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  1. #1
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    Reliable host, friendly to very small customers?

    It is easy to find low-cost hosting plans, often with "generous" storage space and banwidth with hosts that sometimes aren't bad. But suppose someone needs a really small hosting plan and has a minimal budget; they just need a couple of e-mail accounts and a few html pages, but want these to be always available. Are there hosts who offer such minimal plans and still provide high-quality service, or is the only solution to order an expensive plan with features that would be a total overkill if one wants really good technical support? It is obvious that for most hosts, such small customers aren't worth much, but I am wondering whether you know of exceptions.

  2. #2
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    Have you ever thought of contacting a host about maybe getting a free account in exchange for maybe a banner on your site ?
    Depending on how many visitors your site will get some hosts do like to do this.

    Good luck
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  3. #3
    There are plenty of those around but never get a yearly contract because there is a discount. Pay monthly - and then suddenly customer service is much much better
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  4. #4
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    In the end, as hosts, people who purchase the small accounts are worth just as much - maybe even more than - people who purchase larger accounts. Why? The less being paid, the more people will want to buy. This is just natural for us. Therefore, you can have 10 people paying $65 for a semi-dedicated, but the 500 people paying $5 monthly for a small hosting plan are what really hold the company together in the end.

    That being said, I think you can find small hosts and large hosts out there who are of a high quality, such as HostGator, Web Pro Technologies, Cartika Hosting, and more.

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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by marapets
    Pay monthly - and then suddenly customer service is much much better
    Why is customer service (support) for monthly paid accounts much much better than yearly paid accounts?

    Do you know such a company? This can't be a smart one since by monthly payments each month a payment processor fee must be compensated. Also I believe that every serious hosting business take care about each customer in view of the fact that it is very hard to win one.
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  6. #6
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    Probably because for a very small monthly fee it does not compensate the transactions costs. I still can't understand how some companies charge $2.5 per month and they do it in monthly basis
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by okok
    It is easy to find low-cost hosting plans, often with "generous" storage space and banwidth with hosts that sometimes aren't bad. But suppose someone needs a really small hosting plan and has a minimal budget; they just need a couple of e-mail accounts and a few html pages, but want these to be always available. Are there hosts who offer such minimal plans and still provide high-quality service, or is the only solution to order an expensive plan with features that would be a total overkill if one wants really good technical support? It is obvious that for most hosts, such small customers aren't worth much, but I am wondering whether you know of exceptions.
    You might consider contacting a host and ask them to create a custom hosting plan for you based on your requirements and your budget. Some hosts will accept checks and money orders. Offering to pay in this way will save them a bit on credit card and paypal fees.

    A good host will provide the same level of service to all of their customers.

    Let us know who you decide to use.

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    Dave

  8. #8
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    $2.5 on money orders or checks?
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  9. #9
    Well, I do know that certain hosts have good quality of service as well as a very affordable price. Just look around, and I'm sure that you could find one that will fit your budget, simply said it's out there, just have to take the time to find it. :-)

  10. #10
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    I would take a look at asmallorange they have a small plan that it fairly inexpensive. Its sounds close to what you are looking for.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jedito
    $2.5 on money orders or checks?
    I just noticed your $2.5 comment. It costs 39 cents to mail it, too.

    It sounded like a good idea when I first wrote it....

    Dave

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by okok
    It is easy to find low-cost hosting plans, often with "generous" storage space and banwidth with hosts that sometimes aren't bad. But suppose someone needs a really small hosting plan and has a minimal budget; they just need a couple of e-mail accounts and a few html pages, but want these to be always available. Are there hosts who offer such minimal plans and still provide high-quality service, or is the only solution to order an expensive plan with features that would be a total overkill if one wants really good technical support? It is obvious that for most hosts, such small customers aren't worth much, but I am wondering whether you know of exceptions.


    The generous storage space, bandwidth offers are very much over-kill. Hosts offer it to compete (I guess?) You see it here daily. Support degrades because no one in their right mind would care to support a client year in and year out for 2.00 a month. Its absurd. This is not the potential client's fault. Keep in mind not all hosts have followed in this direction. Reasonable space and BW do exist.

    Just make sure you email potential hosts BEFORE signing up anywhere. Too many people skip that step it seems and they end up sorry for it.
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  13. #13
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    Yes, there are several hosts that cater to smaller sites. Again, the ones that offer rediculous amounts of storage and B/W are overkill, they're usually after the numbers, IMHO. As Martie said, contact a host before signing up and see if they will offer you what you need. I usually suggest picking a handfull of hosts depending on your requirements, then contact each of them and little by little widdle your choice down to the one you feel is right for you.
    I'm also going to go against the crowd here as far as always paying monthly. Unfortunately with so many peoples' bad experiences these days, trying out a host for a month or even two is understandable. After that, go for a year at a time, it usually ends up cheaper plus it's a more stable relationship for both parties. For those that do only pay monthly, might I suggest your looking at the wrong type of hosts. If you feel your continually getting screwed by different hosts, maybe up your budget a little and try something reliable. You might just be supprised.
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by marapets
    There are plenty of those around but never get a yearly contract because there is a discount. Pay monthly - and then suddenly customer service is much much better
    Those kinds of web hosts who trap customers into yearly contracts know that the customer is not going anywhere for another year even with poor support

    If a web host only accepts customers who pay yearly, I think it would be best to find a different web host.

  15. #15
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    yes, there are hosts out there who offer smaller plans. You have to search more.
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by WN-Ali
    Those kinds of web hosts who trap customers into yearly contracts know that the customer is not going anywhere for another year even with poor support

    If a web host only accepts customers who pay yearly, I think it would be best to find a different web host.
    Just to clarify my earlier comments, I never meant to say any host should "trap" customers into yearly contracts. I mearly said if someone doesn't feel comfortable with a yearly contract, then to go a head and try a hosts' services out for a month or so. After that time, they should know if they like that particular host or not. Then they could sign up for a yearly plan, which normally is a financial benefit for both parties and for the plain fact of having a better business relationship between both parties.
    I believe hosts should offer multiple plans for paying monthly/quaterly/yearly/etc., for a variety of reasons. I just don't believe people should start believing they should never trust any host, or that all hosts are horrible. As in any business and industry, you'll find good companies and bad companies. Here at WHT we all get to hear about the bad ones and the bad experiences people have. That's NOT to say there's no good hosts, there's many.
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  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by PowerDot
    Why is customer service (support) for monthly paid accounts much much better than yearly paid accounts?

    Do you know such a company? This can't be a smart one since by monthly payments each month a payment processor fee must be compensated. Also I believe that every serious hosting business take care about each customer in view of the fact that it is very hard to win one.
    because you can cancel at any time with a monthly one and they want to keep you as a customer

    with a yearly contract already paid in advance, service is poorer because you can't really leave them - you already paid
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by marapets
    because you can cancel at any time with a monthly one and they want to keep you as a customer

    with a yearly contract already paid in advance, service is poorer because you can't really leave them - you already paid
    Do you do that with your cell phone too? Not all hosts are like that. Look around here, you'll find several with excellent reputations that don't reduce support to any of their clients no matter how long the contract is.
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  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim2Macs
    Do you do that with your cell phone too? Not all hosts are like that. Look around here, you'll find several with excellent reputations that don't reduce support to any of their clients no matter how long the contract is.
    lol phone contracts are the biggest scam

    Cheap rental but you have to claim it back at the end... if you send your 3rd, 6th, 12th monthly bills to them on your 13th month and you have 14 days AND then they'll send you the cheque
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  20. #20
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    I agree with Ali, stay away from hosts that only accept yearly contracts.

    As for what you're looking for, any good and reputable host will accomodate you, or will have a plan that fits your needs. But keep in mind, just because you are using very little server resources, doesn't mean it doesn't cost them anything to have you as a customer. The support and general maintenance costs associated with hosting an account still apply. So don't expect to pay almost nothing!

    I wouldn't expec tto pay any less than maybe $4 or $5 a month for the kind of service you are looking for.

    Hope that helps, and good luck!
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  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Sean K
    stay away from hosts that only accept yearly contracts.

    As for what you're looking for, any good and reputable host will accomodate you, or will have a plan that fits your needs. But keep in mind, just because you are using very little server resources, doesn't mean it doesn't cost them anything to have you as a customer. The support and general maintenance costs associated with hosting an account still apply. So don't expect to pay almost nothing!

    I wouldn't expec tto pay any less than maybe $4 or $5 a month for the kind of service you are looking for.

    Hope that helps, and good luck!
    Yea thats what I meant when I said it lol

    sorry for the confusion
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  22. #22
    i would say contact some of them too, that way you can see how good their support is too

  23. #23
    yea contact them with their support email, not their sales email lol
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  24. #24
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    Very small hosting packages at very very low prices don't easily make sense. They are sometimes used effectively as loss leaders, just as "free hosting" is sometimes used.

    The problem is that costs don't depend only on data transfer/space. Among the bigger costs are payment processing, customer support and advertising. New customers tend to need a bit of support when moving their sites, to configure things, get used to the control panel etc. When the host makes say $.50 per month in profits per account, it can take years to recoup these initial support related costs.

    Another thing that hosts sometimes complain about is that the "cheaper" customers tend to need more support. This is probably because they're everyday people, not always techy enough to find solutions alone, even to the simplest of problems.

    There is talk about the dissadvatages of yealry contracts, but very low priced packages are almost forced to be on yearly terms, in order to minimize the payment processing fees.

    Now, it depends on the person, but $30 isn't such a big sum to risk for most people on a yearly package.

    With the general trend in the market, very small accounts tend to lose ground. It's human nature to see much more value in a high data transfer & big space account at $5 or $4 (even though it's heavily oversold), than in a very very small account at say $2.

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