Hi all,

The reason I post my story with another company is not try to put other company down or blame them(I don't run any hosting company, I am just an end user). But I just want to let everyone know some pratice of some companies are problemtic and you determine by yourself whether it worth to deal with these companies or not.

I joined efreeservers.com last year, singed up with a 20 months contract. At first, I didn't know they are using Congent line (there is nothing wrong with it). Becasue at their homepage, they didn't mention they are using Congent line. If you traceroute to their server, you will go through level3. This gives you an impression that all their lines are level3. After you get the server, you will know what's going on. All outgoing line is Congent instead. That means, they route all their incoming traffic to Level3 and outgoing traffic to Congent. I said once agin, there is nothing wrong with Congent. But after I discover this, I just think they are not a honest company. They should let the customer know before, becasue most of the server traffic is outgoing, what's the point for Level3 incoming traffic? So I decided to end the contract. They said it's ok and let me to end the contract without paying the whole server fee. They even give me discount of their regular price ($399 for 800GB/month and $0.5/gig extra) to make me stay. But I just think their price is not attractive anymore because there are tons of companies offer $99 to $150 with 400 gig/month package, and I think they are not honest, so I didn't go with them anymore.

They said I can use my server until June 23. But last Friday, my server was down. I sent them an email to asked them to reboot. They said the server cannot reboot. And they will have engineer to see what's going wrong on Sat. So I waited. But there is one strange thing, a few hours later after my server down, I found my IP was up again. But it was used by aonther web site. I tired to login through the old IP, and it did't allow me to login anymore. I just didn't know why at that time.

No reply on Sat and Sun, so I email them on Mon. They said my server cannot be rebooted. They said nothing appears on the console during the boot process. And they refund me the 10 days unused fee.

I asked them why another web site took my IP address after a few hours later after my server down. Here is their reply:

"We have many customers in need of more IPs in the xx.xxx.xx.xx block. When your server went down, we tried our best to repair the damage. Once it was deemed inoperable, your IPs was forwarded to the first customer on this waiting list......"

There is something that need to consider:

(1) If you run a hosting company and if you see a server down, will you remove the down server and plug another server in such a short period of time?

(2) They said they will have engineer to look at it on Sat, but why my IP used by another web site on Friday? Should you still keep my server until the engineer look at it?

Now all my data on that server were gone. I lost everything on that server. I don't know whether my server had some real problem or they just use my server for another new customer (good luck) and end my server eariler without letting me know. But I would say, if you are going with this company, good luck with you.

This was our response to MaxBear...

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Dear Harris,

We have many customers in need of more IPs in the 64.157.93.xx block. When your server went down, we tried our best to repair the damage. Once it was deemed inoperable, your IPs was forwarded to the first customer on this waiting list. Our accounting department was then notified to issued a refund for the remaining 10 days. Please note that our service is unmanaged. In summary, we don't have your data because this it is the responsibility of each customer to perform this task at their discretion.

In term of opening the issue, that's also up to you but please advised that our company take slander and libelous statement very seriously and our legal department will take immediate and appropriate measures to rectify the problem. Here are two options available to you at this time:

1) Take the refund of $133.00 that we will issued on June 24, 2002.
2) We can setup you up on one of our custom built Intel Celeron 1.2GHz box so that you can use it until June 24, 2002.

Also, we'd like to remind you that by cancelling your 20 months contract with EFS back in May 2002, you forfeited all claims your server. If you feel additional steps are required, your service contract required that you agree to arbitration in San Mateo County, California and we look forward to seeing you if such steps are necessary.


Warm Regards,


Customer Support Team
E.Continents, Inc.
www.econtinents.com

Hi E.FreeServers,

Can you please explain your network as I am curious whether did your network includes Cogent?

When I look at your network page (http://network.econtinents.com/), it doesn't list Cogent :rolleyes:

Thank you very much :D

Kindest regards,
Choon

In term of opening the issue, that's also up to you but please advised that our company take slander and libelous statement very seriously and our legal department will take immediate and appropriate measures to rectify the problem. Here are two options available to you at this time:


Correct me if im wrong, but how do you see any of this as slanderous? You just verified that you did assign their ip's elsewhere (which is totally rediculous, *unless* the account has been completely cancelled at the time), people have nameservers, and configurations, etc. dependant on their IP addresses, if their configuration was broken but their contract was still in effect, why would you assign their IP's elsewhere? Lets assume they did have proper backups, then what would they do? They might have 5 dozen configured options pointing towards their IP's, not to mention potentially dozens of nameservers doing the same.

It's only slander if it's not true, and it seems to me you're trying to imply this is slander, but at the same time you verify what he said is true :eek:. Why didn't you just assign them IP's out of another block, or keep the customers on hold? Kinda seems like your solution was to cut off the arm, to cure a bump on the thumb.

:eek:

Thats just my two cents, judging by what i've interpereted from what you two have written.

BTW, saying stuff along the lines of "if you dont like it, come fight my lawyers, warm regards" is a little bit of an oxy moron dont'cha think? :eek: Doesen't really go along with your "warm regards" :rolleyes:

*falls over*

Wow! Gramatically intellectual it would seem, but business practices - clueless

Inviting your customers to take legal action?

We have many customers in need of more IPs in the 64.157.93.xx block. When your server went down, we tried our best to repair the damage. Once it was deemed inoperable, your IPs was forwarded to the first customer on this waiting list. Our accounting department was then notified to issued a refund for the remaining 10 days. Please note that our service is unmanaged. In summary, we don't have your data because this it is the responsibility of each customer to perform this task at their discretion.

Refund or no refund, sounds to me like you are making it your customers problem that you did not properly plan your network for expansion by requesting additional IP's or subnetting your current into more appropriately sized blocks.

In term of opening the issue, that's also up to you but please advised that our company take slander and libelous statement very seriously and our legal department will take immediate and appropriate measures to rectify the problem. Here are two options available to you at this time

If you are reffering your clients post on WHT as slanderous, then it would look as though you have something to hide. Inviting your client to take legal action below is weird too?!

Did you just hire yourself a bunch of suits and forget to pick up some people with customer support skills?

20 month contracts are out of whack, but at times like this - if your company really thinks it's in the right, wouldn't it just be better to ignore posts such as these, and sort everything out off the forum?

You have just invited a few thousand people to comment and see just how well you treat your customers when they crash their boxes.

If you give your customers 20 month contracts and expect never to have software issues (which deeming a server inopperable sounds like a hardware issue) - you are dreaming.

Originally posted by hosticle
You have just invited a few thousand people to comment and see just how well you treat your customers when they crash their boxes.

Well on that particular point, I can comment. :) EFS have helped us alot over the past 14 months or so. Most recently, with getting a hdd out of a busted box and back online into another, so that we could get to all our client data and databases. No matter what time we have called, someone has been available.

Cheers

Gary

Editor,

It's their job to do so. You don't have to beg them to do it.

We didn't have to beg mate.

The point was raised about seeing how well they treat their customers when things turn upside down, and I added a positive experience...we are still allowed to add positive comments about providers here aren't we? :)

A system restore would have been on the cards with some providers, and would also cost additional $$$'s where it wont for us.

Cheers

Gary

our legal department will take immediate and appropriate measures Its amazing to see a hosting company immediately throw down the gauntlet of a legal challenge.

And for what purpose? All that statement does is highlight your firm in a bad light -- your own doing -- with no help from your former client.

Our network is connected to a 100 percent fiber, OC-192 nonblocking global backbone with diversely redundant and dedicated multi OC-48 Metro Area Network (MAN) rings via Level 3, Verio, and Williams.
http://network.econtinents.com/

No mention of Cogent there, although a trace route from various locations clearly identifies a Cogent path.

12 eContinents.demarc.cogentco.com (66.28.28.82) 90.632 ms 91.661 ms gigabitethernet.bgp4-QwestLink.Level3.net (65.56.42.253) 94.435 ms
13 www.econtinents.com (63.211.153.69) 96.047 ms 98.152 ms 97.395 ms

Would probably be a wise move to update your web literature.

Originally posted by mwatkins
Its amazing to see a hosting company immediately throw down the gauntlet of a legal challenge.

You dont know what was said by either party prior to that. I'm assuming "In term of opening the issue" refers to an earlier comment. All I'm saying here is that the challenge may already have been laid down.

Cheers

Gary

Possibly so -- but this isn't the forum to even issue that 'ultimatum', IMO.

Probably the employee needs public relations training.

Originally posted by Editor
We didn't have to beg mate.

The point was raised about seeing how well they treat their customers when things turn upside down,



So assigning your IP's to somebody else and wiping all the data would be the best way of resolving things when things turn upside:confused:

"We have many customers in need of more IPs in the xx.xxx.xx.xx block. When your server went down, we tried our best to repair the damage. Once it was deemed inoperable, your IPs was forwarded to the first customer on this waiting list......"


Are you stupid or something? This is the most redicolous thing I have ever heard in my life! It is only surpassed by the rest of your redicolous letter and your
SARCASM:

If you feel additional steps are required, your service contract required that you agree to arbitration in San Mateo County, California and we look forward to seeing you if such steps are necessary.

Now being rude isn't neccessary. Besides, at .30 a GB you might be interested in their services one day.

I merely suggested that they look at how they conduct themselves in public.

On the other side of this story, if the client cancelled, its not unreasonable that the host should reassign the equipment and address(es). Whether the reassignment of the IP happened in error or intentionally, before the promised grace period expired, we'll never know.

Originally posted by rally
So assigning your IP's to somebody else and wiping all the data would be the best way of resolving things when things turn upside:confused:

No...but try to look beyond that to the purpose of my post. Which was...that they obviously don't do that as standard. I'm just making a fair contribution that has nothing to do directly with the issue above.

Cheers

Gary

Yeah, it's pretty well known that they push everything out Cogent but they will never tell you that. Sad, really :(