Comments on: My Web Hosting Nightmare…

By: ErisDS

ErisDS — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:06:55 +0000

I really hope I managed to help a little bit? I also hope that you & your daughter have managed to find some arrangement you’re happy with for getting updates completed. I’m very surprised the web designer handed this off to the host, can I ask who the hosts are?

Eris

By: rose

rose — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:53:35 +0000

hi Eris, thanks for reply, youve given me a lot of info, i shall take my time and read through it.
her site was looking fine at first, its something that happend later.
the web desinger said if she needed any changes to her site then it was now in the hands of the host. but anyway, thanks again for info ill have a good read.

By: ErisDS

ErisDS — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:43:33 +0000

Firstly, £1500 for an ecommerce site is extremely cheap. I certainly wouldn’t be able to provide you with that service for less than 3 or 4 times that amount. Therefore I think the fundamental problem with your daughter’s website is that she has paid too little for the site, not too much. For the money paid, there would certainly be no long-term support included. I would guess that going to one of these “cheaper” people you’ve found would result in an even less satisfactory experience.

However, you should check what was asked for, hopefully there is a contract or at the least an email trail. If your daughter signed off a visual design which has not been achieved (and this was not discussed or agreed) or if she asked for features that are not available (like adding additional text herself) then you should be able to go back to the designer and discuss the matter.

Your web designer/developer is the person who should offer you support, amends and updates to a website, not the host. There will be an additional fee as the £1500 paid was for the design of the site and for building the website with the design and features agreed. Anything additional to what was agreed would incur an additional cost. This is the way our industry works, the same as if you buy a new car, you would still have to pay if you decided to upgrade to a CD player afterwards! Updates might be charged on an individual basis, or if you think there will be a large volume, try negotiating a monthly price for a support contract.

Finally, the £70 paid for hosting is not for the action of making the site live, rather to cover the monthy/yearly cost of having the website online. The hosting company are responsible for maintaining both the computer that the website sits on, and the connection to it. They have to make sure that it is always available via the internet, cover the costs of their own internet connection and ensure that the computer is secure and cannot be influenced by outsiders (hackers). I pay around £10 a month for hosting, but for larger websites it can cost anywhere from £200 per month upwards. £70 a year is again, very cheap for the service you are being provided.

By: rose

rose — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:57:18 +0000

hi, im totally ignorant to web hosting, my daughter has just set up a web site to sell lingerie online, i think she paid too much for her web site to be made, about £1500, as it seems people do them much cheaper. she then found she had to pay £70 for the year to have it “hosted” by someone the web site designer allocated to it. as far as i can see apart from making it live, they dont do much else, she can add new items and delete old items herself but can add text or make space for “where did you see us advertised” the hoster said they can do it but it will cost. also shes noticed the background on her website is not how it was designed, its meant ot be like a 2 tone flock wallpaper, but looks like one solid colour. i dont think shes even got tech help if the site crashes unless she pays again. what should she expect from a web host? thanks inadvance

By: ErisDS

ErisDS — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:20:58 +0000

May I ask who you are with now and what companies you’ve tried?
I’ve tried so many – more than those listed in this post. PearTree continue to be fantastic. I really should post a follow up to this post.

By: turisuna

turisuna — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:16:46 +0000

It can be so difficult to choose good web hosting that match with our needs. I have moved to different web hosting for four times in these last three years. I hope I don’t need to move again, I’m tired with troubles.

By: christopher

christopher — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:55:14 +0000

i’m with surpass, moaned on twitter, and they moved me to their uk reseller. its only me and one other customer on there atm and its miles better.

By: It's been a Very Quiet Month... | Musings of ErisDS

It's been a Very Quiet Month... | Musings of ErisDS — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:27:56 +0000

[...] my last post explained, I’ve had my house rewired and since redecorated. I had to pack my computer up in a box for 3 [...]

By: Web Host Reviews

Web Host Reviews — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:39:31 +0000

I can’t get wordpress set-up correctly as it has trouble writing to directories all the time. It had no problems on bluehost but I soon outgrew their solution.

By: ErisDS

ErisDS — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:39:57 +0000

Hi Ben,

Providing all the initial file permissions are set correctly (uploads directory set to 777 etc) then yep PeartreeUK Just. Works.

I no longer have any problems running upgrades, updating plugins or managing any other files. And I was having an absolutely nightmare on Clook. Clook are a good company, but their server setup is not tailored for people using things like WordPress. PeartreeUK on the other hand have a setup that stops all those irritating permissions problems.

I strongly suggest you try them out! Speak to Rob, tell him I sent you & I promise you won’t be disappointed!