As I was testing the biggest shared hosting providers in the US, I came across something.
It was a limited test, so I didn’t spend too much time dealing with the dashboard or the provider’s support team.
But I managed to run into problems even in that short timeframe.
LiquidWeb, IONOS, and Bluehost banned me outright. I’m not holding this against them — I am using a European email provider and IP.
But a couple others welcomed my money and just stood out to me as worse than the others. Since most of them were MUCH better, there was no reason to let it slide, so I do not recommend the offenders. Here’s the gist, in no particular order:
HostGator
The dashboard was very hard to navigate.
On the refund page I was told specifically that I “won’t be charged anymore”, and if I wanted a refund of my initial payment, I needed to specifically ask the support in an email after I cancel.
That said, when I got the cancellation confirmation email, it said that my funds were credited back to me. Just in case, I emailed them back (I was told to, wasn’t I?), but they confirmed that I will be refunded in full.
Verdict: 😡
BlueHost
As I was setting up my site, I was blocked and refunded. A “fraud specialist” contacted me by email asking for a scan of my ID. I hesitated for a bit but sent it. Another rep replied saying that I need to re-submit it because it cannot have “cut corners” (mine was just a scan of my passport, huh?). I responded saying that mine didn’t have cut corners and asked them to check again. I got an “Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender”.
I can’t imagine being forced to work through a real issue with those guys.
That said, I was able to try again a day later and complete the testing without stirring the wrath of the anti-fraud overseers.
Verdict: 😡
GreenGeeks
When you click “cancel”, the system creates a support ticket (!) for you. In a day, a support engineer contacts you saying it’s too bad and they want you back and all that. You have to tell them you’re sure about canceling.
Then, they ask you if you’re really really sure.
If you tell them you’re really really sure, they say “okay well what can you do, I’ll escalate this to my manager”.
A day later I got my refund. So, all in all, after I click “cancel”, there are at least two points where I need to confirm that I really want to cancel.
Verdict: 😡
Dreamhost
After I was charged, I had to wait half a day for my plan to be approved manually for some reason. After that, it was smooth sailing.
Verdict: 😒
LiquidWeb
As soon as I was charged for my plan, I received an email saying that “my hosting plan is on the way”. When I logged in, naturally there was nothing in the dashboard – my plan was on the way… I guess it was being mailed through US post.
Then I also got an email saying that all new customers must submit scans of their IDs. After the BlueHost fiasco, I was really tempted to just refund on the spot, but I calmed myself down (for science) and sent them my ID.
They then asked me for a second ID (like a driver’s license). When I told them I only have one, they told me to pound sand. Oh well.
Verdict: 😒
IONOS (1&1)
When I was charged, I was told in an email that “my contract was being created” and that my hosting options were locked until it was created.
Two days later, I logged in and was greeted by a red “Your contract was locked” message. Customer support told me I was rejected by security.
Verdict: 😒
GoDaddy
I couldn’t upload my 50Mb website archive because the cPanel File Manager was timing out, and the FTP setup was quirky. Otherwise, all good.
