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  1. #1

    Ezzi.net tech support hassle

    I rely on WHM for their guidance in choosing a host. I don't think I am alone. In the spirit of giving back, I just wanted to share a somewhat unpleasant tech support experience I had over at ezzi.net.

    My server was down. So I opened a live chat and gave them my IP.

    They told me they couldn't help me, I needed to open a ticket.

    So I click in and open a ticket. I post it to the Chat window, and say OK, here is the ticket.

    Then I get told, well, we can't do anything for you unless you end the chat. At this point I call them and ask what is going on. They tell me that if I don't stop bothering them then they won't do anything. They also remind me that tickets are handled on a first come first served basis. There is no facility for expediting or having urgent tickets. So I should be grateful there weren't too many other people with complex issues in front of me.

    The good news is that the server came back after a half hour, but the bad news is that they closed the ticket by saying the server was off, and blamed ME for shutting it down. OK guys, whatever.

    Even if they really think that was the case, there was no instructions or suggestions on how to determine if my box might have been hacked. (You'd think they would want to know about things like that happening in their datacenter. Guess not.)

    The best thing I can say about them is that they work most of the time. If there is a problem though, don't expect friendly or personalized support. Expect people to remain as as anonymous, evasive, surly and blame shifting as possible.

    I am not going to bother ripping out what I have over there at this point, but any new business will be hosted elsewhere. Ah well, hosts do go to seed sometimes.

    And if anyone reading this is from Ezzi, go find out what the heck is wrong with your company!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Hello.
    As far as I understand you were looking for help to up your server - you problem has been solved. So you have no to worry about.
    By the way, would you mind telling us what you have hosted with them to better understanding your problem.
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  3. #3
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    I am really sorry to hear of your experience, bob789.

    I have been subject to the same kind of treatment from various providers over the years. Drove me nuts!!!

    I also worked for a data center where a couple of techs had major "communication issues," shall we say (as well as hated their jobs) and they too were unfriendly, short, surly, and unhelpful. Urgh, that behavior just GRATED on me!! Customers (and co-workers) don't deserve to be treated that way.

    I eventually left the company because no matter what I tried, I wasn't able to change things for the better. I had to quit to maintain my sanity and my integrity. I just couldn't work for a company that wouldn't step up and make changes to protect and care for their customers.

    About the only thing I have been able to piece together in my time in the tech field, are simple observations of personality. Yes, these are generalizations and of course everyone is different... it seems to me that many techs are gearheads, and they just aren't touchy-feely, super-communicative critters. We need gearheads to run servers, they generally do a great job at mechanical and technical sorts of things.

    However if these same people are going to be interfacing with the general public/customers, then they absolutely MUST leap outside of their comfort zone and communicate openly and fully when dealing with customers. As in, lots of words -- polite -- patient -- respectful -- and being a willing teacher.

    In my experience, this is like asking a turtle to fly. A number of techs simply haven't "got it," and yet somehow they still keep their jobs... it is one of the great mysteries of the universe....

    Of course there are all sorts of people in the field, with lots of mileage to vary!!! I am just trying to explain some of the extraordinary cases I've personally seen which matched the end-result that the OP presented.

    Just my very humble 2¢ worth, of course. Bob, I hope your luck turns around and you have many better days ahead of you.

    Bailey
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  4. #4
    My take on the whole hosting biz is that the customer has NO idea how good their host provider really is, or how good they will be in the future. I think the economists call this "asymmetric knowledge" but I call it the used car salesman syndrome. You have no idea if you are buying a lemon or not. (Or when it is going to turn into one on you.)

    Yea Ezzi got me peeved and left me wanting to vent, but I think the real value of my sharing the experience with the WHT hosting community is to help get the lowdown on these companies, and reduce some of that 'asymmetry.'

    Bithost, I agree with you completely that there are frustrating situations in IT, and a lot of time it can be traced to personality problems. I also agree that the problems can at times be intractable.

    That's why Ezzi has me concerned. It could be just a little testosterone poisoning at the tech level, or maybe they are getting hammered from above because profits are down or there are other bigger problems with the company.

    Frankly, I don't care what the issue is. My job is to keep my servers running. Their job is to provide a good environment for this. If they fall down on their end, I'm rolling!

    BTW, I had to do some client work yesterday on a site hosted by Hostasaurus and had to talk to their support to resolve an issue. MAN what a difference. Best support desk I've worked with in years. Friendly, knowlegable, reasonable.

    I haven't had time to do a full due diligence on them, but if Ezzi keeps busting my stones, I know the first place I'm gonna look next!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by bithost(NET) View Post
    About the only thing I have been able to piece together in my time in the tech field, are simple observations of personality. Yes, these are generalizations and of course everyone is different... it seems to me that many techs are gearheads, and they just aren't touchy-feely, super-communicative critters. We need gearheads to run servers, they generally do a great job at mechanical and technical sorts of things.

    However if these same people are going to be interfacing with the general public/customers, then they absolutely MUST leap outside of their comfort zone and communicate openly and fully when dealing with customers. As in, lots of words -- polite -- patient -- respectful -- and being a willing teacher.
    Sorry to go offtopic but I had to say this.

    I have this horrible feeling that I unforunately fit into this description somewhat. I do think you nailed that one completey but on the flip side it's a different matter saying the customer is harrassing you if he simply live chated+called.
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  6. #6
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    Honestly, I don't think Ezzi did anything wrong.

    You tried to jump the queue and they handled it on a first come first serve basis. In terms of your server being hacked, I honestly don't know how you came to that impression. I can't comment on the exact wording since we don't have it but I disagree with others in this thread and I just don't get why you think they did something wrong.
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott.Mc View Post
    Sorry to go offtopic but I had to say this.

    I have this horrible feeling that I unforunately fit into this description somewhat. I do think you nailed that one completey but on the flip side it's a different matter saying the customer is harrassing you if he simply live chated+called.
    And that's okay Scott, there are lots of techs in those shoes... it's perfectly alright... what's even better is if there is someone on staff that you (or any gearhead) can hand the ticket off to when they get aggravated, or need more interaction with the customer and don't feel up to doing it. It's great if you can recognize where your strengths taper off and where someone else's strengths would be better suited to pick the issue up.

    I have filled that role too. When a customer was just grating on the tech's nerves, the tech would forward me the ticket, tell me what info they needed, and ask me to "please handle it." We all have days where someone grates on our nerves!! So I would take over and "Chatty Cathy" my way with the customer, get things all sorted out, and everybody walked away happy.

    The key is hiring the key people with the key skills to get the job done right. Customers have to walk away happy. If they are not happy, something isn't being done right... either the service is lacking, or somehow the company hooked up with the wrong kind of customer who was expecting something that isn't offered.

    I personally would suggest that short, surly responses are always a sign of bad service when it comes to technical support. I've been around long enough to know that's a huge red flag in anything technology-related.

    Bailey
    Let's Connect on Twitter! @thatsmsgeek2u || Fighting mediocrity one thread at a time.

  8. #8
    Well, the folks at Ezzi saw this thread and contacted me. (AccessIT actually, the parent company)

    I want to report that they were attentive and are taking proactive steps to avoid this problem in the future. One thing they will change is that the IDs in their chats will no longer say "Tech Support" but will have real names to increase accountability.

    I think this is pretty fair of them, they are trying to keep up good customer service.

    I also should note two other positive things about them...

    -In the past I found support good. This last incident was an anomaly.

    -Also, being located in the NY area, they have great ping times to both Europe and the US. If you have customers on both sides of the pond, they are a good choice.


    It would have been best had problems not occurred, but mistakes are sometimes made. Ezzi is taking the complaint seriously and are taking steps to avoid a repeat. That tells me that this company can be relied on.

    -Bob

  9. #9
    web hosting companies are maintained by people.. and people are usually tired.. lol

    but great to hear you get it off now
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