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Happy Cyber Monday - Changes to LowEndTalk
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Happy Cyber Monday - Changes to LowEndTalk

mpkossenmpkossen Member
edited December 2014 in Announcements

Happy Cyber Monday to all! In celebration of this cyberday, I am happy two announce two changes to LowEndTalk, one of which is quite a major one.

Shared and reseller offers are now allowed

As of this moment it is allowed for providers to post shared and reseller offers within a set of strict rules:

  • Shared hosting may not cost more than $2/month or $10/year
  • Reseller hosting may not cost more than $4/month or $15/year for providers younger than a year or $20/year for providers older than a year

A separate category for these offers has been made. Each provider is, from now on, allowed to post one offer per category ('Offers' and 'Shared/reseller offers') per 14 days.

Multi-annual pricing for VPS offers

Pricing for more than one year has always been a grey area. Providers did it and sometimes those offers were removed, sometimes they were modified, and sometimes we just didn't notice it or let it slide.

This time is over. We now allow pricing for more than one year under strict rules:

  • A provider must be a registered business
  • A provider must have been a registered business for over two years
  • Multi-annual pricing may not exceed $96 for the entire term
  • Multi-annual pricing may not be for more than three years
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Comments

  • I love the progress that you have made for the community :)

    Keep up the good work, broer.

    Thanked by 2mpkossen TheKiller
  • Interesting things going on at LowEndTalk now!

  • LeeLee Veteran
    edited December 2014

    I told you so marker

    Just marking this point so I can refer later to the ridiculous amount of shared/reseller hosting crap being posted on the forum. VPS whilst still easy to do requires 4 brain cells to do OVZ plans, shared/reseller plan are brain cell optional.

    Now there will be a daily "why my cpanel account no work!!"

  • W1V_Lee said: Just marking this point so I can refer later to the ridiculous amount of shared/reseller hosting crap being posted on the forum.

    I guess that will bring more traffic to LET :P

  • LeeLee Veteran

    For all the wrong reasons though, no offence to some but I see the site being swamped with Indian/Chinese people trying to throw $1 plans at this forum using Master Reseller accounts.

    at least have a separate forum for those out of the way.

  • @W1V_Lee said:
    For all the wrong reasons though, no offence to some but I see the site being swamped with Indian/Chinese people trying to throw $1 plans at this forum using Master Reseller accounts.

    at least have a separate forum for those out of the way.

    I understand your concern.

    We will naturally keep an eye out on the situation and if it does indeed turn into what you describe here we may very well amend the rules as required.

    Thanked by 2vRozenSch00n chrisp
  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider
    edited December 2014

    said: This time is over. We now allow pricing for more than one year under strict rules:

    Because CVPS want to do multi year deals you mean :)

    The rules post seems to be gone completely now, also with so many things that could be improved I have to wonder why this is considered a big change.

    If anything I think the semi-annual pricing is the biggest loop hole.

    Thanked by 2Darwin MannDude
  • LeeLee Veteran

    AnthonySmith said: Because CVPS want to do multi year deals you mean :)

    Or HVH who just happened to get an LEB offer listed today.

  • AnthonySmith said: The rules post seems to be gone completely now, also with so many things that could be improved I have to wonder why this is considered a big change.

    It's back now. If you edit an announcement it looses the "announcement" status... You gotta love Vanilla!

    It's a big change considering we're accepting shared and reseller hosting now.

    AnthonySmith said: Because CVPS want to do multi year deals you mean :)

    W1V_Lee said: Or HVH who just happened to get an LEB offer listed today.

    Those are the ones that triggered the discussion, yes. We removed them/edited them and it caused confusion.

    The rules didn't have anything in them on multi-year deals, so some providers were of the opinion that it was allowed to offer them. I stuck to the $48/year protective measure for one-year deals that we had in place and edited/remove/hid the offers that were posted.

    After discussing this with ColoCrossing, I came up with the idea to allow multi-year pricing to go over the $48 protective limit, only if some sort of safeguard was in place (in this case: being an "established", registered business).

  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider
    edited December 2014

    W1V_Lee said: Or HVH who just happened to get an LEB offer listed today.

    Same company.... "Colo Valley Green Hudson Chicago Blue Connect LLC"

    But yeah anyway, from the rules "VPS must not exceed USD$48/year recurring on annual billing" yet there are offers for $36 semi-annual and could be offers of $47 semi annual according to the rules.

    bit silly.

    IMO just do away with the lot, $7 p/month or equivalent, just dont allow young providers to post 6 monthly or yearly deals for a while, problem solved.

  • MaouniqueMaounique Host Rep, Veteran

    This is only on LET. As long as the place is not known to "unlimited" guys, there wont be much abuse. If there will be, can always be withdrawn.

  • said: registered business for over two years

    Might be better if we make the provider to be in business for at least as long (if not twice as long) than the term they are offering? Might be a bit weird for a provider with 2 yrs in to offer a 3 yr deal.

  • AnthonySmith said: Same company.... "Colo Valley Green Hudson Chicago Blue Connect LLC"

    HVH and ColoCrossing are owned by the same parent company, it's in the post. I'm not sure what else you want to achieve by posting this?

    AnthonySmith said: IMO just do away with the lot, $7 p/month or equivalent, just dont allow young providers to post 6 monthly or yearly deals for a while, problem solved.

    That's a good suggestion. I'm going to take that under consideration and discuss it. It would indeed solve most problems.

    Maounique said: This is only on LET. As long as the place is not known to "unlimited" guys, there wont be much abuse. If there will be, can always be withdrawn.

    Exactly.

    We may even introduce a rule against unlimited HDD/traffic if it turns out to be a problem.

    zhuanyi said: Might be better if we make the provider to be in business for at least as long (if not twice as long) than the term they are offering? Might be a bit weird for a provider with 2 yrs in to offer a 3 yr deal.

    The reason behind the two years is to have at least a record of continuation. It's never a guarantee for the future, but it's at least something. Making it double the term would really limit the amount of companies being able to benefit from this and would only make it apply to CVPS and HVH (and perhaps a very limited number of others).

    Thanked by 1Mark_R
  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider
    edited December 2014

    mpkossen said: I'm not sure what else you want to achieve by posting this?

    Its called, having a dig :) we all know they are the same company even if the public paper trail says other wise and in ironic twist in a post about a new rule that further benefits them.

    Aside from that, this place is a commercial board now, how about shortening the offer time to 7 days to match the 7 dollar thing.

    Thanked by 1Darwin
  • AnthonySmith said: Its called, having a dig :) we all know they are the same company even if the public paper trail says other wise and in ironic twist in a post about a new rule that further benefits them.

    Even if that were the case, I'm not sure what's the reason for putting it here. It's not really constructive.

    And of course it benefits them. Like I've stated, HVH and CVPS were the two companies to come here with such pricing and as a result of that, we have clarified the rules/made them more explicit rather than just letting it be. I honestly don't see the harm in that.

    AnthonySmith said: Aside from that, this place is a commercial board now, how about shortening the offer time to 7 days to match the 7 dollar thing.

    It's been a commercial board since, what, @Chief took over? That must have been like three years now if I'm correct. Heck, @Chief even came up with some of the ads that still circle here. His sole purpose was to grow the site into something commercial to sell it later. Nothing else, simple as that.

    We're not going to change the time allowed to post offers at this time. We may take up your suggestion in the future, but I'd first like to give the shared/reseller thing a go before we make more changes.

  • AnthonySmith said: Because CVPS want to do multi year deals you mean :)

    Multi years deal is bad for customers, TBH. If I remember correctly a member of this forum, @zen, lost a couple of hundred dollars for paying 5 years deal to hostrail.

    Thanked by 1Darwin
  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider

    mpkossen said: HVH and CVPS were the one company

    Fixed that for you.

    vRozenSch00n said: 5 years deal to hostrail

    haha, its bad I know but that actually just made me laugh.

  • IMO, having CVPS & HVH offers the 3 years deal, @mpkossen saw potentially abused point that unknown providers might offer the same deal then run away with customers' money. Therefore, some kind of rules must be placed to prevent LET members from being scammed.

  • @vRozenSch00n Rule #1 of LET, research before you buy!

  • wych said: Rule #1 of LET, research before you buy!

    That's why many LET members keep mentioning CVPS, 123systems etc, for a reminder.

    But to be frank, we also I personally believe that a good business should learn from the past mistake, therefor when I have spare budget, I buy a service for a month or two from those "high risk" providers, just to know whether they are trying to improve the service or not.

    HVH used to have great services when they were still with TKI. I bet looking at the way TKI charge abusers, it is hard for the downstream to keep sustainable business.

  • Shared offers aren't auto sinking

    Thanked by 1mpkossen
  • LeeLee Veteran

    Tbh anyone taking a 5 year deal in the hosting industry is really as bad as the provider offering it.

    Thanked by 1Mark_R
  • Zen said: That is some amazing memory! Yeah. I had a lot of services with HostRail and lost a lot.

    My PayPal account was banned when I canceled multiple subscriptions from hostrail for suspicious account activity, and marked "No possibility to appeal". I tried to explain, but they keep the account limited.

    Fortunately a couple of weeks ago I tried to call them, and after several verification they reinstate my account :)

  • Damn, now I'll buy shared hosting as well :(

    Thanked by 1Maounique
  • It would made more since if Shared and Reseller had their own categories.

  • Mahfuz_SS_EHLMahfuz_SS_EHL Host Rep, Veteran

    @vRozenSch00n said:
    Fortunately a couple of weeks ago I tried to call them, and after several verification they reinstate my account :)

    PayPal reinstated an account which was permanently Limited?? O.o This is unbelievable.

  • vRozenSch00nvRozenSch00n Member
    edited December 2014

    Mahfuz_SS_EHL said: ayPal reinstated an account which was permanently Limited?? O.o This is unbelievable.

    Yes, I had some balance there, waited 6 months until I can retrieve it to my bank. Then the account officer emailed me that the account has been closed.

    Not long after, when I paid a service with my CC via PP, a pop-up appeared and forced me to login to my account, and everything is still there, but I can't use my CC.

    After I got an advise from @Dalcomp somewhere edit: http://lowendtalk.com/discussion/36947/virtual-visa-card#latest in one of the threads here a few weeks ago, I called PP Singapore and it took only an hour or so, then my account was reinstate :)

    I guess they change the regulation for Asian.

  • @Darwin said:
    Shared offers aren't auto sinking

    I will get that looked into. We have a custom plugin for that and it doesn't apply the sink to the new category.

  • Yey for shared hosting! Screw VPS!

  • Does reseller hosting include VPS reseller / other hosting reseller programs or just 'shared website hosting reseller'?

This discussion has been closed.