Greetings
I'm looking for a reseller web hosting service that provides cPanel/WHM on Unix. I am currently in email discussion with one provider but before I make my decision I would really like to get some (constructive?) feedback from this forum (which I have been perusing for the past 2 days).
Need/Looking for:
Unix hosting
cPanel/WHM
Canadian (preferred - don't want to work around fluctuating dollar values)
Pacific Coast time (would be nice to be in the same timezone but not 'cast in stone' ;o) )
Not pre-set packages (ie I want to set up my own)
Not limited to # of domains (hey, some of these accounts I have are small! :) )
A host that actually provides their geographical location - ok, I know we're in the age of electronic communication but if you don't have a mailing address showing on your website, I'm not comfortable going with your business. Show me that you are established and possibly have a 'storefront'.
In biz for more than a couple of years
Phone support - at least during the daytime
24/7 email support
Last but not least - decent, polite and quick as possible SUPPORT.
I don't mind paying more than the so-called 'going' or hottest competitive rate - I'd rather pay for good service and support.
I'm not a reseller by trade per se - rather got into it to provide my clients hosting options (they didn't want to deal with it) and so that I could be familiar with one basic system to minimize learning curves when handling problems. So I don't have a lot of accounts but am looking at expanding this and...?
I looked at Cartika but am hesitant at this time to switch site management programs - I'm pretty happy with cPanel. (Cartika gets great reviews :) so I'm tempted.) I have checked through and searched reviews and then gone to a number of different sites to peruse.
yes, I have googled plenty - but if you folks have anything to add or suggest, I would be most appreciative. I really want to move to a stable company that doesn't reply to my support queries with cryptic 2-line responses (that unfortunately come off very rude!). I honestly don't need a lot of support but when a problem arises I want to be able to speak to someone or at least have a decent email discussion as to the problem where there is mutual respect.
wow - did my frustration leak out ;)
many thanks in advance for your help.
Shell
(A snowed-in westcoaster)

Hello Shell. I suppose that you have never heard of "Find a host" option here on the WHT and you can leave it and subscribed companies will reply to you if they have what to offer.
Good luck

I checked the link at the top and went to the Reseller Hosting but it appeared to just have some 'ads' for about 5 reseller hosts. I'll check again and see what I missed.
thanks for your reply
Shell

Do you have any pre-existing needs, such as disk space/bandwidth? Also, are you looking for a fully Canadian host, I believe Cartika's servers are based in US (don't quote me on that though!), or just one allowing CAD payments?
I'd probably say your best bet is to check the offers in the advertising section of these forums :)

I don't have a large requirement presently. 7 accounts plus a couple of my own. Am looking to expand/grow so probably starter account to begin with and then upgrade as I go along. So far have set up accounts to 1100MB of space and bandwidth in December was under a gig. Most of my clients have fairly static sites and not loads of traffic - geo location of servers not an issue - just didn't want to hassle with US$/CDN$ up/down and monitoring costs in that regard. However it's more important to me to find the right fit, good customer service and flexibility. I prefer cPanel as that is what I am currently using and I want to install WHMCS for billing.
I've checked through a number of sites for hosts on this Forum and am perhaps limiting myself by CDN preference. Cost is not as much of an issue - I'd rather pay a bit more and have the ability to communicate effectively with support when problems arise. I have been with my current provider since May 2005 and have little good to say. I don't require a lot of support (otherwise I would have given up ages ago) - really! I'm quite capable of handling most issues that arise and problem solving on my own.
Anyway, I've got to make a decision pretty quickly so I'll plug away at it for a couple more hours.
thanks so much for your reply.
Shell

ok - so I expanded my search. And then I narrowed down choices due to reviews/responses on the forum.
Thanks to Diligenthost.com and Sibername.com for their replies.
I hope I didn't overstep the bounds of the forum rules - I was looking for referrals based on the criteria I outlined. I did locate the "Find a Host" section where I could input details (sorry I do tend to block out sections where there are ads).
Anyway, I'll follow-up once I've moved and settled.
Shell

I originally passed over this thread back when it didn't have any replies since I couldn't recommend a host that _entirely_ met your needs.
That said, I have personal experience with the following two companies through colocation, but both operate a shared hosting division that could possibly work for you.
ServerTag - Servers located in Toronto. Reseller accounts offered on the main page, but Dan bills in USD, which could be a deal breaker. He'll usually work out a deal for you if you contact their sales dept.
CaratNetworks - Servers located in Hamilton (40km from Toronto). Originally ClearanceRack. New facility, great network. They offer shared hosting but no visible reseller hosting on the site. Ticket response times are fast, and Chris & Chris do a good job keeping everything online. Chris could probably work out reasonable reseller plan if you contacted them.
Of course, if you can live with the control panel that Cartika uses, they'd be an excellent choice! :agree:
And cheers to you for buying Canadian :caflag:

Yes well I did try to do that :-) (buy Canadian) I have signed up for an account with a US provider who has posts in these forums but thank you so much for your reply. The billing in USD is just something I guess you have to live with given the geo-location of a lot of the servers. Cartika appears to have a great reputation and the only drawback was that I'm on an extremely tight time schedule so learning a new system just couldn't be squeezed in right now.
This has been a great forum and I plan to visit frequently :)
Thanks again Adam-AEC