Web Site Hosting Reviews

   "We're sorry, all our customer service representatives are currently engaged. Please hold the line for the next available representative"

   So you wait and wait and wait just that little bit longer for help with your urgent questions, but it seems like some kind of sick joke - the lights are on, but is anybody home???

   You curse and swear you'll change web site hosts in the morning. But morning comes, or afternoon as the case may be, and you just can't be bothered. You've managed to figure it out yourself by now anyway, or realized that maybe there was just a temporary glitch in the system after all.

   Besides, how can you really tell which hosts are gonna give you real customer service, and not just empty promises. It's like trying to find an honest lawyer!

Support: Expectations & Reality

   It doesn't matter if you are new to web site hosting and have one site, or you're a seasoned expert with scores of sites; you want your web site host to offer reliable and quality technical support online, as well as over the telephone and via e-mail. When you have a problem or pressing question, you need to know that help will be available for you - now! And in the format you need it.

   You should choose a company that offers round-the-clock technical support - the now famous "24/7/365." You don't want to find yourself all alone, out on a windy limb, on a Saturday morning at 3:00 a.m. - prime time for all major problems, or so it seems!

   It turns out that some hosts offer support only by e-mail, and others only offer support during "normal" business hours - and you pay for the call. When choosing a host, make sure that the company you are looking at actually has people physically in its data center round the clock. Believe me, there's a world of difference between speaking with a technician on the job - on caffeine and nicotine - than waking one up in the middle of the night through a remote pager and trying to explain your problem!

   It is worthwhile to browse through the prospective host's automated online services to make sure they're user-friendly and useful. Be sure to check that telephone support numbers and e-mail addresses are there - and easily available - and then, write them down! There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to access this contact information because of the very problem you're trying to solve!

Their Responsibility

   It is the responsibility of any reputable website host to take full responsibility for its hardware, software, and operating environment so that you the webmaster can focus on running your business. You have enough to worry about without getting entangled in a world wide web of techno-babble, server errors, and downtime nightmares. Give your web site host a fair chance, but if they do not prove themselves worthy in a reasonable (to you) amount of time, move on. Remember that there are many other companies eager and ready for your business. Relax, reflect, and control.

   If a web site host is determined to succeed and presents itself as having high standards, then their technical support has simply got to be outstanding. You as a consumer have a right to expect - and demand - it.

   Since support - in all senses of the word - is a major investment for any company, many hosts simply don't invest in the personnel and equipment necessary to maintain their operation at an appropriate level. The task then falls on wise webmasters to size up the expertise of a host's support staff and suss out their operation before making the big decision as to where to host their web sites. Although the decision is not fatal and irreversible, it can be a major headache switching hosts mid-stream! Do you have time for it? I certainly don't!