Hosting Accounts

[Nancy]

I am having a nightmare...I know it..

I have my websites and blogs on wordpress, so I host them myself.  I pay for a yearly hosting account.  Following me so far?

6 months ago I added my simply-cookbook site to the hosting account...it took them 2 weeks to get it transferred from one registrar to another..at that time since it wasn't really live yet it was not a problem, although it was an excessive amount of time..I let it go.   It took another week for them to set my blog up as apparently the process is so complicated with them that the ordinary person who has an ounce of brains can't do it right.  Which is Bull Hockey!  So for the past five months I have been adding to my cooking blog and everything was going fine.

Then yesterday, I bought through them, a new domain name..creativecrafting4-1-1.com, which I intend to use as a blog only.  I went in this morning to set the blog up through their control panel again and it won't work...so I got on their live chat with a rep to find out why.... these people are complete idiots, first they tell me that the new blog was not loaded right, and that I should delete it and reinstall...that's not so bad..I did that...when I did that instead of deleting my craft blog like I clicked on it deleted my cooking blog!

After two hours trying to get this fixed with a bunch of idiots, I am told that #1  Even though I purchased the new domain through them, they don't hold the registrar for it...now I checked that and guess what...they hold it.  So I told them, gave them the name of the company and everything.  Oh yeah the guy says we do have it.
#2 They tell me that wordpress was not installed right...come on guys how hard is it..you press a button in their control panel, and put in the information and low and behold it is uploaded...it doesn't take a genius!
#3 So now I find out, through my own checking around, that the first genius I talked to messed with the cooking files, which caused the deleting of my site.  I can't fix them without redoing the whole damn thing! (Sorry for the language)
#4 After two hours on the chat room (which I hate anyway), I am told that the problem is going to be fixed by a "senior" tech, who is probably sitting next to the guy I was "chatting" with and he just wanted  me off of there.


Ladies I am so frustrated and pissed off!  I usually don't get mad at underlings in a customer service situation, I have been there and done that so I know it is not an easy job, but come on...to expect me to redo my entire cooking blog and then to say the new domain is not registered with them when I purchased it through them?

I needed to vent

[Danielle]

  Nancy!! That sucks! I am sorry it was deleted!! I can't stand to be treated like that! I used to deal with all that crap, and I got soo discouraged and so mad, that I just finally told my better half that he would have to deal with it, because in the end, I ended up so upset and I was , I just couldn't take it anymore. AND they are a bunch of ***** idiots!!

[Nancy]

I transferred all my sites to another hosting account that has a much better rep.  I have a couple of my online buddies using it, and I was the last hold out.  They kept telling me to transfer, but I was stubborn and resisted. I hate change.

This new account has great support already...they have answered all my questions and already started the process to get me up and running again.  They are helping me deal with the old hosting....

It is just that there is no reason for any of this to happen...they have a backup of the blog...but won't put it back up.  My backup only goes so far, so some of my post will be lost.

For all my readers, be patient..I will be back up bigger and better!

[Danielle]

  You go girl!! 

[Audrey]

Nancy,

That is a nightmare. Dealing with some customer service can really make you pull your hair out, one strand at a time

Glad you've found a new host that you're happy with.

[Nancy]

I am pulling my hair out here...the files are being transferred as I write, but I am so used to working on my sites, that I feel lost!   There is only so much cleaning I can do. 

[Audrey]

Well if you're looking for a house that needs cleaning...

[Nancy]

No thanks, Audrey...when my husband and I retired I gave that chore over to him.  33 years was enough for me.  Now I only clean when I want to and where I want to.   I haven't done dishes in 5 years   It is wonderful!

[Candid Carrie]

I don't even understand what the heck it is you are talking about, hosting and self-hosting and transferring files. 

I'd try so hard to be independant but in that case and listening to what others sometimes go through with technical issues I can't help but wonder if there is more I should be doing!

[Audrey]

Carrie,

When you have a website, it needs to be hosted somewhere. Blogger is hosted already, thus your two blogs are just fine.

Nancy owns domains that must be hosted somewhere. Her host....well she's told you the story.

When you get a new host, it's the same as moving, you must transfer everything from the old house to the new house.

Each page must be moved and all files you had stored. Think of a website. There are pages and graphics and....all must be moved.

[Candid Carrie]

That made so much sense.  I don't think I understand it will enough to repeat it or speak the language but you certainly did a great job putting my mind at ease. 

I am setting up a third site that will not be interactive.  It will be strictly informational and there will be no opportunity for people to give feed back unless it is through an email to me.  I have a tentative draft of it set up with a blogspot address but just a sketch.  But like I said, I don't need a "conversation" area and there will not be chatting or forum is there a different place I should be considering? 

I didn't intend to be globbing so much information off of you so early in the morning, but thank you for the first stuff.  And it is alright if you don't answer this second stuff. 

[Nancy]

If you are comfortable with Blogspot...use them.   I only have a hosting account because I have two active websites.  These are not blogs...I also use blogspot for my senior site. 

I tell anyone who is thinking of starting a home business of any type online to start out with Blogspot and build from there...It will do everything you need it to do and it is easy to use.

[Candid Carrie]

That's why I need to pay attention to you, my new site isn't a blog.

[Nancy]

Carrie, You can still have a website and use Blogger to host it.  You don't have to have a hosting account.  Just treat it like it was a website and it will do fine. 

I started working online 8 years ago with  wah stuff, not knowing any better, I went with a hosting account and that is what I have gotten used to and where my customers come from.  I would lose some repeat customers if I were to switch over to blogger with my wah site.

Now my cookbook site, which is the one that went down, I am going to turn into a blog only as I know I can get more niche customers using a blog, but since I have purchased the domain name and already have the hosting account, it doesn't cost me any more to use Wordpress.  Believe me  if it did cost me it would be on blogger.

Does this make sense?

[Candid Carrie]

Whew, thanks.  Yes it makes perfect sense.  You took something overwhelming and translated it to something I could understand and I was then able to make an educated decision. 

Thank you.  Anything I can do for you?