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I began hosting at HostGator in March of this year (2009) and wanted to give it some time before I reported my experience. After two months, I'm ready to share.
I've actually got several accounts with several hosting companies. Each has its value that works for my needs. I was quite content with 1and1 for general hosting needs, but when I started my adventure in the world of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising I found I needed more flexibility.
For instance, I began using some applications that required zend. While 1and1 had instructions for installing it, I just couldn't get it to work properly. To their credit, tech support talked me through it. Then I found out that they didn't allow tracking applications because it was too big a load on their servers. Well, as we all know, tracking is a critical element of PPC so I decided to look elsewhere. I kept my 1and1 account and still have sites that are hosted there. I'll save a review of them for another post but suffice it to say, I am happy with them for those sites.
I spent some time researching my options. After hosting for awhile, I knew my major requirements which included zend, php, multiple to unlimited domains, multiple to unlimited MySQL databases, as much bandwidth as possible, the ability to install tracking applications, and preferably cPanel. While many hosting companies offer these things, I tried to read between the lines of fine print and ending up choosing HostGator.
To date, I am very happy with the level of service I've received from them. They have a great chat feature that I have used on several occasions. I will say that there were times during a chat that I felt deserted, as many minutes went by without a response. But at least I could work on other things while I waited for a response. I guess it's not too much different from being on "mold" on a phone.
And speaking of the phone, their phone support has been excellent as well. I've called at 2AM more than once and have always received friendly and knowledgeable support from someone whose primary language is English (they don't outsource their support). On one of my calls I was exhausted and foggy-brained and just couldn't grasp what the support tech was trying to tell me. He was incredibly patient and worked with me until I got it straight.
There is one word of caution, however, regarding their prices. When you click on the Web Hosting tab you see a page that has options for three different packages. The price you see at the bottom of each column in the first section is actually for a 3-year prepaid plan. You have to hover over the price to see the various payment plans. But even the monthly payment option is still very reasonable for all you get. They even have a $25 Google Adwords credit.
So, if you're just starting out and are looking for an affordable and flexible hosting package, HostGator is a great option. Or if you've been in an Internet business for awhile and you've outgrown other hosting companies, I highly recommend HostGator. I like them so much that I decided to become an affiliate so yes, these are affiliate links and I appreciate your support in using them. After all, this is what we do.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Problems With Keith Wellman's VIP Auto Pilot Profits System
This is not one of those posts that tries to get you to purchase the system in the title (VIP Auto Pilot Profits System). In fact, it is just the opposite. This is a warning to stay as far away as possible.
I am about to relate my own, personal experience with simple facts.
Yes, I'm on tons of lists from various Internet marketers. I am fairly new to this arena and want to learn as much as I can. I'm a big believer in "all information is good" so I do lots of research. I also have a healthy amount of skepticism while at the same time wanting to believe that the values of honesty and integrity are alive and well. That said, when I received the email from Keith Wellman promoting his VIP Auto Pilot Profits System, I relied on what I had read about Keith and believed when he said, "This is %100 NO-RISK money back guarantee" in his sales video. I decided to make the purchase and check out his system with the understanding that I could request a refund if done in a timely manner.
Unfortunately for people who are trying to make money online, these products are purchased sight unseen. As consumers of these types of products, we make our purchase decisions based on the reputation of the marketer. Their integrity is tantamount to their continued success. As I've stated before, I believed in the integrity of Keith Wellman and believed that he would honor his word of, "This is %100 NO-RISK money back guarantee." Obviously my trust in him was grievously misplaced.
I'm sure you can guess what happened. Boy, am I naive! I accessed the product and it did not meet my expectations in the least. I considered the products he offered to be substandard, rife with poor grammar and misspellings. In addition, I feel he way over-valued the software he was offering, especially considering that much of it is available for free. Within 2 weeks of making the purchase and trying to find some redeeming value in the product, I decided to request a refund.
I submitted my refund request via the support system at justaskkeith.com. To their credit, I got an email response from Erica. Unfortunately, the response was this:
"We will be more than happy to give you a full refund. Please read through our refund policy, go through the steps and we will credit you back the full amount.
60 Day Money Back Guarantee
We offer a full 100% money back guarantee for this package. Go ahead and try out our system with zero risk...use it and put it to the test for a full 90 days...
...if after you have gone through the system and applied it you find that it isn't for you simply let us know what you did and we'll work with you to get you making a full time income online and if for whatever reason that doesn't happen we'll refund 100% of your money back."
First of all, I thought I had already "gone through the steps" by checking out the system and requesting the refund when I found it to be unsatisfactory. Secondly, take note of the verbiage - "60 Day Money Back Guarantee... put it to the test for a full 90 days." Ambiguous at best, deceptive at worst. This is in addition to the 30 day refund policy (within which I had made my initial refund request).
I have had a continued email exchange with Erica to no avail. My last resort was to contact my credit card company to begin a dispute. After the representative read the policy from the website, she assures me I have a valid dispute so we will see where it goes from here.
My purpose in writing this rather lengthy post is just to warn anyone who might be considering a purchase from Keith Wellman or his company FX Marketing, Inc. Think long and hard before spending any money unless you don't mind losing it forever.
I have read that many of the negative posts regarding Keith, his company and this product have been removed from various blogs and forums. I'm not sure how or why that's occurred but I intend to keep this here, as it is true and accurate.
Please share your experiences with Keith Wellman or anyone other Internet marketing "guru". We must all stand together to keep the Internet a viable place to make an honest living.
I am about to relate my own, personal experience with simple facts.
Yes, I'm on tons of lists from various Internet marketers. I am fairly new to this arena and want to learn as much as I can. I'm a big believer in "all information is good" so I do lots of research. I also have a healthy amount of skepticism while at the same time wanting to believe that the values of honesty and integrity are alive and well. That said, when I received the email from Keith Wellman promoting his VIP Auto Pilot Profits System, I relied on what I had read about Keith and believed when he said, "This is %100 NO-RISK money back guarantee" in his sales video. I decided to make the purchase and check out his system with the understanding that I could request a refund if done in a timely manner.
Unfortunately for people who are trying to make money online, these products are purchased sight unseen. As consumers of these types of products, we make our purchase decisions based on the reputation of the marketer. Their integrity is tantamount to their continued success. As I've stated before, I believed in the integrity of Keith Wellman and believed that he would honor his word of, "This is %100 NO-RISK money back guarantee." Obviously my trust in him was grievously misplaced.
I'm sure you can guess what happened. Boy, am I naive! I accessed the product and it did not meet my expectations in the least. I considered the products he offered to be substandard, rife with poor grammar and misspellings. In addition, I feel he way over-valued the software he was offering, especially considering that much of it is available for free. Within 2 weeks of making the purchase and trying to find some redeeming value in the product, I decided to request a refund.
I submitted my refund request via the support system at justaskkeith.com. To their credit, I got an email response from Erica. Unfortunately, the response was this:
"We will be more than happy to give you a full refund. Please read through our refund policy, go through the steps and we will credit you back the full amount.
60 Day Money Back Guarantee
We offer a full 100% money back guarantee for this package. Go ahead and try out our system with zero risk...use it and put it to the test for a full 90 days...
...if after you have gone through the system and applied it you find that it isn't for you simply let us know what you did and we'll work with you to get you making a full time income online and if for whatever reason that doesn't happen we'll refund 100% of your money back."
First of all, I thought I had already "gone through the steps" by checking out the system and requesting the refund when I found it to be unsatisfactory. Secondly, take note of the verbiage - "60 Day Money Back Guarantee... put it to the test for a full 90 days." Ambiguous at best, deceptive at worst. This is in addition to the 30 day refund policy (within which I had made my initial refund request).
I have had a continued email exchange with Erica to no avail. My last resort was to contact my credit card company to begin a dispute. After the representative read the policy from the website, she assures me I have a valid dispute so we will see where it goes from here.
My purpose in writing this rather lengthy post is just to warn anyone who might be considering a purchase from Keith Wellman or his company FX Marketing, Inc. Think long and hard before spending any money unless you don't mind losing it forever.
I have read that many of the negative posts regarding Keith, his company and this product have been removed from various blogs and forums. I'm not sure how or why that's occurred but I intend to keep this here, as it is true and accurate.
Please share your experiences with Keith Wellman or anyone other Internet marketing "guru". We must all stand together to keep the Internet a viable place to make an honest living.
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