMHO.

I cannot be more pleased with HostingZoom. I only wish they offered dedicated servers because I know I'm eventually going to outgrow the reseller box. :)

I hope this helps!

Good luck with your search!

Regards,
Kory

Originally posted by DesignsEdge
[B]Update:Unfortunately, he [hostdime] doesn't offer private nameservers or end user support, otherwise I would stay with them, and may still as a secondary provider - I will keep you informed.
on their plan for resellers, they have something like: "Custom DNS ns1.YourHost.com" does that not mean private nameservers?
thanks for helping out a newbie :)

Originally posted by hostingtalkuser
mmm site5 looks good, but it is only a temp offer.. their regular prices are not very friendly :(
ht site5 . com / resellers / plans.php

Our specials will give you that signup price throughout the life of your account with us.

Our regular pricing is still quite competitive, sure not bottom dollar, but competitive none the less.

We also run regular specials, so there will always be a very tempting offer available! ;)

Originally posted by hostingtalkuser
on their plan for resellers, they have something like: "Custom DNS ns1.YourHost.com" does that not mean private nameservers?
thanks for helping out a newbie :)

Maybe someone from Hostdime would be better able to clarify but it does appear that they are referring to private/personalized nameservers.

Well here is the final tally and a special note.

After much research, some tests posed to the providers, and a lot of "eye-crossing" reading I have made my final decision, and here is my ranking and why:

#1 - HostingZoom - this is the company that I chose to use at this time, and my reason being thier clientexec software + end user support. I primarily do web-design work, not hosting, so the more off my plate the better. Thier support has been very quick to respond and very useful on some of my transfer problems.

#2 - HostDime - (yes that's right) Here is why they get #2 after all the HG talk above. First, as mentioned in my last post, Manny took the time to email me wanting to know what could be done to improve thier service to me. Secondly, I was unable to complete the transfer process before thier billing cycle rolled over (the 25th) so I was billed for March. I requested a cancel, which they did, then REFUNDED my money! There is no way that they knew this was me, as this was a secondary domain and not tied to this or my companies name, so as far as they knew, it was just "another customer" - So Manny - This is for you and hostdime - :beer: GREAT JOB !!
(If you ever add clientexex/enduser support - let me know)

#3 - HostGator - Took them time to answer my emails - pre-sales questions. I understand if they concentrate on tech support issues, but we all know pre-sales is bread n butter - so they got ruled out due to slow responses, and no responses here.

Manny - Look for an email from me, I have some small suggestions.

Hostingzoom - glad to be on board, and expect me to review you regularly here on WHT.

To the other providers listed here, all seem to be VERY good hosting companies, and I suggest people looking for hosting to look at them for a good fit - I have found mine, and hopefully, you will find yours.

To the people replying to this thread - THANKS!!! Your input helped to move me as I reviewed these providers and found a snug fit for my needs (they are different from some people)

To the people reading this who are also shopping - my 2 cents - take your time, don't just go for cheap - research, research, research - read WHT - and get a reliable provider - it will save you MANY headaches!

(Final note - BOOOOO to hostingblocks.com - they changed thier ns without notifying me causing me Multiple problems - my suggestion - avoid them)

Mike King -
Designs Edge

Originally posted by DesignsEdge
#1 - HostingZoom - this is the company that I chose to use at this time, and my reason being thier clientexec software + end user support. I primarily do web-design work, not hosting, so the more off my plate the better. Thier support has been very quick to respond and very useful on some of my transfer problems. Outstanding, Mike! Welcome aboard! You might want to check out HZ's forums from time to time. They're getting fairly active and you'll find a lot of help there.

I'm sure you'll be pleased with their performance.

Have a good one!

Regards,
Kory

Good News, Michael!

Fast Action Hosting is back in business: See this thread (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=398464)

It was because of great clients like you that we decided to reopen our doors.


Thanks,