Battling with Iomart
Iomart Group PLC have recently released details of their financials showing a turnover of £16.6m (2004 - £7.4m) with annualised sales running at £20m and operating profits of £1.8m.
Iomart also claim to have 200,000 customers, which given their recent performance over the transfer of a domain away from them totally amazes me.
At the beginning of May a new client asked me to take over the domain management and Web hosting of one of their domains - all in a day's work, HA!
Easy, request Iomart to change the IPSTag to my tagholder and then I can change the name servers and have the website up and running on the new servers within 24 hours.
First of all, Iomart charge £49.00 + VAT to change the IPSTag; this is what I refer to as a "Sour Grapes" charge - as in you move your domain away from us and we'll whack you with a hefty "transfer" charge.
Iomart requested an authorising fax on letterhead paper signed by the legal registrant quoting the domain name and new IPSTag - perfectly reasonable. Sent 5th May.
So how should the £49.00 charge be paid for? My newly acquired client has to go into their control panel and pay by credit card, then Iomart change the IPSTag and the transfer goes ahead. And if the client doesn't know their username and password Iomart emails it to them.
This is what happened, but said username and password didn't work, client emails them to me and I try - dead right, it doesn't work.
Back to Iomart. I phone them (10-15 mins listening to repeated statements that they are "experiencing heavy demand for this service") to be told that my client will have to send them a cheque. Cheque gets sent on 6th May with a covering letter stating the domain name concerned... and we wait a week, nothing.
I phone them up and they say thay haven't received the cheque.
I phone the client to ask for a cheque number. Client has gone on holiday and won't be back 'til this Wednesday (yesterday).
I speak to the customer today, get the cheque number and confirmation that the cheque cleared yesterday, and call Iomart.
I speak to a young girl in "billing" who insists that although Iomart received a cheque no. the same as my client's cheque number it's not my client's cheque. Bit of a coincidence methinks and ask her to doublecheck her facts, but she's adamant there's no mistake. Billing girl asks me to find out which bank account the cheque has been paid into.
I phone client, client phones their bank to be told that the bank doesn't know and can't find out the recipient's details unless banked at the same bank. Back to square one - getting really uptight now but retain professional attitude when calling Iomart again.
Billing girl still maintains the cheque is not my client's. She tells me it belongs to a company in Wales. I make investigations, call the company and speak to Mike. Mike confirms he paid Iomart, a company he says is "difficult to deal with"... but paid them last year!
Back to billing girl. I don't think she's enjoying these conversations with me now, but still insists company in Wales is the only cheque with the same cheque number. She still claims Iomart's accounts system is accurate. I point out that the Welsh company paid their cheque over a year ago, so why would it only just have been paid in (sorry, I forgot to mention she had said the cheque was paid into their account on 16/05/05). I'm getting nowhere and say I'll be complaining to Nominet before ending the call.
Think about it some more, and decide to see if I can escalate the matter to management level. I call again and ask to be put through to Customer Services. "You'll have to call another number" - 0870 050 0303 - I recognise this as "Technical Support", and dial it, ask for Customer Services only to be told I've got Technical Support. Obviously no Customer Services within the company - but think to myself that I'd already worked that out, pah!
Another girl on the line says she'll find me someone to speak to and puts me on hold... back to the billing department and the "billing" girl again.
Billing girl says she was going to phone me but didn't have a number - at least she's right about that.
Guess what. They'd made a mistake and the IPSTag would be changed today - what a waste of an afternoon. Perhaps I'll ask for a refund for my client.
Just goes to show that not all Web hosting companies are same!
By the way, I don't charge for transfers to or away from us so if you're asked to pay more than £15.00 + VAT in transfer charges give us a call - there is a way round it. ;)
posted by Richard Williams at 5/19/2005 02:34:00 pm
23 Comments:
I too have had a disasterous experience with IOMART.
In July 2004 IOMART promised and confirmed by email that they would get my existing website www.oceanviewvillas.co.uk in the 1st two pages of all the major search engines within 2 weeks of joining for any 10 search strings I put forward. They would do this by creating a new web site called wwwspain-property-rental.com and linking it to my existing site. To be honest I would have been happy if they had achieved that in 2 months. But guess what, here we are 12 months later and they still have not got my search strings listed with the major search engines and every time I chase them they say they are looking into it! Here is the message they have sent me countless times over the last year:
"Unfortunately we have found that you are not yet listed under your chosen key phrases within the major search engines. The search engineering department has already been made aware of your case and your site has been scheduled for a full review.
I have tried to get a refund several times but evidently 'This is not company policy' They say they have 200,000 clients, is it only me who feels completely ripped off?
No! Unfortunately you are not. I purchased an Iomart service and again with the same "Promise" of being in the top 10 of website listings I duly paid my fee (nearly £400) and lo and behold. My site never materialised (not even in the top 100) I asked for a refund, got nowhere! But repeated excuses and engineers looking but it NEVER appeared.
I continued to ask for a refund. But no joy. I wrote to them again and requested immediate cancellation due to promises not being kept.
I am now a year later being continually hasseled by them for an Outstanding payment! for a "continual submission to Search Engines" Rubbish!
I also feel ripped off and look forward to seeing more people coming forward with their IOMART experiences so we can show this company for what it is!
Iomart own Easyspace.
I have used them since 2000, and a year or so ago iomart bought them.
In july, a relative of mine paid the renewal fee for a .com domain, but easyspace just took the money and didn't renew the domain.
I only found this out in September, about 4 days after it had been re-registered elsewhere.
Easyspace offered a refund of the renewal fee or a free domain.
Perhaps compensating for loss of business & re-designing staionary etc. or trying to buy it back would be better.
I'm finding their iomart servers are also unreliable.
I hope I don't get charged through the roof when I move. If they try. I'll contact ICANN & internic to re-gain control of the domains that are registered in MY name.
Iomart bought out Easyspace who have hosted my Domain since 2001. In June I paid by debit card over the web for renewal, and received a receipt.
When I stopped getting emails investigation showed that my Domain had not been renewed. During a phone call to Easyspace "automated error" was blamed. There was no apology given for the loss of my business Domain, or the distress caused by their mistake. Easyspace admit their mistake, but refuse to take any responsibility for it. I was told that if I wanted my Domain back I would have to contact the new owners myself. (They are in Panama, and wanted $900). Easyspace Customer Services are not contactable by phone !! and took nearly three weeks to reply to a Recorded Delivery letter- with a standard reply format that did not answer any of the questions I asked.
Trading Standards tell me that it is straight forward Breach of Contract and that Easyspace should get the Domain back and/or compensate for my financila losses.
They are only offering a refund of the £24 renewal fee. It looks like I may have to go to the Small Claims Court to get justice.
There's one of these sites for every major company in the world now and the overcomplaining public really have taken all of the effect these previously helpfull guides will ever. Iomart ae staffed by human biengs who are unfortunatly susseptable to human error the same as everyone else. Get a life and stop pretendin that you everyone else is responsible for your lack of understanding.
I agree with you b, companies are run by human beings who make mistakes, and I'll put my hands up to a few myself.
But the problem seems to be, that having made mistakes Iomart don't then listen to their customers to see if it is, in fact, they who are at fault.
If that recognition on the part of Iomart's staff isn't there then they are going to get disgruntled customers - that's not the customer's fault.
And to show we are not a million miles apart on this I assess a company not on whether they perform 100%, but how they react when mistakes occur. That, to me, is the measure of a company, and it either raises or lowers my opinion of them.
Hi,
Sorry - a few mistakes? Easyspace charge £49 to move your domain away from them - an exorbitant charge I have not been able to find anyone else charging.
That's not a mistake - it's an out and out con.
b's comment is extremely similar to a comment made elsewhere within an Iomart complaint site.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?iomart&51
Post number 124
I find that interesting. Do they now employ someone to do this?
The administration fee charged to instigate a transfer is common practise through out the industry some companys charge others dont here are examples
e-HQ £39.99 +vat
Legend £35 +vat
E Sterling £75 +vat
and i believe BT charge £89 even nominet charge a fee so the £49 + vat from easyspace/iomart/nicnames is not that bad.
Customers also have to realise that they also have a care of duty to there services along with whatever company they are with so the buck does not compleatly stop with the hosting company
"Anonymous said... The administration fee charged to instigate a transfer is common practise through out the industry some companys charge others dont"
It is true some hosting companies charge an administration fee to transfer a domain to another hosting company, but they are now in the minority.
Let's face it, it takes minutes to deal with so customers understandably feel aggrieved. However, to keep a balanced view on this it is up to companies who purchase domains to check the terms and conditions before buying a domain name from a company in the first place.
My advice is to only buy from companies that do not charge transfer out fees. Of course, any outstanding domain name registration fees should always be paid for before expecting a hosting company to transfer out a domain name - but that's another matter.
And as for the anonymous contributor's assertion that customers have a duty of care I'm afraid that is a little too unspecific for me to comment on - perhaps the contributor would like to elucidate?
IOMART
If you see the word or anything relating to them I would advise you continue looking elsewhere.
They rely on selling techniques that are far from clear - aong the lines of mis sold endowment policies during the 80's.
There services were INEFFECTIVE in my case and when I discussed this with them (it wasn't easy) they suggested that it may take a bit longer and that I should try there more sophisticated producted.
My reply - why on earth would I purchase another product from a company who sold me one previously that didn't work and that couldn't manage the cicumstance to my satisfction.
Give IOMART a miss - you won't regret it.
Also see UNICOM - avoid them too!!
I once worked for IOMART with hindsight even my interview was a scam. I was totallt untrained about my job and had no idea what I was doing, promising search engine submission to the first two pages to all the major search engines. Staff were sacked weekly for not brining in enough clients, but most of the staff were not employed as sales. Staff reguarly left after witnessing incompetence and almost fraud like running of the company.
I was there a few months and I learnt never touch IOMART!
Same as above from me ref the sale of a website design and listing.They cold called me in Aug 2004 - I paid the initial fee to set up waht I thought was going to be a bespoke web site.This never happened,they just sent me a CD with basic info on how to do it yourself.Despite repeated calls they never attended to any of my queries.They had a direct debit set up which ended up not being collected properly.I nevr heard form them again but at the end of mArch 2006 my bank a/c was debited by £264 - I found out later it was Iomart.They took this money using expired debit card details which I had used for the initial set up fee.I never authories them to take this using a debit card.I sent a complaint letter which was answered with a curt "you signed a contract..." reply.They also automatically renewed this "contract " after the first year.I cant say how angry I am that they should be able to promote and sell services which they do not provide.They are thieves,liars and cheats.AVOID AT ALL COSTS.We should all complain to watchdog.Michael N.
I have had now 35 domain nmaes most which point to a base of about three host sites.
I 'gave' away to a friend one domain nmae that was set up for him, under his name although i was admin/owner so I asked easyspace to change this as it was to be separarted from mine from now on. That was in January 2006, by April I was threatening all sorts as nothing had been done, the recorded letters had not been received! neither the banked cheque, funny though sending a copy bank statement things started to move along, then they runf my friend having trouble with the new passwords & srttings & they verbally told him mine so he could have got access to ALL my 35 domains! They deny this & even charged £25+VAT admin to transfer ownership to another within Easyspace itself! Useless!
Will be moving mine somehow. Easyspace were fine until Iomart got hold of them, so they desive to be killed off by evryone leaving, as they deny, decive & mess you about, dont answer the problems they casue & close the ticket queries when the problem is not sorted, hoping you will just go quite.
Gordon
Hi Richard.
Excellent blog. It is wise to keep a track of every action you take and every conversation you have (impossible I know) with IOMart. Not just for keeping a track of the rip-off merchants that they are and showing it to trading standards, but also because it makes for excellent entertainment. :)
I have also signed the Online petition (http://www.PetitionOnline.com/iom
art/) where I heard of this site. I was the web designer that has had 3 customers stung by IOMart when one rang up describing themselves as a "Premium web design" company. When I looked at this site (that no one knew existed) I nearly spat coffee over the computer. It was hideous. Luckily there is a way to get the domain name transferred elsewhere, I've had to do it 3 times so far.
I would advise anyone else reading this, if you haven't already, sign it (and feel free to leave a comment). If you read comment No 124 this just demonstrates the level of IOMart's arrogance. How they haven't made Watchdog yet, I will never know.
I cannot believe for a second that they have made that £7m profit. I bet not a penny of it is from genuine satisfied customers!
One last thing heres a riddle, if you read my blog article http://www.dvhdesign.co.uk/blog/2005/02/what-exactly-is-premium-about-premium.html guess what company I am referring to. I would leave links to my other articles regarding IOMart, but I will only do so with your permission, Richard, as the last thing I want to be accused of is splogging. :)
IOMART take money for listings and never bother listing any thing. They claim to OWN Google and claim to list your site number 1 on Google.(This is lies)
They sell shoddy unusable websites.
They have taken money from my credit card when ever they feel like it. Total so far nearly a thousand pounds and still rising. Do yourself a favour and hang up the phone when anyone calls from IOMART or UFINDUS.com
Ive been with easyspace (IOMART) for a year now. Totally disasterous.. the so-called control panel login has a mind of its own. The scripting they use does,nt work, and one is often left looking at a hideous elephant with rolling eyes! Several months ago, I had a member of their "sales team" phone me, asking if I needed a professional website designer. I would,nt mind but when I replied "no thanks", the person whispered something I did,nt quite get, and the call was disconnected. Needless to say, the caller had no return number, and I've now stopped answering callers whose number is not displayed.
Meanwhile Im trying to transfer my domain, though Im not really interested in paying IOMART another single penny.
Easyspace = Disaster!
Avoid at all costs, they dont answer emails, they ignore letters, and they "totally ignore" letters sent by Registered post!
I've sent letter after letter, and all have been ignored.
The company is hideous to deal with.. just dealing with them will put your blood pressure thru the roof, and you'll be left having a bad taste in your mouth for years to come.
They are cheap but utter rubbish when it comes to customer care (mainly because there is NONE!)
Take care,
Richie
I work for Iomart and must say that whilst its a shame some of you have had bad experiences, I am pretty happy working here and earn decent money, they are one of the best paying employers in this town!
I am pleased that anonymous (above) loves thier job and that iomart are the best paying company in the town. But the should bear in mind that IOMART afford the best wages because they probably rip off more people than anyone else in the town.
It has been my misfortune to be a Nicnames customer, Nicnames then being bought by IOMART. Not only are thier prices high but the level of service is appaling, truly appaling. I have had instances of DNS settings being changed without request or consent and when I raise concern because a customer wesite was down, I was told 'oops' don't know how that happened but it will take 48 hours to put right. Gobsmacking lack of regard for thier customer.
I have moved all our .com domains to another supplier who are going to be taking on the .co.uk's shortly.
Avoid IOMART in all of its guises (easyspace, nicnames) at all costs or you will end up paying.
Reading all these blogs brings that terrible feeling of dealing with iomart back to me. They claim to be able to get your site on the first page of any search, never done. They
never respond to phone calls or letters, they have taken unauthorised payments from my barclaycard. I had to complain to barclaycard to get the money back which was not straightforward. I canceled the contract for breach of contract but they refused to recognise this. Because I was worried they would carry on charging I checked their small print on cancelation, the window of opportunity to cancel was very small but I did this on pain of being tied in for another year. They did not acknowledge the cancelation even though I sent it twice. I have recently moved to a new hosting company and Iomart asked my website designer for my credit card details to enable me to move. I refused to give them and contacted nominet and did it through them. It turned out iomart where going to take hundreds of pounds from my credit card because they claim I still have a contract with them, it is virtualy uncancelable. Even after moving I had my first phonecall from Iomart for 18 months saying I owed them hundreds of pounds and if I payed they would allow me to cancel and the debt would stop acruing. I told the man to sue me and I would counter sue for breach of contract. I can identify with all the complaints in the blogs. I always say to the people at iomart when they speak to me that their company is corrupt, dishonest and immoral, to give the people on the other end of the phone their due they normaly agree. I must apologise for my grammar and spelling I am too angry to concentrate.
Regards
Simon
I struggled to get my contact page working ,in the end I gave up trying afyer hours on the phone not to mention the waiting times. I thought that perhaps my inexperience was to blame but now having read your blog I see that I am not alone, I am now left with a website which I have no control, any advise would be appreciated.
robinair_art@yahoo.co.uk
2 Robin - It's a bit difficult to advise on a course of action for you.
I know you're fed up with Iomart. What I don't know is whether the ufindus.com directory is bringing traffic to your site (whether any traffic is being converted into business is another matter). If not, then you may want to consider moving to another hosting service provider.
In that case, do you need a content management system to update your site with fresh content. Or do you have sufficient skills and time to write web pages yourself?
There are many solutions out there, and of course we offer solutions too.
Rather than guess at what you need if you'd like to give me a call (0845 090 0015) after the bank holiday we can discuss your situation in more detail.
Post a Comment
<< Home