Web Hosting Talk : Other Forums : Web Hosting Lounge : Web Host Abuse

[Mike]

It was mentioned before in this forum, and it happens daily:

The growth of domain owners who intentionally jump from host to host to avoid paying invoices, etc.

Someone suggested that a database should be created, to warn web hosts of domain names owners who make this a habitual practice.

A beta version of the "Host Abuse Registry" has been born, and is in the testing stages. It can be found at http://hostabuse.com

Any suggestions, criticizm, and comments are well appreciated.

[Chicken]

I know that http://www.hostcoalition.org has something like that as well.

[akashik]

And to think I was justing thinking to myself a day or so ago what I good idea something like that would be *chuckle* I mean if you go to finance people, or department stores, buy stuff for a week, and return it for your money back, and then go get it from somewhere else and do the same over and over just to avoid paying for something, you *know* you're going to end up on a blacklist. So why should webhosting be any different. I for one will be more than happy to make use of a system designed to point these people out.

Odd thing is, everyone here knows the hassles involved in moving a domain. It's close to a week before a domain fully resolves itself. There's 24-48 hours usually to get accounts set up and cleared, and then some time to get an account closed as well. All up I'm guessing their domain is getting a clean run for 3/4 of the time, at best. The fact some people are willing to go through the hassle of moving house every month just to save a few bucks is staggering.

Never under-estimate the human race, as there's always some yahoo out there that will lower the bar even further.

Greg Moore

[akashik]

Originally posted by Mike

A beta version of the "Host Abuse Registry" has been born, and is in the testing stages. It can be found at http://hostabuse.com

Any suggestions, criticizm, and comments are well appreciated.

Mike,

You might consider putting a country field in your form... Not all of us are yankee-doodle-dandies.

Greg Moore


[Edited by akashik on 11-08-2000 at 02:24 AM]

[Travis]

If you need any assistance with this, especially in the area of development, let me know. I'd be happy to lend a hand.

Definately a great idea! If I were a web host, I would definately use that!

[Duster]

Nice effort. I would suggest getting rid of the "National" as it indicates provincial thinking. At the very least, you might mention which of the more than 240 nations on Earth it refers to.

Also, to be fair and effective, some kind of cross referencing to poor hosts must be a part of it. Otherwise, the site can be another way for hosts to abuse former customers. There may be perfectly valid reasons why someone dropped a host and left a bill unpaid. Considering the large number of disreputable hosts, it happens quite frequently.

The site is a worthwhile effort, though care must be taken to ensure that it doesn't live up to an alternate interpretation of its name.

[Nam]

I just don't get people who try to jump from host to host to abuse them. In reality (not ethical or unethical way), if you have a big site, moving from one to another is very hassle, and who would rather pay a few bucks than keeping worry about moving when the trial day comes to expire? Those people are so cheap and if they're just that, they'll never be successed. But don't include those people who want to to get experiences before settle down with a good one.

[MSW]

The people who run reputable businesses usually don't do this.

The one's you need to look out for are people who run high profile sites that tend to suck up a lot of bandwidth. It is pretty easy for them to keep switching companies. They sign up and 25 days later sign up for another host. Then, they just transfer the IP address pointers on their DNS. Usually takes only 12 hours if they are set up correctly, and can be quicker. Then they cancel from the first host and start the process all over again.

It is a nice scam, but it will eventually backfire.

[MikeA]

Searchable is good, but having an alpha list would be good too.

[Mike]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions - They will all be taken into consideration.

Perhaps I will add an alpha listing of all domains in the database, but I thought that may stir up a bit of controversy.

The idea is for hosts to check the domain name prior to opening the account, not really for general browsing.

In fact, we will implement code from which web hosts can query our database remotely. Hosts can add this code as a subroutine into current scripts (signup scritps) and get instant results sent to them via e-mail, etc.

Opinions?

[Duster]

Mike,

I just signed up on the site and noticed a lack of password checking (to make sure it was entered correctly). Yo might want to add a second password entry field to the login process and check it against the first).

I was unable to login. Perhaps I made a typo, or maybe approval is required before I can even login. Either way, something is not quite right.

[Mike]

Definately, the password confirmation will be added today! An oversight on my part.

[Jason Ellis]

Hello All,

After reading about this site here on the forums, I personally though it was a *great* idea. But I also had some concerns over the legality of it.

So, before I signed up, I sent a note over to my attorney asking his advice.

I am going to post his message, in it's entirety, here. Please take this only at face-value as a communication between my company and my company's attorney - your mileage may vary on this advice depending on your state's laws and other factors. But his reply gives me pause enough that I would like to share this.

This doesn't mean I won't be signing up for hostabuse.com, just that I and other hosts should be very cautious about how we use the site.

Here is my attorney's analysis:

Jason-

As a user turning down or deactivating a customer on the basis of a
negative report from hostabuse.com, you could find your company included
in a lawsuit if the negative report turned out to be erroneous. You could
reduce your risk by giving the customer a reasonable amount of time,
before you take action, to notify you if they dispute a negative report.

The flip side is more hazardous. If your own negative report on someone
turns out to be wrong, you could become a defendant in a lawsuit alleging
defamation, interference with advantageous relationships and woof woof
woof.

To limit your exposure, use extreme care (you're one typo away from
Court) and limit your comments to facts that you know to be true, not
opinions or assumptions. "We received no payment from XYZ.com for 3
months' service" is better than "XYZ did not send us any payment for 3
months" or "XYZ is a deadbeat". Maybe they claim that they sent a payment
that got lost. Maybe they can prove than they have an A+ credit rating
with Dun & Bradstreet. Caution rules here.

Related thought: does hostabuse.com have a procedure for retractions?

Les

So I suggest to all hosts who plan to use hostabuse.com that you do so cautiously.

That being said, I do think this will be an excellent and useful resource, as long as it is used properly.

Thanks,

Jason

[Mike]

There will be a full recourse for retraction, as well as domain name owner dispute. This should work exactly as a credit rating system.. Once a domain name owner disputes the validity of a hosts claim, the domain shall be removed from the registry until an investigation has been completed.. yada yada yada..

Etc...