My experience with
CI Host is not a good one. While I can't comment
on their network or support reps at all, I can
definately comment on their sales reps and general
company policies. Stay the hell away.
I phoned up and spoke
with a sales rep by the name of Byron who ensured
me they would be able to carry all of the services
I offer, details on the various restrictions and
network specifications. Ontop of that the price
was excellent and they seemed to be a fairly large
company with multiple datacenters. I was soon
to learn that you can not judge a book by its
cover.
When I phoned back
to confirm my order Byron was unavailable and
I was set to deal with Rocky. Once all of the
forms were signed and my credit card had been
charged the story changed on some of the services
I would be allowed to offer, and I was informed
that such services would result in my account
being cancelled without refund. As such I opted
not to move my machines to CI Host and asked that
my order be voided. Here's where the story really
starts. I was told immediately that I would be
unable to cancel my account as my credit card
had already been charged and that I would have
to use their services as it was "their policy".
Obviously due to the changing circumstances I
asked if we could get a manager to override "their
policy". I was told that there was no way
and that I should find a use for their services,
the rep then hungup on me. All later calls resulted
in voicemail and none of my emails were replied
to.
(gripe with visa)
I phoned my lame-arse visa reseller (aka bank)
and asked if they could cancel the transaction
on the card, apparently because it was in a pre-auth
state there was no way the order could be cancelled
unless CI Host cancelled the transaction and I'd
have to wait until I got a statement to issue
a chargeback. (/gripe with visa)
I then called CIHosts
billing department and spoke to Tabrina who was
very helpful and tried to help me sort out the
mess. She asked me to fax thru a cancellation
request along with the details of my order and
she'd have her manager issue a refund. I emailed
Tabrina the next day and she informed me that
she had forwarded the information to her manager
but hadn't received any information and suggested
I call back. I called thru and she put me thru
to her managers voicemail. None of my calls were
ever returned. A few days later I called Tabrina
again and she informed me that her supervisor
told her they were willing to issue a credit with
CI Host but not refund the charge on my credit
card. Seeing as CI Host could not offer the services
I required I had no need for a credit and requested
a refund. Tabrina again forwarded me to her managers
voicemail, and again none of my calls were returned.
From this point on
most of my calls were completely ignored and nobody
wanted to deal with me on the issue at all. I
eventually managed to issue a chargeback with
Visa and their investigation is still in progress.
Stay, the
hell, away. Any company that's willing to go to
these lengths to rip off a potential customer
is worth running away from. I strongly advise
you look elsewhere.
