Are any former GX hosting clients getting the following message? I have not had service with these guys for several months and I have my domain registered with netsol. I see this as a scare tactic by GX Hosting to scare people into changing to their new provider.

=========================================================

It has come to our attention that a large number of users do not realise that unless they confirm transfer within the next 48 hours that their domain names will be deleted by InterNIC. Even if you have pointed your domain to another web host, it will still be deleted and you will be unable to use it unless you confirm transfer to Expert Hosting.

You MUST do so at:

http://www.experthosting.com/home/gxhosting.shtml

We are still your domain registrar and as such your domain will be deleted when our company formally closes in 2 days time. We advise you to confirm you still wish to keep your domain using the above website or it will be lost.

Regards,

GX Hosting

========================================================

I wonder if they're hoping for a last minute lawsuit? Complete and utter rubbish. Your domain is registered with NetworkSolutions (as you said) and does not expire until Dec of this year. Absolutely amazing *and* pathetic at the same time.

Thank you for posting this as a warning to others who may fall for what can only be called a complete scam.

[Edited by Chicken on 02-02-2001 at 12:59 AM]

The domain will be deleted? Even if that WAS true, it'd be impossible to transfer it as NetSol is too slow to transfer it in that short peroid of time. ;)

Like Chicken said, this is rubbish.

That is absolute rubbish and in some countries (e.g. Australia) that can easily be interpreted as a criminal offence. I suggest it's time to give the BBB a call and upgrade the alerts, and check with your lawyer/local police.

It has to be criminal. Here's why:

The page that comes up forces you to pick a hosting plan with Expert Hosting. I do not believe you can legally deceive anyone like that into using your services. It is clearly fraud and needs to be reported to whatever jurisdictioon is responsible for Expert Hosting. Tricking the unsuspecting client into signing up with them in order to keep the domain name alive gives the whole industry a big black eye. The average Joe is confused enough about domain registration, we don't need this bullsh*t.

Just my $0.02

ignore if u wish but that page consists of images and html from too of the worst ever hosts truehosting and ***** - a company to avoid if they have to stoop so low.

It's rubbish like this that makes it harder for everyone. It's no wonder these days why clients spend so much time shopping around and asking a lot of questions. I'd rather be honest and spend twice the time in my inbox answering email than lower myself to something like that and not sleep at night...

If this is 'that guy' (older members will know who I mean *TH*), then why is he not in jail. You'd think after all the bad press through his open threatening of customers someone would have tracked him (them?) down. It can't be that hard to do....

Greg Moore

You know, after reflecting on the TH scenario, and this current scam, the following occurs to me: only in an age such as this, where people can hide behind technology and avoid any direct personal confrontation, could such blatant malice and deception be carried out. Used to be you had to swindle your customer in person. I just can't believe this kind of thing is happening - with the perpetrators so confident that they will never be caught or sanctioned. If Expert Hosting is in the UK, there must be laws there too. And International law would apply. Better yet, why hasn't someone showed up at the door with a baseball bat :smash: and demanded their money back? This is truly the darker side of the information age.

Sorry to be so cynical, that stupid groundhog put me in a really bad mood.

Originally posted by shpilkus
Better yet, why hasn't someone showed up at the door with a baseball bat and demanded their money back?

Well if it is indeed the same guy then I remember seeing that solution mentioned more than a few times around the net :)

Greg Moore

Seeing as how it is the UK, I suppose we'd best make that a Cricket bat.

The domain was created in 1998, so I think that might cast some doubt on this being our "old friend". Unless someone knows more than I do...


Registrant:
Expert Hosting
256 Hipswell Highway
Coventry, Warwickshire CV2 5FP
UK

Domain Name: EXPERTHOSTING.COM

Administrative Contact:
Hosting, Expert info@experthosting.com
256 Hipswell Highway
Coventry, Warwickshire CV2 5FP
UK
01203 455977

Technical Contact:
Hosting, Expert info@experthosting.com
256 Hipswell Highway
Coventry, Warwickshire CV2 5FP
UK
01203 455977

Billing Contact:
Hosting, Expert info@experthosting.com
256 Hipswell Highway
Coventry, Warwickshire CV2 5FP
UK
01203 455977


Record last updated on 02-Feb-2001.
Record expires on 17-Jun-2002.
Record Created on 18-Jun-1998.

Domain servers in listed order:
NS.NS4UA.COM 216.74.70.96
NS2.NS4UA.COM 216.74.70.159

ignore if u wish but that page consists of images and html from too of the worst ever hosts truehosting and ***** - a company to avoid if they have to stoop so low.

Actually, it is an exact duplicate of this one:

http://www.dotcomavenue.com/index.shtml

So davey is back in business then.

Ye gods, it's true! (Did I say "True"???)

It's not even a close copy, it's an exact duplicate. How can 2 companies and I quote: take considerable pride in being the only UK web host to offer 24 hour freephone technical supportr - note the typo at the end is theirs and appears on both pages. I thought 'only' meant 'one'. Also note the little JavaScript status bar text - the same on both sites (reads "Expert Hosting" on both)

This is starting to weird me out...

Yep I got the same Email. I have a strange feeling that GXHosting has become Expert Hosting.

I hope they don't scare too many people into their trap. I mean its an obvious ploy to drive people onto a server. I hope someone gets at them. Its almost like they vanished into thin air.

This may or may not be related but, how many people that have been with GXHosting have had charges from sites in Russia? I had about 2 charges on my credit card to Russia and one to South America. I later found out they were for porno sites. I challenged them all and the charges were erased without a fight.

I am not blaming GXHosting directly but I highly suspect them. I mean after all they are proving themselves more criminal everyday.


[Edited by Charles on 02-02-2001 at 08:23 PM]

It's almost as if these evil hosts have joined forces. Where's Batman when you need him...
I later found out they were for porno sites

What you describe - do you think it's deliberate, or that they had lax security with the credit card #s? After all, they are teenage boys, and you know how those testosterone levels go... talk about a final screwing! ;)

Where's Batman when you need him...

I'll fire up the signal now!

What you describe - do you think it's deliberate, or that they had lax security with the credit card #s? After all, they are teenage boys, and you know how those testosterone levels go... talk about a final screwing! ;)

You got a point there! It seems to have stopped though since the went down ... I am no Sherlock Holmes but even I can solve this case. Hehehehehehe

Nasty. Nasty nasty nasty.

It certainly looks like Davey is back in business, and it's time to alert everyone else to be on guard.

Don't mean to show my ignorance, but Whos Davey?

I'd hate to be the canopener right now!
The super family deluxe-size can of worms is about to be opened...

I certainly don't want to either.

Kaith, if you really, really wish to know then use the Search button (top right corner) and search for True Hosting and TrueHosting.

That's all I'll say. You have been warned :D

Ok, now I see. This is the git who was behind the whole TH thing, then bounced out and set up these other co's (where half their links went to TH). I remember spending a few weeks weeding thru all the threads/posts/etc a while back. Just lousy with keeping track of the multiple name thing. Thanks for the memory jogger.

ok, lets see if I have things straight....
[list=A]
TH sells to Burst and then goes n does it again and again...
Burst buys US which until last week had a great rep here...
The principals behind US and several of their clients are involved in a flame war...
-Dorothy is mad cuz Auntie Em took ToTo in to be fixed.

Did I miss anything? <G> I feel like I've entered a soap opera.

Peace.

Not sure of what's going on here but it sure got ugly. I'd rather not to post for a while here.

How about this part: GX Hosting finds possibly the only person scummier than they are to dump their clients onto.

And then there's that whole Russian Porn thing... ;)

I had an intereting chat with the Expert Hosting Folks...
it was on their dime.

Their toll free number(lovely, US to England) is
877-388-8414

They quickly told me they were NOT involved with GXHOSTING(Cough, giggle) and when queried about having the domain names deleted, they said they "thought" that was what would happen, although they were NOT involved with GXHOSTING(Cough, giggle).

Prior to the telephone call, I had filled out their
web-based contact form(emails to them bounce) and indicated in fairly strong, but polite language, that I felt their association with GXHOSTING put them in a class of pond scum, scally-wags and low lifes.

Looking back at the whole thing, GX did me a big favor...their miserable service, terrible business practices and general disregard for their customers was a good motivation for me to go into the hosting business.

How, precisely, can they explain this URL then?

http://www.experthosting.com/home/gxhosting.shtml

Well, GXHOSTING had set a "relationship" with another low life prior to this one. The story was pretty much the same, but the problem for these turkeys was that their office is about 1 mile from me.

So...I kinda moseyed up the road, parked the car, and lo and behold...these folks are in the same building as Alabanza!

They were real pleasent...and real polite when I told them that if they even thought about touching my domain names I'd come back with an army of attorneys, etc.

Not saying I had anything to do with it, but after the visit and a CONSTANT barrage of very strong(my lawyer says they were more like deranged) emails, GXSCUMBAGS finally stopped sending me unanserable emails similar to the ones we are now getting.

Can I explain the URL? Sure...when a business closes, it's very common for them to sell their customer list. If the closing business has a terrible reputation, the one buying the list may not want to be associated with the folks from which they got the list.

So, Expert Hosting could get away with saying "We are neither associated with, nor part of GXHOSTING."

Expert Hosting has another "arrangement" with one of the
domain-name resellers/park-a-page-cause-you're-too-cheap-to-rent-space companies...but, being to busy setting up my business, I've lost track of them.

So, now the game will be to watch the expired domain names, try to determine if they were "owned" by GXSCUM and
"Go Forth and Market"

Thanks to Half Price Hosting miserable service, terrible business practices and general disregard for their customers was a good motivation for me to go into the hosting business too.

One of my client got a message too from GXhosting, I should notify him.

Would anyone who's gotten that transfer e-mail please forward a copy, with complete header information, to me at deb@mimf.com? I'd like to add it to my finding a host page as a scam warning. Your IP address will be removed first, of course. Thanks!

I see theyre up to their old tricks as well.

Dotcomavenue.com/experthosting.com were caught a few months ago for ripping off a couple of providers terms and conditions, and they were then taken down.

Now who wants to do a comparison of:

http://www.experthosting.com/order/terms_of_service.shtml

and:

http://www.webfusion.co.uk/tandc.html

Hmmmmmmmmmm, spot the similarities.

*sigh*

Regards,

Tony Lucas

LOL. And dotcomavenue had ripped off Verio a little while ago, too. Even left Verio's name on everything. Gits.

Compare:

http://www.dotcomavenue.com/colocation.shtml

and

http://www.webtapestry.net/colocation.html

To quote the owner of webtapestry:

<Admittedly, not all a big rip off, but the general idea and the whole wording of the bottom half are dead ringers>

I wonder if any of their site is their own code...

T.