After going through a very bad experience with previous web host and registrar, I decided to switch to Network Solutions sometime this year (2006), thinking I was making the right decision.

My choice was based on the information I gathered after visiting their website and talking to their Sales people, trusting that the information they gave me was accurate.

I was very clear from the very beginning about what I needed. I was looking for a hosting package for my three websites that would be compatible with my current shopping cart and that would include private registration. I specifically asked if their server supported CGI scripting for the PDG shopping cart. I also told the sales rep that I already had my own secure certificate. I was told that the CSR would take one or two hours at the most, and the certificate could be installed in 24 hours or less - provided that I made a phone call to Tech support with a special request, which I did.

First, Network Solutions sold me the wrong package. Their Advanced Unix package, for some reason, did not meet my needs. When I called back, I spoke with a rep that was very courteous and prompt to cancel the wrong package and issue a new one. He even set up the sub-domains on the new Advanced Windows package in less than 30 minutes! I was really impressed, thinking this time I must have "hit the jackpot" when it comes to web hosting, but boy was I wrong! I had no idea of the nightmare that lay ahead of me!

After waiting for almost three weeks for the websites to get transferred (due to my previous registrar's fault), I thought, "Now that the transfer is complete and the website ready for the secure certificate installation, I am in good hands!"

I had to wait almost two days for Network Solutions to generate a new CSR and another two or three days for the certificate installation!

At 3:30 on the morning of February 6, I found out my shopping cart could not be accessed; it was returning a CGI script error message. I called Network Solutions Tech Support immediately and made about 8-10 phone calls throughout the day. They kept telling me the same thing, that they were working on the issue. Finally, they referred me to PDG, the shopping cart vendor.

If it wasn't for PDG, I would still probably be waiting for a Network "Solution". PDG found out the problem had to do with "script aliasing", whatever that means. On a conference call with PDG and Network Solutions, I was told that their system DOES NOT support cgi executable files! This information was never given to me by their Sales rep.

The bottom line is that, because of Network Solutions mess-ups, I wasted countless hours of my time transferring my web content to their servers and making unnecessary phone calls to no avail. Thousands of dollars in potential sales were lost due to Network Solutions inefficiency.

Despite Network Solutions selling me apples for oranges, they made several charges to my credit card. I contacted their Administrative Office and was promised more than once that the money would be refunded in full. More than 3 months later, I'm still waiting for $75 to be credited. I'm just waiting for my website registration to be moved to a new web host. Once transferred, a dispute will be filed with VISA for the refund that I am entitled to. When I told Network Solutions that I would file a dispute, they warned me that if I did that, the service would be cancelled and my websites would go offline. That's a sneaky way of keeping a customer's hands tied up. Stay away from web hosting companies that sound very courteous on the surface but sell you the wrong product and drag their feet to give your money back! This is NOT the kind of "solution" a customer would expect from a reputable company.

Update: After giving Network Solutions an ultimatum to refund my account, I verified with my credit card company that they finally refunded the $75 that they owed me. I still went ahead with the domain name transfers. After all I had to go through, I'm at wit's end with this company.

I had to make a last phone call to Network Solutions about a website that was not transferred. The CS rep, in a last-ditch attempt to gain my business back, offered me a $9 reward if I stayed with his company. In view of the hassle and the financial losses I had, my response was short, "Absolutely not." Frankly, I don't know what to do with so much money. I love when a company treats me like cheap commodity...

Oliver
Assistech