How to get rid of a useless hosting company?

In my experience, threatening legal action usually accomplishes something. itā€™s a shame you have to resort to it, but strangely, everything happens quickly when you doā€¦

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I eventually located the ā€œsupport ticketā€ - filed under ā€œsolvedā€ and closed, despite the fact that nobody had replied to it.

[quote=ā€œbluedreamer, post:4, topic:199730ā€]
Iā€™d suggest emailing them again asking for them to remove your details and mention the ICO route if they donā€™t comply.
[/quote]Iā€™ve just done that, and await further developmentsā€¦

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And

A request for assistance has been received. Our system has created a ticket for your issue.

Oh, goodā€¦

Now to wait and see if they actually reply to this one before closing it.

Edit:
Nope - that one was immediately filed under ā€œsolvedā€, too.

(Although I suppose I should congratulate them for apparently opening the ticket 12 hours before I sent the e-mail.)

Iā€™ve managed to reply to the ticket, changing the priority to ā€œhighā€, and I think itā€™s now openā€¦

Sounds like endless hours of fun for you

Oh yes.

Another thing which is puzzling/worrying me is that clicking the link in their e-mail takes me straight into my ā€œaccountā€, which I thought was closed over three years ago. No request for a password or anything - the page opened with me logged in. I can log out while Iā€™m there and close the tab, but clicking the e-mail link takes me straight back in again.

There was something I registered for the other day, ITIL related I think. The confirmation email, promptly sent me back the password in plain text - good job I did actually come up with a new password for that site.

Iā€™ve seen a few sites do that.

It will cost much less money and time to just create an email rule to send anything from them to the trash.

I really want them to remove my details from their database. They were a lousy company while I was with them, and their e-mail database was hacked then. They seem to have got even worse since then.

I donā€™t know what details theyā€™re still holding, but they do not need them, and shouldnā€™t be using them.

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I was just about to say the same thing.

:slight_smile:

It would be cheaper to cancel the credit card than involve a lawyer. Just realistically speaking there is no way to really force them to do anything. Even if they were to be forced to remove your information how could you ever verify it ā€“ ask for a db /filesystem dump and audit it yourself. Your responsible for your own well being. If you believe some information they have could you hurt you in any way like a hacked credit card db than cancel the card and get over it.

The two sites in question are no longer hosted on their (the bad company) servers, but they contacted @TechnoBear to say that they are being moved. For what purpose? The agreement was dissolved long ago; they no longer have any need to retain any informationā€¦ period.

Then, they open a support ticket (why?), supposedly for the purpose of removing her details from their server (which they didnā€™t, which is fraud), and then immediately closed it (effectively marking it as successfully completed - which, again, it wasnā€™t.) Technobear wants zero to do with this company; they are still contacting her, and she received phishing emails as a result of the company servers being hacked (security issue).

Not only that, but according to the link that Technobear provided for ICO, there is no legitimate reason for them to retain her information.

Then, when she re-opened the support ticket in an attempt to get them to actually DO something, they mark it as ā€œsolvedā€ and close the ticket, again. Unethical, and trying to avoid doing what was requested (and now legally REQUIRED for them to do.)

Then, a link in an email sent to her takes her to her account (which should have been deactivated when she stopped doing business with them), automagically logged in with no login name or password (ANOTHER security issue.) She logs out, and the link will log her back in. WTF.

[quote=ā€œoddz, post:15, topic:199730ā€]
It would be cheaper to cancel the credit card than involve a lawyer.
[/quote]This isnā€™t about ā€œcostā€; this is about principles, and obligations ignored. This company should be reported, audited, and closed.

:slight_smile:

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ok, I guess I just donā€™t see the value. People are going to do what they are going to do. Iā€™m not the police and I most definitely would not spend any amount of money for this. I would just protect myself and move on.

Considering the fact that their servers are (apparently) easily hacked, providing contact information to the hackers which then used said contact information to send out a phishing attack, the legal course is doing just that. Ignoring it and diverting their messages to the trash will not protect anyone.

V/r,

:slight_smile:

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Well I guess you want to be a good samaritan but I could care less about others being hacked. It is other individuals responsibility to protect themselves not mine within that context. I doubt that company gives a flying sh*t about what you say and enacting legal action requires money typically so yeah.

This morning - no reply to the e-mail; ticket still open, under ā€œunsolvedā€.

Just now - still no reply to e-mail; ticket has been closed and moved to solved, although there has been no reply to it.

Next step is to write to their registered address, following the guidelines on the ICO site. Iā€™ll be surprised if that produces results. Although their website claims that theyā€™re running the business from the registered address in London, I have reason to believe most - if not all - the staff are based several thousand miles away. Anyway, if that doesnā€™t sort things out, then I can refer it to the ICO.

(Total cost - 63p for a stamp. )

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Plus time!

Curious to see how this saga ends up.

Ditto. Pls keep us in the loop, @TechnoBear?

V/r,

:slight_smile:

I will, but I have to give them 28 days to respond, so donā€™t think Iā€™ve forgotten.

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