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08-31-2004, 03:54 PM #1New Member
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My first post & impressions on Site5
Well, after lurking around, I decided to give site5 a try and here are my first week impressions so far:
WHAT I LIKE:
Their support system is great! Theres a couple of guys that really know what they are doing there and will fix pretty much anything on demand.
PACKAGES:
their reseller packages come LOADED wth scripts, and stuff from fantastico, to SSH Access, to email management, et..
RVSKIN is great, I really like how it takes away from the typical cpanel look
CLIENTEXEC - you get this client mgmt program for free
SERVER SPEED - So far so good. I have created 7 resold accounts so far with several SQL databases and it doesn't seem to be overloading or anything... So far so good. no dowtimes whatsoever
WHM - interface is excellent. It lets me create packages and customize each package for each account I want to resell... GREAT
SUPPORT INTERFACE: Well, They have this pretty neat email tracking system that shows on their website how many requests are in queve in real time so you can sortof figure out where you are in line...
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WHAT I DONT LIKE:
well, this is a working list, but so far that Ive noticed:
ORDER PROCESS: Not immediate, so for those of you like me who are eager to get their sites of another host, its a waiting game for the "welcome email" My turn around was 12 hrs though, so it wasnt that bad, but if you span over a weekend, thats exactly what will happen...
WEBMAIL INTERFACE - it kinda sucks... you have your basic variety of flavors like Horde, Squirrel, Neomail... but you cant access it via: mail.yourdomain.com... Instead you have to go through: yourdomain.com/webmail, and then you have to login twice... Once to get into the webmail interface, and again if you want to use Horder or Squirrel mail.. IM not sure why its so difficult..
SSL MANAGER/INTERFACE: This whole process was a mess (at least for me). Instructions are very unclear and the cpanel where you request CSRs (for SSL certificates) is all screwed up. I spent close to 12hrs with a tech guy (who was great BTW) trying to figure it out and finally, he had to manually create a private key and CSR for me to resubmitt. That whole thing kind of sucked because I basically wasted money on the first certificate that was invalid. Im currently trying to get credit for that...
I think its kind of misleading offering that feature because its currently pretty useless... (again, at least for me). Once you get the SSL, you CANNOT install it yourself via cPanel (although the link to the feature is there...)
SUPPORT INTERFACE: They have this cool email tracking system that shows how many requests are in queve you can sortof figure out where you are in line... However, in the case of my SSL situation, I was basically glued to the computer ALL day waiting for the replies, and my msgs going back and forth.
LACK OF INSTRUCTIONS - again, this is in regards to the features in their packages. I suppose that if you know what youre doing, this is not an issue, but be prepared to spend some time on the forums to get some answers...
800 Number - That is a joke, when you call, it goes right into voicemail. They probably know that they need to address people who might want to call in instead of going back and forth via email, however, I dont think that they are equipped to handle call volumes... so its sortof a bittersweet situation for them.. They want to, they just cant so to speak.
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In my situation, I have been in constant contact with their techs because I keep finding things missing from the server they put me on ie: openssl, cURL, netpbm, jhead, but so far, they have installed netpbm & Jhead (within minutes of my inquiry) and they have been very accomodating.
for what its worth, I would still recommend them so far, because they seem to genuinely care about what they are doing and of their service, and to me, that matters alot.
I will try to keep all you posted when I get everything ironed out.
Anyhow, feel free to ask any questions, and thanks in advance for such a valuable board!
Cheers!
-Ant
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09-01-2004, 04:24 PM #2Newbie
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- Dec 2003
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- 29
Hi Ant:
Thank you for taking the time to address some of your concerns on WebHostingTalk in regards to our company. I would like to take the time to address each of your points:WHAT I LIKE:
Their support system is great! Theres a couple of guys that really know what they are doing there and will fix pretty much anything on demand.SERVER SPEED - So far so good. I have created 7 resold accounts so far with several SQL databases and it doesn't seem to be overloading or anything... So far so good. no dowtimes whatsoeverSUPPORT INTERFACE: Well, They have this pretty neat email tracking system that shows on their website how many requests are in queve in real time so you can sortof figure out where you are in line...WHAT I DONT LIKE:
well, this is a working list, but so far that Ive noticed:
ORDER PROCESS: Not immediate, so for those of you like me who are eager to get their sites of another host, its a waiting game for the "welcome email" My turn around was 12 hrs though, so it wasnt that bad, but if you span over a weekend, thats exactly what will happen...
I suspect that once our new custom coded billing system comes online, provisioning times will decrease. Although, in comparison, 12 hours and often times less, isn't all that bad.WEBMAIL INTERFACE - it kinda sucks... you have your basic variety of flavors like Horde, Squirrel, Neomail... but you cant access it via: mail.yourdomain.com... Instead you have to go through: yourdomain.com/webmail, and then you have to login twice... Once to get into the webmail interface, and again if you want to use Horder or Squirrel mail.. IM not sure why its so difficult..SSL MANAGER/INTERFACE: This whole process was a mess (at least for me). Instructions are very unclear and the cpanel where you request CSRs (for SSL certificates) is all screwed up. I spent close to 12hrs with a tech guy (who was great BTW) trying to figure it out and finally, he had to manually create a private key and CSR for me to resubmitt. That whole thing kind of sucked because I basically wasted money on the first certificate that was invalid. Im currently trying to get credit for that...
I think its kind of misleading offering that feature because its currently pretty useless... (again, at least for me). Once you get the SSL, you CANNOT install it yourself via cPanel (although the link to the feature is there...)
I have also just read threw the entire support ticket--one of our system administrators pointed me to it. It seems that there was some confusion regarding the CRT & the KEY file; which ultimately delayed & confused the install a bit. I apologize for the confusion, hopefully this will not repeat itself in the future.SUPPORT INTERFACE: They have this cool email tracking system that shows how many requests are in queve you can sortof figure out where you are in line... However, in the case of my SSL situation, I was basically glued to the computer ALL day waiting for the replies, and my msgs going back and forth.
I would also like to mention that your SSL case was not normal, which accounted for the extended resolution time. Further to this, one of our system admins did stick with this issue until it was permanently resolved.LACK OF INSTRUCTIONS - again, this is in regards to the features in their packages. I suppose that if you know what youre doing, this is not an issue, but be prepared to spend some time on the forums to get some answers...800 Number - That is a joke, when you call, it goes right into voicemail. They probably know that they need to address people who might want to call in instead of going back and forth via email, however, I dont think that they are equipped to handle call volumes... so its sortof a bittersweet situation for them.. They want to, they just cant so to speak.In my situation, I have been in constant contact with their techs because I keep finding things missing from the server they put me on ie: openssl, cURL, netpbm, jhead, but so far, they have installed netpbm & Jhead (within minutes of my inquiry) and they have been very accomodating.for what its worth, I would still recommend them so far, because they seem to genuinely care about what they are doing and of their service, and to me, that matters alot.Todd Mitchell
General Manager
ThePlanet.com Internet Services, Inc. / theplanet.com
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09-01-2004, 07:14 PM #3WHT Addict
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- Feb 2004
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WEBMAIL INTERFACE - it kinda sucks...
but like site5 mentioned there are programs and services that let you utilize your mail better than that cpanel crap. i just havent used any so dont know of em
although what i am using is kayako. it pipes all your e-mail so its near the same thing as using webmail.
if you want one free one there's cereberus but the free version only works for one address. hope that helps
I was basically glued to the computer ALL day waiting for the replies, and my msgs going back and forth.
also i think due to their "cost-effective" pricing, their support is probably hindered a little bit at the least so you just have to take that as part of the deal.
and btw, client exec is not free. it prolly costs them roughly $5/mo or close and that cost is passed down to you and other users on a wide scale.Last edited by RaTz; 09-01-2004 at 07:21 PM.
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09-01-2004, 09:09 PM #4Newbie
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Originally posted by RaTz i think that might be because from what it looks like they're getting quite a big customer base but im not sure if they're expanding their staff in terms of support and etc.
also i think due to their "cost-effective" pricing, their support is probably hindered a little bit at the least so you just have to take that as part of the deal.
There are various aspects to the SSL support ticket that are *not* mentioned in this thread. So a statement that our support is somehow lacking due to our exceptional growth is an outright fallacy.
I respectfully ask that you keep your opinion to yourself regarding our support, as you do not appear to be a direct client of ours and thus impossible for you to produce an accurate portrayal of our support.Todd Mitchell
General Manager
ThePlanet.com Internet Services, Inc. / theplanet.com
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09-01-2004, 09:23 PM #5Retired Moderator
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A very nice and detailed review from antics22 and a very nice response from Todd!
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09-01-2004, 10:42 PM #6Aspiring Evangelist
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kudos on communication...
[[[[ ---CNM--- ]]]]
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09-02-2004, 05:46 AM #7Web Hosting Master
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Originally posted by RaTz
. . . i think that might be because from what it looks like they're getting quite a big customer base but im not sure if they're expanding their staff in terms of support and etc.
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09-02-2004, 05:48 AM #8Web Hosting Master
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Originally posted by ldcdc
A very nice and detailed review from antics22 and a very nice response from Todd!
Hey Todd!
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09-02-2004, 12:21 PM #9WHT Addict
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How would you know? Generally not a good idea to speculate about something where you don't have solid facts.
the only reason you DO speculate is because you don't have solid facts, and obviously to get solid facts for every reseller host out there, i'd have to signup and try them out for myself. but i dont have the money or the time to do that and neither do 90% of the rest so they speculate.
besides, you must make an assumption first in order to confirm it or deny it. if you don't make an assumption to begin with, you really don't have a purpose to your research do you?
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09-02-2004, 12:37 PM #10WHT Addict
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Originally posted by site5
The above statement is completely inaccurate & erroneous. As I mentioned in my reply to the original thread starter, the issues surrounding their SSL certificate & SSL certificate install was an anomaly.
There are various aspects to the SSL support ticket that are *not* mentioned in this thread. So a statement that our support is somehow lacking due to our exceptional growth is an outright fallacy.
I respectfully ask that you keep your opinion to yourself regarding our support, as you do not appear to be a direct client of ours and thus impossible for you to produce an accurate portrayal of our support.
if you will read my "quote" it has it all over words like "im not sure", "probably", "from what it looks like" and along those lines.
that clearly shows you my statement is based on doubts and assumptions i made. they are not facts, just pure opinion.
and it shows that the statement i made was due to my lack of knowledge about your company.
and i stand by it. to you the statement "might be" wrong, offensive etc. but it is what my reasoning and thought led to and i have presented that to you and others to read.
and
I respectfully ask that you keep your opinion to yourself
There are various aspects to the SSL support ticket that are *not* mentioned in this thread. So a statement that our support is somehow lacking due to our exceptional growth is an outright fallacy.
and the posts aside,
i really don't have anyting against your company. i actually like the pricing and your plans if you'll know and i even liked the reply time on your forum.
but i guessed that since it was pre-sale your probably faster than in support > which is what this person is saying (he had to wait all day in front of the computer)
and which is perciesly what led me to my doubts and assumptions. i apologize if they are/were wrong beyond my scope of knowledge, cause that wasn't under my control at the time.
-hope i cleared up some things
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09-02-2004, 07:34 PM #11Eternal Member
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Re: My first post & impressions on Site5
Hi All,
I very much appreciate all the comments here. Reading over this thread, it would seem that one paragraph in particular is causing a bit of confusion:
Originally posted by antics22
SUPPORT INTERFACE: They have this cool email tracking system that shows how many requests are in queve you can sortof figure out where you are in line... However, in the case of my SSL situation, I was basically glued to the computer ALL day waiting for the replies, and my msgs going back and forth.
Considering that you said that "responses were going back and forth," I am led to believe that the problem you're addressing here is not, in fact, inadequacy on the part of our support team, but rather a poor interface to our support system itself. In fact, the title of this issue ("SUPPORT INTERFACE") confirms this suspicion. However because of the way you worded this paragraph, it has caused us (and others) to believe that our staff was not providing timely responses to inquiries. Which, as far as I can tell from what has been written, is not the case.
Incidentally, I am inclined to agree with your concern regarding our current support interface. We're currently using a system called "Request Tracker" which has worked well for over three years, but is now falling way behind the times. We're currently considering Cerberus, Kayako eSupport, and a lesser-known open-source system called OTRS (www.otrs.org). Because switching support systems is no small task, we want to be sure that we make the right decision before moving forward.
You can rest assured that we are actively testing replacements and hope to implement a new system (with customer web-based issue tracking) within the next month. Further information about this and other company news will be provided in the next issue of The 5Zine.
I very much appreciate the candid review of our services. As with any reasonably-mindful company, we're well aware that we have areas that we can improve upon. Hearing them articulated in an objective review like this gives us a good look into what our customers think of our services, and helps to provide us with a more clear set of marks to shoot for as we continually strive to improve. That's what separates a fly-by-night company from one that's in it for the long haul. We're never to a point where we feel that our services can't be improved upon.
Thanks again for your time, and I appreciate your faith in our company's ability to meet your business' needs. Don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything I can do to make your experience with Site5 more enjoyable.
MattMatt Lightner - http://www.mattlightner.com/
- First initial to the last name at the mail service provided by the world's largest search engine
- Founder and CEO (Former) Site5.com, sold in 2008
- Really honestly wants to be a good WHT citizen but can never remember all the correct etiquette. Mods, sorry in advance
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09-05-2004, 09:36 AM #12Newbie
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site5 down??
Site5 has been down for at least an hour that I know of today. Does anyone know what is going on? I have three sites with them that are all down as well.
I know that there has been some bad weather in that part of the country.
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09-05-2004, 10:39 AM #13Web Hosting Master
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We have 2 or 3 old servers at site5..all of which are humming along like normal...so it's not their whole network.
You should post this in the outages forum.
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09-05-2004, 11:02 AM #14Retired Moderator
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Site5 is up now (was down earlier for me).