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[RESOLVED] Unacceptably bad way of handling issues by Arubacloud...
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[RESOLVED] Unacceptably bad way of handling issues by Arubacloud...

jvnadrjvnadr Member
edited October 2019 in Reviews

Before started, disclaimers on the beginning!

  • Yes, I had backups, I used them, I am not complaining on losing data
  • No, I did not lose millions from their extremely cheap service
  • No, I do not complain about the performance of an extremely cheap service. Instead, their servers are really good for the price
  • Yes, I did secure the server, as possible as this can be done.

I did open this thread because IMO, this is not a good practice on dealing with an account when an issue occures.

I have a couple of the old cheap 1 euro vps servers with arubacloud, since Sept. of 2015. I had more running instances, but I terminated them before the 1 euro vps stop being offered and since then, I keep those two remaining servers on line. In fact, I am really very satisfied with their performance and stability, for such a low price.
So, this morning, my surprise was huge when this incident occured. At first, I received an email from them saying just this:

Dear Customer, activity that is non-compliant with the Aruba acceptable use Policy has been detected in the server "nameofmyserverhere" In accordance with article 11 of the contract, the Service has been suspended; therefore, please verify this issue and take the necessary actions to check also the security of the applications. Please get back to us within the next 72 hrs, so we can verify the possibility of reactivating the Service. We remind you that by failing to reply, article 13.1 of the contract will be applied and the Service will be cancelled.

Just this, no other information. The contract has some generic rules on the article 11 (you can see them here).

A second email, some minutes later, was no enlighten more of the first one...

The user AWI-xxxx has been suspended. The related resources were disabled on the 24/10/2019 at 08:21.

That's all! No information at all. No information on the billing portal, or by ticket, or anywhere.
And the worst part? They did fully disable access on the client's portal for my account, disabling the second vps I have with them, that, according to the mail, is not included to the "non-compliant activity"!

The disabled server is just containing a small, really low traffic wordpress site that has some forms in it (ninjaforms) for collecting details about the interest on providing free English courses from a non-government organization to poor people. All legit, all according to the EU law.

I have opened a ticket asking details, but till now, no response.

Probably the first vps were compromised and did something like ddosing? Maybe, I don't know they have not informed me. BUT:

  • They did not gave me any single detail on what happened, why they banned the vps.
  • They did this in an account that is active with active services for 4 years exactly, without a single incident till now, without even a single ticket from their or my side!
  • They did not just disabled the affected (?) vps, but my second server that it is not included to the mail.
  • Their communication with their client on the incident (on any incident) is crap

They gave me 72 hours to reply about the issue (what issue? The one they did not even gave me a single clue about what is?) or else the account will be terminated permanently. Why? I have deposit money in the account (so the existence of the vps is paid for months to come) and the server is disabled, so, there is not any danger of continuing any shady activity. I could have been unreachable, why the deadline of the 72 hours for a paid service with no danger?

Why did they shut down the second server?

And how a company can claim about breach of AUP but not giving a single detail on the nature of this to a client that is 4 years with them without issue?

I don't mind about the server, I had several backups, I deployed one immediately to another vps, it is up and running, I secured it changing all passwords, from the access to DB till the clien't area and I scanned it with several tools to be sure there is not any malicious code or a backdoor in it. So, the issue for me is not the server itself.

The issue is about the practices on their relation with their clients. It is just unacceptable for me and I thought that I should share this, so, everybody that has services with them to be prepaid if something similar happen to them (backups, monitoring etc.).

Thanked by 2kkrajk vimalware
«13

Comments

  • deankdeank Member, Troll

    In short, someone flamed you without proof and your host took the bait?

  • jvnadrjvnadr Member
    edited October 2019

    deank said: In short, someone flamed you without proof and your host took the bait?

    In short, my account has been locked by the provider without any single detail on why. Is it hacking? Is it overload? Is it bad mouth smell? They did not provide a clue.
    If I wear my tin foil hat, I could say that using such tactics they want to get rid of the 1 euro per server clients because they are in loss witgh them, so, without providing a tiny single detail about the violation of the AUP or contract, they just terminate their account... Buit I won't wear this tin-foil hat today...

  • deankdeank Member, Troll

    Sorry, I was able to read only up to 10ish lines. I think I passed out after that and came back on 10 seconds later after my brain rebooted.

  • DPDP Administrator, The Domain Guy

    They pulled a "suspend now, discuss later" move.

    Thanked by 1lowendhunter
  • deank said: Sorry, I was able to read only up to 10ish lines. I think I passed out after that and came back on 10 seconds later after my brain rebooted.

    You need some hardware upgrade. 10ish lines reading capability is a 8086 cpu capability, so, your equipment is rather ancienc (and I mean the upper one, I don't know the condition about the rest of it) :)

    thedp said: They pulled a "suspend now, discuss later" move.

    ...And this is something not acceptable from a professional provider... Most of them, when disabling or terminating a service, are providing a reason or even many details and proofs of any issue (e.g. Hetzner, netcup, OVH, DO etc.).
    And most of them give the client a way to enter the server to troubleshot it or clean it...

    Thanked by 1ITLabs
  • allnetstoreallnetstore Member
    edited October 2019

    To be fair, their 2nd mail specifically said that the 'user' and 'related resources' have all been suspended. So, at least the other vps getting disabled was not a unannounced action.

  • allnetstore said: To be fair, their 2nd mail specifically said that the 'user' and 'related resources' have all been suspended. So, at least the other vps getting disabled was not a unannounced action.

    My problem is not an unannounced action (although they first disabled the account and 15 minutes later sent the email). My problem is that the announce has not include any details about the issue or even a headline on the cause of suspension...
    With such a behavior, could not even think to ask somethint like internal access to the server for troubleshoting (secure mode boot with access from KVM or a single ip etc.).
    And on top mof that, such behavior to a client that has those services active for 4 years without a single issue...

    Thanked by 1ITLabs
  • uptimeuptime Member
    edited October 2019

    @thedp said:
    "suspend now, discuss later"

    that may be fine ... as long as they actually "discuss later" :smiley:

    But it seems like expectations for that to happen may be low at this point?

    @jvnadr sorry for your loss, maybe take it as cheap tuition in the school of hard knocks, if it might motivate you to setup even some simple monitoring utility such as atop - which could help to "confirm or deny" that there was any unusual activity (assuming you setup some remote logging as well for when they jerk your system out from under you) ... just a thought, in case some similar idea has not already occurred to you yet in all the current confusion and dismay

    Thanked by 2DP ITLabs
  • MasonRMasonR Community Contributor

    Sounds like a nice plot to Mission Impossible 2: Aruba Bugaloo

    @ArubaCloud, would you be so kind to help this gentleman out?

    Thanked by 1jvnadr
  • uptime said: maybe take it as cheap tuition in the school of hard knocks

    It's not even a knock, not a hard one. A very simple low traffic service backed up properly and restored elsewere in less than 15 minutes.
    More important servers of mine do have different monitoring, but again, this is not my thread's scope. I just wanted to point a behavior that, at least for me, is not accepted. An alarm for people that do have more important or less monitored or backed up services with them...
    As of "discuss later"... A suspension would be not just fine but a must if the compromised server was doing, for example, ddosing, but they should inform their client that his server is ddosing. Just that...

    Thanked by 1uptime
  • Perfect post, congratulations!

    Proper disclaimers (backup ok, millions are fine etc.). Then the facts (with email excempts). Some self-formulated assumptions about what could have gone wrong. Then some questions (why is the world like that?). And finally some soft bashing.

    @PMSpeople should learn from you about how to write a good complaint. I'm also sorry for your loss and I wish you good luck.

    Now let's wait to see what Aruba has to say.

  • MasonR said: would you be so kind to help this gentleman out?

    hahaha. Anyway, I do not need help on my issue, I will wait to see their responce on my ticket. I just think they should review their policy on suspension including giving their clients -especially those that are not just a couple of weeks with them- more details when they close their account...

    Thanked by 1MasonR
  • Thanked by 1jvnadr
  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider
    edited October 2019

    jvnadr said: hahaha. Anyway, I do not need help on my issue, I will wait to see their responce on my ticket. I just think they should review their policy on suspension including giving their clients -especially those that are not just a couple of weeks with them- more details when they close their account...

    Yeah, there are for sure reasons to do this, but they are rare.

    probably your server was actively disrupting others, so it is a case of shut down first and inform later, they probably just have shit automation that cannot account for exceptions caused by human decisions.

    I am sure there will be a good reason when they finally reply.

    Thanked by 1jvnadr
  • jvnadrjvnadr Member
    edited October 2019

    AnthonySmith said: probably your server was actively disrupting others, so it is a case of shut down first and inform later, they probably just have shit automation that cannot account for exceptions caused by human decisions.

    I am sure there are reasons (as I mentioned earlier, I won't wear today any tin foil hat :smile: ) . I just think this policy of not mentioning even as a headline the cause (e.g. overload, ddosing, vegetable pornografy etc.) of this extreme action of suspend the whole account and other not affected services.
    And, on top of that, giving 72 hours to "take the necessary actions" or permenantly erase the server, when it is prepaid and shuted down (aka no danger for others) is crapy policy...

    please verify this issue and take the necessary actions to check also the security of the applications. Please get back to us within the next 72 hrs

  • DPDP Administrator, The Domain Guy

    Oh well, you'll here from them soon now, that's for sure ;)

  • LeviLevi Member
    edited October 2019

    In case you will encounter such behaviour in future, do this:

    1. Apologize. This is mandatory.
    2. Confirm that you are ready to resolve issue. Do not ask what it is. Just let them unlock your server.
    3. When server unlocked - resolve issue or dump your data and re-install os.
    4. Decide what you want to do: dump provider or continue.

    Don't waste your time on philosophy. 1 eur server is not worth it.

  • LTniger said: Don't waste your time on philosophy. 1 eur server is not worth it.

    I like it. Was that your highschool yearbook quote?

  • DPDP Administrator, The Domain Guy

    @LTniger said:

    1. Confirm that you are ready to resolve issue. Do not ask what it is. Just let them unlock your server.
    2. When server unlocked - resolve issue or dump your data and re-install os.

    The problem is that he doesn't know what the issue is.

  • jvnadrjvnadr Member
    edited October 2019

    LTniger said: LTniger

    Utter crap comment.

    LTniger said: Apologize. This is mandatory

    A hosting service is not personal relationship. It is not my girlfriend, wife or my friend to apologise for something I did. A hosting service is a business agreement from a client to a company where the two parts has to follow some rules and some common practices.

    LTniger said: Confirm that you are ready to resolve issue. Do not ask what it is. Just let them unlock your server.

    If the provider claims that there is an issue with using the service, he has the obligation to inform in a proper way his client about this issue. Don't ask, just do is maybe valid in religion, not in a business agreement... (And they have not responded to my ticket asking what the issue is, more of asking them to unlock the service they suspended)

    LTniger said: Don't waste your time on philosophy. 1 eur server is not worth it.

    "Philosophy" (what philosophy? In this case is just conversation and sharing experiences on a forum that every member is supposed to do, or else, what is a forum for?) is not a waste of time. Sharing experiences, pointing bad practices, talk with others about technical issues or practices in a technical forum, has nothing to do with the cost of a service.

    You missed entirely the scope of my thread. As even my disclaimer says, it's not about the 1 euro service (that I am actually very happy with the service itself) but the practice of a big company to stop providing a paid service without even mentioning the reason on doing that.

  • jsgjsg Member, Resident Benchmarker

    Unless ArubaCloud provides a satisfactory explanation for their ignorant and harsh behaviour SOON ...
    I take this to mean "Stay away from ArubaCloud!"

    Thanked by 1default
  • AlwaysSkintAlwaysSkint Member
    edited October 2019

    I did warn about Aruba, a few months back, when charged for another of their customer's service - twice, two different customers! Yes, their Customer Service was appalling then too.
    Hey, maybe your server hasn't done a thing wrong and they've confused you with a different customer.
    Good luck - you'll need it.

  • @jvnadr said:

    LTniger said: LTniger

    Utter crap comment.

    LTniger said: Apologize. This is mandatory

    A hosting service is not personal relationship. It is not my girlfriend, wife or my friend to apologise for something I did. A hosting service is a business agreement from a client to a company where the two parts has to follow some rules and some common practices.

    LTniger said: Confirm that you are ready to resolve issue. Do not ask what it is. Just let them unlock your server.

    If the provider claims that there is an issue with using the service, he has the obligation to inform in a proper way his client about this issue. Don't ask, just do is maybe valid in religion, not in a business agreement... (And they have not responded to my ticket asking what the issue is, more of asking them to unlock the service they suspended)

    LTniger said: Don't waste your time on philosophy. 1 eur server is not worth it.

    "Philosophy" (what philosophy? In this case is just conversation and sharing experiences on a forum that every member is supposed to do, or else, what is a forum for?) is not a waste of time. Sharing experiences, pointing bad practices, talk with others about technical issues or practices in a technical forum, has nothing to do with the cost of a service.

    You missed entirely the scope of my thread. As even my disclaimer says, it's not about the 1 euro service (that I am actually very happy with the service itself) but the practice of a big company to stop providing a paid service without even mentioning the reason on doing that.

    Answer the question: why anyone should do what YOU think they must do?

    'they should', 'they must', 'they are wrong'... From your perspective complete account lock down is unetchical, bad behaviour. From their side - you are usual scum who abused services.

    Who's right? The battle for 1 eur worth morale. Fight!

  • tgltgl Member

    Its probably an automated system that blocked you, the only fault I see here is that they did not specify a reason, probably they need a new template, or the block script updated.

    When you have thousands (or maybe tens of thousands) of instances, you cannot handle things manually.

  • DPDP Administrator, The Domain Guy

    @tgl said:
    Its probably an automated system that blocked you, the only fault I see here is that they did not specify a reason, probably they need a new template, or the block script updated.

    When you have thousands (or maybe tens of thousands) of instances, you cannot handle things manually.

    Yes, it does sound automated, which probably makes sense why it's a very generic message.

    Thanked by 1vimalware
  • @jvnadr it was good until it lasted.... at least nobody accused you of being investigated by interpol seflow

    @matteob any inside info from interpol? ^^

    Thanked by 1kkrajk
  • jsgjsg Member, Resident Benchmarker
    edited October 2019

    Very good arguments! Frankly, customers are a nuisance that thanks to democracy and laws even have damn rights - which they of course abuse right away to put forward unreasonable demands like "a company must be able and properly prepared to conduct its business".
    What do they think? That we shake properly working templates and scripts out of happy trees?

    Sh_te I say! Customers, or as we say internally, "the idiots we need to fill our accounts", should damn eat whatever we serve and say thank you!

    "I want to know the reason why my account was terminated"? What's next? "I want the product and services I payed for properly working and I want my rights respected"?

    People like OP would lead us right into damn communism!

    Thanked by 1kkrajk
  • 2 much text did not read lololol

  • jsgjsg Member, Resident Benchmarker

    @SirFoxy said:
    2 much text did not read lololol

    Not "C) cock"? I'm worried. Are you seriously ill?

  • @jsg said:

    @SirFoxy said:
    2 much text did not read lololol

    Not "C) cock"? I'm worried. Are you seriously ill?

    Honestly I like u and think ur smart but it's fun to russle ur jimmies

    That being said 1v1 me on rust pussy

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