Web Hosting Talk : Other Forums : WHT Announcements, Feedback and Questions : thoughts about the requests forum....

[Akash]

This is in regards to this thread:

http://webhostingtalk.com/showthread...threadid=45557

Off topic but I decide to post my thoughts here since the two people i'm commenting about (and more) will hopefully read this...

I think that the purpose of the requests forum is to get something specific from a host...

We as hosts are trying to get the sale, but if the customer requests specific features and/or pricing and we (as hosts) can not match the request, why bother posting??

in this request, the customer asked the following:



quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm looking for a basic hosting only, my budget is usd15/year.

- 50MB space,
- 200MB/month transfer,
- 5 pop3 email,
- apache,php,perl,mysql,


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



and the first host to respond managed to post an offer for $12.95 a month. that included 40 times as much space he needed. Did he request that? The host in his next post goes on to say


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry, didnt feel like lowering space and bandwith just for sakes of matching what he was looking for.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



IMO, that just shows that the host was lazy. And he didn't feel like lowering space/bandwidth just for the sakes of matching what he was looking for?? What's the purpose of the requests forum then??

Then another host later on in the thread offers a plan for $9.95/mo...but wait, if they mention wht they'll get a dedicated ip for free!!!! Wow, what an offer
Again, this does not meet the customer's requirements...why bother offering it?

The last host to make an offer posts a link to his companies website and offers him a free domain if he pays yearly...no price information in the post. So the customer has to click on the website just to view the offer that doesn't match his requirements.

That forces the customer to work for his hosting....

So my point is plain and simple, dont post your offers if they don't match the customers' requirements. It will keep the requests forums cleaner and more civilized and the customer won't have to sort the all the posts that don't match his request.

Some of you may argue, "maybe the customer is open to more options" You're right, maybe he is. In that case the customer should indicate that in his request, or the host should PM him...

Just my thoughts..... Any comments?

<edited for smilies >

[SoftWareRevue]

Originally posted by akashd
. . . . . . Just my thoughts..... Any comments?
. . . .

Comments? You want comments?

You are suggesting that hosts don't respond to requests unless they can match the specific request. (We don't need more police or rules)

You think a host looks stupid when they offer something that doesn't match. (You think the original poster can't read?)

If your prospective customer has to sort through all the posts to find a host that meets his needs, you are right; he may be annoyed at those that made him offers he didn't want. Ya know what? He ain't gonna host with them.

If WHT is the only place you look for clients, you should re-think your business strategies. We don't use the Advertising Forum to mine for customers. We do well; thank you.


Sorry, I'm just getting a little tired of all the hosts complaints pointed to the advertising forum.
If they don't like advertising there; they should do it somewhere else. errr . . . uhh . . . that's not why 'we' don't advertise there. I don't just . . . . well . . . . because I'm too busy posting in other forums.

[Akash]

upon rereading my post...i realized that my suggestions may sound too strict for some of you....

I'm not saying that every offer should meet the exact requirements of the customer, as some customers have been know to make outrageous requests, but in cases like the one i stumbled upon...Come on! 40 times the space he requested?? Surely he could have come up with a better offer. I'm just saying that hosts should come pretty darn close to the customers' request. If his budget is $50/year don't suggest somethign that will cost him $50/month

Netacore was the only host that actually posted an offer that met the customers requests and I praise him for doing so. I'm not saying that the other hosts are bad- I've actually heard great things about PearlNetwork-I'm just saying that we have to work a little harder to make it easier for all of us


These are just my thoughts and many of you (mostly other hosts) will probably disagree-i'm not asking you to agree, just a suggestion...

<edit>
just wanted to point out that I never said a host was stupid...just that it showed they were lazy..</edit>

[SoftWareRevue]

Originally posted by akashd
. . . . . These are just my thoughts and many of you (mostly other hosts) will probably disagree-i'm not asking you to agree, just a suggestion...

You're right. You didn't ask anyone to agree. But, you did ask for comments.

Although my above comments are, partially, based on the fact that I was making four coconut cream pies today (three to sell and one to eat).
When I was done, I discovered that the vanilla extract I used had went bad somehow.
I'm talking; all the way done.
Topped with whipped cream (not out of a can or a box or the freezer whipped cream) and toasted coconut.
So that's, four pies, four pie-shells, a dirty kitchen, half a ton of dirty dishes, and the fact that (since three were promised for sale) I have to do it all over again.

[Chicken]

Akashd, I think many of the hosts who offered something in that thread misread the requirements fo $15/yr. (insteading reading it too quickly and thinking it said $15/mo.). Offers that did not match the request were removed.

A custom plan that meets the requirements is fine, and anything above the requirements for the price is also fine (hosts just have to meet the minimum, but can offer more than the person is asking for).

If you see replies to requests that do not meet the minimum requirements, please report it and we'll remove the post. I don't think it is unreasonable to ask that people only reply to requests they can offer.

[Akash]

Originally posted by Chicken
Akashd, I think many of the hosts who offered something in that thread misread the requirements fo $15/yr. (insteading reading it too quickly and thinking it said $15/mo.). Offers that did not match the request were removed.

A custom plan that meets the requirements is fine, and anything above the requirements for the price is also fine (hosts just have to meet the minimum, but can offer more than the person is asking for).

If you see replies to requests that do not meet the minimum requirements, please report it and we'll remove the post. I don't think it is unreasonable to ask that people only reply to requests they can offer.

hmm...silly me...didn't think of the month/year being confused

I don't think that non-matching-offers should be removed once they are posted (but that's up to you guy's ) but if you (mods) do want to remove them we should all do our part to keep the workload low,

Just want to re-iterate that I don't think a host has ot match the exact offer, but it should come fairly close...

[bitserve]

I agree with akash.

I didn't know that the posts were subject to removal, either.

It does seem like a lot of work to remove them, because apparently there are a lot.

I haven't read the policy specific to that forum in awhile, if it even has it's own. But it should be that you only reply with offers that meet what the person is requesting. It seems common sense to me. Apparently not to others.

Softwarerevue, are you getting tired of the people complaining about other people complaining?

Sorry to hear about the pies.

[SoftWareRevue]

Originally posted by bitserve
. . . . . Softwarerevue, are you getting tired of the people complaining about other people complaining?

Does it show that much?

[Chicken]

Originally posted by bitserve
But it should be that you only reply with offers that meet what the person is requesting. It seems common sense to me. Apparently not to others.

Well this certianly makes the most sense, otherwise they're just posting their info and URL for the heck of it (fully knowing that the offer doesn't come close).

Common sense often isn't all that common, heh...

[skysenshi]

I'm not a host, just somebody who's a WHT "frequent shopper" (ha ha, I should get a WHT frequent shopper's card) . WHT is like a virtual mall for me because I'm always on the lookout for hosts for many of my clients and my numerous personal websites as well.

But sometimes I get a little dizzy sifting through offers that are more expensive than the budget I specified. Not only that, there are even some who offer more than the budget that do not even meet the minimum requirements.

For instance:
My requirement --> 20GB for $35 or less
The offer --> 15GB for $45

I don't believe some of my requirements are impossible, but I'd rather stick to what my clients need and what they can afford--especially when a client isn't willing to compromise (it's their credit card, after all).



[I would offer them hosting myself, if only I weren't so scared of overhead expenses and the headaches that I know plague many hosting companies. So I'd rather just refer.]

[tagalaxy.net]

hmm...theres a name i know from somewhere...
sky: you used to post a lot at the tacid (*shudder*) forums right?

[skysenshi]

Tagalaxy, yep, before WHT. I even posted here a lot when issues against Tacid came up. The first host I ever dissed left and right at these boards. But I think Shang(of Tacid) already made his peace and is really repentant, which I think is good.

In the meantime...I wonder when Node Hosting will setup my account (it's an emergency). Speaking of which, Node Hosting were one of the hosts that responded to my requirements well.