Unlimited/Unmetered Hosting Warnings

H

Howard

New member
Before I begin, I realize some people will have problems with this post and it is not intended to start any wars of any sort so here goes:

Why "Unlimited" or "Unmetered" hosting packages are not possible..



The web hosting world can be dangerous sometimes and there may seem to be unbelievable deals but you need to beware those deals sometimes, this article is focused at unlimited/unmetered hosting..

There are hosts that offer unlimited bandwidth. What they mean is that they may not expect you to use more than a certain amount, as there are practical limits on most everything, including bandwidth. To claim unlimited is typically a marketing 'hook' to get you sign up. In reality, once you reach a certain limit, you will no doubt hear from this host to do something about this bandwidth consumption.

For example, it is as if you were to try to transfer multiple large files ( * > 1 GB ) on your home connection 24/7 for a whole month. The fact is it runs out somewhere.

Another marketing scheme is that of offering unmetered which says you can use however much the server would allow in a possible months cycle. Without a doubt the host will contact you or suspend your account.

There are some legit hosts that offer unlimited packages either as a marketing method to get their business noticed or promote it over another business. It is highly recommended that you look into your host before you sign up with them, ask them questions. If the host is really interested in you they would reply to your questions without a problem within 24 hours.

Even if you do not plan on using much space, keep in mind you are not the only one on that server and you will get other people abusing such a policy rendering you pretty much useless in the sense that you have only used a few megabytes of storage and some other person on the server is using gigabyte upon gigabyte.

Many hosts that offer unlimited or unmetered packages have fine print or policies that clearly state that if you use more than a certain percentage of the servers resources, you can be charged extra, you can be shut down, or any other consequences in relationship to resource usage. Be alert because this goes to show that the service is not unlimited and not unmetered. This can also hurt your reputation...

Also check around if you think a host is charging too little for too much. Sometimes it is a legit way for the host to get back on their feet sometimes it is the host out to get you. While the web hosting world is not full of sour apples it isn't exactly full of sweets either.

Some important factors to check on a host when planning to signup: Support, Support Response Time, Server Stability, Hosts willingness to assist you with extended issues, Server policies are also important, it shows that the host is willing to reject some customers to keep the server clean and free of any people that may cause problems with the server itself (spam, virus distributers etc)

There are some features that are allowed to be unlimited however because they are just a free service to the host anyway and are run serverside. Some of these are mailing lists, mail accounts, ftp accounts, subdomains, and databases. Databases are limited however usually because they can be strenuous on the server and drop its stability and performance.

The best way to find the information about your host is ask around, ask the host questions, look for trial memberships, look for money back guarantees and testimonials.. although testimonials may be forged most hosts are pretty straightforward about it. Ask them questions pertaining to them and such.

As a Web Host myself I do look to help myself, but I also see other hosts suffering as a result as well and this is meant to support all web hosts out there, not just myself. Who you go with is strictly your own choice and you choose who you think is right.

If you have any questions, complaints, rants, or comments feel free to contact me at howard@scripthosters.net
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- Howard
 
Unfortunately, I don't think it will teach much.

The fact is...the customers that choose these services, can be pretty thick sometimes.

They'll get burned once and go looking for another match, the entire time defending the need for "heat" lol

I like the post, but just don't think as many customers as you would like, will take notice, or care.
 
I have to sum this up in two words: buyer beware. It is difficult/impossible to figure out how much disk space and bandwidth you actually receive. To avoid this problem, do not sign up with hosts that offer unlimited bandwidth or disk space.
 
The recent spate of "unlimited cellphone plans" from companies like MCI won't help things much. People will see these unlimited phone plans, wonder why web hosting can't be the same way...and start getting annoyed. From their viewpoint, it's a logical enough question: why do we charge so much for something that can't be touched, seen, felt, poked, prodded, folded, spindled, mutliated, or painted purple? Irritating, but it is difficult to teach people something if they just don't want to learn. People who know how to value services, and who place a great value on their web site always being available and responsive, AND who actually use more than 1 GB per month of bandwidth, will either reason things out ahead of time, or will learn if they run up against a problematic host.
 
The recent spate of "unlimited cellphone plans" from companies like MCI won't help things much. People will see these unlimited phone plans, wonder why web hosting can't be the same way...and start getting annoyed.
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Ironically, these "unlimited" phone plans are, as well, NOT unlimited. They generally limit you at 500 to 1000 calls/voicemail messages/txt messages per month, determining that the average person will never use their phone that much.
 
The only things that can truly be "unlimited" when it comes to hosting plans are e-mail accounts. You can have as many e-mail accounts as you would like with the hosting provider, however, you are limited by the amount of space these e-mail accounts can hold. Nothing, in reality, can be unlimited. There is always a limitation that you must follow. Hopefully, people are aware of this and do not get dragged in to the advertising trap of "unlimited" this and that.
 
Its all about money today........
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As long as there has been the need for money, it has always been "all about money." Money is what makes our world society function. Therefore everyone needs it, and thus wants it. The more you have, the higher you are on the food chain so to speak.

It's a shame, but that's how it works, and there's nothing we can do about it.
 
Mark is completely right. All businesses are in the business to make money. Most, if not all, will do that anyway they can.
 
Are you saying that most companies will or will not lie to make money?
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No. I'm saying that no company should lie. Making money is fine, but if you must lie to sell a product, not only are you committing fraud, but that should tell you that you can't have much of a service or product, if you can't sell it honestly.
 
Some will lie. Many more, however, will stretch things just to the point of lying and then, if / when any customer calls them on it, they'll say "semantics". Either that, or they'll point out that the customer did have to read the entire client agreement, and that may be the end of it.

I dislike the fact that companies can get away with deceptive advertising. I can remember when Pepto-Bismol was told that they couldn't use a certain animation in their television ads any longer because it didn't accurately depict the action of Pepto-Bismol as it entered someone's stomach. Yet web hosts and now more and more cellphone companies are allowed to redefine the English language with no problems.
 
Lesli, a customer should ALWAYS read the entire end-user agreement or TOS.

That's like reading the first paragraph of a contract, and then simply signing it. It's always in the customer's best interest to read the agreement.

We, for example, explain our use of the word "unlimited" when it comes to emails, subdomains, etc... We're not redefining the word, but rather explaining why we use the word "unlimited."

I agree however. When it comes to space and bandwidth, too many of the "unlimited" bandwidth/space hosts, hide the actual limit in their TOS, and that IS dishonest. They're counting on the fact that a lot of people won't read the agreement, as they should.
 
I agree that it is a customer's responsibility to read the end-user agreement and TOS. However, I think that hosting companies are trying to deceive customers by placing how much disk space and bandwidth you will actually receive deep within them. The hosting companies should be a little more open if this were a perfect world. But, as mentioned previously hosting companies are in the business to make money.
 
ANMMark said:
Lesli, a customer should ALWAYS read the entire end-user agreement or TOS.

That's like reading the first paragraph of a contract, and then simply signing it. It's always in the customer's best interest to read the agreement.

We, for example, explain our use of the word "unlimited" when it comes to emails, subdomains, etc... We're not redefining the word, but rather explaining why we use the word "unlimited."

I agree however. When it comes to space and bandwidth, too many of the "unlimited" bandwidth/space hosts, hide the actual limit in their TOS, and that IS dishonest. They're counting on the fact that a lot of people won't read the agreement, as they should.
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I agree with many of the points you make, ANMMark. And you brought my attention to the fact that I forgot to mention that what I approve of, so vigorously, is "unlimited" in terms of disk space or bandwidth.

Unlimited POP emails, forwarders, subdomains...that's not as much of a problem, because, obviously: if you have one customer who's got forwarders that go to, say, everyone in their 100-person club or group, they're forwarders. They don't use additional disk space or much in the way of bandwidth. For many of the other features, offering unlimited subdomains and so forth can come down to how a host wants to structure their offerings. I've seen a few hosts who do what you do: offer unlimited forwarders and what have you, and then reiterate for people: "unlimited, as long as you still have disk space and bandwidth".

I am one of the very-very-very few people I know who reads a contract and demands to understand it before I sign it. I've left a few service deals in the closing stages because the client contract seemed deliberately hard to understand; or (especially the case in terms of web services) the client contract was written in tiny script, was exceedingly long, and sounded a bit like a highschooler padding an essay. It's definitely a person's responsibility to know and understand what they're signing. I also feel that there's a responsibility to make the contract as understandable as possible, even - or maybe especially - if the contract is very specific.
 
We offer unmetered/unlimited packages. We have been in business for two years and have not had any customers complain about our services. If a customer starts using too much resources on a server we either upgrade the server or move them to another server. We always keep our server load low. I find that most customers like to puchase "unlimited" packages just becase it is unregulated. Even some of my Unlimited reseller customers are paying $29.99 a month and hardly use 20 GB of data transfer a month. So things seem to balance out. Some people use more than what they pay for, and some people don't use what they pay for. Get what I'm saying?
 
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