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Is Hostgator Going Out of Business ?

by keblack
68 replies
My guess is that many of you have received emails from Google lately saying that they shut your site down because malicious software attacked it. So, several of my websites have been completely down since last Friday.

So, the email reply from hostgator to me was that they were looking into it and it was likely plugins or the theme that was causing it. I know that was not the cause and I have no idea why someone or something attacked hostgator sites.

Anyway I tried their Chat service and they said they could not answer me and I had to wait. Hmmm, I have been waiting 4 days. So, I looked around and it seems other people are having problems with hostgator sites.

As you know, hundreds of dollars can go into the content of a site, as was my case, so having the sites down or gone forever is kind of a problem. I asked them to fix the problem and restore the backups, but no answer at all.

Maybe they are going out of business ?

I have decided to switch to another webhost, as I have had it with them, but will wait a couple of days to see if I can get back my websites.

Kind of makes you mad ... not much of a Christmas present ...

Anyone know of a solution to this problem ? Just curious.

Thanks.
#business #hostgator
  • Profile picture of the author a2hosting
    Sorry to hear that you've run into these problems. I highly doubt they are going out of business however. Have you tried calling them? I wish I could be of more assistance! You may also want to try conversing with some of their other customers on their forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaolinsteve
    Originally Posted by keblack View Post

    My guess is that many of you have received emails from Google lately saying that they shut your site down because malicious software attacked it. So, several of my websites have been completely down since last Friday.

    So, the email reply from hostgator to me was that they were looking into it and it was likely plugins or the theme that was causing it. I know that was not the cause and I have no idea why someone or something attacked hostgator sites.

    Anyway I tried their Chat service and they said they could not answer me and I had to wait. Hmmm, I have been waiting 4 days. So, I looked around and it seems other people are having problems with hostgator sites.

    As you know, hundreds of dollars can go into the content of a site, as was my case, so having the sites down or gone forever is kind of a problem. I asked them to fix the problem and restore the backups, but no answer at all.

    Maybe they are going out of business ?

    I have decided to switch to another webhost, as I have had it with them, but will wait a couple of days to see if I can get back my websites.

    Kind of makes you mad ... not much of a Christmas present ...

    Anyone know of a solution to this problem ? Just curious.

    Thanks.
    I was on the same road as you. My site was down for 6 days and I eventually consulted with the guys at Sucuri. Ticket responses were non-existent with HostGator, so I had to take matter into my own hands whilst I spoke to them several times a day for a follow up.

    After researching countless threads, I did the following:

    1. I used Sucuri's free scanner to locate the issue: Sucuri SiteCheck - Free Website Malware Scanner

    2. If it brings up issues with the template-loader then headover to wordpress main site and download the latest version.

    3. Unzip wp-includes/template-loader.php and wp-includes/js/swfobject.js to your desktop.

    4. Use an FTP client such as FileZilla and replace those files. (Make a back-up of the old ones just incase it's ever needed until resolved).

    5. Ensure any Cache plugins are disabled for the time being.

    6. Assuming your website is hooked up with Google Webmasters, re-apply that your issues have been fixed and explain what you've done.

    7. Waiting time could vary between 3-6 hours (personal experience only).

    8. If you notice your site is back up, re-scan with Sucuri.

    9. Change any passwords just to be safe.


    Now... this worked for me. Although it's a waiting game to find out the main cause of why this happened in the first place.

    Good luck Ken!
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
    Hostgator are owned by the huge Endurance International Group and I can't see them going out of business anytime soon. They moved a number of well known hosting companies on to their own servers after buying many including hostgator in the last 18 months. I had a VPS account with them but cancelled when they moved about a year ago due to down time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Killian
    I agree, they are not going out of business.

    But support sure has suffered, with other issues. Support tickets usually don't work these days. You need to use the live chat or the phone.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    Originally Posted by keblack View Post

    My guess is that many of you have received emails from Google lately saying that they shut your site down because malicious software attacked it. So, several of my websites have been completely down since last Friday.

    So, the email reply from hostgator to me was that they were looking into it and it was likely plugins or the theme that was causing it. I know that was not the cause and I have no idea why someone or something attacked hostgator sites.

    Anyway I tried their Chat service and they said they could not answer me and I had to wait. Hmmm, I have been waiting 4 days. So, I looked around and it seems other people are having problems with hostgator sites.

    As you know, hundreds of dollars can go into the content of a site, as was my case, so having the sites down or gone forever is kind of a problem. I asked them to fix the problem and restore the backups, but no answer at all.

    Maybe they are going out of business ?

    I have decided to switch to another webhost, as I have had it with them, but will wait a couple of days to see if I can get back my websites.

    Kind of makes you mad ... not much of a Christmas present ...

    Anyone know of a solution to this problem ? Just curious.

    Thanks.
    Is the site in your signature one of the sites you claim to be attacked?

    Took a look at the site in your signature and it is blacklisted! Source (Click Here)

    Took a look at the whois database still shows that the website is hosted at HostGator. Source (Click Here)

    At this stage it would be prudent of you to remove the link in your signature, so "we visitors" do not visit your site with malicious software that may infect our browsers and or computers. In all instances, it is the responsibility of site owner to protect site visitors from malicious software. You are not aware of that because you posted a link in your signature to your own website that may infect our browsers and or computers.

    Sites that are infected are usually corrupted in one of three ways:

    1) Site webmaster infects the site by running malicious applications.

    2) Site webmaster infects the site by not running security applications.

    3) In rare cases, sites that are infected can be hacked regardless of security applications.

    Please Be a good Warrior and remove your signature until your site is fixed.

    Jeffery 100% :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author eac113
    Yeah the support situation there is tough, maybe they are overwhelmed with tickets?
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Kontango
    they aren't going out of business, but their support is absolutely terrible and so is their speed... I always had slower speed on my websites when using them... I asked them about it and they said the youtube videos embeded where the problem... once I changed hosts... guess what... the videos no longer a problem... huh
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    hmm

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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    Thanks for the tip about my signature - I erased it. I'll have to try and phone them tomorrow. Tried live chat and they said they couldn't help me. Funny, but other webhosts do protect your site from malicious software and you don't have to buy anything extra. I signed up with another couple of them already this week. It's not only about many of my sites down, it's the lack of caring at hostgator.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sangfroid
      Move away from Host Gator, fast!

      Since they got bought out, they have been
      lousy.

      There are many decent Hosting companies.

      Move on..............

      Be Well,
      Don
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    • Profile picture of the author axus_auto
      Originally Posted by keblack View Post

      Thanks for the tip about my signature - I erased it. I'll have to try and phone them tomorrow. Tried live chat and they said they couldn't help me. Funny, but other webhosts do protect your site from malicious software and you don't have to buy anything extra. I signed up with another couple of them already this week. It's not only about many of my sites down, it's the lack of caring at hostgator.
      Check out one of the threads I started some time ago... http://www.warriorforum.com/internet...ebhosting.html

      My recommendation would be to move webhosts. Either Namecheap or WebHostingBuzz as they both have fast live chat and good support. There are others and you should probably ask around at WebHostingTalk forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    [DELETED]
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  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    I have been a huge advocate for hostgator in the past. I still have recommended them to people but the one thing I have noticed is the SHARP decline in support, response times, etc. in the last 3 months. I have also used many other hosting companies, none of which I've been happy with and so far, even with the decline in support I think hostgator is one of the better ones available.

    I'm about to check out hostwinds and liquid web. I have about 1,000 websites hosted on Hostgator servers. I haven't found a company that's worthy of the time involved to migrate everything.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sangfroid
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      I have been a huge advocate for hostgator in the past. I still have recommended them to people but the one thing I have noticed is the SHARP decline in support, response times, etc. in the last 3 months. I have also used many other hosting companies, none of which I've been happy with and so far, even with the decline in support I think hostgator is one of the better ones available.

      I'm about to check out hostwinds and liquid web. I have about 1,000 websites hosted on Hostgator servers. I haven't found a company that's worthy of the time involved to migrate everything.

      I use Liquid Web for my best money site. I find them
      impressive.

      Be Well
      Don
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    Maybe they are going out of business ?
    Nah, there are far too many victi...I mean newbies coming in that don't know any better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Markets
    From what information you have provided, it doesn't really sound like they are closing, it just seems like they have really bad service. I would move to another provider just for that very reason, terrible service.
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    "There comes a time when people get tired."
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  • Profile picture of the author Graham Maddison
    I don't want to hijack your thread, but I have just posted my own thread http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...er-threat.html about my sites being under threat .... coincidentally, since Friday.

    I don't use hostgator for web hosting and I am guessing it is the vulnerability of wordpress which is the problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    Thanks Graham - I will look at that. It's actually a good thing for myself anyway. Kind of a push to find better a better webhost, so it's good, not bad really. Hostnine and bluehost look very good and I'm sure there are others too.
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  • Profile picture of the author webmonopoly
    I cancelled my hostgator hosting plan after the 5th time my sites were down, and down for almost 1 full day each time.

    Hostgator has to be THE worst hosting available.

    Changing to a new hosting was one the best moves I've ever done!
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  • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
    Originally Posted by keblack View Post

    I know that was not the cause and I have no idea why someone or something attacked hostgator sites.
    If you are using WordPress there is a 99% chance that it was a compromised plugin. Hacks against the server software (such as cPanel) of these big hosts are extremely rare.


    In recent news that may or may not be related to you, Slider Revolution (RevSlider) was hacked awhile back and now over 100,000 sites are compromised. Google is in the process of banning all of them. Even if that isn't in your list of plugins it could still be there hidden by the theme creator.

    Massive SoakSoak Campaign Compromises 100's of Thousands of WordPress Websites | Sucuri Blog

    RevSlider Vulnerability Leads To Massive WordPress SoakSoak Compromise | Sucuri Blog
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    • Profile picture of the author morg2k2
      Well to solve that issue I think you can use Sucuri services, I have used once when I had an issue like yours and they removed all the malware in 1 hour or less.

      Secondly if your hosting cannot help you with support I highly recommend you to move to another one, because IM resides a lot in your hosting. If your websites are down you will not earn, you SEO suffers and so on..

      I had on the past Hostgator but due to their pricing increase at the time and also due to lack of support I have switched to Hostwinds , there I do have a reseller account for 10 domains and until today I can consider it 100% reliable, the best part are support for sure one of the best everywhere. As an example last week I had an issue with one of my Websites , was something with their DNS server, I had opened a ticket clicked on submit, received the email notification and 1 minute afterwards a technician was looking at the problem... 10 minutes later the issue was solved.

      This is what I call a great Support and they work always like this. I think there are other nice providers but this one suits me quite well and its not expensive.

      Morg
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  • Profile picture of the author jgjh151
    Daily/weekly backups are good. Save tons of them on Amazon. It's very cheap and then you have options to restore.
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    • Profile picture of the author SEOlover
      I'd advise you to try hosting services from a2hosting.com and venetx.com.
      There are many useful resources in their plans and uptime is high.
      Prices are affordable.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Hope
    Hi Ken,

    Hostnine and bluehost look very good
    Both of those hosts are also owned by EIG, the same company that now owns Hostgator. Fair warning.

    As DubDubDubDot said, the chances that it's your host's fault that your WP sites were hacked are remote. Plugins are the single most common hacker access point by far on Wordpress sites.

    other webhosts do protect your site from malicious software
    Some do claim that, and make their best efforts, but don't be lulled into a false sense of security. There's no way any host or software can protect site owners from themselves 100%. Install the wrong plugin, or don't make software updates, let hackers find the vulnerability, and they're in.

    There seem to be plenty of other reasons to move on from EIG-owned hosts though, so can't blame you for that.

    Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author razorz18
    Originally Posted by keblack View Post

    My guess is that many of you have received emails from Google lately saying that they shut your site down because malicious software attacked it. So, several of my websites have been completely down since last Friday.

    So, the email reply from hostgator to me was that they were looking into it and it was likely plugins or the theme that was causing it. I know that was not the cause and I have no idea why someone or something attacked hostgator sites.

    Anyway I tried their Chat service and they said they could not answer me and I had to wait. Hmmm, I have been waiting 4 days. So, I looked around and it seems other people are having problems with hostgator sites.

    As you know, hundreds of dollars can go into the content of a site, as was my case, so having the sites down or gone forever is kind of a problem. I asked them to fix the problem and restore the backups, but no answer at all.

    Maybe they are going out of business ?

    I have decided to switch to another webhost, as I have had it with them, but will wait a couple of days to see if I can get back my websites.

    Kind of makes you mad ... not much of a Christmas present ...

    Anyone know of a solution to this problem ? Just curious.

    Thanks.
    The best way, backup Your Cpanel and use other hosting company.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffyk
    Here is what I've experienced at HostGator. First off, I have been with HG since 2008 and I have many websites there. I am a reseller and have have been very happy until this month when all of my 20 + sites were blacklisted by Google.

    It seems like 11,000 sites + have been blacklisted Massive SoakSoak Campaign Compromises 100's of Thousands of WordPress Websites | Sucuri Blog

    Short and sweet HostGator support SUCKS, because they do not have the manpower to correct the issues. They make empty promises and it takes days for them to clean my sites. When they did clean my site, the malware came back again and Google re-blacklisted some of my domains. It's a big job to move SSL certs and all to another provider, but I am committed to doing so at an opportune time for my business.
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  • Profile picture of the author onegoodman
    Well, if they going out of business, they better let me know first lol.

    This is a serious issue, If my main site get shutdown, I would be out of business. (none of my sites on their hosting is down yet, but I personally wouldn't wait until things starting going down )

    Thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author Edwin Torres
    Contact their support! They are always really helpful and are patient. I use HostGator on all of my websites and have never had an issue with them (*knock on wood*)
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  • Profile picture of the author nicoli
    I have thousands of sites with HG running on multiple dedicated boxes. The monitoring is simply superior to that of me using colo, and after several weeks of investigations I have decided to stay with HG, even though I despise EIG.

    I agree that HG are spending far too much on advertising instead of increasing support to meet their new demands, but I am sure that the more complaints they receive and churn they experience will change that.

    In terms of your malware/site problems, you need to stay on top of your plugins and install patching. If you let it slide, even for a day, you are being careless. Don't install poor plugins either. Either pay for good ones or get solid ones developed and supported to meet your needs. It is certainly not HG. Breaking into their DC's is exceptionally tough and the average script kiddie would have a hard time attacking the server you use there. The easy way is through your carelessness in patching.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    I highly doubt that they are going out of business.

    Last time I checked, they are growing very fast.

    They are probably having some tech issues and their staff are on holiday. I don't know.
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  • Profile picture of the author anynewsbd
    I do not think so .
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    • Profile picture of the author 9AppAve
      Out of anything I can ever post / talk about on this board, I will never be more sure of what I am about to say, I have known Hari and most of the key staff for over 10 years...

      Absolutely no way HG / EIG is going out of business !!!!

      I am not posting this pro or con towards the parties involved.

      This is most likely a WP hack, as far as the happy and not so happy clients, as always, your mileage may vary....
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  • Profile picture of the author arindamb
    I don't think they are going out of business. Matter of fact I got an email from them saying they are "upgrading" their systems for a better customer experience...so I think they'll hang around for a couple of years more.
    Having said that their service is no longer what it used to be in the recent past. So, shifting to another host was probably a good decision.
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  • Profile picture of the author Pdomain
    Banned
    Lol, whoever says bad things about HostGator, they are very new in this internet marketing world....... research more then say anything.

    I think, this thread is created by HostGators' competitor.

    And these competitors are even not 5% of what HostGator is now.

    HostGator is reliable, secure, affordable - a hosting service with many plans for big as well as small businesses.

    Moreover, it is still in promotional stage.

    It provides chat support that answers all your questions quickly and all the support staffs are well trained, communicate well.

    If I want to run a serious website, I'm not able to find any other hosting service other than HostGator...
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    Coming soon!

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    • Profile picture of the author nicoli
      Originally Posted by Pdomain View Post

      Lol, whoever says bad things about HostGator, they are very new in this internet marketing world....... research more then say anything.

      I think, this thread is created by HostGators' competitor.

      And these competitors are even not 5% of what HostGator is now.

      HostGator is reliable, secure, affordable - a hosting service with many plans for big as well as small businesses.

      Moreover, it is still in promotional stage.

      It provides chat support that answers all your questions quickly and all the support staffs are well trained, communicate well.

      If I want to run a serious website, I'm not able to find any other hosting service other than HostGator...
      You are very mistaken!
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  • Profile picture of the author Pdomain
    Banned
    How mistaken?

    HostGator is hosting millions of websites, if your one site is hacked, you can't blame the hosting service provider..

    And down time........ not at all........

    I'm surprised, how the company manages millions of websites giving great uptime 99.99%

    I do use HostGator for 2 dozens of my sites, I never face down-time issues, one day it was due to its system problem, that is a normal thing...


    If your WP site is hacked, check carefully if your WP password was hacked, you can easily restore from your hosting cpanel...
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    Coming soon!

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    • Profile picture of the author nicoli
      While having two dozen sites might seem a lot to you, it's not much to go by when you look at their overall uptime and service levels.

      As of right now, we have 5,273 domains hosted with HG and this years combined downtime due to their emergency upgrades, network incidents and core routing problems is just over 1600 hours.

      In addition, while most hacks to websites occur due to user complacency, HG do indeed have servers, especially Dedicated Servers, taken out from time to time.

      Furthermore, their support is not "fast" in any way, shape or form. You used to get 3 to 5 minute wait times on chat or phone, now the standard is appox 30 minutes, and for online business, that is unacceptable.

      Originally Posted by Pdomain View Post

      How mistaken?

      HostGator is hosting millions of websites, if your one site is hacked, you can't blame the hosting service provider..

      And down time........ not at all........

      I'm surprised, how the company manages millions of websites giving great uptime 99.99%

      I do use HostGator for 2 dozens of my sites, I never face down-time issues, one day it was due to its system problem, that is a normal thing...


      If your WP site is hacked, check carefully if your WP password was hacked, you can easily restore from your hosting cpanel...
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  • Profile picture of the author Pdomain
    Banned
    1600 hours is not digestible to me.

    It is better to give a look at this:

    HostGator.com Uptime Report - Uptime @ Best Hosting ratings

    And it doesn't matter how many sites you or I use with HostGator.... to experience the service, just one website is enough...
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    Coming soon!

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    • Profile picture of the author nicoli
      Yeah, like any decent WM would trust that site.

      Given the diversity of their DCs your statement is incorrect. Your shared server might be fine whereas somebody elses could face ongoing problems.

      Anyway, carry on.

      Originally Posted by Pdomain View Post

      1600 hours is not digestible to me.

      It is better to give a look at this:

      HostGator.com Uptime Report - Uptime @ Best Hosting ratings

      And it doesn't matter how many sites you or I use with HostGator.... to experience the service, just one website is enough...
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  • Profile picture of the author 1byte
    I've used a number of different webhosts in the past, including Yahoo, HostMonster (now an EIG company), Arvixe, SiteGround, Servint, Hostgator, and currently A2 Hosting.

    By far the worst host I ever used was Hostgator. In the 4 months I was with Hostgator, my sites were constantly down, and tech support was often not very knowledgeable and were slow in fixing problems. Just the worst experience I've ever had with hosting.

    I now use A2Hosting and I'm very pleased with their fast servers, features, and reasonable pricing. I'm not an affiliate, but I am a happy customer, so I can recommend them as a good alternative to Hostgator (and any other EIG-owned host). Check them out here https://www.a2hosting.com/wordpress-hosting
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    • Profile picture of the author nicoli
      I've heard a few people say good things about A2

      Originally Posted by 1byte View Post

      I've used a number of different webhosts in the past, including Yahoo, HostMonster (now an EIG company), Arvixe, SiteGround, Servint, Hostgator, and currently A2 Hosting.

      By far the worst host I ever used was Hostgator. In the 4 months I was with Hostgator, my sites were constantly down, and tech support was often not very knowledgeable and were slow in fixing problems. Just the worst experience I've ever had with hosting.

      I now use A2Hosting and I'm very pleased with their fast servers, features, and reasonable pricing. I'm not an affiliate, but I am a happy customer, so I can recommend them as a good alternative to Hostgator (and any other EIG-owned host). Check them out here https://www.a2hosting.com/wordpress-hosting
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      • Profile picture of the author 1byte
        Originally Posted by nicoli View Post

        I've heard a few people say good things about A2
        I've been with A2 Hosting for 3 months now, and nary a problem. They use SSD servers which are very fast--in fact, faster than a former VPS I used to have. I highly recommend A2Hosting (maybe I should sign up for their affiliate program lol).
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      • Profile picture of the author micksss
        Originally Posted by nicoli View Post

        I've heard a few people say good things about A2
        I've been using A2 Hosting for almost a year now with zero problems. They are a great hosting provider.
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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    Update:

    So, my sites are still down - 6 days now. They don't reply to tickets, they don't reply using chat - they say they can't help you and so I phoned them today. Their reply:

    "Sorry, we can't help you, too many tickets backlogged and this is a security issue. They'll get back to you eventually."
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    • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
      Originally Posted by 1byte View Post

      I've used a number of different webhosts in the past, including Yahoo, HostMonster (now an EIG company), Arvixe,
      Arvixe was recently purchased by EIG. I was looking into moving there.

      Originally Posted by keblack View Post

      Update:

      So, my sites are still down - 6 days now. They don't reply to tickets, they don't reply using chat - they say they can't help you and so I phoned them today. Their reply:

      "Sorry, we can't help you, too many tickets backlogged and this is a security issue. They'll get back to you eventually."
      Time to move on from them..

      EIG looks like they are trying to corner the market... Sad thing is they will become a large corporate faceless business like the largest Utility companies. Waiting six days is un reasonable !!
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      • Profile picture of the author 1byte
        Originally Posted by DWolfe View Post

        Arvixe was recently purchased by EIG. I was looking into moving there.
        Ugh, that's terrible news! Glad I moved from Arvixe when I did. EIG has bought many of the most popular webhosts in recent years, and seems intent on gaining a monopoly in the industry. Sad, sad, sad.
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    • Profile picture of the author 1byte
      Originally Posted by keblack View Post

      Update:

      So, my sites are still down - 6 days now. They don't reply to tickets, they don't reply using chat - they say they can't help you and so I phoned them today. Their reply:

      "Sorry, we can't help you, too many tickets backlogged and this is a security issue. They'll get back to you eventually."
      I'm sorry to hear that. It's really pathetic and inexcusable that Hostgator is so incompetent and/or uncaring that they can't fix your problems. For anyone who still uses Hostgator (or any other EIG-owned webhost for that matter) here is my advice: Move your sites ASAP to a reliable webhost that actually cares about you and will provide timely competent customer service when you need it.
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    • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
      Originally Posted by keblack View Post

      So, my sites are still down - 6 days now.
      You've been given advice in this thread on what to do on your own. Take it and learn something new in the process for when this happens again (and it will happen again eventually).

      Hosts are really not responsible for security breaches of your own software. That's why your ticket is low priority. Keep in mind that you're paying under $10/mo. If it takes an hour to diagnose and fix your issue, your account isn't going to be profitable for them again for months.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeffyk
        Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot View Post

        You've been given advice in this thread on what to do on your own. Take it and learn something new in the process for when this happens again (and it will happen again eventually).

        Hosts are really not responsible for security breaches of your own software. That's why your ticket is low priority. Keep in mind that you're paying under $10/mo. If it takes an hour to diagnose and fix your issue, your account isn't going to be profitable for them again for months.
        I've had to clean all of my sites by myself to get them un-blacklisted. Hostgator does not respond to tickets in a timely manner, or the do not respond at all. I am looking for an alternative, yet I don't want to find myself in the same position, so I doing the research and stand away from any EIG owned company.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bronwyn and Keith
      Hi Ken

      We have sites on Hostgator VPS too and agree that the service is sub-standard at best.

      But ours were fine during the time that yours had issues so it is usually one location that is the problem and is often caused when they try and fix something.

      When the junior on the chat tells us that they can't do anything we immediately insist on escalating the issue to a real tech.

      That usually works and in most cases the issues are sorted withing 12 - 24 hours.

      Hope that helps


      Regards


      Bronwyn and Keith
      Originally Posted by keblack View Post

      Update:

      So, my sites are still down - 6 days now. They don't reply to tickets, they don't reply using chat - they say they can't help you and so I phoned them today. Their reply:

      "Sorry, we can't help you, too many tickets backlogged and this is a security issue. They'll get back to you eventually."
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  • Profile picture of the author Legend Dude
    Hostgator has been a staple in the hosting business for quite some years now. I assure you, they will be fine.
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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    Thanks for all the replies. I did it to advise people what has happened to me for no reason - no I don't have any software or unusual plugins on my sites. I have been with hostgator for years also, but their service has gone out the window for a few months now. At any rate, they may host millions of sites, but I think customer service should be standard across the board, but maybe not. All I want is to get my sites back, but doesn't look that way now. If it happens to you and I hope it doesn't, you may change your mind about hostgator. It's a pitty and I wish them all the best if this is just growing pains, but people make money with sites so it is a sensitive issue. If you are with hostgator, likely a good idea to look into protecting your sites with a WP padlock service or similar.

    Possibly someone out there is hacking PCs and websites all over the place - why would someone do that anyway ? I wish everyone the best, even hostgator.

    Merry Christmas everyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author Justin Tyme
    I moved away from Hostgator almost completely after
    about 5-6 months ago when my sites kept going down constantly.

    All of my main money sites are off of hostgator and spread
    across different hosting providers to avoid any footprints.

    I don't see them going out of business any time soon, but if your
    website is more than just a hobby I would suggest moving away
    from Hostgator as soon as you can.
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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    Just found this interesting article :

    All Endurance International Web Hosting Brands
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Lessard
    Hey Ken, looks like we are in the same neck of the woods.
    If your sites are still down and its costing you money I can have my security guy VA's look at it for you, can likely get you back up and running pretty quick. Just shoot me a PM. Not looking for any money, just putting out some Christmas good will :-)

    On the subject of hosting I use many different ones including Hostgator.
    Its not so much who you choose as how you prepare and protect.

    I will never just trust that a hosting company will protect mine or mine clients web sites the way I would as there is way too much of a disconnect between what they are worth to us and what the hosting company charges.
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  • Profile picture of the author nicoli
    Just on a side note, if these are money sites, you should have them replicated on different servers in different DC's and if there is a major problem like this, you just swap out the A records IP address in the DNS zone and you are back online within minutes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Brownsword
    If you use shared hosting and the server itself gets hacked, then it's trivial for the hacker to compromise all of the sites on the server. Happened to me once at a very good hosting company (much better than Hostgator, in my opinion).

    I somehow suspect they won't be offering up any details on what actually happened.

    With WordPress, I strongly recommend that you edit your wp_config.php file to automatically update the core files, plugins, and themes, and that you only use plugins and themes that either come from wordpress.org or are purchased from reputable companies that support their software and fix it fast when there's a problem.
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    Tom Brownsword, CISSP®, GCIA, ITILv3
    Certified Computer Security Pro
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    http://BusinessActionSteps.com
    ------------------------------

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    • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
      Just repeating these quotes to highlight the most important thing everyone should take away from this thread...

      Originally Posted by Peter Lessard View Post

      Its not so much who you choose as how you prepare and protect.
      Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot View Post

      Hosts are really not responsible for security breaches of your own software. That's why your ticket is low priority. Keep in mind that you're paying under $10/mo. If it takes an hour to diagnose and fix your issue, your account isn't going to be profitable for them again for months.
      Originally Posted by Tom Brownsword View Post

      If you use shared hosting and the server itself gets hacked, then it's trivial for the hacker to compromise all of the sites on the server. Happened to me once at a very good hosting company (much better than Hostgator, in my opinion).
      The two biggest vulnerabilities (regardless of web hosting company) are 1) running your site on shared hosting, and 2) running WordPress (particularly with the latest and greatest, "whiz bang boom" plug ins.

      Probably the most prolific offers in the WSO forum over the past couple of years have been those offering various WordPress plug ins. Not to mention all the various sources of free plug ins that attract webmasters looking for the next "edge" for their marketing efforts. If you're really diligent, you can avoid the most disruptive, but...

      If running on a shared hosting environment, you have no way of knowing (much less controlling) what plugins may get installed on another domain that is running on the same shared web host (hundreds of domains per server). That means that SOME OTHER WEB MASTER can unwittingly provide the back door for a hacker to get into YOUR SITE!

      Early on, it can be difficult to justify the cost of any but the least expensive hosting plans (i.e. shared hosting plans with limited bandwidth and severely restricted storage space). These are just a baby step up from the "free" hosting options that are available, and leave you just about as vulnerable.

      WordPress is the easiest platform for most IMers, but the less you learn about how to securely install WordPress and manage that installation (including due diligence when selecting what plugins you will run)... the more vulnerable you are to large number of potential hacks.

      A good failsafe is essential. Make sure you maintain current backups of both your database AND your code files. I suspect that a large percentage of IMers do neither.

      One click installs are convenient - but not necessarily very secure. Many IMers never get a backup copy of their initial WP code files downloaded to their local hard drive... much less another copy once changes have been made (i.e. adding a new plug in, or updating an older one),

      Configured a new widget? Added a new post(s)?

      Make a backup copy.

      Do NOT use the cPanel editor to change any of your WP files! Doing so insures that you DO NOT have a local copy of the changed file. About the only reason I ever open cPanel on my host is so that I can scroll down to the icon for opening PHPMyAdmin, whereupon I immediately close the cPanel window.

      All code files (both WP and non-WP) are maintained on my local hard drive. Once the modifications (and a backup of the original) are made, use FTP to upload only the changed files to your server.

      If the OP had current backups of both his database and his code files... he could have simply recreated his entire web environment in a matter of only a couple of hours. I believe his last update indicated that his site has now been down for 6 days.

      A little preventative care will potentially save you a LOT of income!!!
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      Sid Hale
      Coming Soon... Rapid Action Profits (Pro)

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      • Profile picture of the author tabius
        I am new to all this. I have a Hostgator account and found this thread cause I was looking for the best Wordpress Plugins to download and start building my site from C-Panel. I am soooo Green when it comes to all this. Hopefully one day I can help as much as all of you have helped me here.

        Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Braswell
    1 month ago I did transfer my website to Ipage.com.

    HostGator is no longer killing it's competitors!
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  • Profile picture of the author Bob Reynolds
    Host gator has been fine for me this last year. I did have some problems with hackers, of course my security was not. I contacted a good person with wp and they were able to get me all secured up and educated on this manner. Definitely worth the investment. Hope that helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lightlysalted
    I'm not a fan of Hostagator. I've found their service poor in the past and page load speeds slow when hosting on their servers compared with other hosting companies. Gutted for you especially at Christmas. Hope you get it sorted but you are right to seek an alternative web host in my opinion.
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  • Profile picture of the author trevstar22
    Google says it will shut your site down? Since when does google have that authority? It can decide not to list your site or blacklist it but it has no power to shut your site down. Is that the exact words they used?

    Originally Posted by keblack View Post

    My guess is that many of you have received emails from Google lately saying that they shut your site down because malicious software attacked it. So, several of my websites have been completely down since last Friday.

    So, the email reply from hostgator to me was that they were looking into it and it was likely plugins or the theme that was causing it. I know that was not the cause and I have no idea why someone or something attacked hostgator sites.

    Anyway I tried their Chat service and they said they could not answer me and I had to wait. Hmmm, I have been waiting 4 days. So, I looked around and it seems other people are having problems with hostgator sites.

    As you know, hundreds of dollars can go into the content of a site, as was my case, so having the sites down or gone forever is kind of a problem. I asked them to fix the problem and restore the backups, but no answer at all.

    Maybe they are going out of business ?

    I have decided to switch to another webhost, as I have had it with them, but will wait a couple of days to see if I can get back my websites.

    Kind of makes you mad ... not much of a Christmas present ...

    Anyone know of a solution to this problem ? Just curious.

    Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author keblack
    The exact message appears in Red on one page and it says:

    Reported Attack Page!

    This web page at xxxxxxxxxxxx has been reported as an attack page and has been blocked based on your security preferences.

    Attack pages try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.

    Some attack pages intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners.

    ...........

    I should add that I did not have any weird plugins or themes or software on my sites so I know it was not my websites. What it was, was someone attacking them.

    So, they blacklist your site. Hostgator told me it was a widespread wordpress attack. So, they fixed a few of my sites (that I am moving today) and others have not been fixed. I have not had this problem with other webhosts I have.

    I really fault myself because hostgator sells a wordpress app that protects against attacks, but I did not buy it because it adds about $60.00 a year to hosting per domain. If you have a lot of domains it doesn't make sense. So, I have gone with other hosts that include protection at no extra charge.

    It's all fun and games.
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  • Profile picture of the author dougp
    My solution is to diversify your web hosts because sooner or later you will run into some issues especially f the web host grows into a large company.
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  • Profile picture of the author regulardan
    Yes I had to move from hostgator because of issues like this. You can hack sites but you can't get to my list.
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  • Profile picture of the author bintex
    The major Hostgator EIG server outages spoilt their business
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  • Profile picture of the author joeho
    I had moved out of hostgator since last year and was happy that i did that. Their hosting are very slow and they always blame your website issue. After i move to my own VPS, not only my site load faster and less issue. Stay away from hostgator and All Endurance International Web Hosting Brands
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  • Profile picture of the author Vincent Abrugar
    With the recent revslider malware attack, I believe a lot of hosting companies were able to profit from the misery of their clients. With the very slow and not helpful ticket response. Some clients had no choice but to buy restoration and malware removal service from these hosting companies.

    I believe that its the hosting companies responsibility to help their clients to fix their malware problem at no cost. But its not what I see in reality.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Silly thread asking If HG is going out of business.
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