Affordable Host - Website Hosting for Dummies
Written: Aug 19 '04 (Updated May 09 '06)
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Pros: No pros here - only rank amateurs.
Cons: now-horrid customer service, week-long service outtages, collapsing infrastructure.
The Bottom Line: I used to love this company, now I would kick them if they were a person.
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| martytdx's Full Review: Affordable Host |
Forget what I said before. Avoid this place. Like the plague. What was once great and well run is now just this side of a scam. SEE BELOW
[ • background INFO • ]
If you are like most people, you've never had the joy of dealing with a web host. Most people use their ISP (AOL, Comcast or a local internet access provider) to connect to the internet and to occasionally host a simple (often free) web page, and life is good. Others are lucky enough to blow thousands to buy their own web server, and can avoid the hassles of having their sites hosted by strangers. As for me, I'm one of those who is in between - too large for a 5MB parcel of free space and limited functionality, and too small to go out and buy myself a server to put in the rec room. So, I look to option 3 - a good hosting company.
My friend Lyle turned me on to Affordable Host, a provider he'd been using for years. I took a look and figured that they could do what I needed at the time for a low price, so I signed up. 4 years later, I would have suggested them to everyone I know, and used them whenever I created a new website for a client. However, after original owner Tina Peters sold the business for personal reasons, the company has gone downhill faster than Humpty Dumpty off of El Capitan.
In recent months, I'd see increasing numbers of intermittent outtages at my site, but nothing too menacing. Then over the last month or so, they were getting even worse. When I started asking about them, I found that the Customer Service replies were much slower and less helpful than they had been.
Over the last 8 days, my sites have been completely down. During that same time, Customer service has been practically non-existent. Repeated requests for information - when responded to at all - have been met with "check the latest news", which is to say no news at all except - Surprise! the sites are down.
No sites, no information, and increasing reports that what has been lost has been lost forever. Goodbye blog, goodbye databases. Yet, I notice that they remembered to bill my monthly fee (which I had the credit card company charge back).
If you really need a host, are desperate for a host, have nowhere else to turn - go without a site, rather than deal with the frustrating and useless entity that this once-proud service once was.
Recommended:
No
Monthly fees (US$): 5.95
Platform used: Linux
Hosted on Secure Server: Yes
Database used: MySQL
Main focus of Web site: Customer service and retention
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
Trusted by: 179 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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