ThinkHost.com

It amazes me that a host can get so much varying publicity.

I have never used ThinkHost but there is something to be said for his method (see Communitech) of marketing. It is a lot faster (bad news spreads) to create attention by enraging people than by being a good host. Whether this is a good strategy in the long term is a different topic altogether...
JP

The whole mess puzzles me.

I'm in a real bind between Thinkhost.com and HostRocket.com. I know both have excellent support. Problem with HR is it doesn't support PHP4 yet (according to their support, they will have it by November). Problem with TH is it doesn't offer nearly as much stuff as HR does and it is about a nickel more a month (like that really matters, but still...). Lastly, I believe HR is a little quicker, too...

I have been using Thinkhost to host my website for
several months now, and I must say I am totally
satisfied with their uptime and how quickly the
support team responds to emails. They have excellent
prices and excellent services; I recommend them to
anyone! Give them a visit: http://www.ThinkHost.com

I don't agree Justin. I will not defend Vlad's opinions or bluntness with them - that is Vlad the person, not ThinkHost the webhost. Two seperate things.

Bottom line for me and anyone who needs hosting is that they're a d*mn fine webhost...they do their job, and they do it well. That's all that matters to me really.

That said, I personally find Vlad to be a nice guy in my dealings with him (and yes, I've spoken with him extensively)...I highly recommend ThinkHost to anyone looking for a UNIX Host.

HAH Chris You know what I'm going to say even though I haven't posted yet Well if I have my thoughts straight, then the following is true...

- A lot of posts (50%) about ThinkHost have either been closed or deleted because of arguments between them and unsatisfied customers.

- They have been banned from the SitePoint Forums for arguing and for shady business practices.

- Here at TWF they have been accused of spamming and bad business practices.

Finally, you may be wondering why out of the blue a thread pops up about ThinkHost. Take a look at a message I got my hands on that was sent to all ThinkHost members:

Quote:
You have received a message!
FROM THINKHOST:

Hey guys,

Thanks to everyone who has helped us in the past. We need your help
once again quite urgently. We need to get the word out about our
services, and we really need to have you folks help. If you're happy
with our services, please take the time to post a message about us in
in any forums you visit, and let folks know that we're out here, and
that we do exist.

Also, here are some forums where we'd really appreciate your posts:

http://www.sitepointforums.com

http://www.webmaster-forums.com

http://www.webhostlink.com

If you guys can just post something saying that you are hosted by us in
the above forums, and any others you frequent and some comments about
our service, thats all we need, and it'll go a long way for us to build
up our client base. If you think we deserve that recommendation, as we
hope you do, please just give it to us on the forums -- we really can
use a boost from our users right now

We have over 100 free designer accounts -- I'd hope that each and every
one of you takes the time to do this for us. Thanks!

Also, we're considering re-opening the web designer free hosting program
to new clients. If you have ideas/suggestions as to how we can better
market
our services, *please* by all means let us know.

Thanks!

Sincerely yours,

Vladislav Davidzon, Senior Network Engineer
ThinkHost -- Honesty, Reliability, Trust
http://www.thinkhost.com
[email protected]

I know this isn't bad at all, but I just thought I'd let everyone know what they're up to.

Now don't get me wrong. I think Mr. Davidzon is a very nice person. And although there have been some problems brought up about their services, I've heard that they are great at what they do. But the problem I have is their business practices. If you've ever seen some of the threads brought up about ThinkHost then you'll know what I mean.

[Edited by Justin Stayton on 09-28-2000 at 12:16 PM]

Ok, I got the urge to post some more stuff. This time some threads y'all should look into...

http://www.webmaster-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=12193

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?threadid=1711

http://sitepointforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=8465

I'll be back with more facts and threads...

I just got an email from jonesse warning me about this letter. I'm not going to close this thread as y'all know i hate doing that but we will be keeping a close eye on this situation and deleted 'praise' posts will likely be the outcome
JP

Were you trying to prove something? I've seen all of the controversial threads and such, and they just don't apply to what I'm saying.

Shady business practices? Call it what you like...and yes, I got the email. Sounds like Vlad wants his customers to spread the word. GASP! How horrible.

C'mon man: you even admit to agreeing that he's good at what he does and is a nice person...that's what matters, and little else.

the email does not bother me in the least - his members constabtly praising his company with one off posts would be an issue
JP

Quote:
The way the owners or employees of a company act in public places directly reflects on their company.

That is what I believe. If you, Chris, think that Mr. Davidzon and ThinkHost are two different things then you must be crazy. ThinkHost IS Mr. Davidzon. What he does is what can be expected from his company. You've read the posts. Don't you see that THEY ALL are about how crummy his services are? Doesn't it mean anything that he's been banned from SitePoint because him and his company had shady, unethical business practices? Doesn't it mean anything that nowadays forum administrators email each other saying "watch out for threads about ThinkHost" because he sent his members an emailing saying that they need people to advertise their services?

So what if they ask people to spread the word? Or that some people find Vlad's opinions or marketing methods questionable?
All I care about is that they have good uptimes, speed, prices, and support.

So get over it.

Let's just agree to disagree

It seems to me that many question Thinkhosts marketing methods and attitude. His customers however believe that he gives good value for money. Fair enough.

As far as I'm concerned I am happy with this situation, as long as he does not himself, or through encouraging his customers, spam my board (or others for that matter)>

JP

Lets all have JP's reply there for the final word.

CeRbEro - point taken. You're a ThinkHost uses and you like their services. It seems that many who do use them feel the same way. I've never used them personally so I wouldn't know.

What I'm trying to say is that I don't agree with their business practices, and I don't want to see anyone sign-up with them without knowing what they're getting into. Spamming these forums back a while ago is one example. Shady business practices in relation to SitePoint which got them banned is another. All those threads which I've referred to is a third. The ICQ/email message they sent to their users about helping them "spread the word" (advertise for them) could be a fourth.

All I'm trying to accomplish in these posts is to make people aware of their history.

All I ever hear is think host, thinkhost...

blahh. All I hear is complaints and arguments. Why can't you guys talk about some other good hosts? Maybe even the smallers ones that are sitting in front of their computer all night helping customers with installing scripts or helping their code.

Adam Kling
CEO
http://www.mybizhosting.com

You're annoyed because "all people talk about is thinkhost"? That doesn't make much sense...they talk about it for a reason: because they like it, and want to tell others. Happy users have every right to be heard this way...I'm sure you would not object if happy clients of yours did the same!

Justin: Yes, they are the same person...however Vlad's attitude towards other hosts (one of the major things that has started trouble) and NT hosts, etc, is irellevant to me and most people.

Of course a business that steals and cheats, despite good service, is a bad business...but like it or not, Vlad did not ever SPAM your forums - the word SPAM is not at all appropriate...myself and others have told you why, and never received a sufficient reply in defense of this accusation. You or I may not agree with it all, but SPAM is a very harsh word that is not applicable IMO.

Re: "what they're getting into"? Wha? They're "getting into" a very good webhost. The whole point here is that the problems Vlad has had on forums like this have been on and off, yet all along the service has held strong...and let's face it: for most people, that's what matters.

I'll host with a guy who comes off rude in public and provides a good service over someone who acts nice in front of potential clients but doesn't have any knowledge of his business ANY DAY!

OK enough of this, I just got a flashback from when Chad used to sit with me and install scripts even though it took most of his day. That was great and that is why TWF is till with dids.com.

JP

Folks,

There are certain times in life where one must stop, think, and most importantly evaluate what he or she has done, to see whether the direction of their doings has has indeed been correct, whether on a moral or whatever other level they wish to judge their actions. It is often not easy to admit that you have been wrong, especially not when so much is on the line: the future of everyone who depends on you, as well as your own, and what I am about to state here is not easy by any means for me to say.

The reason I am posting this today is because I am forced by my values to admit that I have inded been wrong. I've been looking over our posts on the forums, and the things that I have done, and I have truly come to realize that although I did a lot of things right, several very critical mistakes were indeed made by me. Mistakes which not only agonized many *good* people, but also reflected very badly upon those who chose to stand with me, whether it be my wonderful team, or our clients and friends who have come to our defense time after time.

The fact of the matter is simple here: I did make very serious judgemental errors over the past few months in choosing to take a firm stance against our competitors and their views, some of whom I've come to regard almost as complete enemies. By taking a Microsoft-like view of "either it is us or them" I managed to get this company going, and to secure a steady stream of signups, but what I also did was create a lot of righteously upset folks whom I had to tumble and push aside in order to get here, and that is not a cost I am willing to deal with. Today we enjoy the prosperity we do based on the fact that I was willing to push aside those who were in our way, and to do things which are really below my moral standard, things that now looking back upon, I very much regret.

The critical problem with my actions was in the fact that I failed to recognize that even though certain competitors were not necesserily individuals that I'd want to respect based on their actions, technical skills. or knowledge at the time, they still deserved respect as human beings; respect which I failed to afford them, because I was too blind pursuing the stability this company so badly needed at the time. That was clearly a huge mistake on my part, a mistake that has resulted in fairly righteous complaints by many individuals.

There were other less crucial but still important mistakes made due to my inexperience at the time with internet netiquette, especially that in a public forum. My responses to clients posted initially within this site were clearly inappropriate, but they were made in good faith -- that is, they were made in response to clients requesting information, and after having come from another forum which clearly allowed such. It was a mistake to make those posts, as I have stated previously and state again. I refused to admit that it was spam, because to me at the time it seemed as if it were something that I didn't intend as spam, it wasn't spam, and by the strict definitions of general rule, it was not unsolicited. However, I am not here to play word games -- within the strict context of this forum, and the rules here, it was indeed.

I can see how this post can (and probably will) be interpreted by many as yet another "lame attempt" (as a friend once put it) by me to gain trust in our company and ultimately new clients, but that is not in any way the case. Our signups are very strong, and I am not posting this because I hope to gain support of those who are critical of my actions, but because I feel that many of the individuals truly do deserve this apology, which is by all means very much overdue.

I sincerely do apologize for going below my values and morals in, and I will do my best in order to clear up my name, and to clear up the name of our firm in any way I can in the future, and I ask that folks give me a second chance. The fight to stick with the values I started with has proven to be far tougher than one could have originally expected, and I apologize for going against those values, and for not affording many people the basic respect they deserved.

Sincerely yours,

Vladislav S. Davidzon
ThinkHost

Now there ya go! Exactly what I was waiting for: an apology. Now hopefully you won't make the same mistake twice So let it be written, that on this 28th day of September of the year 2000, Justin M. Stayton has accepted the apology of ThinkHost and will think of him as a good web host.

Maybe if True Hosting would have apologized they would have been respected again? Nah, I don't think so

That was a nice post Vlad

It was indeed.
Good job Vlad.
JP

It's Amazing how far you can go to get clients without backfire.

Nice post, Vladislav. Let's hope that clears some things up and settles some conflicts.

How funny. Having read all those nastiness-filled posts by thinkhost, I was not impressed at all (I know, Ii know, some people think that the individual making the post has nothing to do with the company itself, which is very, very near-sighted of them, since how you act in public makes people very aware of how you might potentially act in other areas).

Now, here's an "apology" that still manages to insult people, and is just another long-winded "me, me, me, my company, hey, this is US!" post. And people just lap it up like the good dogs they are. I am still not impressed, sad to say. Until an apology (a true apology) can be made *without* the subtle little slams on everybody else, and without the "my company is great but others stink" implication, guess what? It isn't sincere and it isn't apologetic. It's just more of the same.

I would never, ever use thinkhost, period. Once you abuse peoples' trust, it's awfully hard to get it back. Anemic "apologies" like the one swallowed up so readily by people in thie thread don't cut it.

Come now, everyone is entitled to their views. Vlad doesn't have to like everyone, but his mistake was airing that view in public, quite unprofessionally. For this, he has aplogized. There's no reason to deny someone the benefit of the doubt, once they publicly state an apology.

I read the other posts, I know what you are talking about. While I might have preferred just an apology (again, I understand how you might view this post as a pitch), I see this post for what it is meant to be.

I lost complete respect from Vlad and his company due to those other posts. The forgiveness he seeks is that of the web community as a whole, and it is going to take him some time to achieve. I wish him the best, and feel this is a good place to start

What Vlad has to learn to balance, is how to let people know that he feels he has the best service available. Even when this is the case, stating so can make people resent you and think you are just boasting (talking out your donkey). I prefer a more subtle approach of, "Just ask our customers what *they* think of our services!" Let them boast for you...

Just a few thoughts...

Quote: Originally posted by Amazing
How funny. Having read all those nastiness-filled posts by thinkhost, I was not impressed at all (I know, Ii know, some people think that the individual making the post has nothing to do with the company itself, which is very, very near-sighted of them, since how you act in public makes people very aware of how you might potentially act in other areas).

Now, here's an "apology" that still manages to insult people, and is just another long-winded "me, me, me, my company, hey, this is US!" post. And people just lap it up like the good dogs they are. I am still not impressed, sad to say. Until an apology (a true apology) can be made *without* the subtle little slams on everybody else, and without the "my company is great but others stink" implication, guess what? It isn't sincere and it isn't apologetic. It's just more of the same.

I would never, ever use thinkhost, period. Once you abuse peoples' trust, it's awfully hard to get it back. Anemic "apologies" like the one swallowed up so readily by people in thie thread don't cut it.

If the appology post wasn't good enough for you, I don't know what is.