Two weeks ago I asked for a quote for a dedicated managed server from The Planet. After receiving what I thought was a decent price and which I assumed was for the services I had requested, I decided to sign with The Planet.
BIG MISTAKE !!!
For starters I canceled my contract in less than three days ( legal cooling off period ) because they never delivered a server based on my request. They were to have added my name servers, added two additional email ports to bypass port filtering for my customers etc. After accepting my contract they said I would have to pay more to have the server setup completed. I pointed out that on several occasions I send a list of my needs to my sales person and that I had been given a setup price that was included in the quote.
They informed me they had set me up with a self-managed server which was wrong in the first place because I had very clearly informed the sales person that I did not know Linux well enough to manage a server myself. I had assumes she quoted me a managed server but she did not. Nothing in the quote indicated otherwise.
I faxed a credit card authorization that had a specific set of instructions, such as that it was to be used ONE TIME ONLY for setup and first month then destroyed. It had a specific expiration date after which it became invalid.
I also noticed that the credit card information had been entered into my online account which was contrary to express instructions on the written authorization form.
Today I found a charge posted to my bank account from the Planet, posted two days after the authorization expired.
Needless to say I informed the bank that the charge was unauthorized and possibly fraudulent as well. I called the Planet and the girl on the phone said she would "enter a ticket" to investigate.
In short stay away from The Planet...they do not respect customers and seem willing to commit bank fraud and to violate VISA card rules.
I may also write VISA and file a complaint against their merchant account if they don't resolve this matter.
I will remain with [my previous provider]. They are excellent if a little pricy but at least they have excellent support and treat their customers with respect.
Full Version: Avoid the Planet at all costs.
I could be wrong, but I don't think it's possible to get a server here via one time payment. I think you have to have a card on file.
It's hard to make much without seeing the back and forth in detail -- did you save the correspondence from a sales rep with their name showing that they quoted you for a managed server vs. the unmanaged that you got?
It's hard to make much without seeing the back and forth in detail -- did you save the correspondence from a sales rep with their name showing that they quoted you for a managed server vs. the unmanaged that you got?
The Sales Exhibit that you signed before the order was placed doesn't show anything regarding Managed Hosting(NorthStar). It does show Alpha Managed Backup and Alpha Managed Security/Monitoring, however.
Can you forward your correspondence with our sales person to tdurden%at%theplanet.com? Any information you can provide will be helpful.
Can you forward your correspondence with our sales person to tdurden%at%theplanet.com? Any information you can provide will be helpful.
QUOTE (Tomy Durden @ Aug 17 2009, 05:03 PM) 
The Sales Exhibit that you signed before the order was placed doesn't show anything regarding Managed Hosting(NorthStar). It does show Alpha Managed Backup and Alpha Managed Security/Monitoring, however.
Can you forward your correspondence with our sales person to tdurden%at%theplanet.com? Any information you can provide will be helpful.
Can you forward your correspondence with our sales person to tdurden%at%theplanet.com? Any information you can provide will be helpful.
That is correct. I have no idea what "names" The Plant would put on a quote. I only know what I said I needed and assumed that is what was quoted.
The quote also does not say "unmanaged" server either. Had it said that I would have questioned it at the time.
There is no additional correspondence to refer to other than what was faxed including the ccard authorization form which they have that very specifically stated that it was a one time only use for setup and expired on the 12th and was not to be saved. They ignored the instructions, charged the card after the authorization expired and entered it into my account...all contrary to my specific signed authorization.
Charging the card after the expiration is in of itself grounds to reverse the charge via VISA. The fact that they also ignored by ticket to specifically withdraw the authorization is a second grounds to dispute the charge. The the fact that the server as I ordered it was never delivered is a third grounds for dispute.
QUOTE (stuffdone @ Aug 17 2009, 02:21 PM)
I faxed a credit card authorization that had a specific set of instructions, such as that it was to be used ONE TIME ONLY for setup and first month then destroyed. It had a specific expiration date after which it became invalid.
I also noticed that the credit card information had been entered into my online account which was contrary to express instructions on the written authorization form.
Today I found a charge posted to my bank account from the Planet, posted two days after the authorization expired.
Needless to say I informed the bank that the charge was unauthorized and possibly fraudulent as well. I called the Planet and the girl on the phone said she would "enter a ticket" to investigate.
In short stay away from The Planet...they do not respect customers and seem willing to commit bank fraud and to violate VISA card rules.
I also noticed that the credit card information had been entered into my online account which was contrary to express instructions on the written authorization form.
Today I found a charge posted to my bank account from the Planet, posted two days after the authorization expired.
Needless to say I informed the bank that the charge was unauthorized and possibly fraudulent as well. I called the Planet and the girl on the phone said she would "enter a ticket" to investigate.
In short stay away from The Planet...they do not respect customers and seem willing to commit bank fraud and to violate VISA card rules.
Your credit card was charged one time on August 11 for the setup fee and the first month's server cost. Your next billing date would have been September 1, so I don't understand how the only charge we made on your account can be unauthorized when you request that it be used for setup and your first month of service (let's consider the prorated portion of August the "first month" even though it isn't a full month).
Your server was provisioned on August 11 and was charged on August 11. If your card expired, it would not have been able to process the charge that was posted against it. In order to maintain active status on your account, we require some kind of financial accountability ... if the card used to place the order is not the card you expected to use to pay the recurring fee, you could have simply swapped in the new card for the old card in our system, and the old card would no longer be reflected.
With a desire to faithfully continue the ordered service month-over-month, why would you remove all recurring payment methods from your account? I understand that you were confused about what you ordered and what you received, but there's a fine line between pursuing a refund as a result of that ordering confusion and demanding a refund as a result of an issue with expiration dates that is not reflected anywhere in our system.
QUOTE (stuffdone @ Aug 17 2009, 04:14 PM)
That is correct. I have no idea what "names" The Plant would put on a quote. I only know what I said I needed and assumed that is what was quoted.
The quote also does not say "unmanaged" server either. Had it said that I would have questioned it at the time.
The quote also does not say "unmanaged" server either. Had it said that I would have questioned it at the time.
It's fairly safe to say, with all most dedicated companies, if it doesn't say "Managed", it's likely not. Managed servers are significantly higher in price than non-managed servers as well.
Did you talk to the sales person via phone, chat, or email? We can review the conversation to glean information to prevent this from happening in the future.
QUOTE (Kevin Hazard @ Aug 17 2009, 05:30 PM)
Your credit card was charged one time on August 11 for the setup fee and the first month's server cost. Your next billing date would have been September 1, so I don't understand how the only charge we made on your account can be unauthorized when you request that it be used for setup and your first month of service (let's consider the prorated portion of August the "first month" even though it isn't a full month).
Your server was provisioned on August 11 and was charged on August 11. If your card expired, it would not have been able to process the charge that was posted against it. In order to maintain active status on your account, we require some kind of financial accountability ... if the card used to place the order is not the card you expected to use to pay the recurring fee, you could have simply swapped in the new card for the old card in our system, and the old card would no longer be reflected.
With a desire to faithfully continue the ordered service month-over-month, why would you remove all recurring payment methods from your account? I understand that you were confused about what you ordered and what you received, but there's a fine line between pursuing a refund as a result of that ordering confusion and demanding a refund as a result of an issue with expiration dates that is not reflected anywhere in our system.
Your server was provisioned on August 11 and was charged on August 11. If your card expired, it would not have been able to process the charge that was posted against it. In order to maintain active status on your account, we require some kind of financial accountability ... if the card used to place the order is not the card you expected to use to pay the recurring fee, you could have simply swapped in the new card for the old card in our system, and the old card would no longer be reflected.
With a desire to faithfully continue the ordered service month-over-month, why would you remove all recurring payment methods from your account? I understand that you were confused about what you ordered and what you received, but there's a fine line between pursuing a refund as a result of that ordering confusion and demanding a refund as a result of an issue with expiration dates that is not reflected anywhere in our system.
It was unauthorized because the server was not what I had requested and the setup was never completed as ordered. One of the specific rules all companies must follow when accepting credit cards is to deliver the product or service the customer ordered.
As to removing payment methods---I told the sales person that I was sending a one-time written credit card authorization and that after setup I had asked her to send me specific bank information for The Planet so I could set up bill pay via my bank. The written authorization they received from me clearly stated that they were not to enter that information into any database, that it was a one-time-use authorization and that it would expire on a specific date. That is the only source they had for my authorization, thus it ceased to be valid on the 12th. They debited my account two days after the only written authorization they had from me had expired, making that an invalid charge and possibly a federal crime for unauthorized use of a credit card.
Sales also had my signed and limited credit card authorization and knowledge that I was not going to provide them with a card for monthly billing. If that was a policy of the Planet I was never informed of that and would not have continued had I known they would violate my written authorization and saved that data contrary to my terms on the form.
Whey they started to back out on setting up the server as I had ordered I expected The Planet to follow through. When they started to ask for more cash beyond what I had agreed to just to complete the server setup I smelled trouble and decided this would not be a good move for my hosting customers
If I was not being delivered what I had asked my sales person for, then the contract was not completed and the service never delivered as ordered due to no follow-through from the planet. Without my setup as ordered the server would be unusable for my needs.
I had sent specific instructions to sales on several matters at the very start.
I needed my own nameservers set up, I need two extra SMTP ports so my customers could use emails and not run into port blocking by ISPs and I needed short names for email logins enabled.
If sales screwed up the order...that is not my doing because they had all of my needs in writing in advance of my signing and had no excuse to continue to accept the order if they were not going to abide by my instructions.
It appears that sales was so intent on getting a sale they were willing to trap someone by withholding information then trying to force more money out of me after the fact on the setup and to retain credit card information they knew in advance they were not authorized to keep.
I am watching my bank account for a refund....their actions will be the final judgment as to what kind of company The Planet really is.
But given their actions so far I am happy that I did not get a server here and transfer all my accounts. I can't trust them to set up as instructed or to fix billing errors or to abide by my signed documents.
Not a good sign.
The Planet processed one billing transaction for the setup fee and the prorated first month's server charge. If that charge (which you authorized) was not permitted, a server should not have been set up for you in the first place, as all servers are paid for in advance. The payment was processed on 8-11, and if it shows up on your account two days later, that is a product of bank processing times, not negligent charges.
It's clear that the assumption that you were receiving a managed server is what caused all of these problems. The managed services included on your quote are indicative of the fact that the server itself is unmanaged ... It is impossible to have additional management services on top of a managed server because the managed server includes those services (and more). Because the server is not managed, administrative time and configuration is not included with your monthly fee, so requesting that kind of support (for setting up a nameserver not referenced in any of the quotes) incurs standard system administration paid time, as we replied in your ticket. This is not a bait-and-switch situation ... you ordered a Xeon 3210 with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive, and you received a Xeon 3220 (better processor) with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive.
There are no records in our system where you request a managed hosting quote. If there are, they would be in Live Chat or the phone recording system, but the additional information we requested to track down those conversations has not been provided.
It's clear that the assumption that you were receiving a managed server is what caused all of these problems. The managed services included on your quote are indicative of the fact that the server itself is unmanaged ... It is impossible to have additional management services on top of a managed server because the managed server includes those services (and more). Because the server is not managed, administrative time and configuration is not included with your monthly fee, so requesting that kind of support (for setting up a nameserver not referenced in any of the quotes) incurs standard system administration paid time, as we replied in your ticket. This is not a bait-and-switch situation ... you ordered a Xeon 3210 with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive, and you received a Xeon 3220 (better processor) with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive.
There are no records in our system where you request a managed hosting quote. If there are, they would be in Live Chat or the phone recording system, but the additional information we requested to track down those conversations has not been provided.
QUOTE (Kevin Hazard @ Aug 19 2009, 11:25 AM)
The Planet processed one billing transaction for the setup fee and the prorated first month's server charge. If that charge (which you authorized) was not permitted, a server should not have been set up for you in the first place, as all servers are paid for in advance. The payment was processed on 8-11, and if it shows up on your account two days later, that is a product of bank processing times, not negligent charges.
It's clear that the assumption that you were receiving a managed server is what caused all of these problems. The managed services included on your quote are indicative of the fact that the server itself is unmanaged ... It is impossible to have additional management services on top of a managed server because the managed server includes those services (and more). Because the server is not managed, administrative time and configuration is not included with your monthly fee, so requesting that kind of support (for setting up a nameserver not referenced in any of the quotes) incurs standard system administration paid time, as we replied in your ticket. This is not a bait-and-switch situation ... you ordered a Xeon 3210 with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive, and you received a Xeon 3220 (better processor) with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive.
There are no records in our system where you request a managed hosting quote. If there are, they would be in Live Chat or the phone recording system, but the additional information we requested to track down those conversations has not been provided.
It's clear that the assumption that you were receiving a managed server is what caused all of these problems. The managed services included on your quote are indicative of the fact that the server itself is unmanaged ... It is impossible to have additional management services on top of a managed server because the managed server includes those services (and more). Because the server is not managed, administrative time and configuration is not included with your monthly fee, so requesting that kind of support (for setting up a nameserver not referenced in any of the quotes) incurs standard system administration paid time, as we replied in your ticket. This is not a bait-and-switch situation ... you ordered a Xeon 3210 with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive, and you received a Xeon 3220 (better processor) with 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive.
There are no records in our system where you request a managed hosting quote. If there are, they would be in Live Chat or the phone recording system, but the additional information we requested to track down those conversations has not been provided.
I faxed a list of my needs to Gabby in sales. Also faxed was the authorization form which clearly stated that the credit card information was NOT to be saved and was one-time use, yet it still appeared online in Orbit, counter to the terms of that authorization.
The server was NOT set up per my faxed instructions and should not have been charged until it was. It is STILL not set up as ordered and I received a setup price of $25 in my quote.
If sales did not understand me or failed to inform me of additional charges then that error was not mine. I should have received information regarding additional charges when I sent my faxed list of additional needs BEFORE the agreement and the quote should have shown any extra charges. This was information sales had and remained silent about. This was repeated in the Ticket system.
ThePlanet had full knowledge of my needs, provided me a quote then to this day has yet to deliver a usable server despite having debited my card.
As to the claim it was charged on the 11th. Your own ticket system confirms the card authorization had failed as late as the 13th. I did not fax the required photo id due to the unresolved setup issues. The expiration date on the authroization was the 12th...the day before this ticket confirming the authorization failed.
If you review the tickets you will also see the attempt to debit the card failed and was tried AFTER I entered a cancellation.
--
5939094PLNT 8/12/2009 4:14:04 PM CANCELLATION REQUEST 2009/09/01: Stuff Done(C66006) 8/13/2009 8:30:37 AM (E) DequincyM
---
Ticket Number: 5933783PLNT
Arby D. [b]8/13/2009 9:02:29 AM Hello,
To complete your credit card change we will require a copy of the front of the card used in this order as well as a copy of the card holder s ID. Please send these documents to verify@theplanet.com as soon as possible so that we may update your card. [/b]
--
Here is where I followed up on the incomplete setup
5936366PLNT 8/11/2009 4:42:55 PM There is a mistake on setup 8/12/2009 3:24:17 PM
--
When I saw trouble brewing this is where i AGAIN withdrew authorization in "writing" in the ticket system.
5939069PLNT 8/12/2009 4:05:23 PM Credit Card Authorization Withdrawn 8/12/2009 4:39:48 PM (E) JohnR
--
Here the "confirmation" ticket
You will note the comments or special provisions section remained empty despite my having faxed a list to Gaby to make sure the server was provisioned as I needed it.
Also missing is any indication that this is either a "managed" or "unmanaged" server which was counter to our phone conversation where I explained to Gaby that I did not know LInux and needed a managed server.
----------------
Intel Xeon 3210 2.1 GHz Quad Core Processor: $159/month - $25 setup
4 GB RAM: $50/month - $0 setup
Red Hat Enterprise Linux - 5.x - 32 bit: $0/month - $0 setup
29 IPs: $24/month - $0 setup
100 Mbps Uplink: $0/month - $0 setup
2000 GB Bandwidth: $0/month - $0 setup
Parallels Plesk with PowerPack for Linux - 9.x - Unlimited Domains: $30/month - $0 setup
SATA: $0/month - $0 setup
250 GB IDE/SATA HDD: $0/month - $0 setup
IPMI: $0/month - $0 setup
Alpha Server Monitoring and Security Bundle: $55/month - $0 setup
Alpha Managed Backup 20 GB: $40/month - $0 setup
Discount: $-44.98/month - $0 setup
Special Requests or Comments: Gaby failed to include my special requests in the order
Promotional Code: jnsr
Number of servers (this order): 1
Order Submitted By: jmartinez
Order Origin: INTERNAL
Monthly Charge: $313.02
Monthly Charge Sales Tax: $0.00
Total Monthly Charge: $313.02
Pro-rated Monthly Fee: $0.00
Setup Fee: $25
Setup Fee Sales Tax: $0.00
Total Setup Charge: $25.00
Total Initial Charge: $338.02
Salesperson: Gaby Salas
Account ID: C66006
Preferred Callback: M-F 9A-5P
You will note the comments or special provisions section remained empty despite my having faxed a list to Gaby to make sure the server was provisioned as I needed it.
Also missing is any indication that this is either a "managed" or "unmanaged" server which was counter to our phone conversation where I explained to Gaby that I did not know LInux and needed a managed server.
----------------
Intel Xeon 3210 2.1 GHz Quad Core Processor: $159/month - $25 setup
4 GB RAM: $50/month - $0 setup
Red Hat Enterprise Linux - 5.x - 32 bit: $0/month - $0 setup
29 IPs: $24/month - $0 setup
100 Mbps Uplink: $0/month - $0 setup
2000 GB Bandwidth: $0/month - $0 setup
Parallels Plesk with PowerPack for Linux - 9.x - Unlimited Domains: $30/month - $0 setup
SATA: $0/month - $0 setup
250 GB IDE/SATA HDD: $0/month - $0 setup
IPMI: $0/month - $0 setup
Alpha Server Monitoring and Security Bundle: $55/month - $0 setup
Alpha Managed Backup 20 GB: $40/month - $0 setup
Discount: $-44.98/month - $0 setup
Special Requests or Comments: Gaby failed to include my special requests in the order
Promotional Code: jnsr
Number of servers (this order): 1
Order Submitted By: jmartinez
Order Origin: INTERNAL
Monthly Charge: $313.02
Monthly Charge Sales Tax: $0.00
Total Monthly Charge: $313.02
Pro-rated Monthly Fee: $0.00
Setup Fee: $25
Setup Fee Sales Tax: $0.00
Total Setup Charge: $25.00
Total Initial Charge: $338.02
Salesperson: Gaby Salas
Account ID: C66006
Preferred Callback: M-F 9A-5P
The quote includes managed services:
Alpha Server Monitoring and Security Bundle
Alpha Managed Backup 20 GB
Managed services cannot be added to a managed hosting server (as those services -and more- are included in the managed hosting program). The "special requests" section is for things like drive sizes or custom OS requests ... not administrative tasks. While you were looking for nameservers to be set up as an included part of the order, these are not included in an unmanaged server.
Gaby just forwarded me one of the emails where she includes:
She also forwarded your acknowledgement of the receipt of that email.
In order to process the first charge on your account and accurately tie it to your hardware, it has to be processed by our system, which means it has to be entered into our system. To assume that the card would be charged without entering into our system in any way shape or form would be to not understand how we as a service provider must process the charge to associate it with your account.
Alpha Server Monitoring and Security Bundle
Alpha Managed Backup 20 GB
Managed services cannot be added to a managed hosting server (as those services -and more- are included in the managed hosting program). The "special requests" section is for things like drive sizes or custom OS requests ... not administrative tasks. While you were looking for nameservers to be set up as an included part of the order, these are not included in an unmanaged server.
Gaby just forwarded me one of the emails where she includes:
QUOTE
The TOS will not be modified because that is a part of self managed solutions.
She also forwarded your acknowledgement of the receipt of that email.
In order to process the first charge on your account and accurately tie it to your hardware, it has to be processed by our system, which means it has to be entered into our system. To assume that the card would be charged without entering into our system in any way shape or form would be to not understand how we as a service provider must process the charge to associate it with your account.
QUOTE (Kevin Hazard @ Aug 19 2009, 01:01 PM)
The quote includes managed services:
Alpha Server Monitoring and Security Bundle
Alpha Managed Backup 20 GB
Managed services cannot be added to a managed hosting server (as those services -and more- are included in the managed hosting program). The "special requests" section is for things like drive sizes or custom OS requests ... not administrative tasks. While you were looking for nameservers to be set up as an included part of the order, these are not included in an unmanaged server.
Gaby just forwarded me one of the emails where she includes:
She also forwarded your acknowledgement of the receipt of that email.
In order to process the first charge on your account and accurately tie it to your hardware, it has to be processed by our system, which means it has to be entered into our system. To assume that the card would be charged without entering into our system in any way shape or form would be to not understand how we as a service provider must process the charge to associate it with your account.
Alpha Server Monitoring and Security Bundle
Alpha Managed Backup 20 GB
Managed services cannot be added to a managed hosting server (as those services -and more- are included in the managed hosting program). The "special requests" section is for things like drive sizes or custom OS requests ... not administrative tasks. While you were looking for nameservers to be set up as an included part of the order, these are not included in an unmanaged server.
Gaby just forwarded me one of the emails where she includes:
She also forwarded your acknowledgement of the receipt of that email.
In order to process the first charge on your account and accurately tie it to your hardware, it has to be processed by our system, which means it has to be entered into our system. To assume that the card would be charged without entering into our system in any way shape or form would be to not understand how we as a service provider must process the charge to associate it with your account.
Yes and that is what started to tip me off to the fact that the quote was not for what I had told her on the phone I needed. You will note in the ticket system where I questioned the setup process about the failure to follow setup instructions which were faxed at the same time as my TOS.
That would have been the proper time to bring up issues, problems or question. Not after accepting what I faxed to you as part of my order.
If there was no intention of honoring the signed credit card authorization or my list of setup instructions she should have so informed me before proceeding. By ignoring and doing what you wanted instead of what I authorized put the burden on ThePlanet who by all appearances had accepted my order including my faxed instructions.
If there was a problem with my request someone there should have said something before going any farther in the process. No one said they had any problem with a one-time authorization or my request that the data not be entered into any database.
The date on your faxed acceptance of the quote: 8-10
The date you replied to that email: 8-7
The purpose of including the reference to the email is to reinforce the fact that at no point did we mean to mislead you into believing you were receiving a managed hosting solution.
I'm looking through signed copy of the quote included on your account, and I can't find any reference to special configurations or requests for setup. As such, the server that was delivered is exactly the one (actually better than the one) requested and signed for.
The date you replied to that email: 8-7
The purpose of including the reference to the email is to reinforce the fact that at no point did we mean to mislead you into believing you were receiving a managed hosting solution.
I'm looking through signed copy of the quote included on your account, and I can't find any reference to special configurations or requests for setup. As such, the server that was delivered is exactly the one (actually better than the one) requested and signed for.
QUOTE (Kevin Hazard @ Aug 19 2009, 01:59 PM)
The date on your faxed acceptance of the quote: 8-10
The date you replied to that email: 8-7
The purpose of including the reference to the email is to reinforce the fact that at no point did we mean to mislead you into believing you were receiving a managed hosting solution.
I'm looking through signed copy of the quote included on your account, and I can't find any reference to special configurations or requests for setup. As such, the server that was delivered is exactly the one (actually better than the one) requested and signed for.
The date you replied to that email: 8-7
The purpose of including the reference to the email is to reinforce the fact that at no point did we mean to mislead you into believing you were receiving a managed hosting solution.
I'm looking through signed copy of the quote included on your account, and I can't find any reference to special configurations or requests for setup. As such, the server that was delivered is exactly the one (actually better than the one) requested and signed for.
Then your sales person Gaby failed to transmit that with the order. That was faxed at the same time as the quote and agreement. If she failed to provide that to you then that is not my fault. This is a case of sales failing to properly handle a sale, to properly heed my needs as faxed.
I provided all necessary information to provision a server to meet MY needs, not your needs or Gaby's needs. Those were not followed and I never received a server that I could use. Nothing was omitted from what I provided sales. She even stated that I needed to send it a second time because she could not read the list on her Blackberry because it was too small. I sent to her via fax, via email and as a PDF attachement in email to her.
I did not screw up. Sales did and she works for you, the Planet.
I consider the agreement null and void because it was not completed to suit the needs I conveyed in writing more than once.
Stop taking sides of someone who failed you on the inside with respect to an order that was not handled properly. You have no right to blame me for being angry because someone at the Planet sales screwed up and failed to provide tech with the things I needed in order to have a server to meet my needs. I have no control over what sales does with paperwork faxed to you. They received it and trashed it or lost it, but in either case, the fact that someone who should have received that information did not, was not my doing nor was it under my control. When it was not being followed I even entered a ticket, the response to which was the first I learned she signed me up for an unmanaged server. The quote she provided did not state it was unmanaged so I assumed she quoted what I asked for.
The "missing" set up instructions fall into one of three scenarios.
- An honest mistake at the Planet
- Lost on purpose to make me pay for the extra setup
- Incompetence in Sales for failing to transmit my needs.
Take your pick....
The Planet screwed this up...not me.
Why don't you guys just refund my money and be done with this farce?
Here is a copy of email from Gaby showing my needs and her confirmation that she received this list.
I have no means to explain why she failed to provide it to those who were to provision the server or to tell me
that there would be an additional charge if I wanted to continue with the order.
Note a copy was also cc: to support at the same time. What happened to that?
Hi Paul,
I just got out of a meeting and now running to a dentist appointment, I will call you after my appointment.
Thanks,
http://www.theplanet.com/Images/EmailSigLogo.jpg
Gaby Salas
Sales Representative
gsalas@theplanet.com
Direct: (214)782-7790
Cell: (214)354-6504
Fax: (214)560-9759
www.theplanet.com
From: Paul Kruger [mailto:office@xxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 2:31 PM
To: Salas, Gaby
Subject: HERE again is the 2-do list
Setup Instructions. I am not sending these to support email because I keep getting tickets I can't read yet.
Stuff Done
132 Park Ave.
Interlachen FL 32148
Paul Kruger. Owner
www.StuffDone.com
386-202-4510
386-684-1218
786-206-0976 (fax)
Note: support@theplanet.com
================= FOLLOW UP ===========================
Email issues are critical as I will be migrating hundreds of customer email accounts for which
logins and passwords must not change on migration.
(1) Setup with nameservers:
NS1.STUFFDONE.NET ( secondary host name )
NS2.STUFFDONE.NET
(2) Email me the IP's associated with name servers so I can complete the registration for them to
become active. Done
(3) Email Servers. ( very important )
Port 25 ( Standard )
Port 26 ( Permits Bell South users access )
Port 587 ( Permits AOL users acess )
(4) Enable short names for email log in ( very important )
(5) Email me list of assigned IP addresses. Done
(6) Email me login information and IP to access Plesk. Done
(7) Email me root login and location. Done
I have no means to explain why she failed to provide it to those who were to provision the server or to tell me
that there would be an additional charge if I wanted to continue with the order.
Note a copy was also cc: to support at the same time. What happened to that?
Hi Paul,
I just got out of a meeting and now running to a dentist appointment, I will call you after my appointment.
Thanks,
http://www.theplanet.com/Images/EmailSigLogo.jpg
Gaby Salas
Sales Representative
gsalas@theplanet.com
Direct: (214)782-7790
Cell: (214)354-6504
Fax: (214)560-9759
www.theplanet.com
From: Paul Kruger [mailto:office@xxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 2:31 PM
To: Salas, Gaby
Subject: HERE again is the 2-do list
Setup Instructions. I am not sending these to support email because I keep getting tickets I can't read yet.
Stuff Done
132 Park Ave.
Interlachen FL 32148
Paul Kruger. Owner
www.StuffDone.com
386-202-4510
386-684-1218
786-206-0976 (fax)
Note: support@theplanet.com
================= FOLLOW UP ===========================
Email issues are critical as I will be migrating hundreds of customer email accounts for which
logins and passwords must not change on migration.
(1) Setup with nameservers:
NS1.STUFFDONE.NET ( secondary host name )
NS2.STUFFDONE.NET
(2) Email me the IP's associated with name servers so I can complete the registration for them to
become active. Done
(3) Email Servers. ( very important )
Port 25 ( Standard )
Port 26 ( Permits Bell South users access )
Port 587 ( Permits AOL users acess )
(4) Enable short names for email log in ( very important )
(5) Email me list of assigned IP addresses. Done
(6) Email me login information and IP to access Plesk. Done
(7) Email me root login and location. Done
Paul I think it might be helpful if you post the actual quote request you sent along with the confirmation that the sales rep actually got it and included it in her quote to you. I've scanned this thread twice and I don't see that. The above looks to my eye like an email sent after the server was already ordered, not before, since the login and such were already marked "done".
I have in the past encountered a sales rep who I thought was going too fast and "selling" rather than "listening", so I want to be on your side, but I also think it's your responsibility to make sure the order you sign for meets your needs and is correct and that no miscommunication has occurred between your shopping list and what has been quoted. You said above that "I have no idea what "names" The Plant would put on a quote." which doesn't wash in my book since the "names" are all on the planet's public website. On the other hand, if you really did send a detailed list of requirements and the sales rep didn't correctly do the quote for you, then based on my assumption that sales reps work on commission, I would think she would share part of the burden (after all that would be the purpose of having a sales rep vs. just ordering online though an automated system.) So let's see the actual evidence -- post the quote request you sent and an acknowledgment that would lead a reasonable person to assume your list was included in the quote.
I have in the past encountered a sales rep who I thought was going too fast and "selling" rather than "listening", so I want to be on your side, but I also think it's your responsibility to make sure the order you sign for meets your needs and is correct and that no miscommunication has occurred between your shopping list and what has been quoted. You said above that "I have no idea what "names" The Plant would put on a quote." which doesn't wash in my book since the "names" are all on the planet's public website. On the other hand, if you really did send a detailed list of requirements and the sales rep didn't correctly do the quote for you, then based on my assumption that sales reps work on commission, I would think she would share part of the burden (after all that would be the purpose of having a sales rep vs. just ordering online though an automated system.) So let's see the actual evidence -- post the quote request you sent and an acknowledgment that would lead a reasonable person to assume your list was included in the quote.
We have the full chat transcript. These are the relevant excerpts.
QUOTE
Representative: Are you looking for a fully managed solution or do you plan to handle at least some of the server administration yourself?
Customer: What do you consider the difference between "some" of the administration vs. fully managed?
Representative: With some management we would provide support for the hardware, network, power and operating system of the server, and additional support packages could be added to that support, like our security, monitoring and managed backup packages.
Representative: With a fully managed solution we would manage all aspects of your server except for your application.
Customer: I do want backup. I currently have weekly backup with constant duplication.
Customer: What do you consider the difference between "some" of the administration vs. fully managed?
Representative: With some management we would provide support for the hardware, network, power and operating system of the server, and additional support packages could be added to that support, like our security, monitoring and managed backup packages.
Representative: With a fully managed solution we would manage all aspects of your server except for your application.
Customer: I do want backup. I currently have weekly backup with constant duplication.
QUOTE
Representative: With your current provider do you have a dedicated server or are you hosted in some other type of environment?
Customer: Dedicated
Customer: Dedicated
QUOTE
Representative: Based on your responses, I think our Planet Alpha dedicated or managed dedicated solutions would be a better fit for you than our Planet Northstar managed hosting.
QUOTE
Customer: I would also consider an OpenSource control panel if you offer one just for comparison.
Representative: We do not [have an OpenSource control panel], however, you can install one
Representative: You will have full root access to the server.
Customer: Or have you install it?
Representative: Yes, we can install it for you for a fee.
Representative: We do not [have an OpenSource control panel], however, you can install one
Representative: You will have full root access to the server.
Customer: Or have you install it?
Representative: Yes, we can install it for you for a fee.
QUOTE
Customer: I also want updates and patches for security as they come out.
Representative: Yes, I have included the service [Alpha Monitoring and Security Bundle] that will allow you to call and speak directly with a team that will assist you with those. And also, have updates and patches.
Representative: Yes, I have included the service [Alpha Monitoring and Security Bundle] that will allow you to call and speak directly with a team that will assist you with those. And also, have updates and patches.
QUOTE
Customer: This also includes you setting up my nameservers on this server?
Representative: You can do so with Plesk.
Representative: You can do so with Plesk.
QUOTE (Jeff @ Aug 20 2009, 03:45 PM)
Paul I think it might be helpful if you post the actual quote request you sent along with the confirmation that the sales rep actually got it and included it in her quote to you. I've scanned this thread twice and I don't see that. The above looks to my eye like an email sent after the server was already ordered, not before, since the login and such were already "done".
The email was sent after the order because she asked for it again. I had spoken to her via phone and her emails were being sent to her Blackberry and she said it was too small to read and asked me to send it again.
The original setup information was sent as a fax at the time of the order to be included as part of the order. I don't know what they did with that but since they received the fax, they also had to receive the list of requirements as they were all sent as a single fax.
you will note in the email it says ----FOLLOW UP---- because I was not seeing any progress on my server meeting the requirements. At the time of that email I had no clue she had lost or otherwise failed to transmit the original information to setup team.
After that email reply I sent it a third time as a pdf attachment.
QUOTE (stuffdone @ Aug 20 2009, 02:56 PM)
The email was sent after the order because she asked for it again. I had spoken to her via phone and her emails were being sent to her Blackberry and she said it was too small to read and asked me to send it again.
The original setup information was sent as a fax at the time of the order to be included as part of the order. I don't know what they did with that but since they received the fax, they also had to receive the list of requirements as they were all sent as a single fax.
you will note in the email it says ----FOLLOW UP---- because I was not seeing any progress on my server meeting the requirements. At the time of that email I had no clue she had lost or otherwise failed to transmit the original information to setup team.
After that email reply I sent it a third time as a pdf attachment.
The original setup information was sent as a fax at the time of the order to be included as part of the order. I don't know what they did with that but since they received the fax, they also had to receive the list of requirements as they were all sent as a single fax.
you will note in the email it says ----FOLLOW UP---- because I was not seeing any progress on my server meeting the requirements. At the time of that email I had no clue she had lost or otherwise failed to transmit the original information to setup team.
After that email reply I sent it a third time as a pdf attachment.
Can you send the original setup information to tdurden%at%theplanet.com and khazard%at%theplanet.com so we can review it? I have several signed PDFs, but they don't mention managed hosting.
I think, based on reading this whole thread including the all important chat transcript that the customer could of got confused between fully managed, part managed and unmanaged.
To me its obvious but as a novice (no offence) it could of been somewhat confusing.
The sales rep I think should of been more clear what the customer was entering into, but I also know they are much used to dealing with people who want a unmanaged server, after all, this is a unmanaged dedicated hosting company!
Not too sure what can be done to overcome this but a degree of responsibility needs to be with the customer to ensure they are ordering the correct product.
BUT, since what was ordered was not what the customer wanted I think it would be a gesture of goodwill to refund the money and be done with it. Customers are important right? If you don't refund, I think it will put people off.
To me its obvious but as a novice (no offence) it could of been somewhat confusing.
The sales rep I think should of been more clear what the customer was entering into, but I also know they are much used to dealing with people who want a unmanaged server, after all, this is a unmanaged dedicated hosting company!
Not too sure what can be done to overcome this but a degree of responsibility needs to be with the customer to ensure they are ordering the correct product.
BUT, since what was ordered was not what the customer wanted I think it would be a gesture of goodwill to refund the money and be done with it. Customers are important right? If you don't refund, I think it will put people off.
QUOTE (JohnB @ Aug 20 2009, 03:41 PM)
BUT, since what was ordered was not what the customer wanted I think it would be a gesture of goodwill to refund the money and be done with it. Customers are important right? If you don't refund, I think it will put people off.
His request for refund is being reviewed by the management of the sales and billing groups. Unfortunately, it's difficult for people to think and act appropriately when they're constantly being disrespected and accused of being criminals.
Now, I don't have authority in the billing and sales groups. I'm more interested in trying to identify the breakdown in the processes and making recommendations to the appropriate groups. I need to see the whole picture to identify the problem correctly. As long as the requested information isn't available to me, I won't be able to make any recommendations at all.
QUOTE (Tomy Durden @ Aug 20 2009, 10:10 PM)
His request for refund is being reviewed by the management of the sales and billing groups. Unfortunately, it's difficult for people to think and act appropriately when they're constantly being disrespected and accused of being criminals.
Oh, of course, that element is totally out of order and unacceptable. I'm certainly not condoning what he said
QUOTE (Tomy Durden @ Aug 20 2009, 04:35 PM)
Can you send the original setup information to tdurden%at%theplanet.com and khazard%at%theplanet.com so we can review it? I have several signed PDFs, but they don't mention managed hosting.
"Managed" was not in the attachment, that was only requirements for the actual setup of the server and included nameservers, additional email ports etc. Really nothing major but not things I could do myself.
There was a phone conversation or two where I made it clear that I did not know Linux and could not do anything unless I could do it in Plesk.
I told her I was installing Linux on a machine in the office with the objective of learning more so that in the future I could feel more at ease and perhaps move to an unmanaged server to save money. But until I had learned I needed a managed server.
QUOTE (Tomy Durden @ Aug 20 2009, 05:10 PM)
His request for refund is being reviewed by the management of the sales and billing groups. Unfortunately, it's difficult for people to think and act appropriately when they're constantly being disrespected and accused of being criminals.
Now, I don't have authority in the billing and sales groups. I'm more interested in trying to identify the breakdown in the processes and making recommendations to the appropriate groups. I need to see the whole picture to identify the problem correctly. As long as the requested information isn't available to me, I won't be able to make any recommendations at all.
Now, I don't have authority in the billing and sales groups. I'm more interested in trying to identify the breakdown in the processes and making recommendations to the appropriate groups. I need to see the whole picture to identify the problem correctly. As long as the requested information isn't available to me, I won't be able to make any recommendations at all.
When I brought up the setup issue with Gaby she said she would see what she could to to get it resolved but I never heard from her about that again. At that moment I assumed they would honor my instructions without charging me and I was prepared to accept the unmanaged solution and proceed.
But when nothing happened and they (Planet) kept trying to charge me to complete the setup and having learned I was not quoted for what I asked I began to feel uncomfortable with the way things were going. My income depends on this so it is not something I take lightly nor would I want to risk my reputation earned in over 13 years of web services to a server company that did not seem to be particularly competent at getting things right at the start.
Perhaps this is an isolated incident, but since this is the first time at The Planet, from my perspective it is 100% of my experience with them and it was not going at all well. A bad omen.
At that point all I ever asked for was to terminate and refund. I don't understand why they are so stubborn because this will not go away.
My latest on my cancellation and refund request assumes I own a time machine.
They indicated that I would have to cancel my contract at least 72 hours BEFORE I had even sent it to them! How does that work?
Here is the email from the ticket system:
---------------------
Now to make this as clear as possible I did not even fax my documents to them until August 10th mid-day.
The just keep digging their hole deeper and deeper while making themselves appear even more incompetent that they may actually be.
Does anyone wonder why I bailed out on these people?
They indicated that I would have to cancel my contract at least 72 hours BEFORE I had even sent it to them! How does that work?
Here is the email from the ticket system:
---------------------
Stephanie C. 8/21/2009 4:50:00 PM Dear customer,
Thank you for choosing The Planet!!!
As stated previously, the cancellation request was submitted on 8/12/09; however, the contract ended on 8/10/09. The cancellation request would have needed to be submitted a full 48 hours before 8/10 in order to prevent the contract from renewing. You will now have to ensure to submit the cancellation request now later than 8/7/09 in order to void the contract on 8/10/09. At this time, we are unable to apply a service credit to the account per our cancellation policy. We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience. If you have any further questions please contact us at 1-866-325-0045 option 3 or via live chat at www.theplanet.com. Have a fabulous day!
Now to make this as clear as possible I did not even fax my documents to them until August 10th mid-day.
The just keep digging their hole deeper and deeper while making themselves appear even more incompetent that they may actually be.
Does anyone wonder why I bailed out on these people?
Hear is a copy of email between myself and Gaby where I again mentioned the DNS servers.
The Planet set up their own DNS not mine as was clearly indicated in emails prior to the agreement and in the setup requirements sent along with the agreement.
Note the date is August 4th. I did not send agreement until the 10th so she knew I needed my own name servers a full 6 days in advance of sending me the quote.
--
---- end of message ----
The Planet set up their own DNS not mine as was clearly indicated in emails prior to the agreement and in the setup requirements sent along with the agreement.
Note the date is August 4th. I did not send agreement until the 10th so she knew I needed my own name servers a full 6 days in advance of sending me the quote.
--
Hi Paul,
That is correct, I will have them removed and resent to you.
The ips will be given to you once the order is online – you will then be able to make the necessary changes.
http://www.theplanet.com/Images/EmailSigLogo.jpg
Gaby Salas
Sales Representative
gsalas@theplanet.com
Direct: (214)782-7790
Cell: (214)354-6504
Fax: (214)560-9759
www.theplanet.com
From: Paul Kruger [mailto:paul@absolutebestpromos.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 10:23 AM
To: Salas, Gaby
Subject: Update Server Proposal - Intel Xeon 3210
Gaby
Check the attached. If you recall I spoke about omitting the RAID drive so I deleted it from the spreadsheet which recalculated itself.
Also I will need the IP addresses necessary for the registration of my nameserver so my registrar can complete that process.
DNS on server will be set up to use:
NS1.stuffdone.net
NS2.stuffdone.net
Let me know.
---- end of message ----
Your continued frustration is a result of a failure to engage any of our help in a reasonable manner. The most effective way to work with people is to treat them like people. If you're simply demanding, insulting and accusing, you are not fostering much good will in the folks who are here to help.
The fact of the matter is that you signed a contract for one year. That contract included a quote and in no way referenced any nameserver setups or server management beyond the managed services requested (backup, security, monitoring), and we delivered exactly what was quoted. That legally binding document is therefore enforceable for its entire term (one full year).
Do we want you to be unhappy and feel misled for an entire year? Absolutely not. If you stopped yelling at us for five minutes to talk to us about the situation, I'm sure we could have worked something out by now. I bet you could ask another user here on the forums to help you set up a nameserver (at no cost to yourself), and you wouldn't be in this position ... you'd have your nameservers and the exact server you requested. If no one stepped up here, I would personally have paid your advanced services fee out of my pocket since you feel you were so misled.
I don't understand how the excited customer from the live chat transcript I read changed so quickly into an unhappy one over such a minor issue. The advanced services fee of $37.50/half hour is peanuts relative to the year's contract amount, and once your server is set up and running, you won't need any additional management (as Advanced Service Monitoring, Security and Backup) would handle the primary administration requirements, including server hardening, updating and patching.
The fact of the matter is that you signed a contract for one year. That contract included a quote and in no way referenced any nameserver setups or server management beyond the managed services requested (backup, security, monitoring), and we delivered exactly what was quoted. That legally binding document is therefore enforceable for its entire term (one full year).
Do we want you to be unhappy and feel misled for an entire year? Absolutely not. If you stopped yelling at us for five minutes to talk to us about the situation, I'm sure we could have worked something out by now. I bet you could ask another user here on the forums to help you set up a nameserver (at no cost to yourself), and you wouldn't be in this position ... you'd have your nameservers and the exact server you requested. If no one stepped up here, I would personally have paid your advanced services fee out of my pocket since you feel you were so misled.
I don't understand how the excited customer from the live chat transcript I read changed so quickly into an unhappy one over such a minor issue. The advanced services fee of $37.50/half hour is peanuts relative to the year's contract amount, and once your server is set up and running, you won't need any additional management (as Advanced Service Monitoring, Security and Backup) would handle the primary administration requirements, including server hardening, updating and patching.
A new response telling me I have to submit a cancellation ticket even though the cancellation ticket was created on the 12th. Less than the required 48 hours after faxing the documents.
Are they really this incompetent???
Nicole M. 8/20/2009 11:01:30 AM Dear Customer,
You were advised via ticket 5933757PLNT that you will need to submit a cancellation request to remove this server from billing. Once we receive the cancel request we will be able to remove the server. Please refer back to ticket 5950443PLNT for information about the refund request.
Regards,
Nicole
Customer Accounting & Control Department
--- My Cancellation Ticket dated the 12th ---
Ticket Number: 5939094PLNT Ticket Type: Accounting Status: CLOSED
Opened By: Master User Open Date: 8/12/2009 4:14:04 PM Current Opener: Master User
Last Updated By: DequincyM Last Update: 8/13/2009 8:30:37 AM
Summary: CANCELLATION REQUEST 2009/09/01: Stuff Done(C66006)
//
Are they really this incompetent???
Nicole M. 8/20/2009 11:01:30 AM Dear Customer,
You were advised via ticket 5933757PLNT that you will need to submit a cancellation request to remove this server from billing. Once we receive the cancel request we will be able to remove the server. Please refer back to ticket 5950443PLNT for information about the refund request.
Regards,
Nicole
Customer Accounting & Control Department
--- My Cancellation Ticket dated the 12th ---
Ticket Number: 5939094PLNT Ticket Type: Accounting Status: CLOSED
Opened By: Master User Open Date: 8/12/2009 4:14:04 PM Current Opener: Master User
Last Updated By: DequincyM Last Update: 8/13/2009 8:30:37 AM
Summary: CANCELLATION REQUEST 2009/09/01: Stuff Done(C66006)
//
I might also add that at the time I sent documents I specifically asked the Planet to fax me back a signed copy of the TOS I sent them.
I have never received that signed TOS so I don't have any record they accepted it. If they have a copy with my signature, send it with their signature as requested, because it will include the list of my needs that were faxed along with it.
Is that why they failed to return a signed copy to me?
I have never received that signed TOS so I don't have any record they accepted it. If they have a copy with my signature, send it with their signature as requested, because it will include the list of my needs that were faxed along with it.
Is that why they failed to return a signed copy to me?
QUOTE (stuffdone @ Aug 22 2009, 01:10 PM)
I might also add that at the time I sent documents I specifically asked the Planet to fax me back a signed copy of the TOS I sent them.
I have never received that signed TOS so I don't have any record they accepted it. If they have a copy with my signature, send it with their signature as requested, because it will include the list of my needs that were faxed along with it.
Is that why they failed to return a signed copy to me?
I have never received that signed TOS so I don't have any record they accepted it. If they have a copy with my signature, send it with their signature as requested, because it will include the list of my needs that were faxed along with it.
Is that why they failed to return a signed copy to me?
These were attached to ticket 5933757PLNT as a PDF. In Orbit2, you can download these at Tickets>Customer Documents.
QUOTE (Kevin Hazard @ Aug 21 2009, 11:49 PM)
The advanced services fee of $37.50/half hour is peanuts relative to the year's contract amount
I'm not siding either way on this particular issue, but Kevin hit the nail on the head with the above statement. This could have all been avoided if the support guys would have thought about the bigger picture, especially for a newer customer. You should have treated them like gold for the first few months, then later down the road hit them with "$37.50/half hour".
I love ThePlanet and always will, but you almost lost me over a similiar issue a few weeks back. I have two servers, and both Alpha Security at $40 extra a month, but the support guys still wanted to change me the half-hour rate for installing something needed for SuHosin to work properly, which I thought should have been included in the $40. Just an example where you need to do small things like this for your customers as a courtesy. You're already getting $300+ a month. Give us a break on the $37.50 every now and then.
Don't worry Kevin, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just glad someone at ThePlanet realizes that hundreds of dollars a month from a customer for years and years, is way more important than a stupid fight over $37.50 or a one-time special request.
You make a good point garrettkr. However, ive come over from EV1 rather than been with TP.
I have noticed a lot more its become about money over satisfaction and little things techs are no longer willing to help with that they should do.
We have the managed vs unmanaged thing but there should be a degree of compassion in the name of Customer Satisfaction.
I admit that if I don't get a tech willing to help in chat, I close and re enter until I do. There is a new breed of techs and they are all policy nazis. Thankfully the old timers are still interested in helping people, not spewing out automated text.
I have noticed a lot more its become about money over satisfaction and little things techs are no longer willing to help with that they should do.
We have the managed vs unmanaged thing but there should be a degree of compassion in the name of Customer Satisfaction.
I admit that if I don't get a tech willing to help in chat, I close and re enter until I do. There is a new breed of techs and they are all policy nazis. Thankfully the old timers are still interested in helping people, not spewing out automated text.
QUOTE (JohnB @ Aug 25 2009, 04:07 AM)
You make a good point garrettkr. However, ive come over from EV1 rather than been with TP.
I have noticed a lot more its become about money over satisfaction and little things techs are no longer willing to help with that they should do.
We have the managed vs unmanaged thing but there should be a degree of compassion in the name of Customer Satisfaction.
I admit that if I don't get a tech willing to help in chat, I close and re enter until I do. There is a new breed of techs and they are all policy nazis. Thankfully the old timers are still interested in helping people, not spewing out automated text.
I have noticed a lot more its become about money over satisfaction and little things techs are no longer willing to help with that they should do.
We have the managed vs unmanaged thing but there should be a degree of compassion in the name of Customer Satisfaction.
I admit that if I don't get a tech willing to help in chat, I close and re enter until I do. There is a new breed of techs and they are all policy nazis. Thankfully the old timers are still interested in helping people, not spewing out automated text.
Someone gets it here and it is not the Planet. It was never about the money but when I found out how they treat customers by fighting over nickles rather than retain a customer, they instantly soured me and made me very wary about moving hundreds of client web sites.
This was especially true when I learned they did not set up a managed server as I asked because I would be faced with these types of charged who-knows how often with an unmanaged server.
I left a bank over nickels when they actually told me they "never make mistakes" because we all do and when a business insists they are perfect they can be dangerous. The Planet was insisting, in effect, they are incapable of making a mistake and I knew better from my experience.
That was no way to begin a business relationship with anyone.
My only thought was to save a little money but it was a foolish idea since Rackspace treates me well and the techs go well beyond the call of duty to help with these little things. I have never been billed extra for anything there. You do get what you pay for.
BTW they still insist they are right and refused me a refund. I filed a charge back at the bank. I have little doubt I will get my cash back because I kept a printout of all their wonderings all over including their insistence that I would have to have created a cancellation ticket 3 days before sending in my TOS ( I filed that within the 48 hour rule they cited in their own tickets ) and their charging my card after my authorization to do so had expired. It was all in plain English and included a specific date after which that authorization was no longer valid, a date by which I assumed all would be set up and running as needed.
//
QUOTE
You do get what you pay for.
But of course you're paying a lot for it. Last time I priced at rackspace it would be hundreds more than I'm paying here. QUOTE
It was all in plain English and included a specific date after which that authorization was no longer valid, a date by which I assumed all would be set up and running as needed.
I still don't understand how you were allowed to setup a server without having an active card on file as none of the other 20,000 customers are allowed to do that - everyone has to have a card on file in case of bandwidth overage for example. And what is that about sending in your TOS - I don't know of any customer here who is able to send in their own TOS for the planet to meet vs. the other way around.
Don't take this the wrong way, because I suspect the sales rep may share some blame for not making things clear since that's one of their primary job functions (making sure the customer gets what they are asking for and understands the conditions) but from reading this it still sounds like you assumed that everything you requested would be granted, even when for example Kevin posted the reply that "The TOS will not be modified because that is a part of self managed solutions." I don't see any acknowledgment from you of that. I do think you share some of the blame for hearing what you wanted to hear -- or maybe it's just a different mindset you coming from an "everything included high price but no extras" vs. most of us here coming form "unmanaged" with extra admin services available a la carte. You say "you get what you pay for" and yet here you expect everything included for what I believe is a noticeably lower price.
The communication from our team has been entirely consistent from the very beginning. Somewhere in the sales process, the OP got the impression that the server ordered was a managed server rather than a self-managed server with managed services.
The server was set up and delivered exactly as quoted in the signed contract (with a signed copy of the standard, self-managed TOS included and signed). The red flag came up when the server was provisioned without the creation of nameservers (as our representative explained in the very first interaction the customer could perform with Plesk).
The OP created this thread and posted on an external, unofficial customer support channel about his experience and we've done everything in our power to get to the bottom of this confusion. In my years of service at The Planet, I have never intended to give the impression that we cannot make mistakes ... I am usually the first to acknowledge the mistakes that were made to try and make things right. Throughout this interaction, the OP has accused us of deliberately misleading him while we have demonstrated clearly that we have consistently communicated the same message. It is unfortunate that this communication disconnect happened, and for whatever ways we did not make the distinctions even clearer, I am sorry.
As a result of this confusion, the OP has been let out of his contract and is not obligated to pay the balance due for the term ordered. The external support channel included a link to a chat transcript in which the OP posted his customer number and password (in full) twice, and because the file was not edited, we've sent an auto-generated password update to the user to ensure that third-parties would not be able to maliciously log into the user's account to gain any sensitive information or make any changes.
Because the thread has just become a back-and-forth between The Planet's representatives and the OP, it will be closed. While I don't like locking a thread that is unresolved, it has been made clear that this is not accomplishing anything. The decisions have been made and are final on the account in question, and the OP has decided his course of action, so additional communication should not be required here. If I'm incorrect in that assessment, please send me a PM, and I'll reopen for additional updates.
The server was set up and delivered exactly as quoted in the signed contract (with a signed copy of the standard, self-managed TOS included and signed). The red flag came up when the server was provisioned without the creation of nameservers (as our representative explained in the very first interaction the customer could perform with Plesk).
The OP created this thread and posted on an external, unofficial customer support channel about his experience and we've done everything in our power to get to the bottom of this confusion. In my years of service at The Planet, I have never intended to give the impression that we cannot make mistakes ... I am usually the first to acknowledge the mistakes that were made to try and make things right. Throughout this interaction, the OP has accused us of deliberately misleading him while we have demonstrated clearly that we have consistently communicated the same message. It is unfortunate that this communication disconnect happened, and for whatever ways we did not make the distinctions even clearer, I am sorry.
As a result of this confusion, the OP has been let out of his contract and is not obligated to pay the balance due for the term ordered. The external support channel included a link to a chat transcript in which the OP posted his customer number and password (in full) twice, and because the file was not edited, we've sent an auto-generated password update to the user to ensure that third-parties would not be able to maliciously log into the user's account to gain any sensitive information or make any changes.
Because the thread has just become a back-and-forth between The Planet's representatives and the OP, it will be closed. While I don't like locking a thread that is unresolved, it has been made clear that this is not accomplishing anything. The decisions have been made and are final on the account in question, and the OP has decided his course of action, so additional communication should not be required here. If I'm incorrect in that assessment, please send me a PM, and I'll reopen for additional updates.
Re: http://forums.theplanet.com/index.php?showtopic=91738
This may be true and that was the point at which sales should have said something before proceeding. I was never informed in advance that the Planet would require a credit card on permanent record. I faxed a temporary authorization for setup and specifically stated my desire to set up bill pay via my bank. Armed with that information why did sales not tell me that would not be possible to do? Why, after reading the temporary authorization was that not questioned by sales who should have responded to me accordingly? Why was the order accepted knowing I would not leave a credit card on file at the outset?
Given what I had communicated to sales verbally and via fax and that I had received no objections or questions regarding the setup instructions one would assume that what I sent was acceptable to the Planet.
Upon receipt of my documents it was up to Sales to either pass them on as-is for provisioning or to have informed me that my requests could not me accommodated as I sent them, asking me if I wanted to adjust or cancel the order.
As to the TOS, it was Gaby in sales who sent me a TOS to sign and send in. I did not "write" my own TOS and never said I had. Not sure where that idea even came from.
Silence implied consent so I had no red flags to tell me anything was wrong until much later on.
I am done !
You may close this ticket if you wish but I wanted to respond to the final comment by the Planet.
I still don't understand how you were allowed to setup a server without having an active card on file as none of the other 20,000 customers are allowed to do that - everyone has to have a card on file in case of bandwidth overage for example. And what is that about sending in your TOS - I don't know of any customer here who is able to send in their own TOS for the planet to meet vs. the other way around.
This may be true and that was the point at which sales should have said something before proceeding. I was never informed in advance that the Planet would require a credit card on permanent record. I faxed a temporary authorization for setup and specifically stated my desire to set up bill pay via my bank. Armed with that information why did sales not tell me that would not be possible to do? Why, after reading the temporary authorization was that not questioned by sales who should have responded to me accordingly? Why was the order accepted knowing I would not leave a credit card on file at the outset?
Given what I had communicated to sales verbally and via fax and that I had received no objections or questions regarding the setup instructions one would assume that what I sent was acceptable to the Planet.
Upon receipt of my documents it was up to Sales to either pass them on as-is for provisioning or to have informed me that my requests could not me accommodated as I sent them, asking me if I wanted to adjust or cancel the order.
As to the TOS, it was Gaby in sales who sent me a TOS to sign and send in. I did not "write" my own TOS and never said I had. Not sure where that idea even came from.
Silence implied consent so I had no red flags to tell me anything was wrong until much later on.
I am done !
You may close this ticket if you wish but I wanted to respond to the final comment by the Planet.
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