Fasthosts web hosting lock you in financially

StJustinian

You can save hundreds, perhaps even thousands of pounds by NOT signing up to Fasthosts for hosting your website/email. Fasthosts claims to be the biggest webhost in the UK, but that is because everyone is locked in. When you opt out of a domain name and check the box to terminate on your control panel, they ignore this, sign you up for another two years and debit your credit card every month. If you cancel your credit card, they build up a pile of penalties, like parking tickets. They also plunder your credit card on a random basis for services. Once in, you can never leave, and you must continue to pay, and pay and pay.

If you Google for Fasthosts reviews, Fasthosts complaints, Fasthosts scams you will see thousands of desperate people trying to leave. Their webhosting service is also crap and their customer service non existent (they have a threatening, repetitive holding message on premimium rate which callers have to listen to, sometimes for hours, before a person answers and even then they won't help.) This is a huge internet scam which has made millionaires out of its owners.

If you have the misfortune to be an indefinitely locked in customer, complain to Gloucester Trading Standards, the Office of Fair Trading, Otelo (internet ombudsman), Watchdog and other forums. Save huge amounts of money and uneccessary anguish by using an alternative webhost - but do your research first.:mad:

cevennes_2

I too have recently found myself held to a 12 month contract by Fasthosts when I requested a pay as a you go monthly arrangement for a virtual server over the phone with one of their sales people. They do not make any reference to the extended term on any of the email confirmations they send to you. They have a link to their T&C's but these cover all of their many products. It seems that you only find out the error when you come to terminate.

I have initially approached the Ombudsman to act as an intermediary but I dont have a great deal of faith in these so called independent bodies. Failing this I intend to sue them in the small claims courts. But what a hassle!

I cannot think of any other way through this mess. I find the UK somewhat adrift of other European countries in even allowing companies to attempt to hold consumers to extended (12 month) contracts on the basis of a phone call only. It is just not acceptable and the Distance Selling legislation seems of no help here either.

Whether a consumer or a business, a long term contract must surely always require a signed document between the two parties. Allowing verbal contracts to bind a consumer or business is just too open to abuse as seems to be a preferred modus operandi of Fasthosts.

If anyone else has had problems with Fasthosts it would be hear your story and what you did. Thanks

easyhost

this is the wrong place to mention this if you want to make other hosts etc aware

place your concerns on this forum http://www.webhostingtalk.com along with other reviews

GWQ

Hi,

This needs to stop. Please sign the partition.

Got to avaaaz [dot] org and search for the partition to Stop Fasthosts.

Thanks

GQ

visidigi

Needs moving to:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=82