Could somebody please recommend a very stable hosting company with a 24x7 tech support? The support must be provided either over the phone or over online chat (ICQ type of chat is fine as well).

I don't have a reccomendation but just some tips ...

Almost everyone out there boasts 24/7 support .. the thing is not many of them live up to it. Also a lot of them just send you an automated message which says that your 'support ticket' is logged but only get back to you much later. And the third thing is what kind of support is 24/7 .... there is a difference of how to tell someone how to use FTP and to help them set up DNS resoulutions across 3 servers ... some guys will give you basic info 24/7 (his mom sits there with "teach yourself webhosting in 21 days") but for the major help you will have to wait for his 'office hours' ... but in all fairness there are genuine 24/7 support guys ... just be carefull where you go ...

http://www.dixiesys.com

I had a problem at 2.30 on Thanksgiving and they were there for me. Their 24 support is a fact and it is offered via ICQ, mIRC channel, forums, and helpdesk. They also have a 9am-7pm phone support

Most of the host gives you 24 X7X365 promises but how many keep there promises its mystery.

Carboran: dixiesys.com told me themselves that they provide a 24x7 tech support only via help desk. Tech support through chat is not supported on a 24x7 basis.

I understand that companys that offer a hosting service for a few bucks a month can't afford a 24x7 tech support. That is why I am not looking for a cheap plan. Are there any companies that would charge you something extra but would provide a true 24x7 tech support?

Small companies can also provide 24/7 support .. that's where outsourced tech support comes in ....

I can provide 24/7 support because I've got people staffed in different countries. So, when I'm asleep another tech is on, and then when that tech is asleep, another is on. So, it's pretty constant.

And 24/7 support doesn't mean there will be about 12 people working the night shift/early morning. But it does mean someone is standing by the emails and will respond after they find a resolution.

I think that is pretty basic for most companies who claim to provide 24/7 support. :)

http://www.hostmatix.com/

My host, they say they have 24x7 support, yet sometimes you have to wait 6 days for a reply to your support ticket...hmm...:angry:

So don't let things on sites saying "24x7 live support!" mislead you, it mislead me a bit, although I didn't expect the full 24x7 I expected attentive support and maybe support tickets being replied to within 6 hours.

Originally posted by alosito
Carboran: dixiesys.com told me themselves that they provide a 24x7 tech support only via help desk. Tech support through chat is not supported on a 24x7 basis.

Right, I'm the only one on ICQ and I'm not here 24/7, IRC support is very nearly 24/7 but there are times when no one is actively available, and the helpdesk is manned 24/7 by at least one person actively monitoring new tickets and support requests.

As soon as I figure out a way to pipe ICQ into the IRC help channel so that anyone in the help channel can answer ICQ messages via a gateway then ICQ will be 24/7 but so far no dice.

Originally posted by Dixiesys


As soon as I figure out a way to pipe ICQ into the IRC help channel so that anyone in the help channel can answer ICQ messages via a gateway then ICQ will be 24/7 but so far no dice.

Hey Gary,

If you figure this out give me a buzz mate.

Originally posted by TheTech
I can provide 24/7 support because I've got people staffed in different countries. So, when I'm asleep another tech is on, and then when that tech is asleep, another is on. So, it's pretty constant.

And 24/7 support doesn't mean there will be about 12 people working the night shift/early morning. But it does mean someone is standing by the emails and will respond after they find a resolution.

I think that is pretty basic for most companies who claim to provide 24/7 support. :)
We are in a similar position. HN has 2 offices, one in Australia and one in the US. This way support is truly covered and we all get sleep - very important. :)

True, it is expensive running another office and paying for toll free support there but we aren't super cheap and manage it quite well.