Hi all. I'm new to this forum, although I've spent the better part of the last 2-3 hours reading different posts. I am looking for more recommendations on reseller hosting. While I've gotten some very good recommendations just from reading other posts, I'd like some expert opinions on my specific needs!

I am a small web design company who also offers hosting. I currently host about 30 domains (although I'm in talks with a few other people, so that will hopefully grow). My February stats for all the sites say I used almost 100 Gb of bandwidth (I do have 2-3 very large accounts), and about 1.6Gb of disk space. The company I current use for reselling has been good for the last several years, but 2 of those 3 really large accounts lost their email on Thursday and this still has not been rectified despite many...many...many (you get the idea) calls to tech support. Each time I call I'm told that they're expediting my request to the next highest priority -- at this point I should be several levels above 1st tier if you believe everything they say! LOL. I've had several other clients complain about email, but this is the first time they've REALLY dropped the ball on me. I also got charged $250 for going over my disk space, despite the fact that they said they sent me emails notifying me of this (which I never received -- yet another mark, either they're lying that they sent them, or their servers never delivered them...hmmm, not good either way, although I expect they did send them!).

After looking over many other posts and speaking with some friends, I've narrowed it down to 5 potential hosts (in no particular order):

HostGator
Tektonic
HostNine
WireNine
DowntownHost

I'm looking for someone who has adequate disk space and data transfer limits to accomodate by 1.6Gb disk space and almost 100 Gb bandwidth data from last month.

Tech support is also (obviously) a big issue for me. I don't often contact technical support as I'm savvy enough to fix a lot on my own, so when I do contact them, it's a larger problem that needs a knowledgable tech support person on the other end -- whether it be by phone or chat (I prefer chat). I would prefer *nix or Windows server, but I need managed servers as I'm not knowledgable about servers enough to do my own.

Any comments about the above 5 hosts (positive or negative please) would be most welcome. I'd like to do this move sometime this week.

Thanks a bunch!
Jenn

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Hi Jenn,
Not sure if you've also used the search feature here in the forum but you can also type those specific co. names in the search box and past, present feedback will come up.
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/search.php
The next thing I would advise though is to email the hosts directly with some pre-sales questions. Sounds like you are off to a good start with doing the research!
Good for you! :D

Hello Jenn,

You have a good list of hosts there, all those hosts are pretty well known and have quite a few good reviews on these forums. You obviously know what you want and where you need to be with your reseller account, so why not chat with a few of these hosts on some of the worries you might have with any particular accounts or any particular software you need.

You can try them on live chat (if they provide it, which I am sure most of those companies do) or just shoot them a sales email. Also, if these forums were not enough reviews, you can visit:

http://www.hostsearch.com

Search up the hosts you have on this list and get a good idea of what customers are saying about them.

Good luck in your search!

- John

Hi Jenn,

You have a good list there.. What's your budget for this package?

You may also want to try hostvoice.com for more suggestions on hosts.. :)

For a reseller, the experience of the provider is quite important, and, ultimately, it is time that dictates the validity of its business model.

Archive.org can help you find how long a provider has been in business, and specifically in the reseller hosting business.

It looks to me like pricing was not the most important criterion for you, and that's a great approach.

I've used a Hostgator shared hosting accounts for 3+ years now (I can't believe myself when I think about it). If they can get the same uptime levels on their reseller hosting servers, they're definitely a wise choice. That being said, the number of reviews you can get in a thread like this is limited. You need a relatively broad spectrum of reviews to judge a host, so past history/records remain your best ally.

it's a larger problem that needs a knowledgable tech support person on the other end -- whether it be by phone or chat (I prefer chat).I must suggest care in this department. Manpower is not a negligible cost, and many (if not most) hosts will have level1 techs manning the live chat/phone, to get the simple issues out of the way for the higher level/better paid techs. It's a way to maximize the efficient use of resources, but it does mean you can find yourself being asked to open a ticket for the serious issues, that require server work done.

You have a very good list there, you're off to a great start! I would go spend some time on support forums (if they have) and like stated previously sending e-mails/calls to get a feel for support response times. Search these (and other forums) for customer feed back on each.

My short list of hosts would also include:

Dotable
KnownHost
Innohosting
Dathorn
Cartika
Sonet7

You have a very good list there, you're off to a great start! I would go spend some time on support forums (if they have) and like stated previously sending e-mails/calls to get a feel for support response times. Search these (and other forums) for customer feed back on each.

My short list of hosts would also include:

Dotable
KnownHost
Innohosting
Dathorn
Cartika
Sonet7
Have you had a experience with all of them?

Thank you all for your help. I ended up going with HostNine. So far their support has been excellent and their response times very quick. Their setup is quite different from my previous reseller host (not to mention about 1/4 of the price!), so I have a bit of a learning curve, but they've been very helpful so far and haven't made me feel like an idiot! LOL. I'll have to let you all know how I feel again in a few months once I've transferred all my domains over.

Thanks again!
Jenn

One of the reasons I hesitate to put a "list" out is that I have to answer this question again = )

I normally will stay with a good host for years and years until problems/resource requirements/budget force me to find a new host. I then start doing my research and try to narrow my list down to 3-6 hosts or so (unfortunately the number of excellent hosts seems to be increasing IMHO) and then I will take out accounts with all of them for up to 3 months (of course if I have repeated bad support/quality issues I drop them sooner). I replicate my sites on them and get some of my "customers" to play around in them. I keep track on a tally sheet of all my thoughts/issues/support contacts/etc... and get a score.

Thats how I get to know most hosts. I also will every once in awhile get an account with someone who looks really impressive just to see how my current host stacks up. So that's how I know most of the hosts on my "list". There are a few that I do not have direct knowledge of but they have made my list based on my research, support contacts and conversations with various users on WHT who are current customers.

Again this list is just based on my personal research/experience and as I say to everyone do your own research to find the best answer for yourself.

Have you had a experience with all of them?

I also agree that you have a good approach and have a good list. I also went though this process a while back and came across HostNine. I have been extremely happy with the choice I have made. They are constantly making improvements (like upgrading the servers to dell poweredge) and the support and service is amazing! As others suggested you can check the forums for reviews and also contact the sales team on live chat, phone, etc. I contacted the sales team with like 40 questions before I started - I am sure I drove them nuts, but they still helped me everytime.
Just wanted to let you know some personal experience and good luck with your search.