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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Lakeville, MN
    Posts
    29

    Less than pleasant experience w/Tektonic

    When we were looking to upgrade our hosting, many people recommend that our site look at a VPS. After looking at multiple VPS hosting plans, we decided to settle with TekTonic. For the first couple of days, everything was fine, but eventually it got to the point where our site was barely operational because of the amount of activity we had.

    After 3 weeks of help tickets, we had to move to a new server. Tektonik was informed and we requested a prorated refund at that time, since when we signed up there was a 30 day money back guarantee. That ticket has laid there for 5 months, so we figured that we got screwed on that deal and moved on.

    Fast forward about a month and change later. Tektonik charged our credit card for another 6 months of service. Keep in mind that we not only stopped using the VPS in January of 2005, but we had requested a prorated refund 5 months before. After three weeks, not only was the charge still on the credit card, but there has been no response whatsoever from Tektonik.

    Fortunately for us, the charge on the credit card has been removed, but not by any doing of Tektonik. It was finally removed because we filed a fraud charge with our credit card company.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    11,052
    When looking at their TOS, unless I'm reading it incorrectly, you only have 3 days to ask for a refund.

    Cancellation Policy - All hosting contracts, unless otherwise negotiated, are month-to-month. Cancellations must be submitted via e-mail to sales@tekt*nic.net at least 24 hours prior to the start of the next billing period. Cancelations not submitted to sales@tekt*nic.net will not be accepted as a valid request. There are no partial refunds or credits for early cancellations. All payments to TekTonic are final and non-refundable.

    Money Back Guarantee - TekTonic offers a limited Money Back Guarantee to all new clients. The purpose of this guarantee to allow clients to experience TekTonic's services and determine that they meet or exceed industry standards. To this end, if TekTonic has not met indusry standards for service performance and reliability during the first 72 hours of a new hosting account being online and the client requests a refund by e-mailing sales@tekt*nic.net, TekTonic will refund the client's hosting fees. This refund will NOT include any setup fees or hourly support fees paid to TekTonic. In all other circumstances monies paid to TekTonic are final and nonrefundable.
    Could this be why they refused to honor your request 3 weeks after signup?

    Vito
    DemoDemo.com - Flash tutorials since 2002
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Vancouver, WA
    Posts
    181
    Is it the host's fault that you max out the usage of your VPS though? Let's keep in mind that these aren't truly "dedicated servers"...just pieces of them.

    I agree, they should have responded, but what did their "terms of service" say about the guarantee? Were there limitations? There is another thread talking about this now as well.

    Not all hosts unconditionally refund money. There needs to be a problem with their service...something that they did wrong. This doesn't appear to be the case. You utilizing 100% resources isn't the hosts fault.

    Just my speculation. I may have missed something?
    Ashworth Consulting
    Dedicated Servers / Reseller Web Hosting / Web Hosting
    Network: The Planet, TX

  4. #4
    As sully's partner, I stand by his statements. The 30 day money back guarantee was in effect when we signed up, one of the major selling points. They did away with it and pretended it didn't exist shortly thereafter.
    Help tickets are ignored. You only need to go to their message board and view all the complaints to see this.

    Even if I was wrong on everything I've said so far (and I'm not) charging my credit card 5 months after cancellation is outright fraud. I don't think anyone can be that incompetent.

    Their main point was that they would offer us a credit for downtime (we had a lot). A credit is no good if your site isn't up. It's also no good if they refuse to fix the problem. The only refund I got was a promise of more of their horrible service for free, and very little at that.

    We explained every aspect of our site to them for 2 weeks before signing up, and were assured they could handle it with ease.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Yorkshire - UK
    Posts
    344
    With all due respect, assurance is by no means a guarantee.

    Also did the company state that the money back guarantee of 30 days would still stand for the customers signing up in that period, even if it was to be altered at a later date?

    If not then I'm afraid there's nothing you can do in regards to that one.
    Anthony Bullock
    Freelance Website & Graphic Designer
    SiteLotus.com - Freelance Design Portfolio
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Lakeville, MN
    Posts
    29
    Originally posted by ashworth102680
    Is it the host's fault that you max out the usage of your VPS though? Let's keep in mind that these aren't truly "dedicated servers"...just pieces of them.

    I agree, they should have responded, but what did their "terms of service" say about the guarantee? Were there limitations? There is another thread talking about this now as well.

    Not all hosts unconditionally refund money. There needs to be a problem with their service...something that they did wrong. This doesn't appear to be the case. You utilizing 100% resources isn't the hosts fault.

    Just my speculation. I may have missed something?
    I saw nothing about any specific limitations, and we were assured that they would be able to handle our site. One of the first times I had issues, I was told that it couldn't be their servers, but rather that it was probably the coding of the message board that needed to be optimized (Note: We run a vBulletin message board, I'd say that's fairly optimized).

    Even if you wish to say that we didn't deserve a refund because of their policy and whatnot, certainly I don't think there's any defense to them charging our account again 6 months later after we had requested a refund 5 months before and sent them an email saying that we did not wish to have our credit card charged after we received an email stating that our subscription was up for renewal.

    I'm sure there are folks who may have had good experiences with this hosting company. Nobody's stopping them from posting their stories on this forum. I happen to be one of the folks who had no such good experience.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    EU - east side
    Posts
    21,920
    That ticket has laid there for 5 months, so we figured that we got screwed on that deal and moved on.
    This is where the trouble started. they should have responded and you should have tried to make sure they "got your message".

    The fact that the VPS did not fit your site's needs may or may not be their fault.

    Fortunately for us, the charge on the credit card has been removed, but not by any doing of Tektonik. It was finally removed because we filed a fraud charge with our credit card company.
    A chargeback is a serious thing. Did you try to work with them prior to doing this?

  8. #8
    Originally posted by ldcdc
    This is where the trouble started. they should have responded and you should have tried to make sure they "got your message".

    The fact that the VPS did not fit your site's needs may or may not be their fault.

    A chargeback is a serious thing. Did you try to work with them prior to doing this?
    They were e-mailed and a help ticket posted in the middle of June, the 17th.
    They would not respond, I filed the claim with Mastercard 3 weeks later.
    We tried to work with them, they are invisible.

  9. #9
    Well my mastercard has removed the charge, but notified me that if Tektonic fights it I may have to fill out additional paperwork.

    Help tickets still sit unanswered. My account still shows me being billed for the extra 6 months. Their message board is down, so I couldn't ask about it there.

    Total incompetence by Tektonic. Avoid at all costs.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    8,154
    No where on there website did I find a 30 day money back guarantee, they state in their Terms of service that after the 72 hour period they will not issue any refunds.

    You should try and call them, tell them that you are not hosted with them anymore. If you are unable to reach them, ask your credit card company to block all payments from them if they continue to charge your card.

  11. #11
    Originally posted by WN-Ali
    No where on there website did I find a 30 day money back guarantee, they state in their Terms of service that after the 72 hour period they will not issue any refunds.

    You should try and call them, tell them that you are not hosted with them anymore. If you are unable to reach them, ask your credit card company to block all payments from them if they continue to charge your card.
    As I've stated before, they had a 30 day money back guarantee when we signed up. At the end of 2004 they removed this from their website and acted like it never existed. I don't know how to state it any plainer.
    They've been e-mailed repeatedly and help tickets have been submitted repeatedly for months. Why should I sit on the phone and listen to Muzak for an hour?
    They're in the wrong, not us. They've made the mistakes, not us.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    942
    We haven't offered a 30-day money back guarantee since 2003. We had to limit it to 72 hours due to "host jumpers" who continually requested a cancel and refund for no good reason after 27-29 days of service. Some people who continually perform host jumping see "Money Back Guarantee" and assume it it for 30 days.

    I distinctly remember the ticket and it was simply you and I going back and forth that you demanded a refund and me stating you were not entitled to a refund per our TOS. At the end I said all I could regarding the issue and that a refund would not be issued. If you chose to contact your credit card company that is fine. I stated I would have the necessary rebuttal paperwork ready.

    Your post here is for nothing more than to vent your anger over a situation I have already marked as completed on my side. I do understand you feel you should receive a pro-rated refund, but why sign-up for a new service for a 6 month pre-payment? In no way did we make or encourge you to do that. I do not understand why TekTonic financials should suffer due to a decision made by a client.
    Matt Ayres - togglebox.com
    Linux and Windows Cloud Virtual Datacenters powered by Onapp / Xen
    Instant Setup, Instant Scalability, Full Lifecycle Hosting Solutions

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  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    343
    TekTonic, why did you bill them for another 6 months though? That is what I am not understanding.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    942
    Wow... ok, the user is right on that part. Seems due to how the account was canceled in ModernBill it was still invoiced and charged recently. I just reversed the charge.
    Matt Ayres - togglebox.com
    Linux and Windows Cloud Virtual Datacenters powered by Onapp / Xen
    Instant Setup, Instant Scalability, Full Lifecycle Hosting Solutions

    www.togglebox.com

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    343
    Like WOW dude, glad you figured out you billed him incorrectly. Glad you think the client is totally right for not wanting to be billed for 6 months of service they already cancelled.

  16. #16

    oh man...

    This is rich. I couldn't say anything more appropriate:

    Originally posted by TheWiseOne
    I do understand you feel you should receive a pro-rated refund, but why sign-up for a new service for a 6 month pre-payment? In no way did we make or encourge you to do that. I do not understand why TekTonic financials should suffer due to a decision made by a client.
    Let me try to translate: "What sort of an idiot would trust MY company enough to actually pay for 6 months up front? What a sucker!"

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Newcastle Upon Tyne, England.
    Posts
    119
    With hindsight, the image on their front page "Dont trust us, trust our customers" is disturbingly prophetic.......

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