Files lost, mail server down, DNS settings messed up.... (Updated) (Fasthosts.co.uk)

Member Name: Redhead23

Product:	Fasthosts.co.uk
Date:	27/01/01 (524 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: Unreliable

I bought my domain name and web space from Creative Technologies (London), which is a small company owned by Stuart Clark. Stu has a reseller account with Fasthosts, and in spite of a few initial problems (they tend to work on their servers at the most stupid times WITHOUT notifying the customers) I was quite happy with the service at first.

But then last December they decided to migrate their servers to Win2000 - with fatal consequeces! Many clients of their resellers, including me, lost access to their mail server, their domain's DNS settings got messed up (i.e. when you type in the URL you get an error message because the files aren't where the DNS points to) and lost access to FTP.

I contacted Creative Technologies who, at the time, were suffering from Fasthosts-induced downtimes as well. Stu reassured me that he was talking to Fasthosts but with no result.

Instead, he was fobbed off with lame excuses even though they knew very well that he was a RESELLER and that all of HIS customers (among which there are organistations like The Kew Bridge Steam Engine Museum) would be hassling HIM with questions and complaints.

If that's not lousy then I don't know what is! Oh yes and my site is still not up :(

Terms:

DNS means 'Domain Name System' and it's the way your Domain name (For example DooYou.co.uk) is connected to the address of the server where the site files are actually stored. Without this, you'd have to type in a number like 123.42.23.14 every time you go to a website (That's hard to remember, right?)

FTP means 'File Transfer Protocol' and it is a fast and easy way to upload the files for your website through specific software like WS_FTP. If your website address is www.mysite.com then the FTP address is ftp.mysite.com. You need a password and user name to access the files on 'your' server and the FTP program usually lets you view the files in an
environment similar to the Windows Explorer interface. You can create folders on the server, rename or delete files, set priorities (like 'read only' or 'read and write') for these folders and you can copy files from your own computer to the folders on the server and vice versa.

[ UPDATE ]

After all these problems, Stu has now moved his own site as well as his clients' to his own servers, which he maintains himself.
So, after 3 months' downtime, I finally got my domain http://www.tofuphish.com back and I can use my E-Mail address again.
All these troubles were getting too much, so it's bye-bye to Fasthosts :)
By the way Stu is offering his clients compensation for the downtime (in the way of extended hosting), and is waiting for respective compensation payment from Fasthosts....

Summary: