Thanks for the information Karin! It is great for people to post experiences with hosts so others can learn from your mistakes (unfortunate for you though).
This is just a good reminder for buyers to beware! Before making a commitment on something such as a dedicated server, always ask around for recommendations and search the web for complaints. Always contact their sales/support before making a purchase. And finally, look for red flags.
These kinds of flags are things like an insane amount of bandwidth for very low cost. For example with the host mentioned here, they are offering 500 GB/month starting at 99 dollars a month. This is for the most part, very inexpensive for dedicated server bandwidth. Chances are they are assuming that 90% of their customers will never use more than a couple hundred. So they can make this very low price offer to lure in customers. But if you actually do start to use your alloted 500 GB/month, you are going to hear from them telling you that you need to pay more for their upgraded "unlimited" line, which is over 350 dollars a month extra!
Another red flag is to pay for support, They give you FREE 1 hour of support. As Karin mentioned, spending a ton of extra money on contacting support for issues they could have easily fixed is just a big no-no. Especially if you are new to the dedicated server world. Yes, control panels make things much easier, but there will still be times when you may need to contact support regarding some issues. So beware. In my opinion, it is best to shell out a few more bucks a month with a hosting provider that provides prompt and helpful FREE support. I mean, what would you rather do, pay 99 bucks a month and spend hundreds of extra dollars contacting support over and over while your problem still doesn't get fixed properly? Or would you rather pay 150/month and have an 800 number you can call 24/7 or a helpdesk you can email and get your problem fixed right away?
Another thing to look at before deciding who to go with is the general pricing in this market. If you look at a dozen or so dedicated server providers, you will see the low range of around 99/month. The high range will be 500+ dollars a month (of course all depending on the server and features). But as a general rule of thumb, try to avoid the lowballers. These will a lot of the times be the ones who hassle you with poor support, added fees you aren't told about, and shoddy performance. This isn't ALWAYS the case, but many times it is. So I try to tell people to narrow their choices down to about 10-12 providers. Then automatically remove the lowest 3 prices from your list. Then remove the top one or two (if they are very high compared to the rest of your pics). And then study the half dozen or so leftover in the mid-range to make your final decision
It is just a shame to see good people get yanked around by companies like this, and it's great to see people reporting in with their experiences, whether good or bad so less people can make these mistakes in the future
Disclaimer: While I am a web host, I do not currently provide products or services to the dedicated market. So this is all an unbiased opinion based on my time and experiences in the industry.
