Is there a way from the web to check and see if a host has their company registered?

Any other things that you'd recommend to check out the validity of a host's business?

I don't know about on the web, but if they are registered in the US, it would be in the county public records in which they live.

First you can post here asking some info on a particular host and see if you get any results.. You can also use the search function. Second you can look at there whois and see if everything there looks kosher and also check how long they have been around, you can also check out some of the hosting directories that offer reviews and see what some peoples reviews are.. you should also go to www.unlimband.com and cross off any hosts that are listed there as they are just going to be trouble down the road.. Other than that try and pay by month and just remember that the cheapest and biggest does not always mean that you are going to get the best,(it actually alot of times means the opposite) Well good luck in your hunt.

P.S. You can also send emails to there support and see what the typical response time it.. It is actually best to do this a couple times and just ask simple questions like what version of PHP and so on..

Best way:

1. Search around WHT for the host
2. Check for reviews
3. Take a close look at the host's AUP/TOS etc.
4. Check when their domain name was registered
5. Post and ask about them on WHT

One last thing, WHT may be great but remember it isn't the only resource on the net :)

Is there a way from the web to check and see if a host has their company registered?

"registered" where?

We are a registered business in Australia under the Queensland office of Fair Trading [consumer affairs], but would not be registered anywhere else.

The internet is global whereas infrastructures like that are localised. Maybe one day there'll be global business registrations etc. But that day is a long way off, IMO.

Any other things that you'd recommend to check out the validity of a host's business?

Contact them and ask where they are a registered business/company and then search there etc. I think what you're getting at here is, which hosts are setup properly with the correct business licensing, accounting practices etc, and which hosts are kids running a dotcom.

I dont see someone wasting time to see if a host is registerd,i mean if your gonna host a high end account thats 200.00 or more then yea but i mean if your planning a hosting a account thats 15 bucks a month why waste time doing all that ?

Be aware that many companies domain names are not always registered companies.

They may have a parent company, like MYCOMPANY A, LLC that runs http://www.thishosting.com/

If that made any sense ;)

That is true and depending on different countries, would require measures taken to ensure that trading didnt breach laws relevant to the country. That is apart from jurisdictional issues and copyright matters being accounted at all.

It is important for the consumer to have some sort of reliance on the fact that the host has a shred of credibility and being able to confirm they are a business does allieviate anxiety for the consumer.

Originally posted by Aussie Bob
I think what you're getting at here is, which hosts are setup properly with the correct business licensing, accounting practices etc, and which hosts are kids running a dotcom.

You read my mind. :)

Originally posted by Aussie Bob

I think what you're getting at here is, which hosts are setup properly with the correct business licensing, accounting practices etc, and which hosts are kids running a dotcom.

Acctualy, that is a very valid point, I don't think most host realize that they have a legal obligation to the client in certain respects. I'm still sitting down with my lawyers to draft up a proper TOS and AUP ( by the way they are different, one is my liability the other is the clients liability ). The only part of the policy we got hammered correctly and for both sides is the e-mail policy, which we got from a third party

But to the point, a client can not hold a minor in breach of contract, so if you are running an e-commerce site, and for some reason the host said " i don't want you anymore " and pulls the plug you are screwed.

Also, there is the old "hold the site hostage" until payment. Is it valid or not. from my current understanding, a valid move is to place the site on hold, and start a countdown and this has to be in a well defined TOS / AUP ( has to be defined in both ), host has no obligation to give access.

Non-payment - can I report a person that does not pay to the credit card companies. YES, again as long as it is defined in the AUP / TOS. best thing is that in your accounting books you mark it as uncollectable, then when the person can not get there mortgage because they never paid you, they must contact you to clean the record. It's done in the video business alot. but if your TOS / AUP declairs interest after a specific date ( use 6 months ) then you can earn a non-compound return of 6% to 18% per year on the outstanding debit.

Catch all phrases - not valid in most states, so define terms is very important.

about unlimited - interesting point are brought up, but again even a well defined AUP / TOS might not protect the host if that host is attacked by a well financed lawyer.

anyway ttyl

Mike

Originally posted by ATST
I don't know about on the web, but if they are registered in the US, it would be in the county public records in which they live.

Not necessarily. That may be true where you live, but certainly isn't true everywhere (for example, Massachusetts doesn't even *have* counties anymore except for geographical convenience. County governments were dissolved about 10 years ago here).

Depending on where the business is located, and depending on what type of business structure is involved, there are several places to look. I'll use Massachusetts as the example here, since that's where I am and those are the laws I'm most familiar with.

In Massachusetts, if you are a sole proprietorship, and if your business uses a fictitious name, you must file a fictitious name filing with your local government (town or city). That information can be obtained by going to the town or city hall where the company is based. HOWEVER, if you are a sole proprietorship and are *not* using a fictitious name (and are not in a regulated industry) then no filing is required at all. For those of you who don't know, a fictitious name is simply if you're doing business under something other than your own name. For example, if I were running "Jason Ellis's Web Hosting" then that is not a fictitious name since "Jason Ellis" is my name. In that scenario, I wouldn't have to make any filing with the town at all. On the other hand, a business called "AllThisStuff.Com" is a fictitious name and the filing has to be made - if and only if it's a sole proprietorship.

The rules on partnerships are pretty much the same as sole proprietorships.

For corporations, on the other hand, here in Massachusetts the corporation must file with the Secretary of State's office. No filing is required at all with the town or city, just with the state.

For Massachusetts corporations, the corporate records can be obtained by doing a search on the Secretary of State's web site at http://www.state.ma.us/sec/index.htm. But, again, that's only for businesses incorporated within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Every state will have different rules and regulations. So the answer to the original question is that it's very difficult to confirm whether a business is legally "registered" or not since "registration" requirements differ by location. And since web hosting isn't a business that typically requires governmental regulation, the registration requirements are even more lenient in most places than something like a gas station or a car dealer, for example.

Good luck,

Jason

Originally posted by chrisb


You read my mind. :)
I mainly do hosting but dabble in mind reading on the side. :D ;)

For UK companies check www.companieshouse.gov.uk

Yep, Companies House is the one to check in the UK... the database search is only available certain hours though, 7am - midnight I think :)

Another thing to note is that registered companies in the UK are legally obliged to state this in their business name by including 'Ltd' / 'Limited' for private limited companies or 'Plc' / 'public limited company' for public limited companies. Confusion can arise when companies use trading names though :)