Terrible experience with Kansas City Host aka The Forum Heroes

[eagle eyes]

@WoL sorry to hear this, we had a similar issues with Mike Edge/The Forum Heroes. If you don't have cpanel/whm on your server, it is over for you. He locks the access to server/db in the name of securing firewall. It is actually a method to make it hard for people to switch hosts. When we were trying to migrate from him, he had time to take 10 days vacation but didn't have time to generate a DB back up that was not corrupt. It is sad because he was a great host for 2-3 years we hosted with him, and mind you this was a large site. Thankfully, i have found someone better and my big site is not a a big site for him as it was for Mike.

Also i can confirm all details you have provided are true, because same tactics were displayed with us more recently.

 

[EliteDuck]

I would highly recommend switching to Namecheap. They have new and obscure TLDs (.xyz and such), $40/year basic hosting and support CloudFlare. I have used them for 4 years. The only issue I had was when I first started using them and they answered my ticket within 20 minutes of me sending it.

I had a similar experience with a MC host that I was using at the time (PytoHost). I had my server prepaid for 6 months, so I thought that it would be a great idea to pay for web hosting and a domain from them as well. Big mistake. C-panel was corrupted on their end, so I submitted a ticket. They told me it would be fixed ASAP. It took them almost a month to fix it for all users (not just me, as I asked my friend who was using them and he stated the same). I requested a refund and they refused to do so.

 

[Mike Edge]

If you don't have cpanel/whm on your server, it is over for you. He locks the access to server/db in the name of securing firewall. It is actually a method to make it hard for people to switch hosts. [/USER]

Your situation was very different. You were on dedicated servers, 2 servers for your httpd and a server dedicated to your MySQL. Your database backups weren't defective anytime I tested them after you reported it. I made you several which you always claimed corrupt after you tried transfering to a new server, so the issue was how you were transfering them.. Not the data dump itself. Why would I try to prevent you from leaving when it was I suggested you find a new host as your text daily at 3am that you broke something was getting to be a bit too much the last few months of the almost 3 years you were hosted with me. I even went as far as setting up another server that you had full root access to that sync'd all your files and database to it to make your move easier, yet your new server admin still had issues doing so.

 

[Gabby]

Sigh

 

[WoL]

Well, we did move. It cost us lotsa pain in the neck, time, nerves, energy and effort. It still needs some fine tuning but otherwise it is up and kicking again.

Hope will never make the same mistake of choosing one-man business and thus will avoid those troubles again.

When you guys are asked here or there about what you hear about the Forum Heroes and Mike Edge, hope you know now what to reply...

Thanks to all who helped and advised.

 

[motowebmaster]

@WoL Consider dedicating a portion of your time to the development of a couple disaster recovery plans that aren't reliant on one relationship. Whether you learn new skills, or build additional partner relationships, give yourself the flexibility to recover when you deem necessary.

Hope things work out for you.

 

[Dryline]

We had similar experiences WoL and switched to Steg Solutions (AWS) and have never looked back. I don't want to relive any of it, but you are not alone my friend.

I don't get all of the constant name changes either. It seems the user and/or company name changes so often a guy can't keep up with it.

 

[vij]

So the short answer is I don't mind. In the whole time we've been with Mike, that was the first downtime we've had that was that bad.

@Amaury if you are so accommodating to gracefully accept 2 week outage (and you seem to suggest smaller outages too), then you are "customer of the century"
See, outages are fine for forums with little or no traffic, but long outages for a site with lot of visitors and active members or sites that actually make money can be a big problem. And 2 weeks downtime, that's just not done imo. I have to say I am amused by your post and I am sure many are.

 

[Amaury]

It doesn't matter if the forum is small or large. Stuff happens, and sometimes you can't control it. Just gotta accept it. The long downtime we had I took a lot of responsibility for due to failing to communicate with our host when the issue first arose. I relied on @Nights who currently has a hectic life because I thought it was only something he could manage.

As for outages in general, no server is perfect, and expecting zero days of downtime forever is, quite frankly, unreasonable.

 

[vij]

As for outages in general, no server is perfect, and expecting zero days of downtime forever is, quite frankly, unreasonable.

not zero. the odd few minutes are probably fine... but I can assure you weeks or days of downtime is very very very uncommon with any decent host...actually i haven't encountered it ever, thankfully with any of my hosts that host my dozens of sites.

You are being kind and understanding - but the fact remains that it isn't professional from the hosting provider.

 

[tajhay]

It doesn't matter if the forum is small or large. Stuff happens, and sometimes you can't control it.

Hence why most reputable hosts have uptime guarantee (usually something like 99.9% - which equates to 43 mins downtime a MONTH). If you are happy with having two weeks downtime, then by all means continue spruiking whichever host gives you that happiness and stress free hosting.

 

[Amaury]

Considering we've been with our current host since September 2014, I'm pretty sure, and that being our first downtime of that length, I think we're doing pretty well. And remember, it could have been a week shorter had I done better communication.

However, I digress. I refuse to reply any further to this thread.

 

[vij]

Considering we've been with our current host since September 2014, I'm pretty sure, and that being our first downtime of that length, I think we're doing pretty well. And remember, it could have been a week shorter had I done better communication.

However, I digress. I refuse to reply any further to this thread.

I don't think you realize it, but your posts are actually reflecting poorly on the host

 

[Lone Wolf]

Considering we've been with our current host since September 2014, I'm pretty sure, and that being our first downtime of that length, I think we're doing pretty well. And remember, it could have been a week shorter had I done better communication.

Amaury your standards for a host seem to be a lot lower than most people. You think weeks of downtime is no big deal then you say it was the first downtime of 'that length' implying there have been other instances of downtime and presumably some lasting for days, etc.

I had a terrible experience with Mike Edge and after reading the belligerent way he is bulldozing yet another customer in this thread I'm very tempted to post a review myself.

 

[Sadik B]

Not being able to access cPanel/FTP was caused by our firewall locking the login due to too many incorrect password attempts.

I usually do not comment on threads like these. I just got curious reading this though. Could you not whitelist the client's IP / IP range in your firewall making sure he always has access to cpanel?

 

[vij]

Why is this in the "Off Topic" Forum?

 

[Deathstarr]

Considering we've been with our current host since September 2014, I'm pretty sure, and that being our first downtime of that length, I think we're doing pretty well. And remember, it could have been a week shorter had I done better communication.

However, I digress. I refuse to reply any further to this thread.

I've read the entire thread and not going to comment on anything related to the web host companies in the topic. I have never used Mike Edge, I have never used most of the web host mentioned in the thread. . I am happy to say I have used the same web hosting company/Owner/Person since 2008 I have never had downtime since 2008. Now, I know that downtime is unavoidable at times since things break cpu goes down, power outage, ect. but that is why your web host (I owned one at a time) should have a backup plan for that downtime.

 

[Raitsa]

Hi guys.
I know this is not fully suitable for this site but many of you use/have used/considers to use The Forum Heroes as a Xenforo host so let me tell you about my experience.

I was hosted by The Forum Heroes for a few years and it was a rocky road.
I have so many different excuses from him why stuff is down its not even funny.
Saved em all as a diary, they make a quite funny timeline looking at em afterwards.

I kept my contact to Mike to minimum so that he would reply to me when it really was needed.
That did not really help and the only way to contact him was through this site´s private conversations.

I have been trying to get my money back (which i have paid in advance to the end of 2020) now for some 5 months but he has not replied to me at all, its total silence from him.
I am now happily hosted elsewhere but still he refuses to answer or return my money.

So be careful out there who who choose as your host.

 

[BoostN]

I have been trying to get my money back (which i have paid in advance to the end of 2020)

It's never a good idea to pay a "1 man shop" that far in advance, as you may never know what can happen.

 

[Amaury]

It's probably a good idea to not pay any third-party in advance. There's no need to single out people who run solo companies for the most part. Now, how about paying a company like XenForo in advance? Go for it, because they are an official first-party company!