Hi all,

Looking for cheap windows hosting just for a website. Nothing special required except for a MSSQL database.

Looking at fasthosts and I see they have one at 4.99 a month (I want UK based btw), just curious if anyone has any experiences of them or knows of any one better?

Thanks in advance! :agree:

Cheap is great. Just don't come back here and complain when you get what you paid for!

I would recommend against Fasthosts. I am currently in a dispute with them because they want to charge me in advance for an account I don't want and have never used, and they won't cancel the account because they think I owe them money (for future services that I don't want). :mad:

Did you submit cancellation request according to their TOS?
Some providers require 7-15 days in advanced to cancel an account.
A good provider should refund money for service unused.

I apparently signed up for a free trial and then completely forgot about it. I never used the services at all. Then suddenly out of the blue, I received notice that my renewal payment had been declined (my credit card was expired). I responded by asking them to cancel my account, since I've never used it and don't want it, but they insist that they can't cancel it unless I pay what they believe I owe - which is prepayment for a service that I don't even want! :eek:

Just ignore their email if they couldn't charge your card.
Your account will be canceled eventually.

I apparently signed up for a free trial and then completely forgot about it. I never used the services at all. Then suddenly out of the blue, I received notice that my renewal payment had been declined (my credit card was expired). I responded by asking them to cancel my account, since I've never used it and don't want it, but they insist that they can't cancel it unless I pay what they believe I owe - which is prepayment for a service that I don't even want! :eek:

If you "forgot" about it then it is your fault for not canceling. If you read their TOS (http://www.fasthosts.co.uk/terms/?page=general) it clearly stats for the free trial a "12 month minimum contract applies." it also states the "30 day money-back guarantee does not apply with this offer."

This is exactly why you should always read the TOS very carefully when deciding on a company.

I can clearly see why they are trying to bill you for it. When you signed up and agreed to the TOS you agreed to a 12 month contract, whether you used it or not.

That's not the free trial I had signed up for. My free trial was apparently for a year - which is how I forgot about it. They're telling me I had a whole year to cancel it before being billed. But without any communication from them since signing up a year ago, until I got the e-mail about my card being declined, it was easy to forget about it since I never actually did anything with it. :(

The stupid thing is that their TOS says that all services must be paid for in advance, so it shouldn't be that tough for them to just cancel my account since I won't pay in advance for services I don't want...

Before we drown in an unrelated Fasthosts debate - take a look at the shared hosting offers forum as you'll find drifting in the many *nix offers quite a few cheap windows offers too. link (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4).

Sorry, I hadn't meant to hijack the thread. I just wanted to warn the person asking that they might want to think twice about Fasthosts.

For what it's worth, I've had pretty good experience with HostGator, although I know you were looking for a UK-based company.

Just ignore their email if they couldn't charge your card.
Your account will be canceled eventually.

That's what I'm hoping, although I'm a little afraid they'll keep adding fees and try to go after me for it. :(

That's not the free trial I had signed up for. My free trial was apparently for a year - which is how I forgot about it. They're telling me I had a whole year to cancel it before being billed. But without any communication from them since signing up a year ago, until I got the e-mail about my card being declined, it was easy to forget about it since I never actually did anything with it. :(

The stupid thing is that their TOS says that all services must be paid for in advance, so it shouldn't be that tough for them to just cancel my account since I won't pay in advance for services I don't want...

This is apparently what I originally signed up for:
http://www.fasthosts.com/about-fasthosts/press-releases/29-sept-2008/

I agree that you get what you pay for.
Cheap is great until there is a problem.
If you absolutely must go cheap, then you should look for the cheapest company with 24/7 phone support.