Beware: Cheap Web Hosting Scam
Beware: Cheap Web Hosting Scam
Beware: Cheap Web Hosting Scam
So, you've made your search, and after much trouble wow! You found a cheap web host, with all the features you'll ever need! Yeah! Only you're about to fall for the oldest web hosting scam in the book. Taken hook, line and sinker, and worse yet, you won't even realize what a scam it is until your web host's 30 day tease warranty is over, and you're left high and dry.
What should you expect? What to look out for? Nobody tells it better than the victims themselves, and that's exactly what I'm gong to do: let the victims for one of the many cheap, but ultimately scamming hosts tell you first hand.
So listen and be warned: there is nothing worse in online business than making the mistake of choosing the wrong host. Period. All your efforts and customers and Google rankings and more, going to waste that is truly the bottom of the online pit.
What follows are actual quotes from the Top Three Complaint Categories Bad Customer Service, Unfulfilled Promises, and Baldfaced Scamming.
Names and host have been obscured do to article and privacy requirements; email me, and I will be happy to give you all info.
Baldfaced Scamming
On January 24th 2010, Sheana D. said:
"Please beware of using your credit card with these guys they add additional stuff into it without your authorization. Please don't register with them for ANY trial FREE stuff as one the trial is over they charge and keep charging you!!!!!! It is some kind of trickery. I am waiting for a year to finish for me to move my client's site to somewhere else. Please be careful with these guys. Their billing basically gave me a "tough luck" answer when I informed them"
On February 5th, 2010, Oneheart reported:
"A month ago i subscribed to [web host Scam Company]. They deducted a one time fee of abt USD$100 for my 3 years of subscription. 2 days ago, i realised that they deducted another USD$160 from my account. When i emailed them and asked about the additional charges, they told me that i clicked on some 30 days trial add-ons. Within that 30 days, if you did not call to unsubscribe the add-ons, they will auto-renew for you and deduct the payment from your bank account"
On March 11th, 2010, Shawn reported:
"This is the worst web host scam in the world Two years ago, I made the mistake of signing of for two years of hosting. Three months later, I cancelled my account (lost all of my money I paid for two years) and I went to a much better web host. Then, I just discovered they illegally billed my credit card again for another two years without my permission. I emailed them about this, and they responded in their typical fashion- rude and ugly..."
Bad Customer Service
On June 25th, 2010, Landon W wrote:
"I contacted them about transferring domain management for my business website about a week before it was set to expire. I followed all of the steps they gave me, confirmed my credit card and agreed to the charge. Apparently they did nothing. Unfortunately I didn't learn this until the domain expired, the grace period was through, and the website and email went down. First they told me they had no record of the request
Ultimately, I've had to pay $160 to retrieve the domain so my email won't be down for 2 months. I'll be moving my hosting as soon as I can.
Trust me it's worth it to pay a little more for far better service and support. If they would have even tried to make it better rather than blame *me*, I could have overlooked the technical issues. But the rude "service and support" I got made that impossible."
On July 3rd, 2010, Alma H. wrote:
"Ihave had a bad experience with [scamming web host] as well.
First of all, the load time on my shared server is unbelievable and my website is slow because of this. It is a simple new zen-cart store and their response for this issue was that i need to upgrade to VPS! For a bloody new zen-cart!!!
Furthermore, they charged my card with $12 for some business directory that i was never listed on. And will not refund me, although they have not provided that service"
On November 19th 2009, Terry C. complained:
"I signed up for there service because of the price and the promises that they make. Boy was that a huge mistake. So I ask for a refund per there policy in 3 days and was told in the email below that it was cancelled as well as refunded. Well its been 9 days and no refund. I disputed the charge with the Credit card company abd then called them. They told me that sense I filed a dispute with the credit card company he was not going to issue a refund..."
Unfulfilled Promises
On Dec. 18th John writes:
"First off, their free domain name' cost about $15, the file manager interface was poor, and I couldn't ever get the my ftp client to upload my website files and folders properly.
The so-called technical support were a bunch of jokers who seemed to have no knowledge outside of their little script to read, and could offer no useful advice whatsoever. Worse than that, they cared not the slightest that I was going to request a refund and go to a proper web hosting site"
On January 9th 2010 Charlie writes:
"My site has been down for at least two days. They have restored it from a backup that was at least 4 months old, if not older. And now they tell me I should be the one taking care of regenerating it to its most up-to-date situation."
On January 19th 2010, Aaron H. said:
"[Host company name] is without a doubt the worse hosting company I have ever dealt with. My site went down weekly for hours at a time and I have seen better tech support at computer camps. The last straw for me was catching them lying to me about a server issue. It aggravated me so bad that I called and shut down my VPS account. Within 10 minutes I received an email from them informing me that my other account was a victim of a DDOS attack and all my data was lost. When I complained I was told [scam company name] does not need my business. I challenge them to prove my review is wrong or misleading I have all my emails do they????"
As you can see, going for a very cheap host is often not worth it; at least do your homework, and find out more about the host before you get entangled in an ordeal that will be significantly more expensive than the few dollars you hoped to save by signing up in the first place.
If there was one rule I would implore you to follow, it would be insist on an anytime moneyback guarantee companies that offer this are always on the brink of losing you, and so they are always trying to make sure they don't.
Remember, web hosting scams are rampant and so are the victims. Don't be a victim; ask the right questions, check out the company first, and don't decide on price alone.
(You can read my article "Web Hosting Scams Be Damned: Top 5 Questions You Must Ask About In A Host" for more info.)
I wish you the best of luck in your search.
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