They say that they need you to sign a credit card authorization form before they can bill you automatically every month.

Well i never signed the form but i got billed anyway if they need a form signed how can they do that?

There FAQs say that to cancel that i have to sign a paper and fax it to them to cancel, i e-mailed them a few days before my next billing date to cancel my account but the next day they sent me an invoice saying that i just got billed....:angry:

I figured that since i never signed there form that when the next billing date came that they would just delete my account..............what do you guys think?

They don't seem to reply to email much when i signed up i had to e-mail them 2 times to recive my login info. I waited 2 days before i mailed them.

If you can't get in touch with them the only logical thing to do is chargebacks. This will ruin their merchant account. So as usual payback can be painful :D

I'm sure when you originally signed up you authorized them to bill you monthly..

Alot of hosts want a written conformation just to protect themselves from chargebacks and discourage fraudulent accounts.

If they say you have to fax them something to cancel... YOU HAVE TO FAX THEM SOMETHING TO CANCEL...

If I say met me at corner A to get your prize and you goto corner B... Why would I give you a prize?..


I figured that since i never signed there form that when the next billing date came that they would just delete my account


Oh no... Don't assume. As I said you probably already agreeed to the payment and the form was simply an added protection for their sake. FAX THEM and request to cancel. Thats how you do it.

That's what i think i will do is just do a charge back i've been through this before with a host that wont answer e-mail

Don't they get fined for charge backs?

Not all banks charge for chargebacks but a lot do. So they will get a fee and after many chargebacks they will lose their account.

I would sign something saying to cancel my account and fax it to them but i did that with another host and they still did not cancel my account!

yeah i don't know if this host will do the same.

Nix?.. Didn't you read the original post?..

He hasn't even made a valid attempt to cancel his account yet!...

Why are you even suggesting a charge back?..

If you want your accounts canceled by fax.. I sign up for your hosting... I email you saying I don't want it. You don't respond... I charge back... Wouldn't you be pissed?

It's worth a shot. What's it cost to fax something? If you got your own fax then 7 cents. If you go to a place most charge $1. Trust me this will save you money. All the time you will be spending on the phone to do a chargeback will cost more.

Okay if you guys think i should just fax them i'll give it a try. Thing is i can't find there fax number and if i ask through e-mail i'll never get a reply.

I never even used the site once.

Originally posted by NixHosting
If you can't get in touch with them the only logical thing to do is chargebacks. This will ruin their merchant account. So as usual payback can be painful :D

I hate people who suggest this. Especially from some other host who hasn't yet experienced the joy of fraudulent chargeback's.


Dave22, you signed up with that host and agreed to that host Terms. It is your responsibility to cancel according to the Terms you agreed to. Bottom line. Send in the fax. They have done nothing wrong.

Also, let me tell you what we do to customers who use chargeback's to cancel accounts.

We add a $25.00 fraudulent chargeback fee - per chargeback!. We add a $20.00 collection fee. We then turn it over to a third party for collections. They hound you. If they can not collect, they report you to three credit bureaus. In the end, you will end up paying if you want to buy a house or anything else that requires a credit check. So far we are 8 for 8 in collecting what was owed.

Note, that there are legitimate chargeback's. Those happen. But when a customer uses a chargeback as a means to terminate accounts and skip responsibility, then a host needs to counter. I was sick of losing money to these people who hope from host to host doing this. Sorry for the tangent, but I really hate the quick chargeback recommendations and do not think they are a good idea. Send in the fax, if that doesn't work, then you have a right to charegback. Good luck to you.

I totally agree with UmBillyCord. There are legitimate chargebacks from customers for when their card is fraudulently used. However, when the owner of a credit card requests a chargeback for a service they knowingly signed up for and uses the service for an extensive period of time, well that's almost like stealing in my personal opinion. Which is why collection agencies are then called in.

If you read the whole post I put you will see I state "If you can't contact them" .

I figured that since i never signed there form that when the next billing date came that they would just delete my account..............what do you guys think?

So, let me be sure I understand you correctly....you never intended to continue with the service, but you didn't notify them. Also, their method of notification was clearly stated....and you even think of a chargeback.

Chargebacks were designed for legitimate purposes, but I see people here jump on the bandwagon to recommend them for every problem. One very respectable host just lost her merchant account today because she exceeded 0.5% chargebacks.

The abuse of chargebacks is bordering on fraud. Frankly, I believe they should only honor chargebacks after one can show that they notified the merchant in writing and after sufficient time the merchant failed to grant a refund. However, I have no control over the rules. But, I am appalled at the continued abuse of the system. It is like retail where people buy outfits on Friday, wear them on Saturday, all the time knowing they will return them on Sunday or Monday and will have had free use.

Part of the above is addressing chargebacks in general, not your case. Still, though, you owe them a proper notification and chance to respond. You entered into an agreement, you failed to fulfill it, you tried to use a technicality to justify your actions. You need to try the correct channels now.

Note, that there are legitimate chargeback's. Those happen. But when a customer uses a chargeback as a means to terminate accounts and skip responsibility, then a host needs to counter. I was sick of losing money to these people who hope from host to host doing this. Sorry for the tangent, but I really hate the quick chargeback recommendations and do not think they are a good idea. It's especially discontenting when the suggestions come from:

a) Other hosts that have not "yet experienced the joy of fraudulent chargeback's." as you noted

and

b) Clients/Hosts that continue to pressure hosts for lower costs yet fail to take into account the cost of these chargebacks and non-payers as an expense.

If you want costs to remain low you do need to help ensure the host's expenses are low and by promoting chargebacks and non-payment you are doing just the opposite :(

Probably best for a different thread but I'd be interested in hearing the various techniques used by other hosts to collect. We too are becoming much stricter in the A/R department and are equally tired of the losses over non-payment and chargebacks used as a means of canceling an account.

_Most_ hosts make canceling an account simple and they should not be penalized for the procedures of "other hosts". Nor should paying clients be penalized in the pocket book by these clients that opt for the chargeback over the simple process of cancellation. Someone has to pay for it... Those that choose chargeback over procedures force the host to be that individual who then has to pass it on to the paying clients. Hardly fair...and not something hosts will put up with much longer. More and more are following through with debt collection procedures and it's something Site Owners need to consider when deciding whether to "fill out a form or send in a fax" vs just not paying and/or submitting a chargeback.

_Most_ hosts make canceling an account simple and they should not be penalized for the procedures of "other hosts". Nor should paying clients be penalized in the pocket book by these clients that opt for the chargeback over the simple process of cancellation. Someone has to pay for it... Those that choose chargeback over procedures force the host to be that individual who then has to pass it on to the paying clients. Hardly fair...and not something hosts will put up with much longer. More and more are following through with debt collection procedures and it's something Site Owners need to consider when deciding whether to "fill out a form or send in a fax" vs just not paying and/or submitting a chargeback.

This thread is a little off, but it is good discussion. I think you hit the nail on the head. For two years we just wrote off these loses. I got sick of it. When you consider a few things, it makes sense to be strict.

1) Host think that if they turn over an account to collections, they lose that customer forever. Well, if that customer is charging back and moving to another host, do you think they are coming back when they have 18,000 others to choose from? So why not just collect what it *owed* to you, and what Deb pointed out, your other customers.

2) The people who run these chargebacks are so use to getting away with it. Of those eight we went after, two actually taunted us before hand. "Good luck collecting...." and "I work for a credit company, you can't report anything under $100.00..."

They both ended up paying. There are collection agencies that will report anything over $25.00.


Another note about strict closure rules. In our years in business, either I or employees have closed accounts that shouldn't have been. Customers with disgruntled employees with passwords, pissed of ex-business partners, etc.. will attempt to damage a business. What better way then closing a web site down. The host MUST protect themselves and their paying customers. A fax or filled out form *verifing* data like acount number, e-mail, etc... does just that. A simple phone call or e-mail does not. A customer can call abck and say they never canceled. So with the fax or form, you have a record. Web hosting isn't like canceling dial up or cable service. It is shutting off some peoples 'babies'. Since all 'babies' need protection, we must enforce strict Terms to protect everyone.

do you guys think i should fax my Cancellation to the fax number that they have listed to send the Credit Card Authorization form to? It's the only fax number i could find.

I would mail and ask for the number but doubt they would ever reply since they never have to any other e-mails.

Yes, you should fax your Cancellation to the fax number that they have listed to send the Credit Card Authorization form to. Especially since it's the only fax number you can find.