My current host is an individual, and I chat with him on ICQ all the time. He has been helpful, but the recent ISP change has slowed the server, and my site to an unacceptable speed.

He offers a great plan, but I also required a Dedicated IP address, something he could not offer me.

I want to leave with him on good terms in case I ever go back, but do not know how to do so? For anyone with experience in this type of thing, what is the best method? What can I say to leave on good terms?


Thanks,
Shawn

Send flowers.

First, Ignore any suggestions etLux might give you and you will be half way there

second, nothing beats honesty, your points ave valid ones, just explain to him what you write here, I'm sure he will understand, if he doesn't, then he has no business hosting you anyway.

That was an unkind cut, Carlos.

What you should have advised was, "first, read any suggestions by etLux -- but then ignore them."

Originally posted by Shawn (Wrestlecar.com)
What can I say to leave on good terms?

Just tell them the problem.
I'm sure that they will understand.

Thx.
Soda

Which, as we all know, stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. Say something to the extent of "you have offered me excellent service for XXX period of time. However, my needs as a web developer have outgrown the services you currently provide." Thank him for all the ICQ help he's given you too.

If that fails, might I suggest sending a mail bomb to his home address? Nothing says lovin' like exploding nails and scrap metal.

Why do you have to say anything? And if he asks, just tell him the truth. Simple. :)

He's a friend, thats all...dont want to leave without a reason...

Thanks for the responses guys :) I will use some of these (no, im not going to blow him up lol)

Sometimes people are hesitant to state the real reasons why they are leaving a host... bad host body odor.

But, there IS a solution.

There's a great service, now, for just such situations. I quote directly from their site... "An anonymous letter... is the neutral way to tell [your host] that he or she has an unsociable habit or offensive problem such as body odor..."

You can try it yourself today, at: http://www.coworkerhints.com/

hehe... etLux, your disgusting!! :D

I'd say the honest method is always best. If there is something he can do about the speed, then that might help, but if you also need the IP address, well, there's your reason.

One of the more courteous ways to part company would be to explain your requirements to your current host (friend) and.. this is the important part... *give him the opportunity to meet those requirements*, putting him in the position of saying, I can/can't do that for you. If he can do it, you may not need to leave, (problem solved) but if he acknowleges that he can't do it, he may in fact be the one to suggest that you might be better off elsewhere.

If he spends all of his time telling you why you don't really need what you know you do need, and how good his current offerings are, then you will probably just have to politely disagree with him, thank him for his past service and move on. Out of loyalty and friendship considerations though you should give him the opportunity to upgrade his offerings to meet your needs before looking elsewhere. It might be the incentive he needs to go looking for a better ISP or co-location provider.

What you should have advised was, "first, read any suggestions by etLux -- but then ignore them."

my sincere apologies, you are right .. that was rude of me

ok then .. let me refrase that

first, read any suggestions by etLux -- but then ignore them.

Thanks for the tips..

I have given him this opportunity already. He is currently using a local Cable ISP, and its very slow to anywhere except for NY.

He said he cannot provide me an IP address as it costs him $40.00 a month.

ouch, $40 a mo. for one ip :(

First, make sure you have copies of your files. Many hosts react badly to customers leaving and disable their accounts, denying them access ot their own files.

Then, explaing to your friend that you appreciate the service tht you have received, and that your needs have outgrown what he can offer, and the slowness of the site elsewhere, and that you will be moving to another host. (Really, hosting on cable is rinky dink and totally second class amateurish).

That's the fair and ethical thing to do.

Are you his only customer? If he has other customers, and you explain the situation to him, maybe he will consider upgrading to a dedicated server or colocating his current server at a NOC. Even a bargain-basement $99/month dedicated server would be better than the setup you have now (I can't get your website to come up at all). That way you can have what you want (a Web host you like/trust, an acceptably-fast server, and a dedicated IP#), and he'll be better able to serve his customers.

Yes, the server is down now. He doesnt know im leaving him yet.

He has three or four customers, and all the sites are down.

I have almost all my files, almost is the keyword. It took me a week to get em because the FTP is so bad.

I just have a few more to get, then im gonna leave.

Yup, he is just on cable. When we were using DSL, it was great because it was an SDSL connection, but this is not nearly as good as its always so slow, and the main problem is...we are not on a static ip.

He wants me to link to his site in my dns as http://simgoracing.com/wrestlecar, and this looks really unprofessional. Also, what I hate most is, everytime the ip changes on his end, he updates his dns to reflect this, and it totally messes up all my cookies for my forums.

I currently pay $10.00 a month for about 400 megs of webspace, but only 5 gigs bandwidth. Many places offer almost the same as this, but more transfer and a static ip for the same price.

Thanks for all your replies guys, I think i have decided on what to tell him :)


Thanks,
Shawn Snider
Wrestlecar.com