 |
HostWay Customer Support: 1
HostWay Reliability: 5
HostWay Price Value: 1
HostWay Account Setup: 3
HostWay Overall Score: 1 |
Kimberley's Final Score*:
20% |
| * The final percentage is determined automatically by our in-house percentages algorithm. |
At first, they were the only hosting company I would go with because they didn't require a contract. I could pay month-to-month.
Click Here to Visit HostWay |
|
Hostway was my first hosting company, so I stuck with them for a long time...I guess out of sentimentality. I can readily find invoices in my Inbox from them for the last 6 years, although I may have been with them longer. I wanted a month-to-month hosting service, so Hostway fit the bill. And when I started, I thought they were attentive to my newbie needs. Over the years, I learned more about web pages and wanted mine to do more. The final blow was when I found out in January of 2007 that my plan was supposed to include, among other things, php and a my SQL database. I had to write to their support people in order to get those added to my account--when I had been paying to have those items for God only knows how long! Then, I was told they'd need to move me to a newer server to get the rest of the services I should have had. They finally did this a month later, or so they claimed. I changed my mind on the software that needed all the services, but those were services I was paying for each month, anyway, so I left them. At that point, something happened, and I was FTPing into two separate places--one place when I used the Hostway web based FTP tool, and another when I used third-party software. The items I FTP'd with their web based FTP, which I had to sign into my account to reach, would NOT even show up on my web page. So, I just used the third-party software, and didn't really have a problem doing that, until I needed to use ssh. So, I logged into my account and used their web based ssh, and that didn't work for my site, either. Nothing I did from the Hostway web-based tools would show up on my site files when I look at them through third-party FTP software, and vice versa. Then, they shut off my FTP capabilities, claiming I had too many files. (Almost nowhere else you look for hosting has a limit on the number of files you can upload, but Hostway does--even if you are nowhere near your size limits, they will cut you off for the number of files.) I told them I was convinced they had doubled the files for me, because of the FTP situation. They NEVER figured that out, for the rest of the time I was with them. In March of 2008 I finally began using the services which were supposed to be active on my account, since the change of servers in February of 2007. I encountered tons of problems and spent days trying to figure out what was going on. I'm still mostly a newbie. I had relied on the fact that all the services I needed had been set up in 2007, so I had ruled that out as a problem. When I finally did email Hostway about my difficulty in March of 2008, I learned that MY ACCOUNT HAD NEVER CHANGED SERVERS AND I DID NOT HAVE THE SERVICES THAT I'D BEEN PAYING FOR AND BEEN TOLD WERE ON MY ACCOUNT FOR THE LAST ENTIRE YEAR. Again, they never fixed the problem with their own web-based tools for my account, so I couldn't even access FTP and SSH through their site. I had to do everything on my own. They never even let me pick out a password for my own Mailman Mailing List...they did this weird thing where the password gets listed in the URL of a separate window that opens up for Mailman Admin. And there were no instructions telling me this, I just had to email them for support, every time I needed something. This meant a wait of three days at the very least. I told the technical support people how angry I was, and that I didn't want to quit them, but I would have to if they didn't shape up. They didn't really seem to care. So finally I transferred my domain, and told them I wanted to cancel my account. They are now trying to extort me into CALLING them to cancel, even though I have already given them the information they asked for in email, to cancel the account. Bottom line, what did I hate about Hostway? Having to deal with them, it was always a huge waste of my time. And being lied to, and fraudulently billed for services I was supposed to have on my hosting plan (and didn't for at least a year), according to their terms of service.
My Final HostWay Customer Support Rating: 1/10 |
|
I didn't have any reliability issues with downtime or email, but my site was basically a personal page so I never would have noticed.
My Final HostWay Linux Hosting Reliability Rating: 5/10 |
|
Years ago when I started, maybe it would be worth the $15.95 per month...but not now. Everything is so limited. I get everything I want (and then some) with HostMonster for only $4.95 per month, and that includes yearly domain name renewal. Hostway charges way more than they are worth, and they are almost completely non-responsive, so you're on your own...which really stinks when things are screwed up on their end.
My Final HostWay Price Value Rating: 1/10 |
|
I set up my account years ago, and it took a few days if I recall correctly.
My Final HostWay Account Setup Rating: 3/10 |
|
My recommendation is to AVOID HOSTWAY (and any spinoff companies), you can easily do much better. I would not have had a problem paying more for fewer features and less space IF their customer service and support was stellar, but that was the worst part of the whole deal.
My Final Overall HostWay Rating: 1/10
Order HostWay Now! Click here. |
|
Do you agree or disagree with Kimberley? Please share your detailed HostWay Linux Hosting review with our readers. Click the link below to begin!
Do You Love or Hate HostWay? Click here!
|
|
|
|
|
- One North State Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60602
- P.O. Box 7044, Romeoville, IL 60446
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
recommendations to new customers. 
