Oh FFS it's just one thing after another ....

So this morning my website had been down for five days and I decided it was about time to go nuclear on my hosts. I had got fed up with being fobbed off about how "engineers are working on it." I sat me down with the phone before I went into work and spent around 20 minutes on the phone to tech support. The guy actually seemed fairly helpful (compared to the knobs I'd spoken to before) and he said that I should delete ALL the files from my server and then re-upload them all.

Sounded reasonable ... so I did that. Nothing - nada, zip. Website still offline despite the fact that the brand spankingly newly uploaded files are there on the server! I've had websites for 9 years - I'm not exactly a newbie at this!

So anyway, I call back and (after spending 15 mins on hold for the tech support guy (I use that term VERY losely) to read the notes) I am told that this person will look into it and email me a response. I even checked he had my hotmail email addy so I can check it whether I am at home or work.

Did I get an email? Did I ****!

Soooooooo by this time I've got to work and I'm trying to stay chilled and focused. I call them back AGAIN, am put on hold for notes reading and account checking AGAIN ... and am finally told that they will refresh the server and to check the site in 20 minutes.

30 mins later no website. I give it another half hour - so over an hour after my last call ... and I call back AGAIN. Another forever on hold and I'm told that a supervisor is going to look into it and will call me back. I verify that they have both of my mobile phone numbers!

No call... but what I DID get was an automated email from them thanking me for getting in touch and confirming my account deletion.

By this time I am flapping, checking DNS servers, registrant details and there's nothing ... I still own the domain but my host basically de-tagged me and deleted me (despite the fact that I PAY for this service!) and left me with absolutely no hosting for my website whatsoever .... without my consent!!!

The host in question is madasafish. I didn't choose them - they bought out the company I was originally hosting with. The tech support are useless. I must have phoned eleventy hundred times in the last 5 days and not ONCE have I spoken to someone with an accent I can actually understand. I am not racist - in any way shape or form, I just believe it is bad business to employ people with a very strong foreign accent to work in customer call centres!! I understand the reason for doing it - it creates jobs in countries where work is desperately needed ... and I'm all for people working for a living, but damnit when you need TECHNICAL SUPPORT ... when you are tearing your hear out with a problem that these people are supposed to be able to help you with, then you need to actually understand what they are saying!!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

There was a point during the afternoon where I actually broke down in tears and just sat on the floor! It has honestly felt like just one thing after another for so long ... and this was the icing on the cake!!

So anyway ... after pulling myself together combined with a couple of phone calls to Nominet later, and a chat with Easily.co.uk who host all of my other websites ... I am getting the domain transferred to Easily!! It will cost me £10 plus VAT for the transfer fee through Nominet, and then the new domain registration fee from Easily.co.uk (which is fairly minimal) for 2 years hosting.

Soooo tomorrow morning I need to fax this huge ass form I've had to print and fill in back to Nominet ... I've paid Easily online for the domain, so they should be ready to catch the domain as soon as it is released.

Phew! All I then need to do is come up with £100 odd for the hosting cost ... I'll worry about that one tomorrow!!!