Vidahost 'world-class disappointment'?

[geranium]

Hi all

"Trusted, Friendly, Fast, UK Web hosting and Cpanel from a company who really DON'T care" (in my opinion)

Having stumbled across a few posts than mention vidahost, I felt I just had to express, out loud, my chronic disappointment in the pitiful service I've received from them.

 

[Sparx]

Care to elaborate why? Otherwise your post holds no merit..

 

[geranium]

Hi

Sure...

Vidahost were friendly and helpful until they'd taken my money, then it was a different story. They'd offered to migrate sites and domains names but after I'd signed up I was rudely told to 'do it myself'.

After almost a year I still do not have any of my sites up and running.

I was treated like an idiot but the problem turned out to be a security protocol at their end preventing me from viewing files uploaded to my temporary space. I had problems with not being able to close a login window even though I hadn't set up any security for previewing. It took me three days to find out that there was a glitch at their end. I didn't get an apology.

When my site indexes couldn't be viewed, their staff gave me the run-around, fobbed me off with incorrect information and treated me as if I was too stupid to realise.

Only one out of the three tech staff I communicated with replied to specific questions in my tickets, the others replied with unrelated info as if they hadn't bothered to read my messages. On two occasions I was given contradictory info from different people. When asking them to elaborate on the incorrect information, I was ignored.

After much difficulty in obtaining the name of the MD I called him but when I explained what was happening he snapped at me and told me he would refund me. I suppose this demanded less effort than accepting responsibility and trying to resolve the issue.

So I then asked a fellow developer, who knows more about servers/hosting than me, to come to my office to take a look at the problem and help get the sites up. However, when he needed to speak to their tech support we couldn’t get a call back. Next day I called them and asked them why they hadn't responded and was told and I quote "well it was Sunday". World-Class Support indeed.

When I said to the MD that I hadn't received the service I'd paid for and that I wasn't happy with a refund because of all the time I had spent transferring domain names etc and that I would have to consider taking it further, he became threatening and talked about their 'parent company' and legal team in an effort to intimidate me. They don't have a parent company.

Not good is it?

 

[Leo-InstallingIT]

I'm not defending Vidahost in any way, and from what you say it doesn't sound ideal.

However if I am being honest I would think that a refund of the years hosting would be more than reasonable - after all a year does seem like a long time to come back and raise it as a serious issue.

Obviously I don't know the full story, so this is just my initial reaction - so please don't shoot me down for it

 

[Nuno]

I have always had first rate service from Vidahost.

There again I have never treated them as my in-house IT department, only as a hosting company.

 

[MattApp28]

I've had many dealings with Vidahost over the past year, particularly over the past few weeks with a tricky Magento issue I was having and at times I have asked alot of them and I have always received a top notch service whatever time of the day. This does seem very out of character for them.

 

[SuffolkDesigns]

Firstly I am always suspicious when a first time poster posts a review, whether good or bad.

Secondly, if there were issues, why on earth did you stay with them for almost a year without your sites working?

I used to be in the hosting business and know the Vidahost boss (although he probably doesn't remember me) and even though we used to compete against each other I can say that they are a very reliable, honest and respected host.

Without knowing the exact issues you were facing, 'When my site indexes couldn't be viewed' doesn't really explain a lot it is hard to say what and where the fault is.

 

[Oakleigh]

I'm very surprised to hear this. Around 18 months ago we decided to switch two websites to Vidahost and I was stunned at the level of friendly support I received from Vidahost compared with our previous hosting company (not mentioning any "names"). We encountered various difficulties when transferring everything over as it was quite a different setup, but Vidahost came back with help at every stage within a few minutes. We wouldn't even consider hosting with anyone else.
Apart from anything else it might upset Xerxes.

 

[ITsoldUK]

Hi

Sure...

Vidahost were friendly and helpful until they'd taken my money, then it was a different story. They'd offered to migrate sites and domains names but after I'd signed up I was rudely told to 'do it myself'.

Did you get this offer in writing? It is possible that some hosts may do it but it is not a core function and ultimately the host is to provide you with a facility to publish your website, not publish it for you...

After almost a year I still do not have any of my sites up and running.

See above

I was treated like an idiot but the problem turned out to be a security protocol at their end preventing me from viewing files uploaded to my temporary space. I had problems with not being able to close a login window even though I hadn't set up any security for previewing. It took me three days to find out that there was a glitch at their end. I didn't get an apology.

Care to elaborate, that statement alone is very vague and could cover a plethora of topics.

When my site indexes couldn't be viewed, their staff gave me the run-around, fobbed me off with incorrect information and treated me as if I was too stupid to realise.

This too needs clearing up, it makes NO sense whatsoever dude.

Only one out of the three tech staff I communicated with replied to specific questions in my tickets, the others replied with unrelated info as if they hadn't bothered to read my messages. On two occasions I was given contradictory info from different people. When asking them to elaborate on the incorrect information, I was ignored.

Got the tickets so we can see them? Are you sure they were not telling you the same thing in a different way?

After much difficulty in obtaining the name of the MD I called him but when I explained what was happening he snapped at me and told me he would refund me. I suppose this demanded less effort than accepting responsibility and trying to resolve the issue.

Fair enough

So I then asked a fellow developer, who knows more about servers/hosting than me, to come to my office to take a look at the problem and help get the sites up. However, when he needed to speak to their tech support we couldn't get a call back. Next day I called them and asked them why they hadn't responded and was told and I quote "well it was Sunday". World-Class Support indeed.

Why would he need to speak to them if he had access to your control panel? You are a developer? Really? Your tone of statements and lack of basic understanding of the environment you are having issues with makes me take this to task and ask to what level are you experienced? Just asking dude, so don't get the ump, needs asking if you want helping...

When I said to the MD that I hadn't received the service I'd paid for and that I wasn't happy with a refund because of all the time I had spent transferring domain names etc and that I would have to consider taking it further, he became threatening and talked about their 'parent company' and legal team in an effort to intimidate me. They don't have a parent company.

But earlier you stated he said he would refund you, which one is it?

Not good is it?

IF this is a genuine issue then supply the details and I am certain things will get resolved.

However, I am in agreement with the post above about your validity for far too many reasons. The main one being the time frame. IF I left issues to stew for a year I would be skint...and yes, I AM a developer and have been for over 10 years.

Prove me wrong and I shall apologise until then....ta ta.

(PS I am not nor ever been a customer of Vidahost NOR am I affiliated with them in anyway)

 

[Websitehandyman]

I've used vidahost for perhaps ten years. At one time I had over 100 sites distriputed over 5 different hosts around the world. In the past I've use all the major hosts too. I can tell you the one who gave the best support were vidahost.

If you have had a bad experiance I'm sorry for you but the are two sides to every story and your post show me that you seem perticulary hard to deal with. Why did you let it go 12 months before your sites were setup and as you were offered a refund why not accept it and move on.

It's never nice for a company to get blasted like this on a open forum but I know for a fact that what will follow here will be a flood of Vidahost customers like me supporting them. I know that because when you find a decent honest company you do that.

 

[Sparx]

I'd prefer to hear Vidahost's side to this before anything else..

 

[SFD]

I've been with Vidahost for 4 years now and they are brilliant.

They've transferred sites onto my server and away from my server to other customers - all without charge or hitch.

They once said they would do something for me, can't remember what it was but nothing serious, was a favour for free, and never did it. When I reminded them they apologised, did it straight away and then gave me 10 free add-on domains too.

I'd recommend them to anyone.

 

[Mpg]

Another +1 for Vidahost

Never had any issues and when it comes to that stuff I'm a technophobe


What are the chances the OP is actually from Vidahost and just wants their ego massaging

Seems there is plenty of love for them

 

[TheGeekestLink]

I rate Vidahost extremely highly. My only criticism of their service is that they talk to me as if I know what I'm doing (lol) with emails containing technical words of more than one syllable

On the whole, fabulous service. Really happy.

It does seem a bit petty to sign up to a forum to post a negative review on a company. It's not something I would ever do (and I've been screwed by a good few companies - even some that post regularly on here).

 

[Optegris]

You know even competing hosts admire Vidahost aka ourselves which does speak volumes for them...

 

[OldWelshGuy]

As Robbie Williams said there are 3 sides to every story, yours, mine, and the truth

 

[Dominic Taylor]

Hi geranium,

I've spoken to a couple of colleagues and although I'm not certain, I believe we have offered to migrate the sites in question and provide free hosting for the time where your account wasn't used for all your live sites.

Please contact [email protected] with 'FAO Dom' in the subject and I can resolve any remaining issues. I understand that migrating sites can be a complex process and we do try our best to explain/fix any problems we come across.

Just to try and explain what I think might be a cause here, we don't have any security on our preview URL (it is just a way of showing your site files via a different URL) so it sounds like your site contained a .htaccess file with password protection rules. Hard-coded paths in files and browser caches can play havoc with testing too.

Unfortunately sometimes these things don't work out, and we have a money-back guarantee as standard which is available as an option if we were/are unable to resolve the issues.

 

[geranium]

Thanks for all of your replies.

Unfortunately Vidahost appear to be of the same opinion as most of the posters here. They seem to think that they can do no wrong - a dangerous attitude in business. Aside from one tech support guy who I spoke with who was helpful but was let down by one of his colleagues, their arrogance was pretty apparent during conversations. Just because the vast majority of clients have had a good experience it does not mean that the odd customer who has been let down should be ignored.

I think perhaps you have misunderstood. My colleagues and I spent six months trying to get support and advice from them between June and December last year and gave up when it was obvious that we were not getting anywhere. The time factor is irrelevant. The time limit for a claim against a company for 'shoddy work' or 'breach of contract' is seven years I believe.

The final comment from their tech support was that our types of websites would not work on their servers (this was after my colleague was given a different explanation). If that's the case, they will be missing out on a lot of business in future. Another reason to suspect that they were just trying to get rid of us. During one call, one tech support guy slagged off his colleague's assessment of the problem and we were left wondering what the hell was going on. Very profesional.

I'd been with another hosting company for over ten years, so vidahost's cpanel was not familiar to me and I wanted to ask some questions. I hardly call this 'being particulary hard to deal with'. Please explain what you mean by this. Are you suggesting that a client should not sign up with a new hosting company unless they already know the set up? How ridiculous.

My point is that you can't advertise 'World Class Support' unless you are prepared to offer exactly that. If you don't want to give tech support to all clients then you should say so up front, not after you've taken their money, and also not prioritise the more technically knowledgeable clients while dumping the ones that need a small amount of extra assistance.

You know what they say?..... one disgruntled client......

 

[TheGeekestLink]

Thanks for all of your replies.

Unfortunately Vidahost appear to be of the same opinion as most of the posters here. They seem to think that they can do no wrong - a dangerous attitude in business. Aside from one tech support guy who I spoke with who was helpful but was let down by one of his colleagues, their arrogance was pretty apparent during conversations. Just because the vast majority of clients have had a good experience it does not mean that the odd customer who has been let down should be ignored.

No one here for a SECOND thinks Vidahost (or any company) can do no wrong. Mistakes happen across the board, but I've just mailed them and they took all of 8 minutes to reply and they're now helping me with my extreme stupidity when it comes to hosting.

I think if you've really had problems for a year then the brunt of the blame should fall primarily on your shoulders. I simply cannot believe that you would stay with a company for a YEAR without getting a resolution to your issues. I've quit hosts for far FAR less and if you're not getting the results you wanted or needed, why on earth stay with a company you feel that badly about, you're prepared to besmirch their reputation on here.

None of it makes any sense to me, but I wouldn't take those kinds of risks with my websites.

 

[geranium]

Hi The GeekistLink

I didn't waste anymore time on it. I still had my domains with my current host so I left my sites there.

Regards

 

[geranium]

Hi Dom


I've just seen you post - thank you for your reply.


As I explained at the time to Seb, to the point of exhaustion, there would not be any htaccess code that could affect migration. The sites were built by me. I uploaded them directly to your server from my pc so there is no way that there could be any rogue code planted by my current host. After that, my messages were not replied to.


While I welcome the offer of assistance, you'll need to convince me that the service will be better. Not sure I agree totally, but it seems to me that the concensus here is that I should have walked away much sooner.


I regret, to the contrary, we were only offered an 'abrupt' refund, nothing more.


Regards

 

[Dominic Taylor]

We always reply to tickets so perhaps something was lost somewhere? I'm not sure there would be rogue code (we do see it, but it is very rare - sometimes it is the previous hosts promoting their services via a footer link!), but there could be server-specific configurations and so on.

You're welcome to contact [email protected] at any time, just put 'FAO Dom' in the subject to reach me. If I'm not in the office, someone will call me (I chose the name Vidahost, I can always be reached).

I would also like to find out why there was previous confusion - as I mention there can be various problems with migrating sites but we do usually manage to work through things (during which time there could be multiple theories). Nobody here would be intentionally rude (we have an open office, everyone hears everything) so apologies if anything came across that way or if someone did say something abrupt. We of course feel your stress when something doesn't work (be it a single site, a server, an ISP or a network issue).

 

[geranium]

Hi
Didn't stay, kept my sites with my current host. Just saying that I had a bad experience, nothing more. In what way does my post say that 'I am particularly hard to deal with'. Do you think that it's not acceptable for a client to try to access the tech support that comes with a package, especially when they are just finding their way round a new system?
Regards

 

[geranium]

Hi, yes we were very surprised too. We did our research and were really pleased to have found what appeared to be a sound company. I think the disappointment was the worst thing.

 

[TheGeekestLink]

Hi, yes we were very surprised too. We did our research and were really pleased to have found what appeared to be a sound company. I think the disappointment was the worst thing.

This is the problem with the Internet. Someone has a problem which is primarily their own issue (which, let's face it, after 12 months it IS their issue) but rather than accept responsibility, shrug and move on, they'd rather ***** and badmouth about it on the Internet.

It happens all the time and in this instance, I can say something about it.

Summary: You've clearly not listened to the issues and, for whatever reason, you've decided to leave it and leave it and leave it, and now the fact you're griping about it twelve months later is just astonishing. You absolutely won't accept that you should have walked away long before, which is what any decent person would have done.

But worse, like so many serial complainers, you won't shut up about it. You have to have the final word and eek every last drop of blood from that stone about which you clearly feel so aggrieved. But if you felt so poorly about the issue, why didn't you do something about it when the second, third or even SIXTH payment came out of your account?

It's really a little bit tragic. If you'd had bad service over a few weeks, or a poor attitude or general lack of responses to emails then I (and the sane general populace) would be much more inclined to hear you, but in this instance, and let's say it again for effect, you're complaining because VidaHost didn't transfer over your servers after A YEAR had elapsed.

And you honestly don't think that's worthy of some kind of reality check?

As has been said above, there's a truth here but I'll be damned if it's the one you're trying to blacken VidaHost's name with.

Sorry for the long rant, but I feel really strong about this kind of complaint. I hate saying anything negative online about anyone or anything, but in this instance, reading the complaints here just make me extremely sad.

I absolutely loathe one-sided complainers like this, for whom nothing is ever good enough. There was simply no need for you to come on here and complain about this issue.

No company ever gets it right but, come on, after a year... That's punching below the belt.

 

[Websitehandyman]

As I see support is just that support. If your buying hosting it's your responisblity to do the work not the host. Even if the host offers to migrate sites it's still your work, they are offering free support not free implementation or development.

As a site owner I am just that "the owner" and I know excactly when I can trust any of my hosts to do work for me. Even if they are doing something simple to save me time I'll still carefully check it's been done. If they don't do something the way I like or it's not done right I won't hang around and wait for them to put it right. I do it myself.

I think the support comes in maintaining the hosting really. Anything else is extra, I can give you the names of a few hosts who deem it just that. If you ask "is the problem" they just answer yes or no. If you ask a detailed question outside their support they'll not "help" but they might offer to do it for a charge.

Hosts do go out side the basic support scope, it's a risk and perhaps Vidahost goes to far outside that scope for their own good. In my opinion no host should assume ownership of their clients problems without charges. But like others here I so gald some do and I'll reward them with my custom.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

I am struggling to grasp everything here because it seems like
1. you tried their hosting
2. you were not happy and decided to stay with your current host
3. were offered a complete refund
4. haven't accepted the refund
5. decided to badmouth them on a forum.

It is bizarre to say the least. They have offered you a refund, you have stayed with your current host, so where exactly is the problem?


Might I ask why you decided to leave your current hosting company what were the problems with them?

I am not blaming you for anything or judging you, I just find it odd thats all

 

[FirstClassVirtualOffice]

I wonder how many new customers this has created for Vidahost!

They say any publicity is good publicity...even bad publicity!! Seems to be the case here.

Seems the OP has actually done them a big favour bringing all their current using customers to the fore and telling everyone else how good they are.

It does seem odd why you'd want to badmouth them a year on though. I'd hate to be so bitter after 12 months.

 

[Mpg]

I wonder how many new customers this has created for Vidahost!

They say any publicity is good publicity...even bad publicity!! Seems to be the case here.

Seems the OP has actually done them a big favour bringing all their current using customers to the fore and telling everyone else how good they are.

It does seem odd why you'd want to badmouth them a year on though. I'd hate to be so bitter after 12 months.

I had to double check who did my hosting as I recognized Vidahost. Glad I checked I do host with them and they also do cloud hosting I'm about to click for their £9.99 pm package as I'm currently using dropbox but its not ideal with a bit higher bandwidth use.

Another sale for Vidahost then

 

[geranium]

I disagree to a certain extent. Of course there will be people jumping to their defense, however there will be others who have no interest in joining this forum but will see or hear about the comments and have the intelligence to take them on board and perhaps consider doing further research before making a decision. It's strange that quite a few people here seem to be inferring that I shouldn't be talking about what happened. I prefer to hear everyone's comments on a topic, without passing judgment.

What you are not understanding is that we did all the right things for six months, ie went through vidahost's tech support channels. However it failed. I do not believe in not commenting about something just because others have a different opinion or have had a different experience.

If the many polite and patient calls myself and my colleagues made to vidahost were to no avail, why shouldn't I talk about it? It's not so much that there were problems, technical or otherwise, it's just that vidahost handled the situation so badly.

Some people have suggested that I should have given them the push right away, however, I believe in giving people some leeway. After all, even the best run businesses have bad days don't they? I actually believed in the product and wanted it to work out. It was my decision to keep trying, its just that they weren't forthcoming and I had to draw the line at some point.

 

[kulture]

Indeed, its just that your patience seems much longer than most, and likewise your need to keep on posting here too.

There is no such thing as a perfect host, nor is there such a beast as a perfect customer. There will always be a few failures and relationships that simply do not work. In my opinion you wasted your time by waiting too long on a business relationship that clearly did not work, and now you are likewise wasting your time here, because all you are achieving is bringing out many satisfied customers and many good reviews.

 

[geranium]

50+ domains to transfer, .com transfer time longer than .co.uk, then minimum stay with vidahost six months.
Not bitter at all, just disappointed that the service wasn't there for us. Offering a refund at that time seemed like a cop-out. A professional company would have resolved any issues that their client was having without being impolite. Can't remember how many domains I have with vida at present but if they are unable to resolve the issue this time around I will move them away. Obviously I couldn't have accepted a refund at the time as I would have lost these domains. I am sure they knew that.

 

[geranium]

Sorry, forget to say - no real problems with previous/current hosting company just that I was looking for dedicated hosting with good support for a couple of projects.

 

[geranium]

I respect your opinion.
I had to wait six months anyway before I could move my domains away again so I had nothing to lose.

 

[ITsoldUK]

As before not a VH client or affiliate as am mega happy with my 10 yr hosting relationship however I just want to throw in an opinion relating to CS.

When you start out it is very easy to maintain a 100% positive feedback scenario but as you grow this gets much much harder.

Why? Human nature of course.

I have found this myself when we used to resell hosting.

What is an issue for one is an easily solved task for another.

Everyone has different levels of skill sets and as such this can manifest itself in different ways.

One way is to solve it and move on...

...another is to liase with your sp at the time and get it resolved by them if you cant (refund anyone ).

But there is a cross section of people who will do neither and then they will start to blame their sp and shout it from the roof tops.

No matter what you suggest this group will never be pleased and it is always the sp fault. (No blame aportioned here just opinion).

I have come across about 3 people of this ilk in my time but these are FAR outweighed by happy campers but my numbers served are nowhere near as high as VH.

In this instance I am aghast at how a developer has left it a year...what kind of business ethos does that portray???

The positive feedback on here is testiment to a sp that does meet its criteria more often than not in my book.

My advice OP. Take the refund and move on. All you are doing here is showing that vh please more than they dont

...unless you have an agenda we are unaware of?

Just sayin...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using UK Business Forums

 

[OldWelshGuy]

How can you lose your domains? surely all you had to do was point to their nameservers, and if unhappy point them elsewhere. Are you saying you transferred your domains to them as a registrar? if yes, then it is never an ideal situation to have your domain registrar as your host (for this very reason). One needs to retain control over the domains and the hosting independently, allowing the switch whenever needed.

Can you explain how the 6 month thing works.

 

[ITsoldUK]

How can you lose your domains? surely all you had to do was point to their nameservers, and if unhappy point them elsewhere. Are you saying you transferred your domains to them as a registrar? if yes, then it is never an ideal situation to have your domain registrar as your host (for this very reason). One needs to retain control over the domains and the hosting independently, allowing the switch whenever needed.

Can you explain how the 6 month thing works.

Spot on James...never pop all your domain eggs in one basket.

I always tell my guys this. Buy the domain and point it at my ns. Simples...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using UK Business Forums

 

[TheGeekestLink]

If the many polite and patient calls myself and my colleagues made to vidahost were to no avail, why shouldn't I talk about it? It's not so much that there were problems, technical or otherwise, it's just that vidahost handled the situation so badly.

Yet they've responded with dignity and efficiency on here.

My domains all transferred within a few hours.

This is clearly a case of blaming your host for something you've failed to do. If I have a problem I get on the phone and sort it then and there. I don't mess around for months - that's beyond any normal sanity. They're not going to get in touch with you - you have to contact them and actually get your hands dirty to resolve issues like this. There's no magic server fairy that's going to wave a wand for you...

I've said all I can on this topic. There's always something deeply suspicious about a person that finds a forum and bothers to create an account to badmouth a company, and in this instance, considering the time frame, it's even more baffling.

I wish you'd had better luck, but then again, if you'd sorted out the problem immediately, you'd not be coming on here complaining... well, it wouldn't be THIS forum or THIS company, but I'm sure some company would bear the brunt of your deep dissatisfaction.

 

[Dominic Taylor]

Thanks for your posts everyone who has defended us but please don't be too harsh in your judgement (of either side ) - remember this is a complex industry and there is an awful lot to consider. Additionally, I'm sure you all understand the importance of your websites and the stresses when there are issues, no matter who caused them or who should fix them.

We spend hours every day on items which, strictly speaking, are web development, but the alternative would be a broken website and a client who then doesn't know what to do / can't afford a web developer's help. Obviously larger items we do refer to web developers so I mean things like .htaccess issues, minor PHP bugs, outdated scripts and so on.

I'm not going to go into detail about this particular account or look for arguments with anyone about who we are or what we do, I simply want to work things out with our client as this post has come completely out of the blue to me.

Our client has contacted me via our support system and I hope I can find out and resolve any outstanding issues.

 

[ITsoldUK]

Thanks for your posts everyone who has defended us but please don't be too harsh in your judgement (of either side ) - remember this is a complex industry and there is an awful lot to consider. Additionally, I'm sure you all understand the importance of your websites and the stresses when there are issues, no matter who caused them or who should fix them.

We spend hours every day on items which, strictly speaking, are web development, but the alternative would be a broken website and a client who then doesn't know what to do / can't afford a web developer's help. Obviously larger items we do refer to web developers so I mean things like .htaccess issues, minor PHP bugs, outdated scripts and so on.

I'm not going to go into detail about this particular account or look for arguments with anyone about who we are or what we do, I simply want to work things out with our client as this post has come completely out of the blue to me.

Our client has contacted me via our support system and I hope I can find out and resolve any outstanding issues.

Well said Dom...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using UK Business Forums