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Fed up with my web host!

by wisedave
7 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
Hello,

I am hoping that somebody may be able to direct me on an issue I am having.

I want to know if it is possible to move my website to another web host. My current web host designed, hosts and purchased to domain names for us. I have an issue with their customer service. It blows!

We are within a week of 'going live'. I am putting content on the website that they designed for us. The WYSIWYG editor seems to have some bugs in it and when I ask for help, it takes days to get anything back.

Is it possible to move my website to another host who is going to give me the support I need? Keeping in mind that they designed the web site, how do I do that? We commited to a year of hosting, but I am willing to eat the cost and bail now.

I think they have too many accounts and not enough staff to handle it. I had some questions to ask and the guy that called me back had only been working their for a week and could not answer my questions. My 'account manager' never returns my emails. It's really bad.

Any ideas or direction would be helpful. Also, the website now looks very amateur becasue I don't know what I am doing with the editor. How can I take away my website and host it with somebody else, and at the same time have somebody take over the rest of the design? I assume that they too will be constrained by the horrible editor, or am I wrong?

Thanks for the help and direction! The website is going to be our main marketing front, so it needs to be spot on!

Cheers,

Dave
#fed #host #web #webhost
  • Profile picture of the author cannylad
    d9 hosting offer excellent live online support or quick e mail replys

    go daddy offer great live technical support but cost a little more
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    • Profile picture of the author davidwjohnson
      My first suggestion is to separate your domain name from your hosting provider. All my domains are with Godaddy but I do not host there.

      The reasoning for this is if you have a beef with your hosting company you can change the domain's DNS pointers at your registrar (ex: Godaddy) to your new hosting company.

      Regarding your website design, I would start with a template. It can be HTML, Flash, Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress, or anything else. Look around for a theme and layout that will closely match what you're trying to accomplish. Then customizations where need be.

      Personal opinion, no insult intended... With 1000s of templates available for free or low cost, it boggles my mind that someone wants to reinvent the wheel and design a website theme from scratch. Unless your original design is nowhere to be found, AND the design is NECESSARY for the functional success of the website, look for a template as a starting point.

      For technical assistance, you can go to odesk.com or freelancer.com and hire someone to tweek your template/design.

      I host my sites on lonex.com. I've been using them for 7 years. They have lightening-fast support 24x7.
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  • Profile picture of the author Technista
    The above advice is excellent. I would also advise that you check the reputation of the web host before you commit to a new one. Don't believe all the hype from the so-called review sites that are motivated by an affiliate commission. You will find some honest discussion here: Web Hosting Talk.

    Since your current editor is unacceptable, stick with a reputable CMS. Wordpress is a favorite on this forum. If you hire a designer, they may have a preference or expertise with a certain type of design. Make sure you see samples of their work first, and references. In my design work, I prefer CMS Made Simple because it uses HTML and CMS in the design, and the editor is easy for my customers to use. Wordpress and Joomla require different skillsets to create custom themes, but if you're going to go with a template, why not use Wordpress? Like David said, there are thousands of quality templates to choose from, and WP is very flexible and customizable. You will not be disappointed with the editor, and if you choose not to install it yourself, you can find a Warrior to do it for you in the Warriors for Hire forum.

    Before you walk away from your money, check the fine print to see if you are entitled to a partial or full refund on your hosting contract. Many hosts have a refund policy if you request it within a certain period, usually one month.

    T
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    Atlanta Website Design
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  • Profile picture of the author younginoc
    "davidwjohnson" and "Technista", excellent posts. I just happened to roam around in this section and learned a lot just from both of your posts. Good work.
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  • Profile picture of the author ijohnson
    My domains are registered with GoDaddy and hosted with HostGator -- I'm a happy and satisfied customer. Read the fine print and conduct your own due diligence. BUT, do NOT register and host your domains with the same company. David has explained why you should not.

    In addition, follow the advice of a couple of previous commenters who have made some very good recommendations -- no reason to re-invent the wheel when the hard work has already been done for you and you can get it for FREE or at a very reasonable price. You may not find "exactly" what you want or envision but you should find quite a bit that's good enough to get you going.

    Good luck!
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    Make every day count!
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  • Profile picture of the author n7 Studios
    You need to liase with them to see:
    1. If they're prepared to release the necessary files for your web site, so you can put these onto another web host.
    2. If they're prepared to release the domain name to a registrar of your choice, so you have control over your domain name.
    3. If they're prepared to let you host what sounds like their bespoke in house CMS on 3rd party hosting (i.e. not theirs).

    If the minimum you're able to get is the domain name, this means you could:
    1. Amend the domain name so it points to another web host of your choice
    2. Have your site either redesigned (if no source files are provided by your current web host) or amended (if they do provide said files)
    3. Integrate the new web site with an improved CMS (examples mentioned here already include Wordpress)
    4. Have this new web site installed / setup on your new web site hosting

    You'll also want to consider how things such as emails will now work, as they'll be affected by any web site move / transfer.

    Ultimately you - as a client - should maintain control of the domain name and web site hosting, although it's acceptable for a web site designer / developer to recommend a web host to ensure your web site will work.
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    THE Web Development Guru - Bespoke WordPress Theme, Plugin + iPhone Apps [HTML5, CSS3, PHP, MySQL].
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