Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : HostingPlans = Terrible Service

I signed up with HostingPlans for their lifetime plan, and thought I was getting a deal!
Well, what I got was lack of service, lack of honesty, and nothing like what they promise. They make all kinds of claims, and don't live up to them. They also say they'll give you $250 worth of freebies, I never did see them. They only respond if you send them multiple messages and threaten them. Not the idea type of customer service. They don't have a phone number to call so you are limited their (lack of) email support.
This is another one to add to the TrueHosts and Halfprice hosts lists of bad web hosters.

[fthosting]

How can anyone say life time hosting they dont know whether they will be around in a year or not. With the internet changing the way it is nobody can make that guarentee.

Originally posted by FedUP:
I signed up with HostingPlans for their lifetime plan, and thought I was getting a deal!
Well, what I got was lack of service, lack of honesty, and nothing like what they promise. They make all kinds of claims, and don't live up to them. They also say they'll give you $250 worth of freebies, I never did see them. They only respond if you send them multiple messages and threaten them. Not the idea type of customer service. They don't have a phone number to call so you are limited their (lack of) email support.
This is another one to add to the TrueHosts and Halfprice hosts lists of bad web hosters.

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Signing off for now Eddie

Thye look like resellers for https://cwiservices.com/

Good point, fthosting. I did think of that when signing up, but thought even if they only lasted a year, what they claimed would be better than anyone else for the price. If they actually cared and actually provided what they said they would, then it would be.

I don't see how they are rellers for cwiservices.com, since the largest reseller plan for cwi is much less than the 500MB etc. Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but then again I no longer care since they are now at the bottom of pile along with the other shysters listed here.

[Duster]

Some hosts lie about a lot of things (like unlimited bandwidth) and I think the one time fee is the biggest lie of all. It sounds so inviting, for somewhere around $200-$250, you've paid for a lifetime of service. It looks like a deal too good to pass on.

That's the hook. It's another way some hosts have of getting a year or more of service paid for up front. Unfortunately, none of these companies seem to deliver on their promises.

Consider this. The monthly charges they have for Internet access continue every month, and that's several thousand dollars a year. If their service was any good, they would likely have enough customers without offering these deals that seem to good to be true (because they are just that, too good to be true).

I took a look at one from nomonthlyfees.com last year and concluded it was a Texas deal (El Paso). I've seen several similar ones since and the service has been lacking in all of them.

(no offense is meant towards Texans or the great state of Texas)

[This message has been edited by Duster (edited 04-10-2000).]

There secure order form is from cwiservices, so that means they probally lie about what they sell, like duster said.

Very good information, thanks!
It is definately too good to be true. I had wondered about nomonthlyfees when I saw them --another one that seems too good to be true.

I didn't even notice that the signup page was from cwiservices. I usually only check to make sure it is secure, but it's also a good idea to check where the form is coming from. Lesson learned.

He is a reseller for Alabanza...
http://www.domainwatch.com/nph-trace...RUEHOSTING.COM

And check his credit card page. It is an unencrypted form being emailed to him directly.

We signed-up with HostingPlan's 500MB plan last summer, before they had their lifetime hosting deal. They were pretty good at first, but somewhere around the time the lifetime deal started, they went down the tubes. I think the last time they answered one of our emails was in September. We could just about handle that, but we have six domain names, and it's rare that more than 1-2 of them are up at the same time. We've wondered if they just have one server, and rotate their clients thru it! Anyway, we're just waiting for our contract to be up, because they'd probably never refund the balance. And then, we'll hopefully find a legitimate hosting service.

Another:
Check your domains, especially if they registered them. They probably put themselves down for it which can make transfering it much more difficult. There are three places to put your name, I just am not sure which one NetworkSolutions sees as showing ownership of the domain name.

Also, if your domains are randomly up, why wait until your contract is up? Why not find a reputable host that provides customer service instead of just claiming to? I take it none of them are business sites...

[Duster]

NetworkSolutions goes by the registrant name as far as ownership of the domain name. I have seen hosting/design companies regsiter a domain to themselves as a way of holding an account hostage. The registrant name can be returned upon providing prooof of incorporation or by legal action, but that can take a while.

If the true domain owner is registered as such and is not one of the contacts, it can take longer for any changes to be made. The domain owner should always be registered as either the billing or administrative contact, or both, especially for a business. Anything else can provide for potential delays. I've seen enough from some new domains I host that one should not leave themselves at the mercy of their host. I have three new accounts that were held hostage by their previous host, from not giving them FTP access and password (so as to overcharge for their redesign work), and one even registered the domain ion their name.

Yes, I've seen lots of reports of dishonest hosting companies registering domains in their name causing major problems for the real owner.
This is another buyer beware that people should always just register the domain themselves, using only the DNS info from the hosting company. Some will tell you you have to put them down for some of the contact info, that's just not true. You can if you want, but it isn't a must. I'm very much a rookie and I had no problem registering my domain name from NetworkSolutions (I paid more than I would have if I had gone to a registrar, though).

[fthosting]

i recommend joker.com for buying domains cheap , uqick and reliable.

I have heard good things and seen favorable posts about Joker.com seriously registering domain names for less.