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Scam from a hosting company

G

glopes

New Member
I signed up at www.besthost1.com last week for a hosting plan at $123/year, including a "free" domain name registration.

After 2 days my server was "ready". In fact every day since the beginning there are some problems: FTP server not working, or HTTP server not working (My domain shares an IP with a few other domains). The custommer service is more than poor, the "live help" either is a simple form, either after 10 minutes waiting sends a message "network eror, try again". To get a reply by email takes some time, and the guy never knows nothing. In fact Besthost rents some boxes in Texas, and the guy is in Canada!

Seeing this, I decided to move fastly my new domain to a more reliable place. As I hadn't the management codes (the domain was registered by Besthost itself) I asked Besthost to send the codes to me. The guy "Daniel" told me "Contact FIDPAC domainorders@fidpac.com as FIDPAC cares of the domain name registrations"

I emailed FIDPAC a dozen of times. Got the first reply after my 6th email, STEVE GUNNELS told me "We don't give the management codes" !

The domain is registered under my name, I am the "admin contact". ANd this bas_ard doesn't want to send me the codes ! FIDPAC registers the domains with TUCOWS / OpenSRS.
I tried to get my management codes thru them, their automatic system told me to contact FIDPAC ! I sent fax and email to them and am waiting the reply, but Friday before 1st of May, etc etc...

Now seeing that, I told BESTHOST that I want use my "90 days money back guarantee", and of course that I want my domain name management codes. The crook Steve GUNNELS of FIDPAC replied They replied : "The money back will come AFTER 90 days" !!! And "I will be happy to send you your codes". But of course he didn't send anything.

About my $123, I believe I lost them, bah ! These crooks will anyway loose morewith the advertizing I will make to them.

But what can I do to get my codes ASAP ? I need to have my domain hosted quickly ! I believe there IS a way, as I am the admin contact for my domain. Anybody can help ?

Thank you,

Gerardo.
 
If you paid by credit card, mail them you're filing for a charge back if they don't honour their money back guarantee and give them a fair few days period to respond.
Meanwhile, contact your bank and start the charge back procedure and include the mail as part of your complaint.

As for the domain, it doesn't sound like you'll have much luck in getting that back. Never go with a host that registers a domain for you in the future, it's only a $10 save and not worth the potential headaches.
 
I paid using e-gold, and all transactions are final :( The problem isn't so much the money itself, but the domain name that I need !

And yes you are right, I won't ever use any 3rd party to register my domains... I submitted a complaint to ICANN, after Tucows and openSRS... But that's a big loss of time :(
 
Hers's RIGHT NOW what Steve Gunnels, the "Big boss" of FIDPAC.COM, writes to me:

*** QUOTE
From domainorders@fidpac.com Fri Apr 30 09:53:03 2004
Received: from ms-smtp-05.texas.rr.com ([24.93.47.44] helo=ms-smtp-05-eri0.domain.rr.com)
by tapuz.safe-mail.net with esmtp (Exim 4.30)
id 1BJYRr-000491-CA
for [MYEMAIL]; Fri, 30 Apr 2004 09:53:03 -0400
Received: from super-hosts (cs2417430-171.houston.rr.com [24.174.30.171])
by ms-smtp-05-eri0.domain.rr.com (8.12.10/8.12.7) with ESMTP id i3UDqWDj012672;
Fri, 30 Apr 2004 08:52:32 -0500 (CDT)
Message-ID: <200404300852330166.00A6888D@smtp-server.houston.rr.com>
In-Reply-To: <N1-GBaBV_fa@SAFe-mail.net>
References: <N1-GBaBV_fa@SAFe-mail.net>
X-Mailer: Calypso Version 3.30.00.00 (4)
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2004 08:52:33 -0500
From: "Steve Gunnels" <domainorders@fidpac.com>
To: [MYEMAIL]
Subject: Re: REFUND and DOMAIN NAME management codes.
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable



"Gerardo," you must be one of those cowardly Spaniards who just cut and ran like a little girl, from Iraq, no?

Sincerely

Steve Gunnels

*****
UNBELIEVABLE.....
 
Martie said:
Im not surprised one bit. There is a recent thread at WHT...do a little research.
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/searc...=2336949&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending
Click to expand...

Gosh ! Very bad that I didn't read that earlier :(

Anyway, a GOOD new: The management team of Tucows just emailed me that they gave instructions to Gunnel (FIDPAC) to send me the management codes of my domain! Let's see if the crook Gunnel does it....

Of course I now will forget my $123... Bah, anyway I never saw such scu_bag server as Besthost1 ! First day: 6 hours down, no service. 2nd day: 5 hours down, no service ! 3rd day, theft of my domain name. 4th day, insults !

I do hope that Google will keep all these posts a long time :)

Gerardo.
 
Man, Thats bad! I hope people read this before they consider buying hosting from them. You have a right to a full refund as the service you piad for hasn't been provided. Well, thats the law in UK and I think it will be the same in the US. You should contact trading standards about this. Even if you don't want your money back it will put a bad name to the crooks!
 
You are right, that's bad... I got a few emails from various lists where I "advertized" for these crooks, they are already well-known :(
I filled a complaint at bbb.org, an official Service of the state of Texas where is located FIDPAC. Let's see...

Yu know, sometimes I think that a good hack of their servers (that never work!) would give a good lesson to these crooks... But it isn't authorized :)
 
hehe, I know its tempting but resist! It will make things even worse! and they probably won't have enough uptime for you to hack them! You will be half way though hacking them when their servers go down again!
 
Besthost1

I've been running weblifecanada.com through besthost1 for the last 8 years. Dan for the most part has been very good to with all of my request for help. Once he finds a new Affiliate i would recommend him. Its Steve gunnels that is the problem. My site is now offline as are all my stacked domains. I just paid gunnels the equivalent of 800.00 Canadian for 7 months of hosting. Gunnels not answering his email...... nice
 
TDLInternet said:
Holy crap! That seriously is a rip off, a big rip off.
Click to expand...

Are you guys calling the price of $123/yr and $800 for 7 months with 8 domains, a rip-off?

Or just the service from the host? Cuz the price is not a rip-off, in theory.
 
sigh - i feel just sick...

ok - it really really takes a lot for me to do this sort of post... I'm a lurker - and when I do get involved, I try to do something constructive building in a positive way.

But, I am so so so disappointed - I guess I needed an outlet...

Back in the spring of 2000, I began my relationship with besthost1 - and accidently therefore, fidpac and Steve Gunnels. The truth is, I'd never spoken to Steve (until recently) - and the only emails I'd received from him were solicitations.

Before I choose besthost1, I did a through research on the web regarding fidpac and anything else I could remotely connect with Steve. Nothing bad came up - although it clearly looked like things were new. However, I was very impressed with Dan - the technical support person at besthost1. He was able to answer all my questions, and address my concerns...

I'm a bit technical - but my needs were very light - lots of disk space for a non-profit genealogical site. Once in a while, I'd do some preliminary develop for a few clients web sites. (I'm really glad now that I did nothing to encourage my clients to change hosting providers...) I did however, convince my now deceased mother to host her even larger genealogy site with them.

And I think this is why I need to write!!!

Anyway, after about a year of great support, back in 2001 I think, I bit the bullet for lifetime hosting. Mom did too. Yes, we were both moved around a few times - but by and large, we got what we wanted hosting with them.

Fast forward - this spring, Steve actually calls my house. First, he tells me how sorry he is about my mother's passing. That he reviewed her site, and the memorial tributes to her were beautiful. Then he informs me that both Mom and I really really need to upgrade - that unless we do, he will not be able to secure our sites. He gives me his number, and he gives me a personal email address (ah - do I even need to mention that his voice box is full? - ah - probably not...)

I was indeed having some technical problems - annoying little things - but I've been busy, and haven't devoted the necessary time to sort through them - between my Mom dying of cancer - and my 96 yr. old Grandmother moving in with my family... just a couple of highlights...

Anyway, Steve did convince me to fork over another couple hundred bucks - and now - just go to www.besthost1.com and see what's posted. I spoke with Daniel - for whom I feel badly. I think he's been ripped off worse than any one of us.

All I can say is that the line will no doubt be very long to get a piece of Steve...

But, I do feel very very ripped off - way more than money... For a man to manipulate a grieving daughter for his so slight financial gain... there really must be something unhealthy about this guy...
 
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