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Review by mdrudy See Profile

  • Location: Louisville, Jefferson, KY, USA
  • Cost Contract price not specified.
Not sure there are any really
Absolutely incompetent
Stay away from them at all costs. Their tech support is terrible. Their customer service is even worse.

We have had so many problems with them it is ridiculous. Everything from Exchange email problems, pop email problems, network outages, on and on.

member for 15.4 years, 20 visits, last login: 14.8 years ago
lodged 15.2 years ago







Review by springchick See Profile

  • Location: Muskegon, Muskegon, MI, USA
  • Cost: $8 per month (12 month contract)
Economical; discount for more than one site
FrontPage Support; Tech Services; Customer Support
If using FrontPage, go elsewhere!!!
Pre Sales information:
Setup experience:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I have had a reseller account with ReadyHosting for about 6 years, on which I host two accounts. I was very happy with the set-up process, the uptime, the customer service and the value for my money for several years -- UNTIL THEY GOT BOUGHT OUT. The transition from the old to the new company took place over the course of a few months late 2005/early 2006 and it has been nothing but headaches ever since then.

The reason I chose ReadyHosting was because they offered FrontPage support with realtime editing as well as .asp support. I use FrontPage 2003, SP2 with Jimco Open Web to maintain my web sites which use .asp. This configuration has always worked flawlessly for me with this host -- in the 4-5 years with the old company, I may have had to contact support all of 2-3 times due to corrupt FrontPage extensions (more of a Microsoft issue than a hosting issue). Since migrating to the new company 8 months ago, I have contacted support 24 times.

A couple of times it was due to web site unavailabilty during standard business hours (with no prior notification of down time) and a couple of times it was due to permissions issues (somehow the permissions on my account had been reset on the server so that I could not access), but primarily the issues have been related to their incompatibility inability to properly support FrontPage web sites.

Without fail, every time I make edits to my site using FrontPage it causes the extensions on the server to become corrupted -- I can generally make only 1-2 edits before this happens and I then receive a message indicating that "The connection with the server was unexpectedly reset." When I contact support, I wait 30-90 minutes for a rep and they walk me through several troubleshooting steps that I have already done (but I understand it is part of their routine and try to be patient while we get to the real issue). Once we reach the point where it is obvious there is a problem with the FrontPage extensions, the customer service rep tells me that he cannot assist me, rather needs to hand me off to a *specialist* who will contact me once the issue is resolved. So after an hour or more, I am nowhere. 12-72 hours later I get an e-mail from a rep telling me everything is fixed and I should be able to access and edit my site. I can -- for 1-2 edits like before and then the same thing happens, and round and round we go... All this to make a few simple edits to my web site.

They have a big issue with their Windows servers and recently tried to resolve these with an upgrade (June 2006), but this has actually made it worse. As a *workaround* until they can resolve the issues, they suggest publishing instead of realtime editing. This works, but I don't consider this to be an acceptable long term solution (this has been 8 months now) -- why on earth would I want to go backward from a realtime environment to publishing? Their promotional information claims that they support FrontPage for publishing and realtime editing. Obviously they have a ways to go on that.

Due to their lack of FrontPage support and unsatisfactory customer service, I would advise anyone using FrontPage for their web site to look elsewhere. I recently purchased an account with another host and will be moving my sites as time permits.

member for 17.8 years, 6 visits, last login: 17.6 years ago
lodged 17.6 years ago


rachelsfx
join:2004-09-27
Pensacola, FL

rachelsfx

Member

FrontPage Extensions Do Suck

My IT person just designs the site with scripts for contacts, etc. The extensions are a pain in the rearend since the 97 edition. Just create your website then upload via FTP. Never had a problem.

Review by jtmudge See Profile

  • Location: Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
  • Cost: $15 per month (12 month contract)
These guys used to be the best until they were bought out in early 06
Support hold times, site migration broke everything
Stay far far away
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I've been with Readyhosting since 1999. Used to be a great company. Good support (not 24x7 but helpful and quick). Used to be a Good value. Used to be Reliable.

Now they are about the worst you can get. Since they were bough out, they have migrated to "improved servers". They messed up our database, reconfigured permisions on directories, and disbaled functionalities we were using on COM objects. The first wo issues were resolved in a couple of days and only about 5 hours of support calls. The last issue has yet to be resolved. I have been calling back (each time on hold for about 40 minutes before I get to talk to someone) I get the same message, they will get it working with the next day.

Now to top it off, the site eill not even come up at all. They say it should be back up withing the day, but I find that hard to believe.

Stay far away.


member for 18 years, driveby review (so far)
lodged 18 years ago

AT11
join:2003-03-05
Sedalia, MO

AT11

Member

Respond with your pocket book

If they can't host your site properly, why continue to use them? Lots of great hosting companies out there that can do a better job. Pull your business and go some place else. Only when they start loosing business will they possibly wake up and even that may not phase them!

dslreports34343

Anon

Re: Respond with your pocket book

just go with at&t they are great.

Review by 2kmaro See Profile

  • Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, OK, USA
  • Cost: $8 per month (12 month contract)
Reliable company, lots of space, unmetered data transfers/email.
No MySQL support, no anonymous FTP. Weak PHP setup?
Good value for the typical site. But if you need MySQL - look elsewhere.
Pre Sales information:
Setup experience:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

ReadyHosting – A Review

I use ReadyHosting ( »www.ReadyHosting.com ) as the host service for my own web site. I chose ReadyHosting because it was recommended to me by some web site developers I knew who used it routinely as the hosting service for small businesses they dealt with and developed web pages for. Those businesses had no complaints about the service.

For many (most?) people wishing to put up a site, the service is much more than adequate. At the time of this review just some of the offerings in their single $99.95/year package are:

* 500 MB Web Space
* Free New Domain Registration (free as long as you continue to host with
them)
* Unmetered data transfers
* Unlimited email accounts
* Unlimited email aliases
* Web based email
* Toll-free Tech Support (8-6 M-F CST)
* Password Protected Directories

Oh – I must inject a bit of ironic humor at this point. When I purchased my site space, the pricing was $99.95 per year. I notice in preparing for this review that at this moment they have a special offer “Buy one month’s service, get 11 month’s FREE!” but that one month’s service is priced at $99.00 – a savings over their regular offer of $0.95. Heck of a deal there, K-Mart Shoppers!

For the more “technically” inclined, their service also includes such things as:
* 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
* FrontPage Extensions
* CGI/Perl Support
* Cold Fusion 4.5
* Server Side Includes
* PHP Server Extensions
* Real Audio/Video
* SSL Security and
* e-Commerce shopping cart.

ReadyHosting uses servers running Windows 2000 Server and they are essentially a Windows/Microsoft-centric hosting service. Get too far away from Microsoft and you can get into problem areas. More about that later.

You may manage your website using their provided FTP account or with a web site development and management package such as FrontPage. I have used two separate site development tools to set up content and haven’t had any trouble with either. I would presume that most such packages, like Dreamweaver, etc. would work just as well.

ReadyHosting offers two database options for those needing database functions on their web site. Option One: for an additional $25/year per you can set up your database in their Microsoft SQL Server database. Option Two: place your own Microsoft Access database inside of your web space and use it free of charge. There is absolutely NO support for MySQL. Nor is their any support for anonymous FTP accounts.

Offsetting Your Site Space Cost: ReadyHosting does offer an automatic reselling feature. When you purchase a second account, you automatically become a “reseller” and you get that second, and subsequent accounts, for about half-price of the initial account (plus any setup and domain registration fees). This means you can resell to your friends and neighbors at less than full price and at least partially offset the cost of your own web site.

THE UP SIDE: For someone needing more space than the typical 10MB space offered by many ISPs and/or desiring unmetered data transfers who only need a “typical” web site, it is actually a pretty good deal. It is really difficult to find the features offered for under $9.00 per month elsewhere.

The tech support people are friendly and most requests for special setups such as a new protected directory or setup of a Microsoft Access database are handled within a few hours, if not almost immediately. Up time is very good, but I’m not completely convinced that it is at the 99.9% level they guarantee – but I haven’t monitored it closely enough to actually dispute the claim at this point.

Their tech support is always friendly and when they are able to solve a problem or take care of a request, it happens right away. The time on hold to speak with their tech service is minimal. I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than a minute or two, and most of the time I get right through to them.

The email offerings are very good – allowing you to manage your accounts through a web page and to get your email anywhere in the world that you can get a hookup to the internet. Having both unlimited email addresses and unlimited aliases can make life very comfortable for you at times – and even permit you to easily determine who you deal with that also sells/passes on your email addresses to others.

THE DOWN SIDE: Most of the down side issues have to deal with things that
many people are beginning to get in to these days: BLOGS and small Bulletin
Boards. Most of the problems come from ReadyHost’s complete lack of support
for MySQL – which many of the BLOG/BB software packages are based on. A
secondary problem area is what appears to me to be either an incomplete or
at least a poor implementation of PHP support. There are at least 3 other
BBR members that have purchased accounts at ReadyHosting through me on my
reseller deal, along with two small businesses in my local area that I’ve
resold to.

The two businesses have had no complaints at all. But their sites are of
the on-line brochure types – a home page, a couple of pages of “what we do”
and a contact us page. Neither does any eCommerce, so I have no comments to
make about that side of the picture.

Oddly enough, the biggest headaches have come to the individuals purchasing
space with them through me that had what should have been very easy special
requests to fill. One person wished to set up a BLOG. But the BLOG
required MySQL as the database and so that ability was instantly
unavailable. Another BBR member wished to set up a forum using one of the
favored forum software packages: YABB (Yet Another Bulletin Board). YABB
prefers MySQL as a database and uses PHP to exchange data with it. In
theory, YABB can also connect to an SQL Server database, since PHP supports
ODBC. Even with the direct assistance of ReadyHosting Tech Support
personnel, they were never able to get any of two or three separate bulletin
board packages to work. Not only did the lack of MySQL support provide a
formidable hurdle, but it would appear that they do not have a sure and
certain methodology of installing the needed software to interface PHP with
their own SQL Server database.

My own personal “down-side” opinions: As I said earlier, I have my doubts about their claimed 99.9% uptime. I notice an inability to connect to the site or to my email for very short periods relatively often – often enough that I know it is not 100% there. I wouldn’t call these lapses frequent, but they are noticeable, but maybe I'm a little critical because it's my website.

I use a Microsoft Access database installed within my own webspace for my database needs. I interface to it using PHP. In my development environment here, the pages are instantly responsive – click a button and poof! The page is almost instantly generated and displayed. In the real world I caution people that those pages are going to be slow to load. I don’t know exactly where the slowdown originates – whether it is in their implementation of PHP or in the way they have things set up for PHP to interface with the database. I only know it’s slow. It works, it just isn’t fast.

BOTTOM LINE: Good value for the money as long as you’re aware of the potential problems caused by a lack of MySQL support and the apparently less-than-optimal implementation of PHP extensions. If you want to set up a BLOG or bulletin board package that hinges on MySQL for operation, you’d best look elsewhere. But if you can use their SQL Server database or your own Microsoft Access database to satisfy those kinds of needs, and you don’t get too heavy into PHP pages, it is definitely worth considering.

member for 23.7 years, 4075 visits, last login: 3.3 years ago
lodged 21 years ago


Xzibit
Wtf Mate?
Premium Member
join:2002-04-19
Santa Clara, CA

Xzibit

Premium Member

uhh

I think you're suppose to review ISPs here...

justin
..needs sleep
Mod
join:1999-05-28
2031

justin

Mod

Re: uhh

no, you can review web hosting companies as well.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

Re: uhh

OK, so where do I find a link to review the web hosting company I use, pair Networks, Inc., »www.pair.com ? They host over 146,000 web sites.

pike
Premium Member
join:2001-02-01
Washington, DC

pike

Premium Member

Re: uhh

For now, you'll have to email it to reviews@dslreports.com.

-Mike

justin
..needs sleep
Mod
join:1999-05-28
2031
Billion BiPAC 7800N
Apple AirPort Extreme (2011)

justin to Bobcat79

Mod

to Bobcat79
said by Bobcat79:
OK, so where do I find a link to review the web hosting company I use, pair Networks, Inc., »www.pair.com ? They host over 146,000 web sites.

Yes just email it in, enter the name when you edit the review, then it will appear later, along with a placeholder for the company name.

pike
Premium Member
join:2001-02-01
Washington, DC

pike to Xzibit

Premium Member

to Xzibit
...and web hosts.
vayanet
join:2002-06-20
Marshfield, WI

vayanet

Member

Reviewers Company

I think thats the reviewers company, J/K.