Are the experiences listed at hostgator-sucks.com typical?

[NJO]

080121: Edit: mail bounced. So much for being able to present both sides of the story.
080121: Edit: I have emailed blackhole1@thirdworldhellhole.com, the owner of that blog with the following:

Hi,

I'm a new HG customer. In the interest of free speech, I was wondering if you will permit me to post my experience with them here even if it turns out to be a good experience? I'll be running a couple of osCommerce sites along with many add-on domains for email and static web pages. I'm no guru so I'm sure I'll get to know their support staff on a first name basis.

Many thanks,

NJO (That's my userID on the HG forums)

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

Hi,

First let me say that I would see red if someone created an NJO-sucks site so please do your best to get past that natural and very real reaction when answering my questions.

I'm new and I relied on customer reviews at hostingreviewsbyusers.com,
WebHostingTalk.com, and hostjury.com in selecting hostgator as my web host. Hostgator was well reviewed at all 3 sites. I felt like I was spending a couple dollars more per month to sign-up with a first class outfit and I figured it was money well spent.

After I spent a few hours creating my add-on domains, subdomains, email accounts and updating a dozen DNS entries I ran across a site that has me questioning if I made the right decision. The people posting on the hostgator-sucks.com blog have some serious axes to grind. They complain about outtages which regularly occur during prime time (a sign of server overbooking). poor/ignorant technical support and being asked to leave as soon as they complained.

I really hate to have to ask this but they've really made me nervous. Are they a tiny minority or are these fairly typical complaints? All businesses have a few unhappy former customers. Is that the case with these guys?

I am particularly concerned about their allegation that they were unable to get access to their files to transfer them to another host. That is the worst possible thing that can happen to a customer. So bad, in fact, that I can't believe it could happen because if it did, I assume they'd run to their lawyers, not create a complaint site.

Also, I recognize their right to free speech but if they are a small unhappy minority or perhaps Hostgator had some valid service glitches back then, then perhaps Hostgator might wish to respond on their site in addition to responding to my post here.

I apologize if this question belongs in the review section but since I'm not reviewing my own experiences I didn't feel comfortable putting it there. Rather, I'm early enough into my 45 day trial that I feel like I have more in common with the pre-sales people.

Thanks for taking the time to address my concerns.

NJO

[Sam]

LOL

‘ i left GODADDY and went to HG... 3 months and my site was never up! plus i sent.... hmm 150 emails to support... got a "F**K YOU" and "F**K OFF" a few times... there ****ed up... ‘

I doubt HG replied to a ticket saying 'F**K YOU'

That blog looks like it is just run by one person,

[atlan]

Stick with the reviews that you read about at some of those great forums.....forget about the blog!

[GvilleRick]

The sites you listed as review sites are pretty good choices and generally pretty extensive and unbiased. HG is a pretty big outfit and has grown pretty quickly. Both of those factors lead to having some folks to have bad experiences and folks who experience problems will tend to make more noise than the many more who are happy.

As for not being able to get their files, it is advisable to keep a local backup to prevent problems. Backups sometimes are corrupted and if a drive fails and the HG backup is bad then you would be out of luck.

I would say your best option is to see for yourself. Take advantage of the 45 day trial period and pay monthly. If you decide it's not for you then you are not out much. Most folks who have problems here will have problems with any shared hosts as they are trying to run an account that needs more than a shared account can provide.

[NJO]

Thank you again for your prompt reply. It might be nice if some of HG's satisfied customers posted their experiences at that blog. I would hope that the blog owner would respect the fact that free speech is a two way street. But if he doesn't, that would be useful information to have as well.

[GvilleRick]

I would doubt that he would agree to post positive comments.

[atlan]

I would have to agree there.......with the name of the site, they aren't looking for great reviews!

[quietFinn]

I have not seen the site you refer to, but ....

Originally Posted by NJO

I really hate to have to ask this but they've really made me nervous. Are they a tiny minority or are these fairly typical complaints? All businesses have a few unhappy former customers. Is that the case with these guys?

Yes, absolutely.

Originally Posted by NJO

I am particularly concerned about their allegation that they were unable to get access to their files to transfer them to another host. That is the worst possible thing that can happen to a customer. So bad, in fact, that I can't believe it could happen because if it did, I assume they'd run to their lawyers, not create a complaint site.

Let's put it this way.
If some of my customers does not pay their bill they will get suspended. While suspended they will not get access to their files. And they will not get access to their files until they have paid their bill(s).
And if they contact their lawyer they will hear that the only thing they can do is to pay their bill.
What I mean is that if HostGator denied their access to the their files, they had a valid reason to do so.

Originally Posted by NJO

Also, I recognize their right to free speech but if they are a small unhappy minority or perhaps Hostgator had some valid service glitches back then, then perhaps Hostgator might wish to respond on their site in addition to responding to my post here.

No, the basic rule that counts here is "Never argue with idiots!".

[NJO]

Managing rapid growth is difficult and mistakes are going to happen. But the sense I got from the HG forums is that HG management has no problem admitting when the mistake is on their part and they hand out free months of service to help ease the pain.

It is also possible to make a bad hire and get an individual with emotional problems who will tell customers to FO. Again, based on the tone of the posts I see here, it wouldn't surprise me to see HG management admit that to their customer base as well. And hand out a few free months of service to ease the pain.

Nobody's perfect. I'm not and I don't expect perfection from my vendors or employees. But the allegations made at that blog are serious enough to warrant reassurance.

Thanks again ... NJO

[slapshotw]

I remember that guy. He wrote a whole thing on his forum about how they could all make money by scamming HG, then acted like HG was somehow doing wrong to him by not paying out after they caught on.

[Sam]

This thread rules: http://forums.hostgator.com/showthre...ight=affiliate

[atlan]

WOW!!!

Why is it common sense is not all that common?

[NJO]

I read thru that thread and all I can say is OMG. What a jerk! And a criminal too -- as in fraud. He's lucky that HG didn't seek civil remedies.

I came here from a link at a review site. Any affiiliate fee that you pay them will be well earned in my opinion as they provided useful information by which to make my hosting decision.

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by slapshotw

I remember that guy. He wrote a whole thing on his forum about how they could all make money by scamming HG, then acted like HG was somehow doing wrong to him by not paying out after they caught on.

Originally Posted by Sam

This thread rules: http://forums.hostgator.com/showthre...ight=affiliate

Though that thread was a true classic--perhaps the most disingenuous protest of all time--its perpetrator was not the same person as the founder of hostgator-sucks.com, which was originally discussed in this thread:

hostgator-sucks.com - HostGator Peer Support Forums

[slapshotw]

Ah, thanks for the clarification Gwyneth.

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by slapshotw

Ah, thanks for the clarification Gwyneth.

IMO, what elevated the affiliate-scam guy beyond lifetime achievement level wasn't just the scam, the excuses he offered his own customers for the hosting "outages", or even his outraged complaint here. It was titling his plaint: "Scammed, Ripped-off And Lied To As A Loyal Hg Affiliate!!!".

Of course, the complaint Serra quoted from the sucks blog from the guy who was upset that his "$5/10,000 per day" ecommerce site just didn't work out on the shared account was also classic. My arithmetic--at minimum $150,000 monthly revenues from at most a $15 monthly site--indicates something is drastically wrong with his arithmetic.

Originally Posted by Sam

LOL



I doubt HG replied to a ticket saying 'F**K YOU'

That blog looks like it is just run by one person,

If we were to do something like that we would certainly get fired.

[Jordanlw]

Originally Posted by GatorLucas

If we were to do something like that we would certainly get fired.

Hmmm....
Thats give me a idea... Hehe

[cloggedone]

Those things are just so typical for a blog like that...

It kinda reminds me of those people who buy a million domains and make millions off of it, but it leaves people in the dust for registering their domains.

[screavic]

I looked at that and I kinda find it funny that I have never had any problems like that. I am a returning customer that when I get 'too big for shared' I moved to dedicated then whenever business slows down a year or so down the road I come right back. Why... well great customer service good deals and awesome hosting.

Anyways just wanted to give my positive on it.

HOSTGATOR

[episkey]

I've been with HostGator for only a couple of weeks, but so far I've found them excellent. Their customer support is the best I've ever seen. All evidence suggests that they do not oversell, and that they take pains to make sure that shared server resources are used appropriately. Their concern with security and their willingness to help me learn how to keep my account secure is most appreciated.

And finally, there is this forum -- from which, in just a few short weeks, I've learned much and received invaluable advice and assistance. While much credit for that goes to the individuals who so generously share their expertise, communities like this generally don't happen by accident.

Overall, HG appears to be a smart and conscientious company with good long-range vision.

(No, I am not going to post a review like this at a stupid "sucks" site, but after I've been with HG a bit longer I will post a customer review on this forum.)

[Rockoids]

Originally Posted by episkey

I've been with HostGator for only a couple of weeks, but so far I've found them excellent. Their customer support is the best I've ever seen. All evidence suggests that they do not oversell, and that they take pains to make sure that shared server resources are used appropriately. Their concern with security and their willingness to help me learn how to keep my account secure is most appreciated.

And finally, there is this forum -- from which, in just a few short weeks, I've learned much and received invaluable advice and assistance. While much credit for that goes to the individuals who so generously share their expertise, communities like this generally don't happen by accident.

Overall, HG appears to be a smart and conscientious company with good long-range vision.

(No, I am not going to post a review like this at a stupid "sucks" site, but after I've been with HG a bit longer I will post a customer review on this forum.)

I can certainly name several hosts with which I have personal experience that would all rate a "good guys" moniker (such as DreamHost, HostICan and HostGator), despite the fact they all have hate sites devoted to them. I think people who run those sites need to get a life.

No host is perfect. Equipment fails, tech support people sometimes misdiagnose a problem or aren't as attentive as they should be. That's the nature of the beast.

If you don't like one host, there are thousands to pick from. I think the people who spend a large portion of their existence posting hate messages about a host have serious problems that require treatment. What a pathetic way to waste your time.

I have bad stories to tell, too, but I have better things to do than waste my time over such matters.

[ickb]

Are the experiences listed at hostgator-sucks.com typical?

My initial starting experience started as a *NIGHTMARE*, you can look at my previous posting. In fact I quit the first time after 9 days.. then decided to give HostGator a 2nd chance after a couple of members from this board had contacted me.

I emailed support, called support and did everything possible before terminating my account the 1st time. As for my 2nd try at Hostgator, everything has been running smoothly.

There were some glitches the 2nd time and again I had to email and call support to get it fixed. Once everything was fixed I've had no website problems, but I am still in the testing phase as my 2nd time started Feb 25.

It does help to be somewhat knowledgeable about web hosting to remedy problems that may arise.

I had been looking at another web hosting company in which their homepage takes 25 seconds to load.. almost as fast as to download their 10MB test file on broadband. The 'chat' window opens soon after you get to their homepage. I asked, "Why does the homepage take 25 seconds to load?" His answer was that there is a lot of Flash on the page. My answer was there is no Flash on the page and the Flash movies are on the testimonial pages. The homepage is all text with image files, but no Flash. Immediately I dismissed this hosting company.

Hostgator with Yahoomail is a bit of a pain as Yahoo seems to have 'blacklisted' Hostgator to some extent. I can get email to Yahoomail, but it is not consistent. As for myself, I stopped using Yahoomail over a year ago because of weak filters and a lot of spam. Sadly there are enough people who use Yahoomail, so I use "workarounds" to keep Hostgator mail from bouncing from Yahoomail.

Hostgator tries very hard to get problems fixed within their abilities in a polite business manner. Not all customer support are as knowledgeable as some veteran end-users of Hostgator. In this regard this forum does offer a great service to end users for beginner and veteran webmasters

[Rockoids]

In the real world, there's no such thing as perfect technical support. You get a perfectly good tech on a bad day and the answers don't succeed in solving the problem, or the whole crew is overworked for one reason or another.

When a company's support is weighted heavily towards good experiences, then you have something worthwhile.

Yahoo? I agree their mail is pathetic, but as long as millions use them (they have my pity), our email must be compatible somehow.

[Singod]

I have had nothing but good experiences with hostgator so far. I've only been here for not even 24 hours but this is my first time dealing with a linux distro webhosting package and I must say it is pretty hands on.

The only flaw with this company is the name servers could activate a little faster then 48 hours which I am still waiting on.

So yeah that is the only problem I've sensed.

But you gotta admit, the price for Unlimited Data Transfer and Disk Space is phenomenal. I haven't seen a better deal yet, + I also used the "BEACH" coupon code for summer 20% off which saved me a small bit.

I think I am going to stay here as long as I am a web developer. The services and the live support cannot be matched to any other web host, Hostgator is just outstanding. I also like that there isnt just one option to get an answer around here, we have helpful forums and not just some help desk.

~Singod