It's Thursay 13th - Anyone been Fasthosted?

[KidsBeeHappy]

Just curious.....

It's obviously e-mail day on Fasthosts schedule - has anyone been locked out or had any problems?

Kind regards
Sandra

 

[HC-Martin]

I simply cannot believe ANY business customer is still with them with all the problems!

 

[Meerkats]

I've just picked up a new customer who has their site with Fastbucks and guess what? Yep you guessed it..

What I don't understand about FH is why after all these years and years of constant problems they haven't got their act together. They have plenty of competitors in the budget hosting arena who don't have anything like as bad a product or reputation.

 

I think some companies become so large they do not know what one side is doing, let alone the other.

 

[stugster]

This is quite an old thread

 

[Sinny Print]

Hi,

I was with FH about two years ago and the problems were so bad I was unable to retrieve login information and believe it or not I lost the web domains held there. Luckily I had started my own hosting andhad already transferred the important ones out.


Maybe one day they will remember the little man & woman.

 

[Jon0_FZ6]

I registered a domain two years ago- paid by credit card. never really used the site in the end I thought I'd let it expire and forgot about it. I did log in once and when I checked what details it had on record the console said ''you have no valid card'' so I assumed all was in order and I could forget about it.

today got an invoice- they've charged my credit card details for a renewel.

of course phonecalls to billing and accounts never get answered - after a 20 minute hold my phone got cut off. tried again - this time selected 'Sales' and call was answered within 40 seconds.. they obviously want new customers..

the sales person tried to put me through to 'Accounts' and after 10 minutes I couldn't take it anymore and put the phone down.

I've just searched and I don't have anything in writing to prove I should not have been charged again..

one nill to big faceless corporation.

 

[Jon0_FZ6]

to be fair they have agreed to give me a domain credit - so although I didn't get a refund I have now registered another web address I had my eye on and plan to launch later this year. The chap I spoke to was quite helpful but it must be said it was tough getting through to someone.

 

[stugster]

Love it

Domain credit = £1.99.

And you're now happy?! No wonder they are still in existence! Their customers are suckers!

 

[Jon0_FZ6]

sucker? nice one.

never said I was happy -just said I at least got something in return which was a very slight improvement on my previous post. by rights and in small print I was entitled to nothing.

thought it worthwhile to mention on forum for any other suckers out there who might be in similar circumstance.

they are dodgy and had I read some reviews prior to signing up with them 2 years ago I wouldn't have and I don't recommend anyone else does either.

 

[stugster]

Are you still with them? Do they still have your details? Have they still got access to your nice 16 digit credit card number?

If you can answer yes to any of those, then you are indeed a sucker Sorry! Not trying to offend you, that's just the way it is.

 

[Jon0_FZ6]

domain renewed for 2 years when I assumed it wouldn't.. = sucker

possibility of getting a refund = 0 = suckered

managed to at least secure a new domain registration with email service for two years. = slight improvement.

removal of credit card details and confirmation in writing domain won't be renewed in future without my authorisation - you bet.

My definition of a sucker is someone who hasn't learnt from their mistake.

thanks for checking to see if I have in such a inoffensive manner

 

[stugster]

Mate, I got done over by them as well! I was a sucker. Nothing you can do about it other than pick up the pieces. Thankfully, I now have absolutely nothing to do with FarceHosts.

 

[brownie]

I too was done over by them, the worst company I've ever had the misfortune to deal with.

 

[Jenni384]

I registered a domain two years ago- paid by credit card. never really used the site in the end I thought I'd let it expire and forgot about it. I did log in once and when I checked what details it had on record the console said ''you have no valid card'' so I assumed all was in order and I could forget about it.

today got an invoice- they've charged my credit card details for a renewel.

In this situatino you should always try and get a chargeback via your credit card company - as far as you were aware, they did not have permission to take money off your card. Therefore your card company should be able to help.

 

[websnail]

Not entirely sure that you're completely without fault here.


Fasthosts have a policy of auto-renewing their domains. ie: you have to cancel any renewal rather than just ignore it and hope it goes away. If the credit card accepted an attempt to charge then I'd envisage the problem being at least partially related to your card issuer, not just Fasthosts.

Granted, FH did have a policy and control panel which made cancelling domain renewals very difficult but it's a 100 times better since about 9 months ago, and there's no problems with setting domains at any point so they are allowed to expire.

Understand totally that they shouldn't have tried to charge a credit card that was no longer valid but I suspect if Fasthosts had simply ignored the domain and let it expire with no action at all when their policy states they auto-renew, that there would be someone complaining much louder.

You know what they say about "Ass-u-me".

 

[brownie]

I would not expect any company I have purchased with to automatically renew via my card, I've seen a few insurance companies try this, the least they can do is write to you first.

There was no need for Fasthosts to let the domain expire, not complicated to have a system which fires off a letter to the registrant a couple of months before expiry.

 

[websnail]

I would not expect any company I have purchased with to automatically renew via my card, I've seen a few insurance companies try this, the least they can do is write to you first.

There was no need for Fasthosts to let the domain expire, not complicated to have a system which fires off a letter to the registrant a couple of months before expiry.

Sorry, domain names have completely different rules, many of them were antiquated and counter intuitive. Sending a letter costs quite a bit when you consider the profit margins are already slim on domains and they DO send out an email to the account contact.

I've been with UKReg for 7 years now and it's always been automatic renewal, with an email sent out 2 weeks before payment is taken so you can cancel. If the contact doesn't keep their email address up to date or ignores it, then is it UKReg at fault? A letter is no different if the contact has moved house.

 

[NuBlue]

I would not expect any company I have purchased with to automatically renew via my card, I've seen a few insurance companies try this, the least they can do is write to you first.

There was no need for Fasthosts to let the domain expire, not complicated to have a system which fires off a letter to the registrant a couple of months before expiry.

I totally disagree. It would be impossible for any mid-large hosting company to opperate on this policy. Not least because of the trouble you would get into if you lost anyones domain. Picture the following scenarios:

1) we write to you and your on holiday for 6 weeks - domain expipres
2) we write to you and you have moved address - domain expires
3) we write to you and you forget to reply - domain expires

Hosting companies need automated systems. You agree to the ts&c's when you buy and it clearly states that you are entering a billing cycle and will be charged upon renewal

 

I totally disagree. It would be impossible for any mid-large hosting company to opperate on this policy. Not least because of the trouble you would get into if you lost anyones domain. Picture the following scenarios:

1) we write to you and your on holiday for 6 weeks - domain expipres
2) we write to you and you have moved address - domain expires
3) we write to you and you forget to reply - domain expires

Hosting companies need automated systems. You agree to the ts&c's when you buy and it clearly states that you are entering a billing cycle and will be charged upon renewal

I agree with Nublue, just about all our systems are automated when it comes to renewals of domains / hosting etc.

 

[Jon0_FZ6]

All valid points and I was definitely not without an element of blame - automatic renewel makes perfect sense and is something I run in my own business. I think the main issue for me was not being able to speak to anyone at Fasthosts when I needed to clarify what had happened.

They had a policy where you could not cancel your renewel unless you did it one month prior to the 2 year cycle. As it was a long time ago -instead I thought I'd remove my credit card from their system. In my control panel it clearly stated - no card associated with this account. So I assumed then that all would be fine and after 2 years that would try and renew and would not be able to - had they then contacted me to get new card details I would have cancelled.

Assumed wrong.

You are right in saying the system is vastly improved. I have been given a new domain for 'free' and I've been able to cancel the automatic renewel of my previous domain now instead of one month prior to end of cycle.

One thing hasn't changed - pick up the phone and try and call someone in customer care at Fasthosts... good luck. you'll get through to a sales person in a jif but no one who can help you if you have a problem.

Since the takeover of Fasthosts I think some improvements are being made but the legacy of the now stinking rich youngster who started the business lives on.

 

[websnail]

One thing hasn't changed - pick up the phone and try and call someone in customer care at Fasthosts... good luck. you'll get through to a sales person in a jif but no one who can help you if you have a problem.

Oh yeah... it's still farcehosts in that regard

Since the takeover of Fasthosts I think some improvements are being made but the legacy of the now stinking rich youngster who started the business lives on.

Karma... it's a wonderful thing to believe in