VPS Hosting Advice

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Nickh1976

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#36337 23-Jun-2009 10:54

Has anyone used 'Hosting Direct' with any recommendations, positive or negative.

I'm interested in their bare bones VPS hosting, which is a very competitive NZD$39/month. However, I have to say their service (especially for a sales enquiry) has been surprisingly poor.

I've emailed 'Ben' several times, backed up by phone calls, to begin the process of signing up (i wish to sign up on behalf of a client, who will be billed directly, while I manage the technical aspects), but have very little communication back. And there is definitely a sense of 'I'm too busy to talk right now' when I do get through on the phone.

It's a SALES call, mate! You have no idea how much business I might be bringing in!?

Of course the obvious answer would be, if you smell a rat, there probably is a rat.

Unless anyone can offer positive advice in support of Hosting Direct, does anyone have any other recommendations?

WebDrive, MaxNet or Net24 all seem like possibile contenders with varying prices and levels of support.

Thanks!

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#227663 23-Jun-2009 11:14

ICONZ Versa?

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Nickh1976

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#227665 23-Jun-2009 11:19

interesting. seems competitive..

amanzi

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#227710 23-Jun-2009 16:23

I wouldn't recommend Hosting Direct - I had an awful time with them, and asked for a refund for the services that I had paid for, and they flat-out refused. They seemed to only have 1 tech on standby, and he was unable to help as he was 'out for a bike ride'. The problem I encountered was that I couldn't start my VPS from the Xen console as it hadn't been set up properly - so I was at a complete loss and was unable to start my server that I was paying for. This happened a couple of times and then I gave up.

I signed up with Sitehost who don't offer as much disk space as Hosting Direct, but they have far better support and offer some other interesting features too, like offsite backups.

Nickh1976

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#227715 23-Jun-2009 16:29

Thanks for the advice, they also seem like they might be a good option.

amanzi

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#227719 23-Jun-2009 16:43

freitasm: ICONZ Versa?

I like how configurable that is, but it's pretty expensive!

Nickh1976

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#227720 23-Jun-2009 16:50

amanzi:
freitasm: ICONZ Versa?

I like how configurable that is, but it's pretty expensive!

I'm inclined to agree. Most VPS packages seem to hover around the $150+ mark for any reasonable allocation of RAM/DiskSpace/Bandwidth, which I can't help thinking is about 2 to 3 x more than you should be paying for what is, after all, a virtual machine.

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cokemaster

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#227726 23-Jun-2009 17:12

Stay away from Slicehost. Their pricing is ok, as is their system performance... but their billing practices are some of the worse that I've ever seen (particularly when they advertise 'pro-rated billing').

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amanzi

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#227734 23-Jun-2009 17:40

cokemaster: Stay away from Slicehost. Their pricing is ok, as is their system performance... but their billing practices are some of the worse that I've ever seen (particularly when they advertise 'pro-rated billing').

I haven't come across any billing issues from Slicehost and I've been with them for the last few months. I'd be keen to hear from you what they did wrong?

Nickh1976

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#227737 23-Jun-2009 17:48

Are slice host US based servers?

Prices look good, unless they're in USD (still look OK). but i really need local provision for my client

cokemaster

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#227749 23-Jun-2009 18:08

@Nickh1976: Yes, they are US based. No NZ servers.

@amanzi long story short, I had a VPS box with them. I no longer needed it, so canceled it.

Slicehost 'credited' my account with the prorated amount, but provide no means of retrieving the funds (it effectively becomes slicehost funny money). Buried in the terms and conditions it states that they won't give refunds - so I'm stuck with about one months worth of service in an account that I cannot use.

It would have been more useful for Slicehost to offer a 'cancel once billing cycle is up' option as now I can't really re-use the service to use up my credit unless I want to risk Slicehost charging my credit card again.

Slicehost support staff were not particularly helpful (or understanding) about this, despite me offering to take the hit on the credit card/bank transfer/credit fee so while the server performance is good, the support staff/account and credit policies are anything but good.

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#227750 23-Jun-2009 18:10

amanzi:
cokemaster: Stay away from Slicehost. Their pricing is ok, as is their system performance... but their billing practices are some of the worse that I've ever seen (particularly when they advertise 'pro-rated billing').

I haven't come across any billing issues from Slicehost and I've been with them for the last few months. I'd be keen to hear from you what they did wrong?

I'm getting confused, sorry. I haven't used Slice Host, who are a US based VPS provider that recently got bought by Rackspace. I use Site Host who are based in Auckland. http://www.sitehost.co.nz/

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#227763 23-Jun-2009 19:04

Cokemaster I've got a friend who lives here in NZ but works as an Administrator for Slicehost so feel free to flick me a PM and I'll see what he can do for you.

Nick I've sent you a PM :)

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#227815 23-Jun-2009 22:32

I've heard good word of mouth about openhost too (www.openhost.co.nz), haven't used them personally though.

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#227828 24-Jun-2009 00:16

Hosting Direct are a small operation, you can't expect the cheapest operator in your comparison to have stellar service and support. If you are after that, spend the extra cash and go with ICONZ>

Nickh1976:I'm inclined to agree. Most VPS packages seem to hover around the $150+ mark for any reasonable allocation of RAM/DiskSpace/Bandwidth, which I can't help thinking is about 2 to 3 x more than you should be paying for what is, after all, a virtual machine.

There are a lot of benefits you get from a VPS (easier backups, ability to assign more resources on-the-fly, separation of direct dependence between hardware and software) so comparison with a normal server isn't really that fair. If you are after cheap, find a 1U server on TradeMe and put it in a data-centre.

Finally, cheap != good (not all the time anyway) :)

simondbg

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#228843 27-Jun-2009 20:57

I use openhost at the moment for services - VPS prices are quite expensive in comparison to our US counterparts.

In terms of service response and support they have been great as they are based here & they do answer calls in a timely manner.

However the weekends; when quite often clients tend to have a number of things going by the way and you need answers immediately is the downside. They do offer an after hours service via email; which haven't had to use too often (can't remember the last time).

Those domains who we have been hosting for a few years now tend to be understanding and willing to wait til first thing Monday morning.

Openhost are local in Auckland and most of the guys there are very helpful and responseful. This is from my experience to date.

Any questions, just PM me.

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