ClubUptime.com Web Hosting Review [webhost warning!]
Quick link: If you're looking for a good host, click here.
After reading this page, you won't want to use ClubUptime for VPS or web hosting! About This Review: These reviews are for readers of this site, as well as myself. I want to document hosts that "seem okay" on the surface (professional looking, been around a while, verifiable information, etc), but may be a nightmare in disguise. This is one of my non-trial reviews. All such reviews are clearly marked at the beginning, like this one. What this means is that I have observed behavior that has usually met one or more of the following conditions: - Abuse or mistreatment of customers in public. - Public displays of immaturity (i.e., "kiddie hosts") or poor attitude. - Giving out client information in public. There are people out there who would say I'm not allowed to review somebody I've never tried. My response is this: I've never stuck my finger into a live electrical socket, but I'm pretty sure it would be an unpleasant experience. I feel quite justified in suggesting others avoid it. I have enough factual, scientific or logical research to arrive at that conclusion. This is no different. Why Avoid This Host? On April 26-27, 2011, this post was made at webhostingtalk.com Andrew Colbourne of ClubUptime Group, as username "TrySparta", had these comments. In post #18: Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
The attached image from tinypic.com (in #34) was a screen shot taken by the host (as revealed by the other information on screen, like the back-end admin URL). Seriously, #'s 18, 20 and 22 were bad enough with the immature attitude. But #34 is inexcusable. This company took it upon themselves to give out a client's name and email address on a public forum. Is that the kind of hosting company you want to do business with? :eek: I'm appalled. You don't want a host that will ridicule you in public -AND- reveal your personal contact info online to strangers. Parting Thoughts I really don't like writing "negative" type posts like this, but I think it's important to do. :thumb: This site was created to educate others on digital media -- and that includes web hosting, the computers that power digital publishing (i.e., web sites). A large portion of our reviews/guides have been for consumer protection, for these past 9 years. For example, our well-known testing research and published review guides on What Blank DVDs You Should Buy (and NOT Buy). And we've expanded into sharing our digital photography and digital web/print publishing knowledge. Seriously, just pick a better host. (Click here for the list of suggested web hosts.) |
For the sake of Google/Bing, and those that may search for this topic:
I'm still in disbelief that a host simply gave out client information on a public forum. I don't know that I've ever seen that before. But not only that, it was used as ammo to be rude and condescending to the customer. (Not that the customer was in the right -- he really wasn't. But the company was way, way, way out of line here.) Again, there are better hosts. |
Hello,
I just wanted to comment on the thread that's been opened here in stating that Andy is no longer an active face of Club Uptime. We are taking him under disciplinary action for the content written in the thread noted on Web Hosting Talk. What was said was far from professional, and we do recognize this, and we're taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen again -- Especially the posting of client information. However, I would also like to note that in the screenshot posted by Andy, he released no more information than the client already had himself in their own screenshots. While that doesn't excuse what happened, I'm personally glad that the information was limited to a name and email address. We're far from a bad company. In fact, with thousands of clients, this is the first review that you can find about us that is truly negative and wasn't able to be resolved to the customers satisfaction (Even though we did provide a 100% Full refund, which is what the client wanted originally). You can feel free to reach out to myself directly with any questions or concerns that you may have. Thank you, Matthew Rosenblatt CEO, Club Uptime LLC |
Before I Begin: Everybody should note that I purposely made this a thread in the forum, to give ClubUptime a chance to respond to it, on the off chance they came across it online. (Probably from a Google alert, if I had to make a wager.)
It's an interesting experience to run a media business that provides services to other services, studios, corporations, individuals, etc -- and at the same time works to educate colleagues and peers, would-be professionals, and our own clients. That includes reviews and other "consumer aware" type content. It's an odd balancing act of not angering our potential customer base, yet not allowing our business to bleed over into the editorial content when we feel the need to share something. Now then... Quote:
"Thanks for the response, hopefully you can put these sorts of incidents behind you, and learn from your mistakes." I really wish that was how it could have ended. :) ... but it didn't ... Quote:
You have to own your mistakes, without excuses. (Reasons are fine, excuses are not.) :thumb: If you want a great example of what not to do, simply look at Sony, and their mangled handling of the Playstation Network hacking incidents. Their inability to quickly admit problems has given them a huge black eye to consumers. Quote:
So even if I understand the position to discontinue ... and I do ;) ... it's a valid complaint. Again, own the complaints when valid. Don't try to brush them off. The only way to defend yourself is with truth, and in situations like this, the only truth available is that you've screwed up, so you have to take your lumps like an adult. Beyond that, I would point out that "Andy" has been criticized elsewhere online for being rude in chat and in support tickets as far back as 2010. And that apparently bled out into public forums like Webhostingtalk.com in 2011. So this was not a one-off incident from somebody that claims to be an "Executive" of ClubUptime, and not simply a first-line tech support peon. That guy needed to be muzzled months and months ago. Anyway... I have no further input on this topic. There is plenty of information for potential (or even current) customers to read here (or elsewhere online, for that matter), to use in the decision making process on whether ClubUptime is the right solution for their hosting needs. I'm simply pointing out what I perceive as a problematic attitude, based on available texts written by ClubUptime employees. You may find new customers that completely disagree with my assessments, and that's their choice to make. Clearly there are worse hosts out there, and in due time we'll get to those, too. (If for no other reason than I'm tired of seeing "Top 10" spammer sites that list crappy unlimited hosts solely for the purpose of taking advantage of their ridiculously high affiliate payouts.) And when we find good hosts, we'll become one of their best allies, as good companies need support. All the best with your business. |
Is ClubUptime unprofessional? Apparently the plot thickens... :eek:
Based on the information found at:
Quote:
Quote:
Even if it turns out that JWJ is not accurate, and Matt is "innocent" -- Do you really want a host that has so much drama? ClubUptime and/or Brohoster are/were obviously run by extremely immature individuals, some of who are not even of legal age to sign contracts. Even without this unfolding drama, WHT and Facepunch, among other sites, have quite a few complaints (example1, example2) about slow tech support from ClubUptime and/or Brohoster, lack of communication, etc. What a trainwreck! :eek: |
Reading further, it seems Brohoster has removed the ability for customers to cancel their own accounts.
Users have posted instructions, which I'm mirroring here: Quote:
|
Clubuptime No Support
I can only say to everyone to follow the advice of KPmedia, don't go with Clubuptime. They have the worst support I ever had with a hoster, they just don't respond to tickets ... blaming customers if they use Skype after waiting for 10 days on an unanswered ticket.
STAY AWAY ... Just do a lookup on Clubuptime on webhostingtalk.com. |
Post #5 is going to keep me from getting any sleep tonight. It scares me that businesses such as this are going to be taking care of me in the future. I have a 13 year old who is far more mature then these young men. Thanks for the heads up and I am looking forward to more of your informative posts. Just give me a few days notice so I can clear my schedule, and inform family that I will unavailable and please clean up after yourselves :p
(responding as thread was sent in link to me) |
For me, the topic of ClubUptime is over with. There are other things I need to write about, good hosting reviews to write. :)
But, since you seem interested... There's plenty of information online already, for anybody that wants to look. It's a long, long, long read, however. The June post by admin summed up probably 100+ pages of arguing and bickering across a half dozen or more sites. So with this post, I'll quickly sum up the events that transpired from July to December 2011, and thus complete the CU story: Note: CU = ClubUptime, BH = Brohoster, SL = SoftLayer ClubUptime was three-act play...
In all honesty, this is a typical story of low-end hosts. They try to compete on prices, offering ridiculously cheap hosting, which is not business smart. They don't make enough money to pay for business expenses, so they try to get more customers to increase income. The problem, however, is that the increased customer base is not met with increased infrastructure. CU folded before it got quite that bad, but a lot of crappy hosts just stuff boxes as full as they can. This is also what happens when you're just renting servers, and are not a "real" host that owns their own hardware (and rents cages or rooms in a datacenter). From what I recall, some of the turned-off servers were recycled quickly by SL, which is why customer data recovery was not 100%. Had CU owned the servers outright, data could be recovered at any time. The failed sequel... A few months later, in the fall, the CU owner re-appeared, to defend himself. Most of the posts were just him (A) refusing to accept responsibility for the failure, and (B) blaming customers for their failure. To date, an apology has never been made that I've ever seen. The owner's idea of an apology is along the lines of "I'm sorry you feel that way" in response to anger by former customers. It's sneering platitudes along the lines of what right-wing politicians do (think of Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld) when forced to discuss their past bad decisions. In November and December, the owner again re-appeared online, advertising a new service with the same old company name. Again holding onto the silly notion of being a "CEO" of a two-man operation (with the other 20-something being the "CFO"), he was going to get into server monitoring. But when I was researching monitoring server a few weeks ago (to add another service in 2012, as backup to what I already use), I saw that CU's site was down. At this moment, clubuptime.com has this as its only message: Quote:
Some parting thoughts... What really grinds my gears is the fact that some people were actually defending CU after the three-act play went down, and supportive of this ridiculous attempt to make a sequel. It was quite apparent that amateurs -- with no college education, no business experience, and no professional qualifications of any kind -- were running it. For one thing, trying to use the same disgraced brand name? Really? I have two bits of advice no kiddie host ever wants to hear:
CU makes for a great case study for an old cliche: Kids, stay in school! :eek: I actually wish the CU owner well in his future: Go get a degree in something, stay away from hosting and IT, and find your successful calling in life. This wasn't it. This was a dumb teenager/college experience that needs to be hung in a closet, right alongside spring break shenanigans and frat parties. We all make mistakes when we're young and dumb. (Though my generation didn't do it online, seeing how there really wasn't one back then.) Thanks for reading. :o And if you need quality web hosting, for goodness sake, pick a real host. |
Site design, images and content © 2002-2024 The Digital FAQ, www.digitalFAQ.com
Forum Software by vBulletin · Copyright © 2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.