If you are looking for web hosting services, DO NOT use RackSpace.com as a service provider. They are a rip off and will take advantage of anyone they can - especially a small business person under duress in need of professional technical support. RackSpace.com wants your money - that's all they want. They will say or do whatever they can with high pressure sales techniques to get you to sign a contract with them - even if it means misrepresenting their policies to do it.
I contacted RackSpace.com for hosting information when a bad web developer I was using threatened to stop our web hosting if we did not pay him more money for a website he never actually completed even after receiving thousands of dollars as agreed to do the work. (Another bad guy - Tony Peacock / Peacock Productions) My online company was being held hostage by this guy as he threatened to close down a website I own and operate because "he could" to manipulate us into giving him more money that originally negotiated for his services.
My RackSpace.com sales person was a strong sales person and convinced me to sign an 18 month hosting contract to get a server "started" for us should I not be able to work it out with my existing host. (He knew I was trying to work something out while I investigated other options to avoid having me website down) It was explained to me that there was a 30 day free out option if I were to move ahead right away with RackSpace.com (this is also something that is documented on the web as an option they offer to other clients too)
The Rackspace.com sales person knew my company was a small company without an in-house tech person and that our business operated through a website that had to stay up at all times. The sales person knew that we did not have the know-how or skill to move our website ourselves so he suggested migration companies that would do this for a fee. RackSpace.com knew that I would be better off with an existing host if possible (that is what did happen after all) so I did not have to hire a migration company to transfer our website after all.By staying where we were we saved quite a bit of money. The problem is that my existing provider was not RackSpace.com.
Within 3 days of signing the RackSpace contract I notified RackSpace.com that I was not in need of their services and I would like to exercise my free 30 days out option. RackSpace.com went ahead and charged my credit card for a full month of services and set up fees, and then notified me they intended to hold me to an 18 month contract I was told I could get out of without any cost. I told them that I had contacted the existing host and worked out an opportunity to keep the website where it was without any transfer and without all of the additional expense of making a change that may jeapordize the operation of my website. (Something my sales person fully understood from the initial phone call)
RackSpace.com advertises "Fanatiacl Support" but it appears that the only thing they are "fanatical" about is taking money they did not earn from a customer that was told verbally that a free 30 days out was available. RackSpace still has a brand new server never used by me, and I have never used their services. The server is completely re-usable for another client and I have no proof it was even ever configured for our use. I agreed to let them keep my set up fee of $250 but did not feel that was even right after being offered a free 30 days out option. For days now a RackSpace empleyee has been emailing to "negotiate" my 18 month contract that I wanted out of 72 hours into and they will not let me talk to the sales person I worked with to iron out the details. RackSpace.com is the type of company that gives "tech companies" a bad name. For those of us who are just trying to run our business without unecessary expense or legal issues - stay away from RackSpace.com! To date I have not received a refund on my credit card or any confirmation of where we stand.
0 comments