Host Department
| Company | |
|---|---|
| Founded: | July 20, 2001 [?] |
| Location: | California, United States [?] |
| Website | |
| Domain: | HostDepartment.com |
| Title: | Web Hosting, Reseller Hosting and Affiliate Program by Host Department |
| Popularity | |
| Domains: | 2,461 [?] |
| Traffic: |  [?] |
| Ratings | |
| Average: |    (3.6) |
Visit Host Department
25 reviews
We switched our site plus five sites we host to this company after we just couldn’t take yet another price increase from our old host, not to mention that they moved us to shared IPs, at $20 per site per month!. Anyway, the thought was to get out from under that host and use a cheap host temporarily until we could spare the time to set up our in-house server to host our sites. Hostdepartment.com was sort of selected almost at random, but turned out to be a good deal. The support is via chat only, but they do an okay job of getting from point A to B, esepcially for the money - it’s very, very cheap! We use a site monitor service that sends an e-mail when the site goes down and we haven’t had but one alert in a year. That’s better than our old $100 a month host for 1/20th the cost. Plus, once the support crew (they don’t really answer trouble tix - best to stick to chat) directs one to the documentation, they’re not needed lest you forget a password, and they’re good with that. So, there you go: verry cheap, does the job, what more could you want, if you’re wearing your reality check hat, that is. If you need hand-holding, on-shore customer support and the rest, better open your wallet and not complain, would be my advice. And no, we have nothing to do with this host other than we’re a paid customer. There you go.
HostDepartment are terrible. In just under one month with them my site has had an average uptime of 65.6%. So far:
1) 2 server failures (each last 12 hours).
2) Constant database server overloading, resulting in site being inaccessible.
3) HostDepartment maintenance scripts overwriting my files without warning.
4) My IP being changed without me being told (meaning my DNS entries were inaccurate for 12 hours).
Support is OK and quick for easy-to-fix problems, but terrible when things matter: during server failures or when handling serious problems. I’ve had to contact support almost once every 3 days.
An absolutely terrible host.
Very poor performance and tech support. Don’t make the mistake to get hosting with them just because they are cheap. That’s all you’ll get a cheap hosting and nothing else.
I think they’re great. I simply love their livechat support. They’re knowledgeable and friendly and always willing to help. I think the most important aspect to a good web host is its Tech Support, and Host Department has it.
I think they’re great. I simply love their livechat support. They’re knowledgeable and friendly and always willing to help. I think the most important aspect to a good web host is its Tech Support, and Host Department has it.
I have been with hostdepartment.com for over a year now, and I can tell you that this company is the best one for you in terms of costs, support and reliability. The tech supports are superb with the lowest costs available on the net. Believe me when I tell you that there are no other web hosting companies with the level of support and the prices as hostdepartment.com.
Worst hosting ever, their SQL server was down all the time, i was with them for only 2 weeks and lost lot of my customers because of their sql server downtime, Their support and management sucks, There was n’t even a single DAY that my site was not down. They did not even try to address my issue, and their support told me that there is not a single server on the internet that is up all the time.Their sql server used to be up once in a while for a change.
below are the transcripts of chat and email communication with their support
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this is the email communication with hostdepartment
note that this is only been less than 2 weeks i have been with them and they expect me to pay more money for their incompetency.
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Dear user,
I will help you by only transferring your account to different webserver only, not the sql server to different server. For sql server can only be transferred by our sysadmin.
And it is also considered as custom job (for restoration) for $25/ transfer requested.
Please let me know what do you think of this.
Thank you for contacting us at hostdepartment.com .
Best Regards,
Patricia Chai
Management Team
Host Department, LLC
501 Silverside Rd, Suite 105
Wilmington, DE 19809
USA
============= ORIGINAL MESSAGE =============
From: ${ticket.lastcontact.email}
Subject: unreliable sql server
Hi i can not afford to have my site hosted on your servers, your sql server is unreliable and i have been battling with your technical support twice every day, asking them to bring the server back up. I was told to request to move me to different servers by your technical staff,and was told the other servers are more reliable than the ones that i am hosted on right now.
please let me know if there is anything you can do to assure me that your hosting is reliable and for all the downtime my site has b een getting with your sql server downtime.
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info: An online representative will be with you shortly. You are number 1 in the queue. Your wait time will be approximately 0 minute(s) and 4 seconds. While waiting you might want to review our Knowledge Base. If you are having problems with your mail service, please refer to this update. Also please review our current network status page, just in case your problem is already being taken care of by our team.
info: Your chat request has been assigned to Andrew Jackson, please wait momentarily for Andrew Jackson to gather up your account information so he can serve you efficiently. Thank you!
Andrew Jackson: Hello! Welcome to HostDepartment Live Chat Service. How may I help you?
Andrew Jackson: Ok, please hold on. Let me check your account.
pavan: sql server seems to be down
pavan: that brings my site down
pavan: i just switched to you guys for i was frustrated with my previous hosting company for unreliability of servers
Andrew Jackson: Please hold on Sir.
pavan: ok
Andrew Jackson: its Up now. Please check it again Sir
pavan: is this a common problem?
Andrew Jackson: no, SIr. Our admin is checking on the server
pavan: oh ok
pavan: so will be down again or is it set ?
Andrew Jackson: I am very Sorry for the inconveniences Sir
Andrew Jackson: it is set Sir
pavan: ok
pavan: thanks much
pavan: have a good nite
Andrew Jackson: You’re welcome. It is our great pleasure serving you.
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info: An online representative will be with you shortly. You are number 1 in the queue. Your wait time will be approximately 0 minute(s) and 3 seconds. While waiting you might want to review our Knowledge Base. If you are having problems with your mail service, please refer to this update. Also please review our current network status page, just in case your problem is already being taken care of by our team.
info: Your chat request has been assigned to Mike Brown, please wait momentarily for Mike Brown to gather up your account information so he can serve you efficiently. Thank you!
Mike Brown: Hello! Welcome to HostDepartment Live Chat Service. How may I help you?
abcd: sql server down in the morning from 4:28 AM to 6.07 AM, this is happening 2 nd consecutive day of my production server hosted on your servers
abcd: production site
Mike Brown: yes, but the mssqlblade1 server is working properly now
abcd: yeah but this early this morning,early yesterday morning it was down
abcd: is this thing keeps happening everyday
abcd: i switched to you guys because of unreliabile servers at my previous hosting company
Mike Brown: We are still having network problem in mssqlblade1 server
Mike Brown: Our sysadmin are working on the issue
abcd: so can you switch me to a different server then
abcd: i can’t afford to have network issues as i loose lot of customers
abcd: most of my traffic comes in the night
Mike Brown: yes, if you want to switch to different server, you can ask our billing support at billingsupport@hostdepartment.com
abcd: give me the name of a reliable server
abcd: that is up 99% of the time
Mike Brown: we have three servers for mssql server : sql400, sql401, and mssqlblade1
abcd: which server you think is more stable?
Mike Brown: sql401
abcd: thanks
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info: An online representative will be with you shortly. You are number 1 in the queue. Your wait time will be approximately 0 minute(s) and 1 seconds. While waiting you might want to review our Knowledge Base. If you are having problems with your mail service, please refer to this update. Also please review our current network status page, just in case your problem is already being taken care of by our team.
info: Your chat request has been assigned to Frederick Zaine, please wait momentarily for Frederick Zaine to gather up your account information so he can serve you efficiently. Thank you!
Frederick Zaine: Hello! Welcome to HostDepartment Live Chat Service. How may I help you?
abcd: sqlserver down
abcd: mssqlblade1
Frederick Zaine: Could you give me the related domain name?
abcd: matrimonyconnection.com
abcd: THERE IS NOT EVEN A SINGLE DAY THAT THE SERVER DOESN’T GO DOWN
Frederick Zaine: Yes, we are having emergency issue in mssqlblade1 where your database reside
Frederick Zaine: Please hold on we are still working on it
abcd: is that everyday?
abcd: do you guys have emergency issues everyday?
Frederick Zaine: I don’t think so, but mssqlblade1 runs unstable at the moment
abcd: ever since i moved to your servers
Frederick Zaine: Now we are do hardware improvement to ensure this problem never happened in the future
abcd: so how long is it going to be down for?
Frederick Zaine: We currently don’t have an exact specified time, but we are doing the best and will try to have it resolved as soon as possible
abcd: i think i am going to move away from hostdepartment, i am not happy with your server reliability or support or communication.
Frederick Zaine: Pardon me Sir,
Frederick Zaine: Please do understand that all Internet servers are prone to glitches And I think there is no way in the world a server that can run smoothly without any problem in any circumstances
abcd: yeah not everyday, i can prove how often your sql servers are down
abcd: its down 3 to 5 times a day from 15minutes to 1.30 hrs everyday
Frederick Zaine: Yes, our mssqlblade1 is currently running unstable
abcd: always
Frederick Zaine: It’s being handled by our system administrator to get resolve asap
abcd: it was down this morning from 2.30 to 3:00 4:00 to 5:00 , 10:50 to 11:15,1:00 to 1:15,9:00 till now
abcd: is that normal?
abcd: i never had that problem with other hosting providers
Frederick Zaine: We always improves our hardware especially for server performance
Frederick Zaine: Anyway, your server is up now
abcd: so how long is it going to be up for?
abcd: are u guys still going to do more maintainance in the night?
Frederick Zaine: Sure, everytime
abcd: does that mean sql server is going to be down?
Frederick Zaine: Nope, we will keep that server to be up
abcd: that will be nice
abcd: THANKS
Frederick Zaine: You’re welcome. It is our great pleasure serving you.
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PLEASE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE……….NEVER GET THIS HOST TO HOST ANYTHING!
THEY SUCK!
THERE IS A LITTLE INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATION - THAT’S THEIR LIVE SUPPORT! THE TECHNICIANS ARE IDIOTS FROM SOME OUTSOURCED COUNTRIES WHO KNOWS NOTHING. YOU CAN NEVER GET A PERSON ON THE PHONE TO REALLY TALK ABOUT ANY PROBLEMS YOU ARE HAVING. NOTHING WILL EVER GET RESOLVED - PAINFULLY SLOW TRANSFER RATES. SITE GOING DOWN ALL THE TIME / SQL SERVER WOES.
NEVER GET THIS HOST.
I switched with hostdepartment.com a month ago and that was the worst mistake I ever made. SQL Server constantly goes down 10 or more times a day and no one seems to monitor the servers. They are only aware of the outage when you contact them and their solution is to reboot the server. When asked for when they will provide a permanent solution to the problem, they have say we just need to deal with it until management resolves this issue. Aweful and truly frustrating!
Opened up a reseller account about a month ago and had nothing but problems with them. All my sites are down at least 10 times a day and no one seems to monitor these servers. They only know about their server being out when you contact them on their Live chat. And the only solution they have is to reboot their server. I’ve contacted support and sent several e-mail to the manager asking when they will have a permanent fix to these problems and I have never got any response. Worst company I’ve ever had to deal with. Save yourself the headache and avoid this company like the plague! Their 99.9% guarantee is a total joke. My sites are up 50% of the time and they won’t compensate for all these outages. AAAaarrrgggh!
Lau wrote: “I think they’re great. I simply love their livechat support. They’re knowledgeable and friendly and always willing to help. I think the most important aspect to a good web host is its Tech Support, and Host Department has it” Now, think the exact opposite of this, and this has been my experience! DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PIECE OF CRAP HOSTING!!
I just sign up for 2 weeks, but it seems ok, I never experience slow or downtime. Live chat support is ok, they help me fix my site. And for now I?m settled with Hostdepartment.
I read all reviews about Host Department, but I don?t experience any trouble with this web hosting company. The price is good, affordable for me. And my site is working properly.
I have tried 3 other web host providers, none of which even came close to what host department provides at the price. Host Department the hosting provider, you never dream of. I simply love their live chat support. Fantastic!!
I recommend Host Department to anyone who is looking for reliable hosting at a good price.
I’ve been with this company through its ups and downs, and there has been a lot of improvements over the years. I’ve had problems with it, of course (who doesn’t with any hosting companies?), but compare to what I get with the price I’ve paid, Host Department is truly the best.
I can’t say anything bad about this company. Excellent product, excellent support. Never had any problems with these guys.
Only been with them for six month. So far, great customer service, quick activation, no downtime and even moved my site for me. Great value for the money!
What can I say but only one word, PHENOMENAL! Budget hosting definitely does not get any better than this. So far because of Great support and service combined with reliable hosting, I awarded them 5 STARS from me and also a customer for life!
I have to say that Host Department Hosting is by far one of the best hosting companies I?ve come along. It fast and it?s always up. The support they offer is amazing. There is always someone on to help and I recommend Host Department. Truly Affordable & Reliable!
Satisfying is the perfect word to describe host department.
Host Department is the best place that I have had sites hosted, and I have used at least 10 hosts before them. I have used them for shared hosting and a reseller account, and I am extremely happy with both. The tech support is extremely quick and very helpful.
Host Department makes domain registration and set up for web hosting fast and simple. Your efficient control panel offers many options and applications that are simple to install and easy to use. Your service department is quick to respond.
I wish to thank Host Deparment and their support team for the excellent service. As usual, the quick and accurate response has been more than helpful and I will state again that you guys are the best!
I have placed 3 domains with Host department so far and have had no problems. Response to tickets is fast and honest. I now plan to move 6 more domains there, since the first 3 were a “test.”
I have owned two single domain accounts with two different places and never have i been treated with the utmost respect, or been handed so many resources on a golden platter than hostdepartment.com . My experience here has been absolutely superb. Everyday has been so exciting for me - and i don’t even have my service sight finished, but every time i start working on it, i smile the biggest smile knowing i am going to soon be making sales to customers and starting my own online empire.
I wish to thank Host Deparment and their support team for the excellent service. As usual, the quick and accurate response has been more than helpful and I will state again that you guys are the best!
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