# Registering & hosting .ie



## catherined61 (4 Sep 2007)

Can anyone give me an unbiased view of hosting companies? 

When questions are asked about performance etc, one of the companies post on forums touting their wares and then another and then another. 

I was leaning towards Blacknight as they appear helpful. There's spiral, hosted365 etc. What type of things should one be looking out for when it comes to hosting or is it they all just want the business?


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## Dearg Doom (4 Sep 2007)

I'm using blacknight to host a few domains and find their support to be good. I've no direct experience of the others. I chose blacknight because I specifically wanted IMAP instead of POP mail and wanted SMTP-Auth support and not POP-before-SMTP which at least one other I looked at did not provide - I don't remember which others I looked at.


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## boskonay (4 Sep 2007)

Hosting365 are the countries largest host (and host this site) and  provide IMAP (and SMTP auth) Dearg Doom (as well as a range of services) from 39.95 per year for the hosting, and have the lowest cost domain names also.

If your hosting / site is important to you, check out the host, perhaps even visit them in person, as many hosting providers are one or two man operations who resell space or servers from other larger (often not even Irish) providers.

Also worth checking out the support levels and availability - is support 24/7, does the host provide freephone access to the support team, etc.

<Disclosure> I work for hosting365


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## hhhhhhhhhh (4 Sep 2007)

Hosting365 had a major problem a few months back, all the sites hosted
by them where down.
I felt they handled the problem and follow up very badly.

So I will be moving to Blacknight when my contract is up with H365.

Blacknight & Hosting365 are the major players in the Irish market.

I used to host in the states which was cheaper, but wanted to be able
to pick up the phone and talk to some one in Ireland if I had a problem.
When H365 had their problem you couldn't even contact their support.

Got with what ever company is the cheapest to register the domain name.


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## Flax (4 Sep 2007)

Register your domain via www.letshost.ie (cheapest in Ireland - I have about 50 domains with them.) They are nice guys as well.

I host with H365. Gotta say I find them very arrogant and their accounts department are atrocious. Saying all that... for shared hosting they are cheap and good and I would recommend you strongly consider them. I like their network speeds too.


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## boskonay (4 Sep 2007)

Hi Flax,

Sorry you feel that way, we work hard to ensure our customers are happy. We are the only host offering true 24/7 support to all customers, and with 53 staff are by far the largest host in Ireland. 

Feel free to PM or email me directly if you are dis-satisfied with any element of our service.


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## catherined61 (4 Sep 2007)

As a matter of interest, how many staff work in each of the main companies ?

I presume one domain seller is cheaper than the next because they hope that you will host with them ?


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## Flax (4 Sep 2007)

catherined61 said:


> I presume one domain seller is cheaper than the next because they hope that you will host with them ?


 
The would be one of the main reasons alright...


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## pbyrne (4 Sep 2007)

Have to agree on hosting365 - we are due to renew with them in the next few weeks. If you sign up to a new business account you can get it for about 48euro, however if you are an existing customer and just leave the credit card debit in place you will get charged the princely sum of 250euro. So it is the usual situation - they are relying on interia to screw their existing customers.

I rang to ask about this and the lady in the accounts section did not give a toss - I said I was thinking of moving to blacknight since they charge around the 50euro mark also and she didn't even offer to reduce to fee to the 50euro! She  did say I could close my account and reopen it and they might give it to me for the 50euro - I said if I was closing it I would be moving it.

"Ok" - she said!


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## blacknight (5 Sep 2007)

catherined61 said:


> As a matter of interest, how many staff work in each of the main companies ?



We've got about 14 staff at present


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## boskonay (5 Sep 2007)

Hi pbyrne,

We can of course move you to the new plans - pm or email me directly and I will sort that out for you - stephen AT hosting365.com - we're in a transition phase at the moment with all the new systems and prices.

As for staffing, we currently have 54, Michele says 14, I think Irish Domains have 3, Novara 4 and Lethost 2?.


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## blacknight (5 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> As for staffing, we currently have 54, Michele says 14, I think Irish Domains have 3, Novara 4 and Lethost 2?.



I've no idea about the others. Novara did have about 8 or so when I was in their offices a couple of years ago, but I've no idea how many they have now.


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## ButtermilkJa (5 Sep 2007)

I've been hosting with Blacknight now for a while. I switched to them after having a terrible time with another Irish host. I have to say I'm very happy with them so far, and agree with you about them being helpful.

There are a few things you should look out for when deciding on a host but the two main points I suppose are...

1) Price - I guess most of the big players will be roughly similar, but just try to avoid those that charge excessive rates. You shouldn't be paying more than €50 for your .ie domain and a basic hosting package can be bought for as little as €30-€40.

2) Support - Being able to contact your host 24/7 is definitely an advantage, but most providers should be available when needed.


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## boskonay (6 Sep 2007)

Price is key - hosting is a commodity these days in pretty much all things.

24/7 support is also key - what happens when you have a problem on a Saturday afternoon, never mind 11pm on a Friday after a few pints and you delete your database by accident


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## blacknight (11 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> Price is key - hosting is a commodity these days in pretty much all things.



I'd have to disagree.

If price was key you'd be driving a Skoda and I'd have a mini 

The thing is finding a balance between price and service.


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## boskonay (11 Sep 2007)

Hence me saying both price and support are important.

Price needs to be excellent and globally competetive, support needs to be 24/7 and 'useful'


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## Flax (11 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> support needs to be 24/7 and *'useful'*


 
I really agree with this. 24/7 support means nothing if the support people are incompetent/rude/etc.


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## boskonay (11 Sep 2007)

Hosting is a service industry. You need all the normal stuff (pricing, features, reliability - thats the commodity bit) - but you live or die by your service delivery. No company is perfect, but the ones that grow to large scale, can only do so, and continue doing so, on the back of excellent service to most customers, most of the time.


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## c00lcarl (11 Sep 2007)

Flax said:


> letshost.ie (cheapest in Ireland - I have about 50 domains with them.)
> 
> I host with H365. Gotta say I find them very arrogant and their accounts department are atrocious. .


 
Correction: www.iccmhosting.com are the cheapest for domain names in Ireland

Carl ( ICCMhosting.com Staff )


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## boskonay (11 Sep 2007)

I think we're talking about 'real' Irish Hosting providers. They don't even list contact info.


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## c00lcarl (12 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> Hi pbyrne,
> 
> As for staffing, we currently have 54, Michele says 14, I think Irish Domains have 3, Novara 4 and Lethost 2?.


 
In regard to customer service - You may find that it pays to go for the smaller companies like letshost & iccmhosting.com . this is because the people you are dealing with are the ones who own the company and have a vested interest in keeping their customers happy and building a good reputation whereas with larger companies you are more than likely dealing with a wage slave who might not care less for your business or the issue you currently have, as it isn't going to affect their wages being paid at the end of the month.

Carl ( ICCMhosting.com Staff )


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## boskonay (12 Sep 2007)

In reality, none of the irish providers are 'big' - not even us. I'm actually the founder and owner of Hosting365, so the 'smaller guys are more accessible' argument, isn't really true unless you're dealing with Eircom or a similar scale corporate.


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## iccmhosting (15 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> I think we're talking about 'real' Irish Hosting providers. They don't even list contact info.


 
We are an Irish company, based in Ireland, contact information is listed on the website as well as a contact form.

We will be adding our 1890 phone number shortly, this has been delayed due to the large Telecom company managing to lose our paperwork. Which reiterates the earlier theme of customer support with bigger companies- if one of our customers was having an issue we would work until 3am or later if that is what it took to resolve it - can the same be said of 9-5 staff?

We are new to the market, this is true, but we operate a 30 day refund policy and are working to improve our current facilities and services, our bronze hosting package will shortly be increasing to 1GB, and this improvement will be passed to existing as well as new customers.

I do not wish to enter into a childish tit-for-tat exchange with another hosting provider so this will be my last post on the matter, I just wished to clarify the inaccuracy of the earlier comment.


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## blacknight (15 Sep 2007)

iccmhosting said:


> We are an Irish company, based in Ireland, contact information is listed on the website as well as a contact form.


Maybe I'm going blind, but I can't see any contact information of any kind on:
http://www.iccmhosting.com/


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## Carey (15 Sep 2007)

I have found that hosting sites in Ireland is very expensive. I host all my sites in the USA and I hide all my whois data, I don't like spammers and people calling me up about my sites. This is not allowed in Ireland. I can host a site in the usa for $42 per year including domain registration. You couldn't get a domain here for that.

As for service I has a 24/7 contact number and the staff are always professional and helpful whenever you call them. 

Also with all the potential legal issues and the speed that irish hosts remove sites at the mere mention of legal action I would never host a site here.


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## euroDilbert (15 Sep 2007)

Carey said:


> I have found that hosting sites in Ireland is very expensive. I host all my sites in the USA and I hide all my whois data



The thread is about registering and hosting .ie sites - how do you do that in the USA ? It's not possible as far as I know.


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## boskonay (15 Sep 2007)

Not to mention you can get hosting, just as feature rich as US hosting, from 39.95 a year here (and .com domains from 5.95). So the 'everything's cheaper in the USA' argument doesnt really work for hosting anymore. (That includes 24/7 support (freephone access too - no long distance rates).

Not sure what you mean by legal issues, unless you're planning on hosting something illegal!


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## Carey (15 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> Not sure what you mean by legal issues, unless you're planning on hosting something illegal!



What I mean is that if I were to host a site of a slightly controversial nature, use a domain similar to an Irish one or someone simply does not like the content  and someone complains, an Irish host would pull the site immediately without reference to the owner of the site. Irish hosts tend to be very cautious in these situations they won't wait for legal action to start. 

In the USA a site will not be taken down unless the complainant takes a case in federal court. The first amendment is king.


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## blacknight (15 Sep 2007)

Carey said:


> What I mean is that if I were to host a site of a slightly controversial nature, use a domain similar to an Irish one or someone simply does not like the content  and someone complains, an Irish host would pull the site immediately without reference to the owner of the site. Irish hosts tend to be very cautious in these situations they won't wait for legal action to start.


That's not true. 

We've continued hosting several sites that have been under threats of legal action and will continue to do so.

If you're going to make those kind of statements maybe you could back them up with some actual proof.


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## boskonay (16 Sep 2007)

What Blacknight said. We only take down sites when instructed with a court order to do so. If we took down a site every time we had a legal threat or solicitors letter, we'd have hundreds of take downs!!

You need to check your facts, or perhaps deal with a reputable Irish host.


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## Moral Ethos (16 Sep 2007)

In Careys defence, I do remember a case where a site was taken down simply because the content was something the host did not like, nothing illegal or anything just repugnant to some people. After 1 complaint the site was removed. The host excercised a moral judgment on the content.

I think what Carey is saying is that it is far more difficult to remove sites based in the USA as the complainants would have to serve proceedings in the USA. Someone in Ireland would be unlikely to have the funds. Also the first ammendment protects content that is not illegal but socially unsettling. 

You only have to look at a certain rate your professional site that is still in operation dispite complaints on this side of the pond as it cannot be touched as it is in the USA.


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## bond-007 (16 Sep 2007)

> In Careys defence, I do remember a case where a site was taken down simply because the content was something the host did not like, nothing illegal or anything just repugnant to some people. After 1 complaint the site was removed. The host excercised a moral judgment on the content.


Most probably in that case the content whilst not illegal, contravened the hosts Terms & Conditions.


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## j0ey (17 Sep 2007)

catherined61 said:


> Can anyone give me an unbiased view of hosting companies?
> 
> When questions are asked about performance etc, one of the companies post on forums touting their wares


 
This topic opened with the above post, yet within two posts Hosting365 did exactly what the requestor was complaining about.

This comment is not just directed at 365, it seems that 365, Blacknight and other hosting companies keep a constant presence on these forums(in fact 365 have multiple accounts), when ever a topic is started on Web Hosting, the theme is manipulated in favour of the various companies whilst putting down any posts which show them in a bad light (thinly disguised as "unbias" advice and information)

Time & time again each topic deteriorates into a thinly veiled marketing campaign for these ever present hosting company representatives.

I notice that the web hosting board on boards.ie has been shut down due to the negative activities of the hosting companies - these forums are a brilliant resource when the contributors are independent.

As for the boasting of being the larger companies - this is a bit like being a lorry driver - just becoz you drive the biggest vehicle it doesn't make you the best driver.

I for one will be looking at what UK & USA hosting providers have to offer before making up my mind and I would recommend that anyone including the initial poster should carry out their own research and take any advice they receive here with a pinch of salt.

Kind Regards

Joe


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## boskonay (17 Sep 2007)

Hi Joe,

In fairness, the hosts who post give freely of advice as well as 'recommendation' and we are all clear about our affiliations. 

I always recommend to physically visit the host you are evaluating, see with your own eyes the set-up and meet the people who will support you application.


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## j0ey (17 Sep 2007)

boskonay said:


> Hi Joe,
> 
> In fairness, the hosts who post give freely of advice as well as 'recommendation' and we are all clear about our affiliations.
> 
> I always recommend to physically visit the host you are evaluating, see with your own eyes the set-up and meet the people who will support you application.


 
Boskonay (Hosting365 Rep) - Thank you for taking the time to answer my comment - I would say tho that recommending that people visit the provider is obviously in favour of your own company as you claim to be "Irelands largest hosting provider" and therefore I would imagine your office is quite impressive especially in relation to the many smaller hosting companies - however if you live in limerick and are spending about €60 on getting a web site published this advice is not worth much.

Also in regard to my other point of the ever present reps - you managed to reply to my original post within 4 mins. I don't want to argue the point with the various hosting reps ad infinitum - which would only add to the problem, so I will wish you all the best with your business and I hope you have a good day.

Joe


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## boskonay (17 Sep 2007)

If you are spending less than a few hunded euro per year on hosting, it (by definition) isn't 'critical' to your business, and hosting it anywhere doesnt really make a huge difference as long as you are satisfied with support levels and accessibility. Physically meeting your host is probably irrelevant at this level (unless you're a fan of datacentre porn  )

If you are running mission / business critical applications or sites, the factors I mention are much more important.

As for my replying within 4 minutes, well, we host this site (as well as lots more obviously) and I keep on eye on sites where queries often are raised, or where we can offer advice or assistance.


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## blacknight (17 Sep 2007)

Would you prefer if we didn't take an interest?


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## MargeSimpson (17 Sep 2007)

pbyrne said:


> Have to agree on hosting365 - we are due to renew with them in the next few weeks. If you sign up to a new business account you can get it for about 48euro, however if you are an existing customer and just leave the credit card debit in place you will get charged the princely sum of 250euro.


eh? I just signed up with h365 for 48e also, so I will be charged 250e this time next year for another year of hosting.....jeez, I missed that in the small print!


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## boskonay (17 Sep 2007)

No Marge - you will be charged the same you paid or less (we dont have hidden charges or funny things like that in ours T&C's).

The posted was referring to the fact that we are working on a migration solution to move existing customers to our new platform - customers on the old platform were paying much more for the hosting that we currently charge.

At the moment, we are manually moving customers to the new plans on request, while our developers work on an automated solution.

I repeat, you will not be charged more than you paid for year 1, for years 2+


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## MargeSimpson (17 Sep 2007)

thank you  for clarifying!


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## Flax (17 Sep 2007)

j0ey said:


> This topic opened with the above post, yet within two posts Hosting365 did exactly what the requestor was complaining about.
> 
> This comment is not just directed at 365, it seems that 365, Blacknight and other hosting companies keep a constant presence on these forums(in fact 365 have multiple accounts), when ever a topic is started on Web Hosting, the theme is manipulated in favour of the various companies whilst putting down any posts which show them in a bad light (thinly disguised as "unbias" advice and information)
> 
> ...


 
I also find it rather annoying. It seems no one can talk about anything to do with hosting or domains without one (or both) of the big two hosting companies coming along and advertising their services.

If I was a mortgage broker, and I advertised my services every time someone asked a question about houses, I would have been banned a long time ago.

I do not understand why hosts are allowed freely pimp their services.

Even on a basic level, both hosts come across very badly in their replies, and always degrade topics into tit for tat fight, and generally ruin most hosting or domain related topics.

I know both hosts will come along now and say they are not advertising their services, but rather are offering helpful advice, but we all know every post they make is either about how big they are or how unreliable or small the competition are.


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## ButtermilkJa (17 Sep 2007)

Flax said:


> I also find it rather annoying...


If you read the full thread again you will find that in the majority of cases, the Irish hosts are only replying to posts by other members who insist on telling everyone to go to the US, UK or India, etc. for their services, or to clarify misleading statements made by members about Irish prices/services etc. In my opinion they are perfectly entitled to do this regardless of the medium or platform.

The OP clearly stated the names of at least two Irish companies he was considering. In my opinion that justifies the inclusion of those respective members in the conversation.


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## pbyrne (21 Jan 2008)

boskonay said:


> No Marge - you will be charged the same you paid or less (we dont have hidden charges or funny things like that in ours T&C's).
> 
> The posted was referring to the fact that we are working on a migration solution to move existing customers to our new platform - customers on the old platform were paying much more for the hosting that we currently charge.
> 
> ...



Hi,

Is the automated solution in place now for migrating existing customers or do they all still need to know that they need to contact you to manually migrate to the correctly priced plans.

I have been watching your website for details and have seen nothing yet.


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