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Briehost is dead (2018 review)
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Briehost is dead (2018 review)

Briehost was one of the few providers that gave you a VPS for $1.99/year. In October 2017 I bought a VPS (OpenVZ, 5GB storage, 256 RAM, IPv6 only) for testing purposes. I paid $4.99. The setup was automatic and I was happy overall.
Last week (February 2018) I wanted to "unearth" my unused VPS, but server was offline with an "Other OS" installed. I wasn't able to start nor reinstall the OS.
Error. Rebuilding VPS. Status: "There was an error while saving the VPS Data on the slave. Please make sure that the slave server is working".
I submitted a ticket. Days later, I got no reply, and I started to realize that something was wrong with Briehost. The other day I sent messages to [email protected] and [email protected] announcing that I was about to open a PayPal dispute.

I came to this useful forum to check if other people was also having problems with Briehost. I found the only Briehost review thread (I expected more popularity for such a cheap provider). The discussion is from May/2017, but was reopened on 28 Jan by @Researcher, who commented something similar to my case.
https://www.lowendtalk.com/discussion/114124/briehost-hosting-review-experience
I visited @briehost profile and learned that he posted 9 offers between Oct/2013 and Sept/2016. "Last Active: September 2017" that says it all.
Visit: https://www.briehost.com/clients/serverstatus.php All servers are down.

Why I created this thread? 1) To warn prospective customers. Ok, Briehost, you're out of business, so why do you still have a fully operative website and store? That's called scam. 2) To tell existing customers with my same problem that you're not alone, and we need to file a claim with PayPal.
Side note: Is it legal to offer a service with a no-refund policy? In the shopping cart (order summary) client is asked to checkmark "I understand there are no refunds on this product".
I'll update this post with info about my Paypal dispute.

Thanked by 1kkrajk

Comments

  • MasonRMasonR Community Contributor
    edited February 2018

    Thanks for the warning, mate!

    I'll probably go with Goudahost the next time around.


    Edit:

    robertgarcia said: Side note: Is it legal to offer a service with a no-refund policy? In the shopping cart (order summary) client is asked to checkmark "I understand there are no refunds on this product".

    If they decide to fight/respond to your PayPal dispute, they'll probably quote this and win the case. Just a head's up.

    Thanked by 1[Deleted User]
  • Looking at your thread history it seems there is a pattern going on.

    Have you considered increasing your budget so the next host you choose will be around longer?

  • jarjar Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran
  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider

    @Jarland, post of the year!

    Thanked by 1jar
  • I'm a fan of Cambozola, myself.

  • vovlervovler Member
    edited February 2018

    @robertgarcia It's been proven many times with many providers that try to provide service for peanuts that this low-low-end type of service doesn't actually work.

    I'd go as far as to say that offering free hosting with an option to upgrade is a better option than offering hosting/vps at this price, atleast you won't have to deal with $2 chargebacks and offer support to clients that "paid" for it, ridiculous.

  • I refer everyone to the first reply in the linked thread.

    Thanked by 1randvegeta
  • @MasonR said:
    Edit:

    robertgarcia said: Side note: Is it legal to offer a service with a no-refund policy? In the shopping cart (order summary) client is asked to checkmark "I understand there are no refunds on this product".

    If they decide to fight/respond to your PayPal dispute, they'll probably quote this and win the case. Just a head's up.

    Well, he doesn't receive his product.

  • robertgarcia said: we need to file a claim with PayPal

    You've got to be kidding! For $5 (let alone $1.99) you're going to file a PayPal claim?

    Listen man, if you need food or something, or perhaps you don't have any shoes, we'll help you. But for god's sake, what are you doing renting any VPS if you're in such dire straits? You've got other things you should be tending to.

  • robertgarciarobertgarcia Member
    edited February 2018

    Ok, as announced, PayPal claim finally opened.

    See screenshots here: https://imgur.com/a/aFrUd [Isn't funny that imgur assigned ramdomly a URL that seems to read FraUd?]

    @Ole_Juul No, I'm not kidding. I can't stand being scammed, whether is $1.000 or just $1. Once I spent days fighting back against well-known scammer 1&1 for a 0.99 domain. It's a matter of principle.

    Would you guys recommend me to open a business where I charge my customers for an inexistent service? That's called scam, and that's what's doing BrieHost.

    Thanked by 1deer76
  • Thanks for the heads up

    @BrieHost not nice sir. If your services have been down for a while, please update your website and not accept anymore payments.

  • Tried registering an account.

    This order form is provided in a secure environment and to help protect against fraud your current IP address (172.68.255.91) is being logged.

    That's a CloudFlare IP. How could they configure their WHMCS?

  • randvegetarandvegeta Member, Host Rep

    robertgarcia said: I can't stand being scammed

    You got a VPS for 3 months for $1.99 and you're upset that you didn't get the remaining 9 months? Seriously?

    Look, I agree with you that it sucks, but c'mon, you've got to put things into perspective. What do you expect for $1.99?

    As for having a no-refund policy, yes it is legal and by signing up with them you agreed to it.

    Should they provide you a service that works for 12 months that you paid for? Ideally yes. Do you deserve a refund? IMO, no. You're literally complaining about less than $0.17 /month, or $1.49 worth of unpaid service.

    Principal or not, this will do nothing but waste time. Waste your time, waste Paypal's time and of course Briehost's time.

    These crazy cheap VPS plans are only theoretically sustainable. In practice, there's a lot of work that goes into supporting it which actually makes it a loss making service.

    vovler said: I'd go as far as to say that offering free hosting with an option to upgrade is a better option than offering hosting/vps at this price, atleast you won't have to deal with $2 chargebacks and offer support to clients that "paid" for it, ridiculous.

    I agree to an extent. As a provider that actually DOES operate both free and budget VPS, I know first hand what the difficulties are of running both. You don't get many support requests on the free VPS but you do get more abuse. Charging even a token sum helps weed out the main abusers. So I think there are pros and cons to both approaches.

    Any way, back to @robertgarcia. By all means, report the problem here, and spread the word that Briehost are not up to the task of providing the services paid for. But my goodness, you at least got something out of it, and for $1.99, I cannot fathom how worthless your time must be.

    But hey. I'm a provider so I have a different perspective.

    Thanked by 2Ole_Juul coreflux
  • This is part of the reason why I don't go completely low end nose diving.
    I don't want to get scammed.
    If you are tired of your money going to waste sign up with reputible providers.

    Thanked by 1Ole_Juul
  • hammer said: This is part of the reason why I don't go completely low end nose diving. I don't want to get scammed. If you are tired of your money going to waste sign up with reputible providers.

    I totally agree. The very bottom priced offers are very likely to not pan out to be much good. I've tried a few just to see where the line is and it looks like it's impossible to offer anything cheaper (or even as cheap as) the Low End Spirit offers and still be viable.

    Once I tried one that offered a year for $1. Many here probably know the deal. To me that was just for shits and giggles and I really didn't expect much. In fact, I got absolutely nothing. To me that was just funny. If I was to apply a principle to that, I'd say it would be to not waste my time if it wasn't just for fun. Seriously, $1.99 is just for fun, and to me, taking that seriously would just be the bonehead principle.

  • Ole_Juul said: taking that seriously

    Still, if you let off those 'too low priced for their own good hosts' then it makes it a viable business model for them. Even if claiming $5 in a dispute isn't worth the time or money, it sets a good precedent.

    Thanked by 3Ole_Juul ucxo Aidan
  • @ricardo said:

    Ole_Juul said: taking that seriously

    if claiming $5 in a dispute isn't worth the time or money, it sets a good precedent.

    You're on LET, but I've let CC get away with $60 before, but never a cent since. Dedicenter, I went after for $50. You pick and choose your fights.

  • @WSS said:

    @ricardo said:

    Ole_Juul said: taking that seriously

    if claiming $5 in a dispute isn't worth the time or money, it sets a good precedent.

    You're on LET, but I've let CC get away with $60 before, but never a cent since. Dedicenter, I went after for $50. You pick and choose your fights.

    I would fight for that also bro. 50 to 60 ain't chump change for me yet.

  • It isn't, but they are very, let's say, Incerno-like with their numbers. They don't promise some metrics, and then spend weeks explaining that, instead of just fixing it, or admitting that they're a little bit filthy.

  • KermEdKermEd Member
    edited February 2018

    FWIW, I'd fight it too cuz, hey, a deals a deal. The price and costs are irrelevant. If someone offers me X for Y, I'm only walking away with one of those two things in my pocket or hell will flood with the blood of their soul bwahah

  • kokasa said: 172.68.255.91...That's a CloudFlare IP.

    Cloudflare Hong Kong even, an exotic location for such a cheap vps. Looks like Briehost site is up and they are still around but you can't really expect any support from a plan like that. Looks like the server status page requires login. The other thread (posting style in some of those posts looks familiar, hmm....) mentions they took a week to answer a ticket last time, so I'd wait a while longer. If you want better response get a more expensive service.

  • @willie said:
    Looks like the server status page requires login.

    Now that you mention it...

    "No Network issues". At least the have sense of humor :-)

    Thanked by 1Aidan
  • robertgarcia said: "No Network issues". At least the have sense of humor :-)

    All systems are nominal.

    Thanked by 1JasperNL
  • First-RootFirst-Root Member, Host Rep
    edited February 2018

    Everything running as expected, nothing to see here please go on.

  • Paypal case resolved. Paypal conducted an investigation and finally decided in my favor. They will refund my money.
    Thank you to those who supported me (@hammer, @KermEd, @yokowasis) and think that this would be a better world without scammers.

    Briehost never contacted me, and maybe they didn't even responded to Paypal.

  • I agree with @robertgarcia, it's a matter of principle. There are other super low-end providers that are much better. I have NAT VPSes with Wishosting and Gullo and haven't had the type of outbound connectivity issues I had with Briehost. I haven't tried LES but @mikho seems very responsive.

    I also have a ticket still in the original Open status with them for several months now regarding the same issue. I will be requesting a refund as well, since I see my Briehost VPS in Falkenstein, DE is down.

    Thanked by 1deer76
  • mikhomikho Member, Host Rep

    @bayarea15 said:
    I haven't tried LES but @mikho seems very responsive.

    You should. And I am. :)
    Get the bundle before it is to late!

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