Hostgator suspensions

by Phil

Posted: 16 years ago 26 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I have been with hostgator for two years now. I have a reseller
account which contains my own sites and those owned by a few
friends.

At the weekend I notivced my sites were down and checked my
inbox. Sure enough, there was an email from Hostgator to tell me
my main domain name was coming up for renewal - next month.

The first email with a simultaneous suspension of my sites did not
impress me.

Sure enough I paid and complained and the sites were live again.

Today I check my sites and they are down again and, guess what,
the first invoice for this month is in my inbox.

So is Hostgator having financial difficulties? Is this a new policy
of suspend first ask questions later? I'm really not impressed -
especially since if I am paying monthly I need an invoice before I
pay.

As I said earlier, I have been a customer for two years now and
I have paid regularly. Has anyone else experienced this? It's totally
new to me and I cannot understand it nor can I seem to get an
explanation.

Phil

#hostgator #suspensions

Quentin 16 years ago

Have you checked your Modern bill to see if they are in there and that your credit card is up to date. Quite often people forget to update their expiury date.

Quentin
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- Phil 16 years ago
  
  Hi Quentin,
  
  I don't have my account on auto-pay. I prefer to wait and
  receive an invoice then respond to that. It's been ok up til now.
  I have checked my billing and everything is paid up to date.
  
  Perhaps that is the way ahead - but I see no good reason why
  sites should be suspended prior to non-payment.
  
  Thanks fro your suggestion.
  Phil
  
  Thanks
  
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- Carol666 16 years ago
  
  I had a problem with Hostgator last month when my account was suspended. I checked the billing and my account was clear. I called live chat and was told that following an audit they had discovered that they had forgotten to bill me for June and someone from the accounts department was creating an invoice on my account now.
  
  I asked why they couldn't have sent me a polite email asking me to pay rather than suspending my account. This was not my fault as I could not pay an invoice that was not even on the account.
  
  The chat operator was very rude, refused to acknowledge that it was hostgators fault and not mine, then terminated the live chat whilst I was typing a reply.
  
  I concluded that hostgator have problems with both their billing systems and with their staff training or supervision.
  
  Carol
  
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Napa

16 years ago

Hostgator is a good hosting company. Read the fine print, maybe they're just following their own guidelines.

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Kim Standerline

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Napa

Hostgator is a good hosting company. Read the fine print, maybe they're just following their own guidelines.

No they're not, they are utter crap, (and I speak from experience). For a start, what reputable hosting company would disable someones sites within hours of their bill not beng paid. (why not give them a few days grace at least) as in the OP's situation

I walked away from hostgator (with a sigh of relief) and set u my own servers elsewhere (I was that sick of them)

To be honest, I think what the OP should do is tell them how he feels by walking away and taking his business elsewhere

Kim

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Martin Avis

16 years ago

That's what annoys me about you Kim - you always sit on the fence.

Martin

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Kim Standerline 16 years ago

Originally Posted by Martin.Avis

That's what annoys me about you Kim - you always sit on the fence.

Martin

cheeky chops
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waken

16 years ago

It happens not only to hosting services but domain name provider as well. My domain that suppose to expire on 10th this month showing a parked page 10 days before the expiry date simply because I have just changed the setting for manual renewal instead of automatic!

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Colin Evans 16 years ago

I had a billing problem with Hostgator, got hold of their billing support and had the problem solved in a few minutes...

A little trick I learned a long time ago when it comes to dealing with any service provider in any country... Be polite and your problem get fixed...
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sparrow

16 years ago

Interesting what is happening with hostgator

from a software developers point of view they have given me the most amount of support issues

good luck with them

Ed

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Wayne Liew 16 years ago

Switched to HG from Lunarpages and I would say that their live support is the feature that I love the most.

Have done 3-4 live support calls now on various issues and I would say the people are very polite. One even tried to come up with a list of usable scripts for me.

Hostgator is the best for me now, at least, when compared to Lunar.
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- Paul Buckley 16 years ago
  
  I kicked Hostgator to the curb a couple of years ago. My problems with them were similar to those already cited in this thread. Additionally, cancelling an account with Hostgator is not as easy as getting off a Cody Moya list.
  
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  waken 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Paul Buckley
  
  is not as easy as getting off a Cody Moya list.
  
  Not only his...
  
  I'm still getting emails from those that i've already unsubscribed and unsubscribed.
  
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- Milton 16 years ago
  
  I guess I have to speak up for Hostgator. I had my Pay Pal subscription set 3 days after my due billing date, it was like that for about 6 months, I always got a reminder that it was overdue but never had a suspension or any trouble at all. I find them most helpfull for the few little problems that I have had. I've fixed it now though.
  
  Thanks
  
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Phil

16 years ago

I guess I shouldn't be suprised to see so many replies: Hosting is
always bound to be a hot topic among online business people.

Kim, I understand from your npost that my issue isn't a new one;
it's simply new to me. That doesn't bode well.

Colin, I agree with nyour 'always polite' polcy. But politeness alone
doesn't necessarily produce results - especially in this case where
it is faced with mindless bureaucracy.

What is stopping me from moving is that I read so many issues with
hosts and hosting that I am of a mind to stick with the devil I know
(although, really, I know little of this particular devil).

Does anyone recommend a Hostgator level of price and facilities at
another, more customer friendly, service?

Phil

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TheRichJerksNet

16 years ago

Been with hostgator from the start, I have 2 servers both of which are auto billed and paid through paypal.. Never not one billing issue.. Which is alot more than I can say for some host.

My sites have never been suspended or taken down.. Its like what Colin Evans posted, be polite and you get your issues fixed..

James

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Kim Standerline

16 years ago

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

I don't think anyone in this thread has intimated they have been less than polite.

it's a shame the same can't be said for the inexperienced morons working the help desk there.

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TheRichJerksNet

16 years ago

Hi Kim,
Oh I agree some support reps are very rude and dont know much.. If I have a problem with support I just call Steve the general manager. Not that I need support or anything but I have been on live chat 2 or 3 times over the years.

I highly reccommend hostgator compared to what else is out there, where most look at price I look at server security, uptime, up to date servers, and etc.. In my honest opinion I give them a 8 out of 10.. Course there is no host I would give a 10 as over these many years I have been online I have dealt with a good bit of host.

James

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Kim Standerline

16 years ago

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

where most look at price I look at server security, uptime, up to date servers, and etc.. In my honest opinion I give them a 8 out of 10.. Course there is no host I would give a 10 as over these many years I have been online I have dealt with a good bit of host.

James

Hi James

I agree with you entirely

Thing is, my server (with hostgator) was down more than it was up (and I don't say that lightly). They wouldn't accept there was something wrong with the server I was renting so in the end I moved over to Pacific Rack where surprise, surprise, everything is now absolutely fine.

Thing is, I'm running 2 servers now, and that's nearly $700 a month Hostgator have lost from me in revenue because of their crappy support. That's just me, how many other accounts have they lost!

Pacific Rack bend over backwards with their support with any (rare) issues usually solved within minutes. (Absolutely no comparison)

Kim

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Phil

16 years ago

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

Hi james,

sincerely, politeness is not the issue here. I believe that I deal with
everyone with a polite manner. From the caliber of some of the posters
here - who I know of - I would go one step further and say that
politeness, or lack of, was not an issue with them either.

This thread has been informative, in letting me know that mine is not
an isolated case and that while my experience of Hostgator has been
largely positive, it has not been for everyone. And some of those who
post here have a great degree of credibility when it comes to this sort
of thing, in my view.

But, on balance, I do see a possible way forward. I shall try paying by
direct debit rather tahn waiting for an invoice - which Hostgator seem
to be either wary of or not competent enough to deliver. If the issue
arises again then I will see no other option than to go elsewhere.

I am still interested in viable alternatives, should anyone feel they have
one. The reseller option at Hostgator has always seemed the best - on
the surface...

Phil

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TheRichJerksNet 16 years ago

Hi Phil,
Well I personally go with dedicated servers myself because it gives me control. If I need to install SSL then I do so, If I need to restart then I do so, if I need to clear the mail queue then I do so .. I do not need to even deal with support very much at all.

I personally went with auto pay so I dont have to deal with the invoices and junk, waste of my time that I could spend someplace else. I get a email everytime it is paid and that is good enough for me..

James
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- Kay King 16 years ago
  
  if I am paying monthly I need an invoice before I pay.
  
  Why? The bill is the same each month and due the same time each month. Emails can be unreliable for many reasons - but not receiving a bill doesn't mean the payment is not due.
  
  I have HG accounts on autopay through paypal which I find much better than the previous monthly invoice I originally signed up for. It's one less thing to think about or do each month.
  
  My sites are up almost all the time with very few problems - so I'm not moving that set of sites. HG isn't perfect but for me it's been reliable hosting for those sites which is what I wanted.
  
  The two weak areas I've noticed with HG over the years is the billing system and the chat function. Monthly autopay works efficiently - and support by email is the most helpful. You may have to wait a few hours but the support will be much better.
  
  kay
  
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  Martin Luxton 16 years ago
  
  I'm using Dreamhost and I'm very happy with them (cue hundreds of replies slagging off Dreamhost ).
  
  Their email customer support is very fast and helpful.
  
  Phil, whoever you host with, you will find detractors and supporters. The same as you will find people who have had no problems with Paypal and others who swear they are the devil incarnate.
  
  Martin
  
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Tim Franklin

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Kim Standerline

I am actively considering a change at this point, so I guess I am off to search the forum for good hosting, (breaking up is so hard to do)

I hate to breakup with hostgator, but really, It has been a love hate relationship, I really just use the server to test out software for the most part, (because there are so many warriors on host gator) it is a good test server to test out my software.

Perhaps a downgrade is in order, (could create some interesting support discussions, )

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Diana Lane 16 years ago

I had a similar issue last month too, waking up to find my Hostgator reseller account suspended (*very* professional looking, not). I logged into the billing area to see where the invoice I'd managed to overlook was, and found nothing. I emailed support and explained this, and received a reply a few hours later saying 'You have an outstanding invoice. Please check the billing area'. Feeling slightly weary of it all by this time, I logged into the billing area to find an invoice dated that very same day. I paid up, and then enquired of support why there had been no outstanding invoice in the billing area when I'd first looked, and why an invoice had been generated after they'd suspended my account. Fast forward a few more hours, and back came the enlightening reply. 'Thank you for your payment. Your account has been reinstated'. Okaay.... that explains everything then.

A couple of days before the suspension saga, I realised that all my sites were down. After panicking for a bit and mentally rewinding my brain to make sure that it couldn't be down to anything I'd done, I visited the Hostgator support forum, where I found my problem explained by a post stating that sites would be down for several hours on specified days while they upgraded servers from PHP4 to PHP5. Underneath, in large capital letters, it said 'WE WILL NOT BE EMAILING OUR CUSTOMERS'. Uh? Either Hostgator credit their customers with no importance whatsoever, or they credit them with the accute psychic powers necessary to visit a support forum before the issue requiring support actually arises. Not being the type to visit support forums for fun, at this very minute they could well be advising us of downtime while they paint go-faster stripes on the cables and I'd never know.

I don't have the psychic powers necessary to figure out that server upgrades will take place on a certain time if nobody bothers to tell me, and I'm not tuned into the fluence enough to be able to pay a bill before it's generated, but even my ropey crystal ball is accurate enough to predict that Hostgator won't be a part of my future for very much longer.
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Tim Franklin 16 years ago

I have been having an issue with hostgator as well,

Thinking of dropping them, a billing issue as you mention, however with a
twist, my payment method is good until the end of the month,

I get an email stating that my account will be disabled if I dont come in and give them a new payment method, (which will be the same as the one they already have) Interesting, it sort of made me wonder if I am spending my money at the right place.

Given that time is money and I hate wasting either of them, I may just move to another host, one that has a better understanding of time and continuity.

Seems as if they have switched over to a different billing procedure, which is less likely to create a beneficial relationship with customers.

Sometimes I have to shake my head when I see this off behavior, oh well, what can you do, right,

I can just go somewhere else, I believe my account is around 200.00 per year, not much in the big picture, but if I have to constantly mop up after a sloppy billing procedure, not really worth my time.
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