For those of you who visit this web site in search of information to help you decide on a web hosting company, I strongly urge you to read this carefully.

Based on the actions of individuals employeed at 2mhost.com, it is my opinion that this company is very unprofessional and does not value potential clients.

Here's my story:

I'm currently working in Bangkok, Thailand as a Consultant for a large telecom. As a side project, I started developing a personal web site and was in need of reliable, inexpensive hosting. I found 2mhost.com and decided to register. The process was simple enough, and I was told that my account would be activated within 6 hours, pending credit card authorization. Well, more than 24 hours passed and I still had not received confirmation. So, I visited 2mhost.com to find a Customer Service phone # but was unable to. So I submitted an on-line contact form. At that point, I assumed that since I placed my order the previous evening it might take a bit longer to process. This afternoon (Bangkok time), I received the following email from 2mhost.com:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "2MHost.com Contracts Dept." <contracts@2msrv6.com>
RE: 2cute4u.com

just take an air-plane tonight from Thailand to USA and place your
order from there so we can pass your order.

you are the first card fraus ask this question :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was surprised and upset at the email for several reasons.

1) This individual obviously assumed that I was making a fraudulent request based purely on my IP Address being in Thailand. Oh, that's right, no one from the USA has ever made a purchase on the internet while overseas.

2) Instead of notifying me of a possible concern, this individual preferred sending a smart-ass comment.

3) I was not notified of a problem until I made an inquiry.

4) They still refused to process my request, even though all the information I provided was valid and legitimate.

5) I must now find another web-hosting company and repeat the process.


My biggest complaint is that I deserved an explanation, not a short, snide remark by someone who obviously does not have a firm grasp of the English language.

I expect a web hosting company and it's employees to be professional. They should have processes in place to ensure that "questionable" account requests get investigated to ensure that an error hasn't occured on either side.

I informed them that they had only one opportunity to correct the problem. Unfortunately, 2mhost.com refused to accept that they made an error, and I'm sure that an apology is not forthcoming.

My only recourse is ensuring that other would-be clients are made aware of the possible problems with 2mhost.com. If the ignorance of one employee is this great, then I would be concerned about how this company would respond if my website crashed or if I needed technical assistance.

I'm sure that many people who read this may have had positive experiences with 2mhost.com. They are the lucky ones.

And if someone who works for 2mhost.com reads this, my only suggestion to you is to keep up the crappy work. That will ensure your failure and allow other more customer-oriented web-hosting companies to flourish.

Finally, My advice: Go somewhere else for your web-hosting. Don't fall for the $1.50 - $2.50 a month /Unlimited Bandwidth crap. Read the fine print. If someone even downloads a document from your site, FREE/unlimited no longer applies to you.

Good luck in your search, common sense should prevail in any decision, and it looks as though your common sense is sharp.

Sorry you ran into trouble with them.

http://webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23749&highlight=2mhost

That should be enough to get you started.
http://webhostingtalk.com/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=670141&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

Will give you a lot on 2mhost.com

I see you're new. Please spend a while at WHT and look for someone respectable. There are quite a few. You will find them if you search. There is a lot of information here on hundreds of hosting companies - good and bad.

You can go to 'web hosting requests' and post your requirements. You will get several responses, I'm sure. That will give you an idea of some people to start. Just remember that the cheap guys are cheap for a reason, and usually it is because they have less support or too many people per server, but not always.

I've spent the last hour reading through what seems like hundreds of negative posts about this company. I realize now that my mistake was not making myself aware of their poor reputation by visiting this forum earlier. I believe the owner's incompetance saved me many hours of unnecessary frustration. At least I have that to be thankful for. I was naive to think that this person might actually be concerned by threats of spreading negative publicity about his company. It's obvious he doesn't care.

Oh well...guess it's time to find a REAL web-hosting company.

Any suggestions?

http://splashhost.com

Alan will take care of anything you need, and he is quite reasonable.

Originally posted by tmart100
Any suggestions?

The hosts that I could personally recommend would be.

www.method5.com
www.definitivehosting.com
www.httpme.com
www.edchosting.com

I've personally worked for them over the last year (All of them), and would trust them to take care of you.

Obviously it wouldn't be right to recommend ourselves in this forum.

just want to mention in clear area

user submit a US credit card info (address, city, .. from USA ) his IP from Thailand.



ahaaaaaaa ..... sorry i have no time to read it all .. but

i got BIG order ( $70+ ) for new domain 2cute2u.com or something by IP from Thailand 203.144.144.186 using USA Credit card

if you submited here 1000000s thread i'll consider you card fraud and will not pass your order :)

p.s. i do not think "Thailand as a Consultant for a large telecom" will even interst in 2cute2u

FRAUD

skelley1, Samuel

do you will registr 2cute2u with some big order to Thailand IP using US credit card Holder .. good luck then ...i have a lot like that will forward them to you all
:emlaugh:

i have one from Indonisia also want a reseller account .. he aslo a head-surfer of BIG communication company work in Indonesia .. but he is American have card by name Leslie

:emlaugh:

Dear 2mhost,

We knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up with your excuses. Your reputation definitely precedes you. It's safe to say that everyone who visits this site is wholly familiar with the poor quality of service and lack of customer support at 2mhost.

Uh, Thailand Credit Card? Exactly, what does that mean? Visa is world-wide company. They probably even have Visa in the country where you come from.

This is my personal thank you for not completing my request for a web hosting account. As I mentioned earlier, I prefer not doing business with you.

Your ignorance/incompetence is staggering. I am amazed that you had the intellectual fortitude to start a web hosting "company" (term used VERY loosely).

I am amazed at your lack of professionalism. Do you realize that with every post you submit on this web site, you are losing potential customers?

It would have been very easy for you to validate my billing information. All you had to do was send me a request for a copy of my passport and/or driver's license. I would have been happy to provide any information to you. But obviously your mind does not function in a logical way.

It also seems interesting that I've been able to purchase flowers, electronic equipment, clothes, on-line services with my credit card while I've lived in Thailand and never experienced any problems or ever heard any accusations of Fraud. Oh wait, that's right. The brilliant minds behind 2mhost.com have built a "Special" Computer that determines the legitimacy of an order based on the origin of an IP Address. You should hurry up and patent that idea.

As far as my personal interest in a website called 2cute4u.com, what does it have to do with my profession?

In any case, I am glad that I didn't get stuck with your hosting company.

Keep up the crappy work and post more comments here often. Looking forward to a 404 next time I visit your website.

Sincerely,
"FRAUD"

P.S. If you consider a $70 order for annual service a "BIG" order, then I guess business must not be going so well ;)

That's interesting. A person can't be a recident in the US and work overseas. Are all people from Thailand and Indonesia frauds? I don't think so! That would be terrible, and I'm sure the people there will agree. 2mhost, NEVER acuse an entire country for being fraudulent.

Originally posted by 2Mhost
Samuel

do you will registr 2cute2u with some big order to Thailand IP .. good luck then ...i have a lot like that will forward them to you all


Is that a threat?

Are you really that freaking dense?

BTW, you just posted what looks to be your customer information right here on the board.

I'm going to recommend the moderators of this forum take issue with your comments here and consider a temporary ban for attacking not only myself, but skelley1.

Why? Because I haven't talked to a more beligerant fool as yourself in a very long time.

I've taken your threat seriously and am considering my legal options.

ahaaaaaaa ..... sorry i have no time to read it all .. but

You didnt have time to read 7 posts!! :confused: Thats just lame.

If you thought it was a fraudulent order then you can let the person know in a decent manner, there is no need for smart arse comments.

I really want to make some comment about this guy's (2Mhosts) contribution to WHT but I won't because I know I am going to get angry. :cartman:

My god..

Someone remind the 6 year-olds mother that it is past his bed time :rolleyes:

You mean, you deciphered what he said? :eek: :D

They actually did the right thing by knocking back the order. We would have knocked it back too. Maybe they could have been more polite in the email back etc. More diplomatic etc. :)

Why is that the right thing to do?

Originally posted by sanjiv
Why is that the right thing to do?
IP from Thialand and credit card from USA. That's not a good mix. :eek3:

Originally posted by Aussie Bob
IP from Thialand and credit card from USA. That's not a good mix. :eek3:

Credit card from the USA? I didn't read that. I did read it was a VISA card though. From the customer's comment I'm presuming the card had a Thai address.

Seems like a perfectly good customer as far as I can see. I personally may have kept an eye on the order, but if everything checked out there doesn't seem to be any reason not to set up the account.

Greg More

Originally posted by akashik
Credit card from the USA? I didn't read that. I did read it was a VISA card though. From the customer's comment I'm presuming the card had a Thai address.
Nope.
Oh, that's right, no one from the USA has ever made a purchase on the internet while overseas.
Address of credit card - USA.

IP of order - Thialand.

99% of times, that would be fraud.

I have to agree with AussieBob.

Whilst the attitude of 2mhost was clearly wrong, and he should have been polite not rude, his actions in refusing orders of this type are likely to save a whole bunch of decent citizens from having incorrect charges appear on their cards.

We too reject orders like this. Usually we'll ask for a signed fax from the cardholder with proof of identity etc. Sometimes it's very obviously fraudulent and we'd just refuse it.

It's a good reason for processing all card orders manually and applying some common-sense checks!

Double check is always good practise, but don't some people from the US work in Thailand or other countries that are "blacklisted"? Do you only accept cards from Thailand at a Thailand IP? If I went to the US and lived there for 6 months, would I be able to sign up for hosting with my Swedish card?

Anyway, always be polite to the costumer, and if in doubt, double check, reply to e-mails, and so on.

missed that - Greg needs more coffee.

Greg Moore

The issue is not that the order was not taken it was the way the customer was informed. There are alot of ways to explain to a customer why the order was rejected.

Originally posted by Aussie Bob


Address of credit card - USA.

IP of order - Thialand.

99% of times, that would be fraud.


Let me get this straight, if an IP Address is located in a country that is different from the country of a credit card's billing address, 99% of the time the on-line transaction is a fraud?

Do you have any idea how many expatriate American Citizens (and Australian Citizens) there are around the world who have to purchase products and services on-line? You are saying that they make up only 1% of attempted overseas transactions?

My billing address is in the USA because my credit card company will not send my bill overseas. I've made hundreds of on-line transactions while living in Thailand and that never raised red flags with any merchant that I'vedone business with.

Granted, it's in 2mhost's best interest to investigate the order further. But to completely discount it as fraud and to send such an arrogant email is totally unacceptable.

There are many ways for an on-line merchant to verify the authenticity of a credit card transaction. I was perfectly willing to bend over backwards to provide any extra information/documentation.

The point isn't whether or not 2mhost approved my account, it's about how he dealt with me (the prospective customer) after he had some concern with my credit card. Any decent hosting company would have sent something along the lines of:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Prospective Customer,

Unfortunately, we were unable to process your request for a web hosting account because we require our overseas customers to provide additional information for your own security. However, if you would be willing to provide the additional account information, we will be happy to contact your credit card company to resolve this matter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Instead, he sends that ridiculous email and then post additional negative comments. He makes no attempt to resolve this issue.

Am I asking for too much???


P.S. 2mhost, feel free to use the above email template as your own

I can't help but notice that there is a certain amount of prejudice against the 'poorer' eastern countries here.

Credit card from USA, IP from Thailand, why is that more likely to be fraud then credit card from USA, IP from UK?

Its not as if the USA and European countries have no fraud at all, in fact credit card scams worth hundreds of thousands have been found running in the UK and USA.

Each case should be judged on its own, not a sweeping "Thailand = fraud" way.

Originally posted by tmart100
Let me get this straight, if an IP Address is located in a country that is different from the country of a credit card's billing address, 99% of the time the on-line transaction is a fraud?
Absolutely!! :)
Do you have any idea how many expatriate American Citizens (and Australian Citizens) there are around the world who have to purchase products and services on-line? You are saying that they make up only 1% of overseas transactions?
The system is not perfect but it's all we've got. If you're from the USA and you travel overseas, and you then jump on the net from Thialand to order something, chances are the credit card processing facility will knock you back. They see that the IP of the order is from one country and your credit card address is from another country.
My billing address is in the USA because my credit card company will not send my bill overseas. I've made hundreds of on-line transactions while living in Thailand and that never raised red flags with any merchant that I've done business with.
That's unusual and a bit worrying for the merchants involved. Maybe not all merchants are being as vigilant as they should be?
Granted, it's in 2mhost's best interest to investigate the order further. But to completely discount it as fraud and to send such an arrogant email is totally unacceptable.
Yep.
There are many ways for an on-line merchant to verify the authenticity of a credit card transaction. I was perfectly willing to bend over backwards to provide any extra information/documentation.
Yes, but one of the main checks is if the IPs match the credit card details of the country etc....
The point isn't whether or not 2mhost approved my account, it's about how he dealt with me (the prospective customer) after he had some concern with my credit card. Any decent hosting company would have sent something along the lines of:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Prospective Customer,

Unfortunately, we were unable to process your request for a web hosting account because we require our overseas customers to provide additional information for your own security. However, if you would be willing to provide the additional account information, we will be happy to contact your credit card company to resolve this matter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Instead, he sends that ridiculous email and then post additional negative comments. He makes no attempt to resolve this issue.
Absolutely. :)
Am I asking for too much???
No.

We must've gotten a good mention somewhere in the East, as a few months ago we started to receive a lot of Malaysian/Indonesian/Thai orders. Not one has bounced. We have resellers from that area, some of who seem to cater to web design groups from what I can make of their forums. And the orders from there have been good and valid. If Revecom pass it, we'll process it. 3 chargebacks in 2 years, 2 US and 1 UK. Happy enough with that.

The only one that seemed to be a bit of a concern was advice that a quarterly cheque was coming via Fedex. Every day whilst the payment was in transit we were asked for access "in a hurry" but refused. A wise choice, but unnecessary in this case as the cheque finally did arrive and cleared successfully.

That's our experience with the situation anyway.

Cheers

Gary

Originally posted by headshox
Credit card from USA, IP from Thailand, why is that more likely to be fraud then credit card from USA, IP from UK?
I don't make the rules. I just play in the game. :)

That's why some folks block certian IPs from their sites. It's not a perfect solution, but it's something....:o

:eek: bad situation....

while I too would have probably had the order knocked, I would only do so if I could not verify the authenticity of the order.

1) It takes only 5 minutes for the company to call the customer
2) It takes only 2 minutes for the company to ask for a fax of the front of the card.

While most customers would object to #2 (I've had one from singapore), I think they'd understand that they are doing it both for the benefit of the company and for the benefit of the consumer.

Definitely lacking in tact. And it was such a smart-assed comment. I'm actually happy for you that they didn't setup your account for you after all.

There'll be plenty of other genuinely good hosts out there willing to give you the space you need. I'd recommend the host I'm currently using - Alwayswebhosting, but you can always post up a request in the forums and hear the best offers.

Good luck! ;)

As far as I can tell, this is a dead issue.

Merchant vigilance is expected; Poor customer service is not.

Although I agree that every web hosting company has an obligation to the card holder to ensure that a transaction is valid, there is no excuse for 2mhost's lame email and subsequent indecipherable posts.

I wanted to share my experience and help others make a more informed decision when choosing a web hosting company.

Although I knew 2mhost would take offense to my comments, I was very surprised at how eloquently he argued his position. 2mhost, you are definitely a case study in English grammar. ;)

I want to thank everyone for contributing their opinions.

The lesson I have learned: Get a Thai Visa Card and visit this forum more often

The lesson 2mhost should learn: Treat potential customers with the same courtesy and professionalism you extend paying customers. Pissing me off cost you more than you can know.

The customer service issue is quite an essential point here. Being informed that further details are required for a fraud check is not an insult, but a sign of professionalism. It makes the customer feel protected, not victimised.

Originally posted by tmart100
The lesson I have learned: Get a Thai Visa Card and visit this forum more often
:D:agree:

well ... i read it all now ..

listen i'm mistaken to be so rude .. thats true .. i'm sorry.

so i have to replace my response with some polite responses. but i want some excuse .. 2mhost like other hosting companies suffers from fraud orders, card holder info from US IPs from Asia, Card holder info from Switzerland and Ip from Turkey ( i read this order now )

i got around 20 signup daily, 4-6 fraud orders.

what i usually do i to erase the order only, but in this case i surprised when i found the customer send about his order !! this is the first time i got such message .. so i replied rude because i thaught i have Rude Fraud!

again .. sorry if i missed the proper way to answer, but still i'll not able to accept orders from US ppl work overseas :) or any other ppl work overseas ..

Originally posted by 2Mhost
skelley1, Samuel

do you will registr 2cute2u with some big order to Thailand IP .. good luck then ...i have a lot like that will forward them to you all
:emlaugh:

i have one from Indonisia also want a reseller account .. he aslo a head-surfer of BIG communication company work in Indonesia .. but he is Amercan have card by name Leslie

:emlaugh:

As a matter of fact, Leslie is also a man's name. Ever heard of the actor, Leslie Nielson?

I'm in agreement that credit cards from certain countries that have IP's from other certain countries are a concern. The largest spam and less-than-moral adult sites use this technique quite regularly from what I've seen.

This does not, however, excuse your actions in this situation as I see it. You have no tact. There is no reason to attack people when you could quite as easily have politely explained the circumstances and asked for more information. Do you just enjoy pi$$ing people off? At this point, this person sounds like a legitimate individual and deserves a chance. The majority of people in Asia are not crooks - even those with VISA cards.

You'll put yourself out of business soon anyway acting like this. Had you been "professional" in this situation, you would have had yourself another client, providing his information actually checks out clean, which it probably does. You didn't give you, or he, the chance.

It's interesting how your grammar and attitude have simultaneously improved. I'll chalk it up to damage control.

Originally posted by 2Mhost
what i usually do i to erase the order only, but in this case i surprised when i found the customer send about his order !! this is the first time i got such message .. so i replied rude because i thaught i have Rude Fraud!

Hmmm...is it possible that I responded negatively because the order was Legitimate?

If you're not prepared to deal with customers, perhaps you should invest in additional personnel with customer service backgrounds.

And if you have an unwritten policy to turn away customers working overseas, perhaps you should PUBLISH THAT FACT ON YOUR WEBSITE! Don't waste my time or anyone else's time.

Here, I'll help with the text:

Notice: If you are living overseas, please do not bother to register for an account because I am making so much money screwing existing customers that I don't care about you. Even if your credit card is valid, GO AWAY!

Update: Just recieved confirmation from definitivehosting.com that my account has been approved and is available...and with no authorization problems. Wow! So this what it feels like to have a real web hosting company!

Ok, I think everyone gets the point. Fraud screening, rudeness, apology, etc.