[cobalt-users] Re: cobalt-users digest, Vol 1 #1852 - 17 msgs

[David Griffith <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I would agree with much of Jeremy's sentiment, but would like to emphasise
the importance of doing your homework before jumping at 'amazing dedicated
server deals'.

1) Always check out usenet postings and mailing lists for comments on
service providers. But bear in mind that good companies go bad (or grow too
quickly) and bad ones survive by being cheap.

2) Make a copy of any contracts and agreements and terms stated - I usually
go through an ordering process and cancel at the last stage to give me time
to check these out - I'll return and place an order later if things seem
fair.

3) Look at the whole package, not just the headline cost, and think of the
day you might outgrow a package from one of these cheapies.

Many folk on this list have 'graduated' up to RaQs from shared hosting, in
line with business expansion and a desire for greater control, and economy
of scale. With each step upwards comes greater responsibilty - what happens
if a software installation goes wrong, and how often do you backup?

I'm a satisfied dedicated-servers.co.uk (aka Webfusion) customer because
their basic RaQ4 package suits me. I need some 'hand holding' and I won't
exceed the 5Gb bandwidth for a long while, but there have been three
Netwhistle errors reported over the last three months. Webfusion have been
good on support *except* for the initial DNS/nameservers setup - which they
mucked up spectacularly :-(

I've been a long standing customer of Demon Internet and even they have
system hiccups. By comparison, some of my Fasthosts sites were showing
Netwhistle errors every few hours!

Several people swear by the "you get what you pay for argument". I think
this is too simplistic. Many young Internet companies rely on enthusiasm and
a willingness to please when they first start out, so initial value and
service is good - only later do they realise that consistency and
professionalism must also play a part, as well as managed expansion.

I would give dedicated-servers.co.uk a middle ranking - they're not in the
corporate league and they certainly shouldn't be mentioned in the same
breath as some of the cowboys in this game.

Hope this helps

David Griffith

> 
> CF Developer said:
> 
>> Just because of these I ask for
>> 
>> http://www.dedicated-servers.co.uk/raq4.html
>> 
>> 
> Ok, let's go and compare Apples to Oranges...  In an earlier post you
> said you "can lease a Cobalt RaQ4i with 128 Mb Ram as 180 USD/Month !"
> If you were referring to the link above?  I do not know for certain if
> this is where you were talking about, but we will use it anyway.

SNIP

> 
> Now I am not bashing the folks at WebFusion I am sure their service is
> top notch.  I am just playing customer/devils advocate and looking at two
> web sites, and drawing my own conclusions/comparisons.. If I really were
> the customer I would be talking to sales people and clarifying some of
> the points I made here.. My math could be off, I could have read
> something wrong on their pricing page... etc..
> 
> take care.  
> 
> Regards,
> Jeremy Anthony Kinsey
> VP Network Operations