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  1. #1

    Thumbs down ServerTweak harddrive failure, horrible support

    On the 16th of MAY, I began to notice my server doing strange things. Some commands were giving errors, and pressing enter at the shell didn't go to a new line. After a while, SSH died, but services like apache were still running. On my phpsysinfo page, everything showed up fine, except for the area displaying the hard drive info, which had an error. My friend who helps me run the server said it was probably a failing hard drive, so I submitted a support ticket to servertweak.

    Ivan replied asking for my client id. I wasn't on the computer until the next day, so I didn't reply until the 17th. He told me it was rebooted, but I couldn't ssh, so I told him how I thought it was a failing hard drive. He asked for SSH details so he could have an admin look into it. Gave them the info. Steven replied asking why I thought it was hard drive problem. I told him why.
    The next day, Ivan replied asking if I was still having problems. I told him I was unable to ssh to the server. He said he would setup a new server 'today', which was the 18th of May. I gave them a livecd to boot to, so I could use it to transfer files from the old hard drive to the new drive.
    I didn't get any replies, and on the 20th I asked if there were any updates. Ivan told me that the link I gave them had been broken, and they were downloading the iso now. When I tried the link on the 18th, it had worked, and it also worked on the 20th.
    Two more days passed, and I asked them if the server was ready. Ivan said "server with live CD will be ready tomorrow by 5pm".
    Two days later (the 24th of May) I asked them what was going on. Ivan replied "7PM now we on your server now".
    On the 25th, Ivan told me the server was up, and the livecd was in. I was able to ssh, but I found that only the new hard drive had been connected. The old drive wasn't. I told him about this, and he said "I have your HD next to the server, I plan on putting in a usb casing for you to pull the info.".
    On the 26th, I was unable to ssh, and I hadn't gotten any replies. I asked them what was going on, and Ivan said the USB harddrive would be connected in 2 hours.
    On the 27th, he tells me "they are having problems reading the old hard drive, but they are still trying".
    I wasn't able to reply until the 28th, but on the 28th I told them all I wanted them to do was to boot the livecd with both harddrives connected. I could get the files myself. Ivan replies asking if I had not copied the files from the old hard drive yet. I tell him that I am STILL unable to ssh to the server.
    On the 29th, he tells me that my port is shut off because I have $83.99 due. I had been having billing problems since I got the server, with the billing system either billing for the wrong amount, or making the invoices due too early. I told him that the invoice should not be due until the 10th of June.
    On the 30th, no reply.
    31st, I ask them whats going on with my server, and Steven says he will see what he can do. He then replies "Ok I've sent an administrator to your server to check a number of things such as if the server is turned on and if the billing has affected your port.". Ivan replies telling me that the livecd is started and ssh is up. I tell him I still can't ssh to the server. He asks for the command to start SSHd, which I had given him many times before in the ticket, and says "admin on the way to start it". An hour later he tells me the server is up. I am able to ssh, but all I can do is enter the username 'root', then the server just hangs, as if the livecd isn't in the drive anymore. I tried from multiple servers, but still couldn't ssh. I asked them about this, and an hour later, I was unable to ssh to the server at all, but hadn't gotten a reply yet. Finally, Ivan tells me he can ping the server, but can't ssh either.
    On the 1st of June, I ask him what version of the livecd it is, and he tells me it is the x86 version. The same livecd had worked in the server before, but it was the amd64 version. The link I had given him WAS the amd64 version, but for some reason, he downloaded the x86 instead? Anyway, I told him to try the amd64 version since it had worked in that same server before.
    2nd, Ivan says he is 'swapping servers for me now'. I have no idea why he would be doing this, since all I asked him to do was put in the amd64 livecd.
    3rd, I ask him what the status of my server is. He says he 'will do a hd swap'. I don't get why he was doing this either, since all I wanted him to do was put a new Hard drive and the old hard drive in the server.
    4th, no reply.
    5th, I reply twice telling them this is taking way too long, and Ivan tells me "gectoo isnt our taste". I had been using Gentoo on this server, but I do NOT see why that would matter, when all they have to do is hardware related. I was going to be the one copying the files over. I told him all he needs to do is put the 2 hard drives in a server, and boot the livecd. He replies " on Wed, I'll do my best and fastest i can to get you a new server going by wedesday night, i ready ordered new server parts this morning". Why did he have to order server parts?? Back on the 18th of may, he said a new server would be up by the 19th, but how could that be possible if he didn't even have the server parts?
    On the 6th, he says "your server is being worked on now doing HD swap".
    7th, no reply.
    8th, Ivan says "Hello, server is booted on old drive but hangs. what you like to do?". Of COURSE the old drive hangs, its failing! I reply asking them WHY they would boot to the old hard drive, when I told them to boot to the cd! He tells me "we booted on the old drive as requested in this ticket and in a new server." I had told him OVER AND OVER that I wanted the LIVECD booted.
    9th no reply.
    10th, Steven replies " I'm going to contact Ivan now and see what's up with your case." He then tells me " We already have your CD plugged into the server, old harddrive is in there and so is the new harddrive.". I give him the command to start SSHd AGAIN, even though I had posted it 5-6 times in that ticket.
    11th, he says he is sending an admin to start sshd. He then says, and I swear this is true, "I've been trying to locate your server. Somehow it's not labelled. Sorry about this delay I'm trying to get some more information about your server now.". Steve, who is supposed to be "Head of Customer Support", doesn't even know where my server is?
    12th, no reply.
    13th, Steven says "Ivan's told me he'll look into it tomorrow morning."
    14th, I ask them if Ivan has looked into it yet, no reply.
    15th and 16th, no reply.
    17th, Ivan says "Supporting gentoo isnt working out, im sorry to say that we cant continue gentoo server unless you pick a supported OS". They do not have to do ANYTHING software related. I do not get how this would have ANYTHING to do with putting 2 harddrives in a server and booting a cd.
    18th, Steven tells me he still can't find the server.
    That was the last contact I've had with them.

    Over a month to replace a hard drive, I have never seen support as horrible as this. If you haven't guessed by now, I have a new server from a different provider that I am very happy with, but I still don't have my old data. I guess this teaches me to make backups. I was still working on making a script to back up my server, but I hadn't made it move the backups to a remote server yet.

    Update: Now my ticket status is "closed" .

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Bay Area - Ca
    Posts
    302
    Oh wow, its over a month ans you are still without the server?
    There billing is a problem, they bill way before the due date and this goes on month-after-month.

    I hope you get your issue resolved.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    NJ, USA
    Posts
    6,645
    I've never ever had a problem with ServerTweak. I loved being with them. That's really sad to hear.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Dougy View Post
    I've never ever had a problem with ServerTweak. I loved being with them. That's really sad to hear.
    I'm guessing your hard drive didn't fail then. I thought ServerTweak was pretty nice too, until this happened.

    Edit: Steven has told me that he has "absolutely no idea where it (my server) is". Ivan seemed to know where my server was because he said he was going to boot the livecd, but he hasn't responded since the 17th.
    Last edited by TarballX; 06-20-2007 at 01:54 PM.

  5. #5
    If they don't know where the server is that is a sign of them being very disorganized. Run.
    Linux/BSD Systems Administrator

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    599
    Ouch, thanks for the review of their support.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    1,426
    wow man, I would be so mad. And they even had the nerve to cut you off due to billing. I usually dont read posts this long but this one caught my eye. I guess thats why its good to do off site backup.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    NJ, USA
    Posts
    6,645
    You know, I've got the feeling this gentlemen went over his 1 hour of admin time per month.

    Because I have a few friends at STN, I spoke to them and they said that he will have his situation sorted. They know about it, and are unhappy that he does not have a server.

    Quote Originally Posted by Blackknight
    If they don't know where the server is that is a sign of them being very disorganized. Run.
    I disagree. ServerTweak is fantastic to deal with and host with. You might have a bad hiccup like this, but generally they will do you nothing but favors and help you when needed.
    Last edited by Dougy; 06-21-2007 at 08:24 AM. Reason: Adding in quote

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Dougy View Post
    I disagree. ServerTweak is fantastic to deal with and host with. You might have a bad hiccup like this, but generally they will do you nothing but favors and help you when needed.
    That what I don't get. Their support seemed very good until this happened.. If it wasn't for this, I would probably written a good review about them.

    A final update on this.. Ivan told me that Steven couldn't find the server because Ivan had taken it out to rebuild it. This doesn't make sense to me since he was supposed to have given me a new server, so why would he be rebuilding it? He then said that he tried to pull my data into a new drive, but the old drive didn't make it, so I'm left without my files. Once again, he didn't listen to me. I told him over and over to just boot the livecd, and that was never done.

    If ServerTweak had gotten a new server up with both hard drives in and the livecd in 2-5 days after the hard drive failed, I would have been happy. Even if I hadn't been able to get any data off the drive, their support would have done what I told them to. But that never got done.

    Edit: SecureServerTech, they didn't manually shut off my port because of billing. Their system does it automatically, but since it had made the invoice due too early, it was shut off more than a week before it was due.
    Last edited by TarballX; 06-21-2007 at 03:07 PM.

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