I've been with Ventures Online for the past few weeks, and I have nothing but good things to say about their reliability and excellent support.

I think I've logged 4 support requests in the past few weeks. Each of my requests has been immediately acknowledged (automatically), and then replied to within 10 minutes, even the one that I sent at 3:00 in the morning and the one that I sent on a Sunday morning. Their replies have been helpful and polite, even cheerful.

This afternoon, I went to my Web site and got a "Unable to connect to Database" error when I tried to visit my phpBB2 forums. Assuming that my forums' config.php file had somehow gotten corrupted, I re-uploaded it, and my forums worked again.

Then I put in a support request, asking VO to check and see what might have caused my forums' config.php file to become corrupt. Within 10 minutes, they replied, telling me that it had been a coincidence that my forums had started working again after I had re-uploaded my config.php file. There had been nothing wrong with my site at all -- they had noticed that their mySQL server was acting funny, so they had rebooted it, coincidently at the same time that I had tried to access my forums (which is why I had gotten a "Unable to connect to database" error message.

I really appreciate the fact that VO's tech support have replied to me very quickly each time I've written to them, though I certainly don't EXPECT them to always reply within 10 minutes.

I also really appreciate the fact that, unlike some Web hosts I've used in the past, they don't just sit around, waiting to respond to problems that users report -- they actually monitor their servers and take action to fix problems -- in my case, even before I had time to report the problem to them.

I will have to second that. I recently signed up with them too and have nothing but good things to say about them.

As proof: I sent a helpdesk ticket at 1:00am EST requesting some Perl Modules that I needed be installed. Ten minutes later it was done.

Andy

And nothing but good things to say about them :)

My experience is different. I sent off a ticket regarding the ImageMagick module last week, no reply.

Today, after about 3-4 days, I sent another ticket. The standard answer is that it has been isntalled. "We should already have ImageMagick installed. If not we will install it for free.
marka 30-Mar-2002 13:21:33". N O T !!!.

Again, the answer came back, which server. Please, I had the website address there, and any person could easily find that out.

Again, failing which, I had (which I try not to do), send another ticket. Instead, it was closed and they said that it will be done by someone.

Marka, Mooneer, and Fox, just giving me the run around...... I will definitely move to site5 which has the module already pre-installed.

I agree, they really are top notch over there, and set an example all hosts should try to follow!

Originally posted by Warez
Again, the answer came back, which server. Please, I had the website address there, and any person could easily find that out.

VO runs many different virtual servers (http://venturesonline.com/support/serverinfo.html), along with colocation, dedicated servers, etc., with many different users. Yes, they can probably look up your server info each time you log a support ticket, but with hundreds (thousands?) of users, that would probably waste a lot of time, especially since they tell each user which server they're on when you first sign up for service with them.

Personally, I'd rather have them spend their time working on my support requests, not looking up username/server information for users like you who refuse to provide it to them. At the top of the Support Ticket form that you filled out, it states very clearly that you need to tell them your server/username/password. Sorry, but IMHO, since you choose to not give them that information, you don't have a right to complain when they write back and ask you to provide it.

One time last week I sent in a support ticket and it was a day unaswered (so I thought), but come to find out, it had failed to send out a notification of the reply to my mailbox. So, I logged in and there was the answer, that they had replied to my question not long after I submitted it.

:)

VO is a fantastic host with highly regarded support so this is not a knock on them... but...

...there is no reason a host should not have a system in place to very easily determine what server an account is on if that client provides support with their domain name.

FYI, I'm sure you guys got good things to say about VO, that does not mean that they are perfect. It's almost a week now, still all talk and no action. It does not mean they can do not wrong.

The latest, they closed the ticket when IT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED even after telling them that I'm on the Metroid server. What should I do with such inaction, care less attitude and generally a pushing of the ticket from one support staff to another? I'm going to ask for a 100% refund, but is that how they are going to treat people who want their money back? Have we to beg and finally resolve it through lawyers since they can't even handle the installation of ImageMagick?


<======================
My experience is different. I sent off a ticket regarding the ImageMagick module last week, no reply.

Today, after about 3-4 days, I sent another ticket. The standard answer is that it has been installed. "We should already have ImageMagick installed. If not we will install it for free.
marka 30-Mar-2002 13:21:33". N O T !!!.

Again, the answer came back, which server. Please, I had the website address there, and any person could easily find that out.

Again, failing which, I had (which I try not to do), send another ticket. Instead, it was closed and they said that it will be done by someone.

Marka, Mooneer, and Fox, just giving me the run around...... I will definitely move to site5 which has the module already pre-installed.

Originally posted by Host Visions
I agree, they really are top notch over there, and set an example all hosts should try to follow!

I beg to differ, their service has fallen in recent times.

I have sent in tickets to have three different modules installed and all of them were done within ten minutes.

IF you use that name it could be jinxed lol. :rolleyes:

I wasn't saying that VO is perfect, but they have been alot better then most I've known. IMHO.

Originally posted by Warez


I beg to differ, their service has fallen in recent times.

While they have had some server/network issues, it's nothing that would surprise me from a host that has just moved into their own datacenter and all the other changes that are going around there....

Originally posted by TopDog21
IF you use that name it could be jinxed lol. :rolleyes:

I wasn't saying that VO is perfect, but they have been alot better then most I've known. IMHO.

hahaha..... anyway, they have gotten it fixed finally.


========================>
I'm so sorry about this. This will get done tonight. (we've been overloaded recently)
mind2198 04-Apr-2002 04:39:18

________________________
All done. ImageMagick's binaries should be in /usr/local/bin. In the future, all install requests should be done via the desk to ensure that they are performed promptly.
mind2198 04-Apr-2002 05:19:52

Glad to hear this about VO :). We're thinking about getting a server with VO to see how good they're really :). After all the bragging we heard it is hard to pass up and after talking to Paul :).

Originally posted by TimPD
Glad to hear this about VO :). We're thinking about getting a server with VO to see how good they're really :). After all the bragging we heard it is hard to pass up and after talking to Paul :).


If you're a new VO customer you'll have to wait till june for a dedicated server

I don't think so ;). I will call Paul up!

Hi,

I've been with VO now for almost a year. I agree, their support is great until there are only minor problems.

A couple of days ago my dedicated server started to act strangely. It produced errors like "Kernel panic: CPU context corrupt" 3 times and it crashed each time. I immediaely reported it through their helpdesk and it was rebooted. They also changed the memory and CPU, but the problem is still there. The server is running funny, extremely slow, pages sometimes display sometimes not and the CPU usage is also strange. Even when there are only 2 httpd processes and the load should be 0, it's always 100% and swap usage is 0. It's not overloaded. I reported this again and it was forwarded to another person to upgrade the kernel. Until here everything's OK.

But then I waited for almost 24 hrs, in the meantime asked when can I expect it to be done, after 24 hrs I got the answer that it will be done the next day.

That's more than 48 hrs of mostly waiting without any information how and when anything will happen. Server not working of course. Customers going crazy. Me going crazy too. I don't even know what to tell them anymore.

I certanly don't expect this to be solved within one hour, but one day would be reasonable, keeping in mind it is an emergency, don't you think?

According to the codes that the error gives, it's a hardware problem. The server was running fine with very little load for almost a year.

If you add this downtime up with all the downtime caused by their NOC moves, the result is not very good.

I'm still waiting and don't know what to do or say. I'm disappointed.


MD

Hi md2001 We have been looking at your server all night and the only problem we see right now is a load issue.

You put in a ticket on the 2nd asking that we replace your ram.
Same day on the 2nd your ram was replaced.

later that night you asked that we replace the cpu the next day it was replaced.

Right now your server is running at a load of 10+ you have some very heavy httpd running driving the load out the roof.

Just a note to clear this thread up some, not all our techs are allowed to perform upgrades on servers. We do this for a reason that being we like to know what is done incase and upgrade goes bad, we found that having just a few people doing installs on servers cuts the risk of a server problem in half and if it dose have a problem they know what was done and can solve the issue.

So in some cases such as software installs/upgrades may not be done that very day.

Originally posted by Warez


hahaha..... anyway, they have gotten it fixed finally.


========================>
I'm so sorry about this. This will get done tonight. (we've been overloaded recently)
mind2198 04-Apr-2002 04:39:18

________________________
All done. ImageMagick's binaries should be in /usr/local/bin. In the future, all install requests should be done via the desk to ensure that they are performed promptly.
mind2198 04-Apr-2002 05:19:52
So, you made your install request via direct email instead of using their Help Desk system. And you already told us that you didn't tell them which server you were on when you made your request. IMHO, it's your own fault that they had trouble tracking and filling your request. And it was unfair of you to conclude that their support has "slipped" just because they had problems with your one request.

That is the silliest statement I have read all day, nay, in such a long time. I had sent via email and also opened a ticket, after the lack of response. Actually, if you had even bothered to read the earlier post, I mentioned that tickets were opened only to be closed not by me.

I don't think I need to tell them exactly what server I'm on, as they would have the records. I did mention my domain name. Is it not reasonable to have a record of this as a web hosting company?

I'm sorry that you have to conclude otherwise, as you neither know the full facts but concluded as though you knew better. Some four tickets were opened before something was finally done. This is not based on one ticket but a few and with no less than 3 staff.

Originally posted by godfather

So, you made your install request via direct email instead of using their Help Desk system. And you already told us that you didn't tell them which server you were on when you made your request. IMHO, it's your own fault that they had trouble tracking and filling your request. And it was unfair of you to conclude that their support has "slipped" just because they had problems with your one request.

I must say the VO support has always been top notch too. All my tickets have been answered probably within an hour, but usually its within minutes.

Ive been with VO for about 8 months or so, and have been extremely satisfied :)

PS. When you submit a ticket it asks for what server you're on. They may have it in their records somewhere, but I assume thats a completely separate database. When they have probably hundreds and hundreds of support tickets coming in, its a pain to have to go back and forth. Maybe you should just follow the directions, then it'll be easier for all of us :)

Originally posted by TheMMIz
...When you submit a ticket it asks for what server you're on. They may have it in their records somewhere, but I assume thats a completely separate database. When they have probably hundreds and hundreds of support tickets coming in, its a pain to have to go back and forth. Maybe you should just follow the directions, then it'll be easier for all of us :)
Exactly. It doesn't matter if you submit 10 tickets, you're going to cause trouble and waste time if you don't follow the clearly displayed instructions.

I don't think I need to tell them exactly what server I'm on, as they would have the records. I did mention my domain name. Is it not reasonable to have a record of this as a web hosting company?

Why be difficult? Why not just tell them what server you are on if you know that way it will speed up the process of taking care of your support issues. You are acting like it is some major thing. Sounds like you were kind of being difficult to me.

Originally posted by TheMMIz
PS. When you submit a ticket it asks for what server you're on.

I'm not sure exactly what you are talking about...the WonderDesk software they use DOES NOT ask for what server you are on. It asks for your Website, Category, etc, BUT NOT THE SERVER. Are we talking about the same VO?

wonderdesk - web site = server

i'm probably the 1st or 2nd ever dedicated client VO had online... been with them since Feb/March 2001 so about 13+ months

service and support has been very quick

Originally posted by Warez


I'm not sure exactly what you are talking about...the WonderDesk software they use DOES NOT ask for what server you are on. It asks for your Website, Category, etc, BUT NOT THE SERVER. Are we talking about the same VO?
Above all of that, it asks you to provide your username/server name/password each time you submit a support request.

Originally posted by Warez


I'm not sure exactly what you are talking about...the WonderDesk software they use DOES NOT ask for what server you are on. It asks for your Website, Category, etc, BUT NOT THE SERVER. Are we talking about the same VO?

Check one more time :)

Add a New Call
Please include username/servername and password - Thank You!

This is located at the top of every form, in big bold red letters.

[edit: oops, Its a good thing I read the post above me before I posted :rolleyes: ]

Originally posted by eva2000
wonderdesk - web site = server

i'm probably the 1st or 2nd ever dedicated client VO had online... been with them since Feb/March 2001 so about 13+ months

service and support has been very quick
Web site = www.yourdomain.com
Server = Metroid, Venture, Varsity, Phoenix, etc.

Obviously, these fields have been put in. What I'm saying is that there is no point for a tech support staff to respond, no matter how quickly, if the buck is merely pushed back to the customer.

For example:
Customer: It's been some time now
Response: We didn't get your message, sorry.

Customer: Can you install all the stuff as stated here and previously (cut and paste)
Response: It should be done, if it is already done. We will do it for free.

Customer: It's not done, I've checked many times. Here are the scripts to proof it (provides links to show test scripts)
Response: I'll get Mar** to do it.

Customer: Why did you close the ticket when it's not installed.
Response: What server are you on?

Customer: It's almost a week now, I'm disappointed.
Response: Sorry, we have been quite busy lately.

HUH?????????? WTF???? Think about it, more than a few replies, each taking some time, and what is the result? Actually, nothing is being done, merely having the task jerked around.

But it is installed now, yes? I review the tickets myself... many clients want/need/use Imagemagick, and it is installed on machines as requested by clients, as we are able to take care of it (as Paul explained above). Opening a new ticket or Modifying an old one is the way to escalate the priority on a ticket/issue -- as we also encourage in the VO forums, for customers who seek answers there. :) Thank you for opening a new ticket so that it could be called to our attention that it hadn't yet been completed.

As a by-stander who only "watches" the support happen, and who does not get her hands dirty in the support desk (hey, I'm the sales girl, not a tech!) ;) I can address a couple of observations in this thread:

• Yes, VO receives well over 200 support requests on an average day
• Yes, the only way VO provides support is through help desk tickets. ;)
• The support desk is staffed 24/7 by real, live techs at the data center.
• And it's a rare call that gets dropped.

But it does happen. :( I am sorry it has to continue to be raked through the coals here, particularly since the issue at hand has since been fixed. :\ Our techs install Imagemagick regularly "on request" and many clients are pleased to sign up and find it's already on the server. :)

I also want to thank everyone who does include their username/pass/server name as requested, for support requests. It saves the techs a LOT of time. Consider that just 2-5 minutes per call adds way up... (x200 calls is 1000 minutes, or almost 17 hours of time per day, possibly, that's paying one person to sit there for 17 hours and look this data up just to be able to look into calls!) And FWIW, no, I don't personally have access to this information as a VO staffer, so please don't assume that everyone can go anywhere in the system... because they can't necessarily. Like any hosting company, each employee has access to what they need, to get the job done. But also like any business, if a customer can provide certain pieces of information, it frees up the time & resources to focus efforts on solving problems and providing higher-quality support to everyone, rather than spinning our wheels on the administrative details. ;)

So yes, providing this information helps your web host a LOT and we really appreciate it when you can provide it for us with your tickets.

Thanks a million !!! :)

:D Karin

Warez, sorry to hear that you've had so much trouble with VO. I myself have had only the best customer service from them. They have responded to my tickets all within 15 min. Twice they responded within 3 min.

hate to bring it up again, but maybe it is your name:confused:

Originally posted by punaboy
Warez, sorry to hear that you've had so much trouble with VO. I myself have had only the best customer service from them. They have responded to my tickets all within 15 min. Twice they responded within 3 min.

hate to bring it up again, but maybe it is your name:confused:
Ya, had a good customer service experience with my old host, but their servers kept going down, then they got hacked, and then they moved locations all in a matter of days! Anyway, I'm testing VO and looks like I'll be switching to IMHosted, or site5.com or some other. I wanted to see how VO would react to a simple request, instead of installing ImageMagick myself locally, but I must say that I'm hugely disappointed. Despite what everyone says, that *WAS* my experience, and if I looked at it objectively, it is not great, not even good. Actually, it was POOR.

There are those who engaged their mouths before engaging their brains, shooting their mouths off without thinking, those people I guess, I have to ignore them. What good is their advice? :).

BTW, I use Warez since it was not taken, and even then, I must say that some people here look beyond the name and to the actual contents of the post. Cheers to you, you know who you are!

Originally posted by punaboy
hate to bring it up again, but maybe it is your name:confused:

Of course I did not use Warez when I sign in, but then again, does it really matter? If I'm a paying customer, I should be accorded the same treatment, and I expect NO discrimination.

If that is the case, are you suggesting that VO has bigots as support staff? What if I had used a Muslim or Chinese name, or an Arabic one? I let you draw your own conclusion.

Whoa! Back up the wagon! This situation was a simple slip-up, not a personal attack. It could have happened to anyone, that it happened to this particular person was of no consequence. We treat everyone equally, fairly and courteously, regardless of their sign-in, their experience, the size of their hosting package, the purpose/kind of project they're completing, or what/how they ask questions... :D -- it doesn't matter! VO seeks to provide great support for everyone.

Mooneer already apologized, and I extend my apology as well... nobody questions that this happened to you. If a client chooses to move on, this is of course understandable and a personal choice... it would be unfortunate, but I too have been with many hosts in my 6 years of administering my personal sites, so I understand the need to weigh personal experiences and find the "right fit" with your hosting company.

Warez, if you need assistance with any other issues, I am sure our staff will be glad for the chance to do right by you, as we are with all clients.

:D Karin

Originally posted by baileysemt123
We treat everyone equally, fairly and courteously, regardless of their sign-in, their experience, the size of their hosting package, the purpose/kind of project they're completing, or what/how they ask questions... :D -- it doesn't matter! VO seeks to provide great support for everyone.
:D Karin

I was using hyperbole, not indicating that VO was *racist* or a *bigot*. I'm saying that punaboy's conclusion is not very accurate..... drawing his argument to its conclusion which would indicate that.

The handle that I often use in other forums has already been taken. This is the first time I'm posting, otherwise, I prefer to sit on the side and just enjoy the comments posted here.

Karin: Don't worry about this Warez fellow. He is one of those customers that is just looking for reasons to leave. He won't be happy no matter what happens. If it wasn't this issue it would have been some other petty issue down the road. One less problem customer.

Wrong, so dead wrong. You can't accept the fact that things can, and do go wrong. I guess you do live in an airy, fairy, perfect world.

BTW, I'm well within the thirty days and need no excuse to leave.

Nearly everyone in this thread has expressed enthusiasm for and happiness with Ventures Online. Nearly everyone has kept a civil tongue and refrained from name calling, making wild accusations, and purposely insulting each other.

Warez, you are the exception to both of those rules. I hope that, over time, you will gain the maturity and graciousness to be able to stop personally attacking those who disagree with you and point out the obvious flaws in your statements.

godfather, I find it incredulous that you are the actually the one displaying the puerile, faulty logic. Firstly, have you not learn that might is not right, that the what the majority thinks does not make a particular incident not factual? Read the posts carefully. Reread them again. Maybe you will actually begin to sieve the facts from the conjecture.

While you may have your experience with VO, I have mine too. At the end of the day, I have every right to share it here, no matter how much you disagree with it. Loathe at my honest answer and straight talking, I don't care; neither do I care much about your ignoramus ways.

If you can't even get beyond a person's name, where do you think you stand in the eyes of a truly bias-free crowd?

Originally posted by Warez
godfather, I find it incredulous that you are the actually the one displaying the puerile, faulty logic...Maybe you will actually begin to sieve the facts from the conjecture.

...Loathe at my honest answer and straight talking, I don't care; neither do I care much about your ignoramus ways.

If you can't even get beyond a person's name, where do you think you stand in the eyes of a truly bias-free crowd?
Thank you for taking the time to prove my point. LOL

Originally posted by Warez
Wrong, so dead wrong. You can't accept the fact that things can, and do go wrong. I guess you do live in an airy, fairy, perfect world.

BTW, I'm well within the thirty days and need no excuse to leave.

Warez, I think you are the one that can't accept sometimes things go wrong. The experience you had would not make me want to leave VO based soley on this experience. It shows that you were looking for something to complain about and are taking it to major extremes.

Look at the Topic header, if you can even remember. FYI, there are many, many other posts that look at both sides of the coin. I was given the round around for about a week for an extremely simple installation procedure, and it was less than satisfactory. What is so very wrong about that? Can't even someone give a counterpoint that is not an opinion, but based soley on facts? I'm not even talking that red is better than green issue. If I can't even share my counterpoint without getting unwanted barbs about my nick and so on, I think that is truly very sad, and goes beyond even the reason for having a forum or joining one to discuss such matters.

Sorry if I burst your bubble, but as far as I know, if even one staff of mine had made a mistake despite what the other 999 tells me, the matter has to be dealt with, not just saying that the other 999, well, they say otherwise, so staff 1000 did not actually make an error. Groupthink, herd mentality... not for me, I'm no sheep.

I will give credit where credit is due, but in this instance, a brickbat is more appropriate than a bouquet.

Originally posted by Andyc


Warez, I think you are the one that can't accept sometimes things go wrong. The experience you had would not make me want to leave VO based soley on this experience. It shows that you were looking for something to complain about and are taking it to major extremes.

Wrong again. I was the one who said that I can accept things even if things go wrong. My question to you: what is reasonable and not? If your site is down for a minute, you just say, well, I accept that things go wrong. Then what if it is down for a week, or a month? Where do you draw the line? Obviously, I trust you will continue to accept things as they are. Good for you, we need more reasonable people here.

I didn't realize your site was down. I thought you wanted them to install a Perl Module that didn't get done. Which you didn't follow the instructions when making the request. Face it, you are looking for any little thing to complain about and then getting carried away with it. You will never be happy no matter what.

So please switch hosts so we can read your posts complaining about something else. I am sure it will never stop with you.

Originally posted by Andyc
I didn't realize your site was down. I thought you wanted them to install a Perl Module that didn't get done. Which you didn't follow the instructions when making the request. Face it, you are looking for any little thing to complain about and then getting carried away with it. You will never be happy no matter what.

So please switch hosts so we can read your posts complaining about something else. I am sure it will never stop with you.

Please take the trouble to read again. Actually read it more than once to avoid making outlandish claims or conclusions. I actually was happy with my previous host, had been there for almost two years, then the troubles starting happening (they even offered a full refund initially which I did not take). I can write what I want, as long as it is based on fact. You can say what you want, but refrain from all the unncessary illogical conclusions.

As to whether to switch, that is my perogative (and the host). Actually, nothing to do with you or any other busybody with little value or insight to add. Do not try to censure someone just because some facts go contrary to your cherished beliefs. It only makes for blind faith and it breeds bigotry.

Its quite impossible to please all the people all the time, and the more people you host, the better chance a few of them will have a problem to write in about.

BTW, I'm a currently more than happy VO customer with 5 servers with them.

Originally posted by Jedito
Its quite impossible to please all the people all the time, and the more people you host, the better chance a few of them will have a problem to write in about.

BTW, I'm a currently more than happy VO customer with 5 servers with them.

I agree fully with you, Jedito, it so happens that I'm one of the few, but credit goes to VO for acknowledging that. Still, despite what a few in the minority might say, I am entitled to voice my displeasure.

What good then is a forum if one can't speak one's mind? :confused:

Originally posted by Warez

...Still, despite what a few in the minority might say, I am entitled to voice my displeasure.

What good then is a forum if one can't speak one's mind? :confused:
No one in this thread has said that you can't speak your mind. No one has discriminated against you because of your username.

Several people have criticized you for trying to draw a picture by connecting one dot, and several people have criticized you for intentionally insulting others and calling them names.

It is unfortunate that you can't see that you are the one who has acted inappropriately in this thread.

Originally posted by Warez

...Still, despite what a few in the minority might say, I am entitled to voice my displeasure.

What good then is a forum if one can't speak one's mind? :confused:
No one in this thread has said that you can't speak your mind. No one has discriminated against you because of your username.

Several people have criticized you for trying to draw a picture by connecting one dot, and several people have criticized you for intentionally insulting others and calling them names.

It is unfortunate that you can't see that you are the one who has acted inappropriately in this thread.

Originally posted by godfather

No one in this thread has said that you can't speak your mind. No one has discriminated against you because of your username.

Several people have criticized you for trying to draw a picture by connecting one dot, and several people have criticized you for intentionally insulting others and calling them names.

It is unfortunate that you can't see that you are the one who has acted inappropriately in this thread.

The only people who have leveled baselessly criticisms is you and one other, and quite frankly, I can see why, seeing that you are the starter of the thread and can't possibly see a counterpoint. Foolish of you to make such a statement and then find out someone has a contrary experience.

Hmm, I know I'm late in my response, but I just wanted to add my two cents in for Ventures Online. :)

I LOVE them, seriously... over the past 2 years, I've been with DigitalRice, iHOST Services, OChosting, LiquidWeb, and Weinbar... Weinbar was comparable (only in terms of the site's uptime and reliability) for a long time until a couple of months ago... so I packed my bags and moved over to Ventures Online, and I must say, I've never been happier. :)

Not only do they really give service with a smile, but they're helpful, reliable, fast, and NICE. My tickets are always answered within minutes of my submitting it, and they're always helpful answers as well... it doesn't matter if it's a stupid question or not either. ^_^ I plan to stay with them for a loooooong time. :D!

Huh? IMHO, Warez has a right to be mad. And the responses he got were terrible. They should have let him know they were having problems immediately instead of keeping him and his customers hanging.

He shouldn't have to give the name of the server either. Most support requests don't require knowing the server name, but if they do, a database script should be able to match it in a nanosecond.

Another pet peeve or mine is being required to use a support desk, which is cumbersome, time-consuming and the blanks are small. Plain email should be acceptable and all that is needed. If a host doesn't know how to write a script to forward and track email, then they have no business in the hosting business.

And for a salesperson to come in here and post a lame response which was probably dictated (or posted) by her boss doesn't look good either.

But don't try IMHosted.com I have a lot to say about them that isn't good... I just haven't had time to post it.