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Reseller hosts - what do we want from them?

Posted by Korn, 04-17-2004, 02:07 PM
Does the perfect reseller host exist? I'm wondering what kind of issues you're looking at when you evaluate a potential new reseller host. After having had a three different hosts, I have an 'important featires'- list that is a bit different than when I first looked for hosts a year ago. For example, I'm more skeptical to really small companies now, and even to people who haven't been in the business for a while. Also, 24/7 support and monitoring means a lot _including an (at least emergency) telephone number - not just a dead answering machine. is important. Daily backups are. I prefer so called overselling (which actually isn't overselling). One-man companies are not on the top of my list, and companies that do not allow adult material makes me at least believe that the servers will be more stable / have less heavy traffic. Plus, I need a support forum, the whole Fantastico package and a mailing list system that warns us about downtime before it happens (whenever possible). LiveChat support is good too, especially when there actually are someone answering in the other end. Uptime is very important. And of course, price / storage / traffic limits matters. And support people who know more than me about troubleshooting. The problem is - does the perfect host exist? I'm looking at some companies now (Rochenhost, Fuitadnet, Sultanhost, HostElite, OnlineMalls, Mesopia, HostGator, ResellerHosting), but it ain't easy (I want to to have two different companies - running the same sites more or less in parallel). What are you guys looking for when making a decision - and what is most important?
Posted by WHRKit, 04-17-2004, 04:16 PM
If your standards are too high - maybe you should think about getting your own server and fill the gap. I can also recommend HTTPME.com for reselling ....
Posted by Geek3, 04-17-2004, 04:16 PM
Of course, support is always a great option and if you have key support goals to find from a support company, don't let go of them. A couple of very important features to also look for is transparency. I have personally seen so many hosts make a mess of this saying that they provide it, but really don't know what they are doing. A great start is seeing if they have a generic server name for their server, reverse DNS, etc... Another important feature to find is how much support are they willing to give you? Sure you can find a host with 24/7 support, but how far will they go? Read reviews and see what other think. That's the best I can give you... of course, coming to WHT is a great start.. read, read, read.
Posted by Mortekai, 04-17-2004, 04:46 PM
Korn, I am in the process of setting up a reseller program and since I care about giving as good service as possible I would very much like to hear more about your experiences and recommendations on what you would like to see in a reseller program so I can do some pro-active work. I used to find the lack of FAQ and hands-on manuals for the most common problems a bit annoying as I felt I could manage most problems on my own if there had just been that kind of online support. With that most problems dont even have to go to the support and you can find the answer to your problems even before they occur. If you have some time to talk I would like to get some down to earth ideas on how to improve my reselling program with you.
Posted by techiecool, 04-17-2004, 06:15 PM
korn, i was looking for a reseller package for personal use over the last week. i realized that basic business principles must apply to the industry as well. that's why i read repeatedly that you can't get the world for a bag of peanuts. i looked at almost all the hosts u mentioned and a few others you didn't. i was looking for realiabilty/support more than anything because uptime is inferred thru the others. i narrowed my choice down to thrillhost and resellershosting. i decided to go w/ resellershosting in the end because it made sense for me. they offered everything i wanted but they were about $48 more per year in the end...i figured for what i need the extra money will be money well spent. but i was looking for a very specific scenario. all the people i emailed (thrillhost, surpass, resellershosting, clook, equivity, rochen, fuitadnet, dathorn, unitedhosting, and credible) were all professional and trying to build/maintain a successful business. i'd be happy go w/ any of them, but i wanted fantastico and AV so that eliminated 6 of them. then equivity and fuitadnet were smaller than thrill and resellers so out they went. then i thought i may like to do some windows hosting in the future and...like the Donald says, "you're hired" resellershosting.
Posted by coight, 04-17-2004, 07:55 PM
It's a funny situation, client wants x&x&x&x but client wants to only pay $10. The host you want is out there, and theirs many of them however you need to be prepared to pay the price.
Posted by techiecool, 04-17-2004, 08:25 PM
MN-Robert, well put. it took me a few weeks of research to end up w/ what you said. you can't drive a BMW at a Honda price tag. but sometimes you may have to settle for the Honda because that's all you can afford...in that case you live w/ it.
Posted by coight, 04-17-2004, 08:48 PM
Nice analogy
Posted by Mortekai, 04-17-2004, 09:07 PM
Then you can find the cheap versions with the body of a BMW, but with a honda underneath...
Posted by Aussie Bob, 04-17-2004, 10:01 PM
Some Honda's cost more than some BMW's, but we get the picture.
Posted by Coach, 04-17-2004, 10:20 PM
BMW's tend to need more upkeep and are in the shop a lot more. A Honda is about as reliable and steady as you're going to get. Analogy, it's not always the ones that are flashy with all the bells and whistles that is going to get you where you need go.
Posted by techiecool, 04-17-2004, 10:39 PM
heck, with all the posts you guys have, you probably were in the room when Al Gore invented the Internet... i don't know why Al Gore and the Internet came to mind...but something about seeing AussieBob w/ close to 10K posts and all the talk about analogies just seemed to trigger it...as stupid as it seems i found it hilarious. Last edited by techiecool; 04-17-2004 at 10:42 PM.
Posted by The3bl, 04-17-2004, 10:52 PM
Aussie Bob really invented the internet. Al Gore was lieing.
Posted by Aussie Bob, 04-17-2004, 10:54 PM
Monte once again proves his infinate wisdom.
Posted by coight, 04-18-2004, 02:29 AM
I think what your trying to say is "get a life"
Posted by Korn, 04-18-2004, 04:07 AM
Back to topic, just to make it clear, of course one has to pay. I wrote that price matters, which it does, but for the package I'm looking for, I know I can't get it for $10/month. First of all I'm trying to find a reseller host that offers what I need, and then find out what it will cost. Mortekai: I'm not really a reseller, I just need a few sites for myself and friends/family, and believe that a reseller account is the best way to go. Generally, I think a lot of people are willing to pay a few $ more in order to get for example phone support... another idea would be to not include it, but to offer it for a price pr.call/hour or whatever. Email is such a slow and cumbersome method compared to speaking with a person. Another solution would be to offer free 24/7 phone support ie. only the first month. For me, the perfect reseller host is one who satisfies my wishes in the first post + of course have the goodies we need (MySQL, InVision...).
Posted by abluegrape, 04-18-2004, 05:02 AM
Can I just point out that some of us 1 man shows can perform just as well, if not better than some multi-person businesses. Normally wouldnt say anything but it does tend to get on me wick now. I have a server with 2 other people on which I have my own reseller account as I still have quite a few clients from when I started up as a reseller. Now thats fine - there are 3 of us covering that server, so between us we can nearly do the 24/7 thing. As for my clients they are suppotred by me, sales made by me and everything else done by me. I work 7 or 8 hours a day at and then run a house with a girlfriend and 2 kids - but still have time for my clients on the reseller account. I can give you links to reviews given by a few of them, and no doubt a few will be happy to give you a chat about me and the services. So, like I have mentioned - size of the outfit means jack. As the old saying goes - dont worry about the quantity, feel the quality (keep telling me girlfriend that too ) Ry 'getting bugged by the size issue again'
Posted by Korn, 04-18-2004, 06:11 AM
A one man show with three people working together is good enough for me! I just don't want to end up in a situation where people are not available when I need them...
Posted by Korn, 04-18-2004, 04:22 PM
About phone support: calling from Europe to US prices about 10c pr minute, and for me personally 10c/min that a much better solution than posting a mail with 4 questions and maybe get an answer to two of them two hours later (that's an experience I've had several times). Had I only been a talented businessman (I'm not!), I would have started a company that would make a living on outsourced phone support. On another note, as someone mentioned, many end users might not want to pay whatever it adds to the price of the hosting service to get someone who actually picks up the phone. But then again, the host market seem to be exploding, and I believe that in the future people will look more and more hosts that actually do what they say they do, like replying to a question in LiveChat-support systems (like PHPchat). Another reason that I don't like email support only, is that when you reply to the reply you got, a new person might pick up your new post and more often than not, he either suggests something else than the first guy or hasn't read the initial post(s) you wrote, so you have to start to explain everything from scratch. eNom offers phone support during US business hours only (at least they did last time I checked), GoDaddy offers 24/7 phone support. GoDaddys solution is more expensive to run, but I think they make a lot more money than eNom...
Posted by Mortekai, 04-18-2004, 05:51 PM
I agree with you on this one, this is why I feel that a forum is important. Not only can issues be followed with ease, but since everyting is in the open and companies are concerned with their reputation they want to help you ASAP. If its an issue that is not of a technical nature other clients may also be able to help you on the spot, or you maybe have the answer to someone elses questions..this builds a community and a sense of belonging that I find is missing with most hosts today. Best case scenario would be to have all support options available: Ticket, email, forum, IM and phone. Its difficult to set up and costly, but in the long run it is probably worth it if you have grown to that level. Edit: I just realised you can not tute your own horn, so I removed comments of my own hosting plans. I am sorry for that transgression. Last edited by Mortekai; 04-18-2004 at 05:58 PM.
Posted by techiecool, 04-18-2004, 06:36 PM
korn, you are looking for the same thing i was... a reseller for personal use. i essentially was looking for the same list of requirements that you are. i don't think there is a perfect host, but rather who meets your needs. but it isn't a total crap shoot, these guys who have been in business for 2+ years must be doing something right...not to offend people under 2 years in business. but stability was my main concern, i didn't want my host to pack up in 6 months.
Posted by kimijye, 04-23-2004, 02:36 AM
What-all does "transparency" consist of? What is reverse DNS? How do I ask about smtp mail headers to find out if they will be anonymous? 24/7 support. Hmmm. Is this a service that is actually provided to small reseller accounts or is it just a myth?

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