When picking a hosting provider, it is important to be wary of scams. There are a lot of way to you can get ripped of just like unfulfilled web hosting service, credit card scams and even to web hosting domain lock ins. Keep in mind that scams do not simply involve ripping off your money but it also involves wasting your time and energy with a website that crashes, unresponsive sales support, unauthorized “add-on” charges and more.
Scams And How To Avoid Them
- Lure and Alter – This involves cheap price for “everything”. And once you’ve subscribed, you will realize that you only pay for the basic services and all the critical services are considered as “add-ons”. At the end of the day, you will be paying more money than you intend to. Thus, it would be best to ask them directly regarding specific inclusions in the package. Be clear with issues that are important to you just like amount of emails allowed, maximum allowable download/upload bandwidth, tech support and the things you need. In this way, you can clearly decide if their services and fees are reasonable.
- Reviews – Some hosting review sites act as if they post unbiased hosting plan reviews. However, they are actually promoting one or even a couple of hosts by manipulating review to make a certain host rank top. Thus, be mindful of hosting review sites that only say good things about a certain host without displaying its downside. If you must, make use of hosting review sites to make yourself familiar with different hosts, plans and services but in the end decide for yourself. One of the trusted hosting review we would like to recommend is HostUCan.com, a really good site which only accept the review from the customers of web hosts. They have put a process in place to ensure the reviews they accept are from real customers of the web hosts.
- Domain Name Lock Ins – This involves registering a domain name with a host. However once you decide to discontinue their service, you are not allowed to retain the domain if you don’t pay a hefty fee. So, it is best to make sure that the domain is registered under your name and not theirs.
- Unauthorized Charges and Scams – Although direct credit card number stealing swindles are uncommon but it is something that is not unheard of. But unauthorized charges are something that happens quite frequently even with some big companies. This mainly involves a situation where a host will inform you that you requested or clicked on a feature, where in fact you didn’t, and this could not be cancelled or it involves a steep termination fee. Thus, it is important to do your research and don’t pick a host just because they’re inexpensive. When you think that there is some suspicious behaviour in your account, immediately inform the credit card company. But when you are 100% sure that the charge is fraudulent and unauthorized, inform them to cancel it immediately and they will typically reverse it in duration of 24 hours.
When you consider everything, it is best to get a referred from someone you know or someone you have direct experience with a host. Do your research well. Study the host, compare different plans. Always prioritize customer service and support. And opt for a host that allows you to terminate the service whenever you want without exorbitant fees.