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Michael B.

3
Level 3 Contributor

Contributor Level

Total Points
2,843

About Me

Small business owner.

How I Can Help

As a businss owner I know what it means to have a business that offers great service. I know there are disagreements between customers and vice versa.

18 Reviews by Michael

  • Thailand-orthopedic

8/20/13
  • Thaimedicalnews

8/20/13

Health and Travel online magazine. Helpful tutorials and entertaining articles.

  • Thaimakeover

5/1/13

Medical tourism in Thailand offers affordable health care options for patients looking for lower costs and high quality care with the addition of privacy and no waiting.

  • Hightechcredit

5/1/13

Reviews of the hottest gaming and medical computers, laptops, cameras, hardware and software.

  • Hightech-edge

5/1/13

Great online magazine for military and tech news. Helpful videos and reviews.

  • 1Designer-Clothing

5/1/13

Great source for international fashion and beauty tips. We have a community that interacts with us from there.

  • Richard E. Poulin III Resume

5/1/13

Our webmaster for our websites has been very helpful in managing our online projects.

  • Rackspace

5/1/13

N January 2010 we signed up with Rackspace and hoped for the best as our first experience with managed hosting with 800Hosting was a disaster. The switch to Rackspace has been a great improvement for us. We have been with them for almost a year and have NO complaints about any of our websites, blogs or databases we have hosted with them. They have delivered all that they promised.

Our first experience with managed hosting was with 800Hosting and they delivered NONE of what they promised. They had a great website with great promises, but were more than a disappointment. All of our fully managed websites went down due to a catastrophic failure with their server, and we had to notify them! They did not even know! We purchased monitoring 24/7 so how could that be? We had purchased a fully managed dedicated server so we would not have such problems. They lost valuable confidential customer personal data and almost all product images - gone forever. We purchased daily back up so how could that happen unless they did not provide what they promised?

As you can see, we were very skeptical and worried about our next host. Anyone can make a mistake but they were NO help making things right and showed NO understanding as to how being totally down for 6 days was impacting our business. That really was unbelievable in a web host, and based on their website not possible.
Since moving to Rackspace we have had nothing but peace of mind. They seem to appreciate how much our success depends on them delivering the goods. They provide monitoring, pro-active support, technical support 24/7, and improved server performance. They more expensive BUT NO down time, no data loss and no worries. This is priceless to us.

We wished we would have found Rackspace before 1-800-Hosting!

  • Phoenixgymbkk

5/1/13

Muay Thai mma gym in Thailand that offers great rates for those interested in traveling to Thailand to train muay thai kick boxing or BJJ.

  • 800hightech

5/1/13

Number one choice for US military computer financing. They offer a large selection of custom gaming computers and laptops with no money down.

  • Okizoo

5/1/13

Our one stop source for all of our online marketing needs. They have helped us develop a successful online business. No BS and delivers results they promise.

  • HSBC

8/20/13

Provides us a robust online banking experience that lets us handle multiple currencies easily.

  • CNET

8/20/13

I like the website to help find software and news, but users have to take caution when selecting programs.

  • Artonlinev64

8/20/13
  • Groupon

8/20/13

Great local deals. Easy to use.

  • WOT Services Ltd

8/20/13

Users and Webmasters beware! Users receive no protection, just biased reviews and false claims. Webmasters do not submit your website here. You will be slandered by the community.

  • 1800hosting

5/1/13

Ing to anyone considering using 800Hosting as a monitored dedicated server host. They have a GREAT web site and they sure sold me BUT my web sites all went down just before holiday season of 2009. Completely down so that I was out of business for 6 days with much data lost forever. Then following that failure of 6 days during which time we were repeatedly told four more hours, one more day we finally resumed at about 50% of our pre-failure effectiveness and slowly we re-built over time what they ruined in one minute! If your business can afford a loss such as that easily then please disregard this post. If not and you are still considering 800Hosting please read on.

I have e-mails, web history from Google analytics to substantiate my claims and am personally available to talk by phone with qualified business owners considering 800Hosting who reads this post and seeks verification.
At the end of November 2009, all our web sites went down. My staff from Asia and the US were all in San Francisco for a meeting and company outing. Since I was the only person working I was checking our sites on a Sunday night. I was shocked to discover all were down. Apparently our sites went down due to some catastrophic failure at 800Hosting and when I called to ask what is going on they did not even know there was a problem.
I had to notify 800 hosting they had no idea, and never provided monitoring. Previous issues as well, required us to first notify 800Hosting!
No Monitoring
We purchased monitoring 24/7. If they were providing that monitoring how could our sites all go down and they not know?

In their dealings with me and my company 800Hosting continually over promised and undelivered. This aforementioned monitoring is but one example.
Based on their website homepage we really believed we had found the solution for our hosting. We checked and they were well reviewed too. You obviously were impressed or you would not be reading my post. In my experience there is no relationship between their home page claims and the service they deliver.

No Managed Hosting
With the managed hosting, what we asked for SPECIFICALLY we were assured the health of the server would be maintained and monitored and we would be secure from malicious attacks.
However once the server went down, we had to notify them. They never notified us of any problem and often erroneously reported all was well when it was NOT!

Then they suggested maybe we were the victim of an attack by a competitor until they realized protecting us from that was also their job. Another exaggeration or lie.
During the aforementioned 6 days they repeatedly called or e-mailed us that everything is now fixed.
No Communication
When we would discover nothing was fixed and we were still down you will not believe what occurred. They disabled our E-mails claiming we were sending too many. Their excuse for that insensitive and bad behavior was we already know you are down and that and it wastes time to respond to your e-mails that could be spent fixing the problem. What were we to do? They called and said everything is OK BUT it was not. If we said nothing maybe it would never be repaired BUT when we attempted to tell them that nothing had changed our E-mails were returned. By this time we realized we had been had and were dealing with incompetents or people who at best were very careless with the truth. We had to contact them by phone, and when the tech answered they noticed it was down and question if we even had a website hosted at the domain that existed for 14 years.

No Backups

As soon as we noticed data was missing we requested back-ups. We were told they were already restored, but this could not be verified until the server was back online. I do not know why but at that time we still bought that. Wishful thinking I guess. However once we had FTP restored and we were able to view or site to compare files, we realized MOST of our images were gone and a lot of additional files were missing as well. 800Hosting had no complete copy of our websites and had NO idea what they lost! It seemed as if they thought they could mislead us to believe everything was ok when it obviously was not!

We had bought daily back up BUT when it came time for them to deliver our backed up data they finally said we only keep data three days! We realized however it occurred the missing data was gone forever and there were no back-ups. We lost secure customer data that is unrecoverable and cause a serious strain to our companies.

Four months later we are still replacing missing images and apologizing to customers for missing data that they must resend.

No Explanation

We were NEVER given an explanation as to EXACTLY what happened even though we said repeatedly that was a prerequisite to continue using 800Hosting. We said we need to know how it happened and what steps have you taken so it will not happen again. They said your request perfectly understandable and all promised to do that BUT never did so!
I asked our tech please tell me what we have to buy from you to be safe? They took days to work up a proposal which was unacceptable but what I remember was that when we finally talked on the phone their head tech asked, How much down time can you afford? Can you believe that?
I told 800Hosting IF I was making my original decision to use 800Hosting for all my businesses someone had told me one of the choices I had to make was how much downtime I could afford; obviously I would have gone elsewhere immediately.

Has anyone asked you that question yet?

No Character

FINAL blow for me was the owner refused to come to the phone to explain, apologize or tell me to go to hell. NOTHING from him. From my dealings with all at 800Hosting I believe it is fair to say they are an organization with NO CHARACTER and never did they seem embarrassed by their poor performance NEVER! You know sometimes when something like this happens someone from the offending company will acknowledge the error BUT that did not happen at 800Hosting. They all seemed comfortable telling me that is the way it is. I guess it is their policy and they are following their leader. They did issue a free memory upgrade retail value $10-$15 USD WOW!

I realize this is my side of the story and there are always other sides BUT I left 800Hosting and I am still in business. My independent web monitoring service now rates my sites performance much higher since leaving than when they were hosted at 800Hosting. I do not know exactly what that means BUT I suspect it is another reflection on 800Hostings competence to do their job. We have changed nothing but our host and have already seen a drastic improvement! I am not a technical guy so all I can say is the facts are correct.

We have created a 800Hosting Host Review page for others to submit their reviews and experience. If you are a business owner considering 800Hosting and want to verify my story give me a call. I will talk only to owners with a web site that will identify themselves and their business. I will not spend time bashing 800Hosting to amuse others.

  • Jerry Hart

5/1/13

Jerry Hart misrepresented what promised and failed to deliver results. He pre-billed and never delivered what was promised. He took the money and ran and we have never heard from him since. He has never tried to correct this problem or even try to state his side of the story. Here is ours:

On behalf of our partner 800HighTech, we would like to apologize to all of their customers who received their Email newsletter and were dissatisfied. We received many complaints and questions regarding it and I was not what it was suppose to be. It was our first attempt at communicated with their customers via Email and 800HighTech wanted to do it professionally. They searched and we were referred to Jerry Hart who from his website seemed like he was going to help achieve our goal and more, but he wasnt. It was a shame it turned out the way it was Okizoo was able to help them recover and helped establish their new Email newsletter program.

Jerry Hart Online Scam

Their goal of this project was first and foremost to let customers know that we are still here and better than ever. We have updated our database making it easier to use and more secure. The Email was intended to go to only military members who canceled and never bought a computer. We were not sure which Email style would work best so we decided to send it out in batches and monitor the progress. We were unhappy with the copy I mean modified picture of the professional Email Jerry Hart created, so we used one by our staff and another one from a web copy writer in the experiment. This meant 3 different styles of Emails went out to different groups of canceled orders by order date. We worked out the dates so there were an equal number of recipients from each order time period. In addition, the Email batches also created a buffer, so we were not swamped with calls since we were inviting customers to call over 14,000 military customers would receive this offer.

Jerry Hart Complaints

Problems occurred from the very beginning. Rich was eager to assist in the project to make sure it was as successful as possible. We know our customers very well, so this accompanied with a Email marketing professional seemed like a flawless plan. Unfortunately, we ended up dedicated much more time and effort than Jerry Hart. Although we are based in Thailand, we offered Jerry a toll-free number for him to call or called him back so he would incur no fees. The meetings were billed for several hundred dollars for his valuable information, which we felt wasnt so valuable. One example is his drip drip method where you concentrate on a small selection of customers who did not respond or open the Email and you send them more until they do answer. Of course each drip would be an additional fee on-top of the more than 3,000 we were billed. The project was going to billed in milestones but again this was more false promises. We were billed once which we paid promptly and then billed a few days later on our credit card which deviated from the plan. A foreshadow of what was to come
Next lets look at the copy and layout that we were presented after paying the full amount and after 2 weeks of best practice meetings:
Jerry Hart Email Newsletter: $650
John Moreau Email Newsletter: $100
Okizoo Email Newsletter: Free

Jerry Harts Email layout had a number of errors:
* The message was completely wrong and gave a sense that their computer was recently ordered.
* The customizing data format was not check which affected the Title and Greeting.
* No tracking code was installed.
* Our company was misspelled at the bottom.
* The layout is not professional no where near worth $650 and displays incorrectly
* Each of these Emails were sent out to an equal number of our customers.

First thing that had to be done is import our customer database in to the Email sending program. Jerry Hart uses Listrak which is a great online marketing software. We bought it through Jerry Hart so the account is in his name and we were billed through him. Unfortunately, can no longer use it BUT we could always repurchase an account.

Jerry Hart Failure to Deliver

When it came for the moment of truth of sending out the Emails and monitoring the progress of the batches we encountered more problems. The batch system that we spent creating were not followed and a large mass of Emails were sent out but ONLY of Jerry Harts Email. This Email had errors and created numerous complaints. The complaints were understandable and an unnecessary confusion. Since most of the orders that were mentioned occurred over 3 years ago, customers worried that someone was making unauthorized transactions and/or were a victim of identity theft. This is a very serious issue for all citizens of the new digital world.

Furthermore it contained no tracking code that Rich even offered to put in for Jerry Hart. The tracking code is basically an extension that is added at the end of links that are database is able to track to purchases. For what ever reason, this simple addition was left off.

After numerous requests, Rich was given access to the Listrak account so that he could fix the problems in Jerrys Email, add tracking codes, create the batches for the other layouts, generate copy, and finally send out the other Emails. All of which that Jerry promised to do verbally, but then later was denied as he stated, It was not listed in the contract and required additional payment. 

Jerry Harts Failed Results

Finally, at the end of the ordeal the stats further supported our thoughts of Jerry Harts incompetence. A far greater amount of customer unsubscribed from our Email program with the first massive batch that Jerry Hart sent. Also, there were ZERO sales attributed to Jerry Harts Email. The number of complaints was far greater with Jerrys Email. Complaints from the other Email were just statements or questions on why were were contacting them years after their initial request which is a valid point but it provided a reminder of us and opportunity for them to be removed from our mailing list.
Mike wanted nothing more to do with Jerry Hart, but Rich thought that 800HighTech may be able to salvage some of the money and expenses occurred by receiving the final $650.00 dollar template that was promised and fortunately stated in the contract. We hoped that we would get a frame that we could modify and then end the relationship. Rich had sent countless Emails, layouts, pictures, sales message and etc. to help develop a successful layout.

Jerry Harts Final Failure

We would accept no more toll-free calls and wanted nothing except the newsletter that we had already paid for. We would not have to worry about copy or pictures since he proved drastically incompetent in the previous template. 2 more weeks passed and Jerry wrote to admit his mistakes and his desire to prove himself with results. A few more days passed and he submitted 2 layouts! This was a big step for Jerry Hart but of course in the end our hopes were unmet. The 2 professional layouts were forwarded Email newsletters from other companies they were dated a few days prior to his recent submissions. We receive hundred of newsletters in our Spam folder from an array of companies. The 2 forwarded newsletters were pretty much unchanged from the original company with a few minor wording changes. If I were going to attempt something as blatant as this, I would have at least forwarded the best newsletter I could find in my Junk mail box. These were horrible and were nothing like what was promised!

Our final offer for a peaceful separation was for a refund for as much as possible. I am sure you can imagine how much we were offered. Yup ZERO! Which incidentally is the same number of times that Jerry Hart has contacted us afterwards. Although, by every means this project was a complete failure we always try to remain optimistic and take what we have gained and moved on. We learned that the professionals will not be able to help us and that it is best to leave it to ourselves. We know our customers the best and we have a much more invested interest in making sure our customers our pleased. We are in the process of constructing a new Email plan and improve communications with our customers.

Michael Has Earned 103 Votes

Michael B.'s review of WOT Services Ltd earned a Well Said vote

Michael B.'s review of Phoenixgymbkk earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of Richard E. Poulin III Resume earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of Rackspace earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of Jerry Hart earned 2 Very Helpful votes

Michael B.'s review of Hightech-edge earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of 1Designer-Clothing earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of Okizoo earned 2 Very Helpful votes

Michael B.'s review of 800hightech earned 2 Very Helpful votes

Michael B.'s review of 1800hosting earned 2 Very Helpful votes

Michael B.'s review of CNET earned 2 Very Helpful votes

Michael B.'s review of HSBC earned 2 Very Helpful votes

Michael B.'s review of Thaimedicalnews earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of Hightechcredit earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of Thaimakeover earned a Very Helpful vote

Michael B.'s review of WOT Services Ltd earned 82 Very Helpful votes

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