HostGator Suspends My Account After Just 12 Hours!

11 years ago

Yeah, many want this sort of thing. Early suspension could be for violating community standards or TOS, overloading the system, or problems with charging or security. It sounds like that last one is the problem you have. Sometimes the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. Did you try calling them and telling them you sent the fax?

Steve

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KimW

11 years ago

I have had accounts with them for years with no problems.
They have a toll free phone number,did you actually try speaking to someone?

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Brady Partridge

11 years ago

Yep, tried the calling option initially but couldn't get through. I live in Australia, so that added to the problem.

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Kingfish85

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Brady Partridge

What the hell???

I'd barely installed a Wordpress blog on my domain, and hadn't even had a chance to set it up properly, when they suspended my account! Don't ask me why, I wouldn't have a clue. Despite repeated emails to their support department, they haven't got back to me, and that was more than 24 hours ago.

I did receive an email from Hostgator advising me to call them or send them a scanned copy of my driver's license. I did the latter. Then, lo and behold, I received two emails advising me to send a scanned copy of my driver's license! These contained a rating scale from 0 to 10 that they wanted me to fill in to show how impressed I was with their incomparable service. I gave them a big fat zero, which is the one small bit of satisfaction I've got from dealing with this cockamamie web hosting company. Thank heavens I purchased a monthly pay-as-you-go account. That will make ditching them a whole lot easier

Can anyone suggest a reliable web host that doesn't pull this sort of crap?

Something must not have jived very well with the signup - IP location not matching submitted info etc. They may also be doing it at random as well. Lots of providers will do this - there's way too much fraud in this industry. We frequently do it will dedicated servers since sometimes it can be in upwards of $200, $300, $400, $500+ per transaction depending on the solution.

Were you ordering through a proxy or anything? Did any information not match (payment, address along with the info used at signup)?

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yukon

Banned 11 years ago

It must be you because HG has been awesome for me, for a few years now.

I only use the live chat support, each time was me creating my own problems, screwed up a database once & they fixed it in just a few min. (maybe 15 min.), a few minor things over the years. Still HG is awesome/fast when it comes to the live chat support for tech & billing problems.

Drivers license? I never had to give out a drivers license.

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Brady Partridge

11 years ago

Signup was a breeze. I paid through PayPal and was able to access my website for a number of hours before I copped the account suspended notice.

What annoys me is that they gave me no prior warning and they haven't told me why they suspended the account.

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KimW

11 years ago

I've used the live chat but find it extremely slow and frustrating.

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tagiscom

11 years ago

What the hell???

I'd barely installed a Wordpress blog on my domain, and hadn't even had a chance to set it up properly, when they suspended my account! Don't ask me why, I wouldn't have a clue. Despite repeated emails to their support department, they haven't got back to me, and that was more than 24 hours ago.

I did receive an email from Hostgator advising me to call them or send them a scanned copy of my driver's license. I did the latter. Then, lo and behold, I received two emails advising me to send a scanned copy of my driver's license! These contained a rating scale from 0 to 10 that they wanted me to fill in to show how impressed I was with their incomparable service. I gave them a big fat zero, which is the one small bit of satisfaction I've got from dealing with this cockamamie web hosting company. Thank heavens I purchased a monthly pay-as-you-go account. That will make ditching them a whole lot easier

Can anyone suggest a reliable web host that doesn't pull this sort of crap?

You can try l think that it was called Bluehost, virtually a copy of Hostgator except you have to pay up front!

From what you mentioned before they are getting stricter with new signups, l went through all the above crap getting a virtual credit card, but it was worth it in the end, or safer.

The drivers license needs to be scanned and sent in color, with both sides clearly shown, or it may not get accepted.

And l have had two accounts with Hostgator for years without any serious issues.

As for reasons, it as others have said, could just be a random security thing, or something took longer than it should, etc, which got them nervous???

All you can really do is a runner, or put up with it, and get through it as best you can!

Shane

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Archimedes Forum, Sign up l won't bite

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yukon

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by KimW

I've used the live chat but find it extremely slow and frustrating.

That HG chat has never been slow let alone frustrating for me, I seriously doubt I'm an exception. 15min. from start of chat to fixing a database is hardly slow, that's record setting time for any customer service I've ever dealt with.

You want slow, try AT&T internet support, they'll route you over to India (not joking), then those guys will put you on hold for a half hour, only to eventually answer the phone with a step-by-step script that takes another half hour of crap I already know (unplug your modem, reset your modem, etc...).

Directv - they disabled my main satellite receiver (random), I called them up & asked what was wrong, why doesn't the one satellite receiver work (the receiver in the living room worked fine, $5 extra receiver), they told me I called & disconnected the service, holy crap, what? This was my first call, trying to figure out why the receiver doesn't work. Meanwhile I'm on the phone with Directv support while I'm watching the tv/receiver in the living room, keep in mind I no longer have an active account according to Directv. Next, the support lady starts trying to upsell me, OMG, I went ape shit on her.

What a piss poor business. I officially cancelled all my business with Directv after that upsell stunt. Done.

Anyways, I have serious respect for how awesome HG support is because I've had my share of support from crappy business like AT&T & Directv. That HG chat is fast & gets the job done.

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KimW

11 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

That HG chat has never been slow let alone frustrating for me, I seriously doubt I'm an exception. 15min. from start of chat to fixing a database is hardly slow, that's record setting time for any customer service I've ever dealt with.

You want slow, try AT&T internet support, they'll route you over to India (not joking), then those guys will put you on hold for a half hour, only to eventually answer the phone with a step-by-step script that takes another half hour of crap I already know (unplug your modem, reset your modem, etc...).

Directv - they disabled my main satellite receiver (random), I called them up & asked what was wrong, why doesn't the one satellite receiver work (the receiver in the living room worked fine, $5 extra receiver), they told me I called & disconnected the service, holy crap, what? This was my first call, trying to figure out why the receiver doesn't work. Meanwhile I'm on the phone with Directv support while I'm watching the tv/receiver in the living room, keep in mind I no longer have an active account according to Directv. Next, the support lady starts trying to upsell me, OMG, I went ape shit on her.

What a piss poor business. I officially cancelled all my business with Directv after that upsell stunt. Done.

Anyways, I have serious respect for how awesome HG support is because I've had my share of support from crappy business like AT&T & Directv. That HG chat is fast & gets the job done.

I stand by my statement.
I get better results with serious problems by making a phone call.
YMMV

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AvusBlue

11 years ago

Ive only used Host gator and I think their customer service is top notch. I would check out their live chat function. They seriously typed out how to migrate all my MYSQL folders to a new account.

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bizgrower

11 years ago

I would suggest live chat during USA daytime business hours.

It seems that you are able to reach the more experienced employees this way.

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"If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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Brady Partridge

11 years ago

I tried using the live chat, but there was a 24 min wait, and I needed to do other things at the time. Will give it another try. Thanks for your feedback, everybody.

P.S. It seems that so many of us have to pay for the sins of a few disreputable people, i.e. spammers and hackers.

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Brady Partridge

11 years ago

Finally got it sorted out after contacting live support in their online chat room.

Still very unhappy with Hostgator, whose zeal to protect my "security" robbed me of a full day that could have been spent setting up and promoting my online business.

I shall look for another web host in due course. I don't care what excuses HG offers, I refuse to be penalized because they're worried I might be an Internet fraudster.

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Alexa Smith Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Brady Partridge

I refuse to be penalized because they're worried I might be an Internet fraudster.

As one of their longstanding customers, myself, I'm quite glad they have a lot of security, though I appreciate that it caused you a problem, on this occasion.

Clearly they made a little mistake here, one way or another, but it seems to me that you chose to blow it up out of all proportion simply by being unwilling to wait 24 minutes for a two-minute live chat, which would have resolved it immediately.

Sorry if I sound terribly unsympathetic, but that's honestly my perspective. This could so easily have been resolved in under half an hour, and you'd have got an apology (and maybe 3 months' free hosting) from them, but you chose not to resolve it that way, and look what's happened instead - now you'll have all the inconvenience of changing hosts, too.

You deserve better, Brady - you should be kinder to yourself!

Originally Posted by Brady Partridge

I refuse to be penalized

Ok ... if you say so ... but one could be forgiven for getting the impression that, in effect, you've chosen to be.

Clearly you're right, though (and clearly that matters to you).

To me, often it's not about "being right": it's about "doing what works", and funnily enough that goes better, in the long run, both for my nerves and for my bank-balance, too.

Just my perspective.
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