Web Hosting Deals - Minimum Requirements

lysp on 29/07/2018 - 18:34

There seems to be quite a few web hosting "deals" being posted to this forum.

Using the latest one for example:

The domain name has been registered for only 52 days.

Also it appears to be a single person business - as the registered office for the company is a private residence.

I don't mean to single out this business individually as there are quite a few hosts advertising deals on this forum.

What I suggest is a minimum set of standards for hosts before they can post deals on ozBargain to limit very small hosts who may not be in business for a sustained period, or are simply re-branding reseller accounts for the major hosting providers.

Not sure exactly what rules to put in, but possible something like:

  • Been in business for longer than 3 years; or
  • Has a physical office or store-front; or
  • Has a minimum of 15-20 staff; or
  • Owns their own physical servers; or
  • Minimum of 3-5+ rented servers.
Site Discussion

Comments

  • JimmyF on 29/07/2018 - 19:34

    Not sure exactly what rules to put in

    Buyer beware…. simple as that.

    You're rules are unfair to new companies wanting to do 'deals' to get off the ground.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/07/2018 - 20:14

    The worst hosts in the business meet those requirements but I understand where you're coming from.

    Web Hosting and domain registration deals probably should be banned altogether. There is no tangible way to identify a legitimate deal.

  • IVI on 26/01/2019 - 22:02

    Great, so OzB has to discriminate against, eg, recent IT graduates or recently arrived experts from oversees, because their company domain name is "too young"

    What if we want to "take a chance"'? Inform users… Do Not RESTRICT their access to deals of their choice.

    The whole idea of OzB is: An online community, sharing leads & feedback… If there's an issue with a Hosting plan (of all things), we'll soon hear of it… Paying w/ PayPal is protection enough, IMO. Our safety-net is other reliable OzB members.

    Write up helpful Technical Standards, deal comparisons, share your experiences… yes.
    But don't limit access of those, who want to offer Deals, based on flimsy pseudo-evidence.

    Just inform other users of the Facts, & let us each decide how much risk we want to accept.

    We've lost $$ with Long-Time ZUVER on Hosting (before they changed directions.
    eMails haven't brought out $$ back, & they hid their Phone number, AFAIK (we found no None).

    Why?

    We left our VPN setup for either CBC or optimal German DW Live TV broadcasts,
    ZUVER wrongly assumed we were Non-Aussie! They acknowledged their filter's
    error, but refused to refund our $$. after withholding service!

    Long-registration period for domain name ZUVER wouldn't give any hint that this
    would happen. Pig-Headed refusals to do the right thing, because we left our VPN
    on once during application process . Payment via Bpay was not accepted as "proof")

    • lysp on 29/01/2019 - 20:04

      Ozbargain isn't a start-up advertising site, it's a bargain site.

      Someone creating a reseller account on any one of the current Australian hosts and then offering deals is not a bargain.

      I can start a hosting "company" with a budget of less than $50 initial costs and $20/m recurring. I can also oversell deals, take the money and rip people off or provide a poor quality service.

      Introducing minimum standards means that those offering bargains are actually putting real money into their products/services. Minimum domains lengths means they have been in business for a number of years and not a single month - meaning there is a higher chance they will remain in business and not close down taking people's money.

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