Afrihost robbing clients?

F

Frankc

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Maybe Afrihost can explain here WHAT they are doing or what "system problem" it is because for me it almost looks as if Afrihost robbing their clients.

We have a 10GB Afrihost ADSL account with auto top-up.

Yesterday morning I noticed there is almost no bandwidth left so 6GB additional bandwidth was added.

Despite working and earning money online we don't use a lot of bandwidth and despite about 8 GB of monthly backups, about 10 - 13 GB bandwidth is usually enough.

After we purchased the additional 6 GB bandwidth I started to download the about 3 GB of backups left but even before it was finish I discovered the following.

1) The 10 GB account was 100% utilized. The 6 GB top-up have only something in 300 MB left.

2) Yesterday night the Afrihost statistics however changed to 1.7 GB left so resumed the just less than 600MB backup downloads.

3) This morning our Afrihost ADSL account was however locked (after just 154 MB download) despite the fact that the available bandwidth again changed to something that seems much more accurate.

Status: Active
AutoTop up: Yes
Available: 3.022 GB
(Available bandwidth went from 300 MB, 6GB, 1,7GB and now 3GB

Data Type Usage Percentage Available
6.000 GB Topup Special 51.37% 2.918 GB
10.000 GB Normal 98.96% 106.478 MB

My problem with above is.

a) It's clear that Afrihost use either ESTIMATES and then correct it later or measure bandwidth incorrectly.

b) Afrihost LOCKED our accouunt despite 3GB of bandwidth available so it cause a lot of trouble for us and prevented us from using the remaining bandwidth before monthend.

c) In the case of auto top-ups incorrect or estimated bandwidth most likely also trigger auto top-ups while the customer in reality not even needed that and have enough bandwidth available.

d) Since our Afrihost account is locked we have to purchase bandwidth elsewhere in order to access the internet and that cause a loss at our side due to their mistakes.

FACT of the matter is that people purchase BANDWIDTH and by estimated or incorrect bandwidth usage and by locking accounts with enough available bandwidth amounts to robbing clients from bandwidth that they PAID for the same way as a butcher that give you 800 G meat instead than 1 KG meat.

(For those grammar freaks, I am deaf and Afrikaans speaking)
 
Should be "My problem with the above is.." :D lol I'm kidding carry on.
 
You did not mention AH's response when you emailed them with the above issues or have you just posted the above without trying to contact them?
 
Raedwulf said:
Should be "My problem with the above is.." :D lol I'm kidding carry on.
Click to expand...

Dick. lolol joking...

To the OP, auto-topups is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. We have been a pretty bandwith starved country and imo it's in peoples best interest to do all the monitoring for themselves and topup accordingly, at least then you could add an extra gig onto your account each time until the end of the month.
But also, with uncapped becoming so cheap and readily available these days, you should seriously consider changing your package to save you any similar hassles in the future.
 
I am not sensitive about my language or being deaf so haha. (I just don't like "oh so better than you" people and in MANY cases can actually learn such people a lesson or two)

I send AH a link to this post. If they just lock my account without reason and don't warned or informed ME that the account was locked (and the only "resolution" on the locked page is to "TOP UP") then they as well don't really deserve to be handled with care and respect.

Maybe I am wrong but I have a feeling that "uncapped" accounts are at the bottom of the chain and the first to be "PENALIZED" with slow speeds and heavy shaping if too many users simple make use of what they paid for.

Of course I can rather get a 20GB account that's more than enough but on the other hand, in principle I hate it to PAY for something I don't need or use. Would you for example buy 10 liter milk, use 7 litter and throw away the remaining 3 litter every week?

Collectively we all use for example normally 1 mil GB bandwidth, PAY for 2 mil GB bandwidth, near monthend the majority rush to use additional 600 000 BG of bandwidth and the ISP's in the end get paid for 400 000 GB of unused bandwidth. (And take into account the crazy downloaders it's therefore much better for all to pay what you use as it will save bandwidth and cost)
 
Frankc said:
I am not sensitive about my language or being deaf so haha. (I just don't like "oh so better than you" people and in MANY cases can actually learn such people a lesson or two)
Click to expand...
Like proper grammar perhaps? ;)
 
StefK said:
Like proper grammar perhaps? ;)
Click to expand...

In Afrikaans? Sure. I almost like it more to read English news than Afrikaans news because of the sometimes bad afrikaans grammar (in comments and some news articles) but I just shake my head.:cry:

And with regards to this post itself also maybe the fact that I always try to fight for what is right regardless my limitations. (I by the way received an sms from Afrihost a few minutes ago stating my usage is at 80% so I am definitively NOT impressed with my account being locked for no reason. If it happened with 1000 users, but only 5 DO something about it while the rest just accept it like sheep, it don't help much to improve customer care and service, does it?)
 
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Afrihost suspended a lot of accounts due to copyright violations via p2p. I'd check that as well to make sure if I were you.
 
lol, Strangest things that happen!!!!

With SEACOM being down, i purchased a 1 gig webafrica account, i used that account for 3 days ( 1 gig ) here in my office doing the same tasks we do everyday.

With my Afrihost account, we use 1 gig daily.

For some reason i just cant work it out!!!!!!!


Strange things
 
Their cap system is uber sketchy & there are lots of posts about the same thing. The usual response is that the user doesn't understand their roll-over system (Going over cap last month reduces this months cap).

Maybe you can get a credit on your account. I doubt they'll fix the system though, its been like this for months.
 
Emailed thanks. (but in the past sometimes neither Gian or Moshe answer email)

To Snake Blisken. For years one international server never used more than 30 GB per month. Server and third party statistics. (Less than R2000 pm with 2500GB of bandwidth included).

Moved this one server to local hosting. WOW. Statistics jumped to 90 GB (ISP statistics - Server statistics up to 39 GB perhaps due to local connection) at a cost of R7000 + pm but when moved back to international statistics went back to between 30 - 40 GB pm.

What many people forgot is that bandwidth in SA cost actually almost double more than international. (I pay a mere R1600 for UP TO 2500 GB of bandwidth SERVER SIDE and visitors pay also for that 2500 GB. If hosted in SA, 2500 bandwidth will cost ME several hundred thousand rand PLUS visitors will also pay expensive fees for their side of THE SAME BANDWIDTH.

Got it. "International bandwidth is "expensive" and "local" bandwidth cheap but yet, if SA people visit international sites the local companies only get money from the visitors (ADSL users etc) but when visiting cheap local bandwidth, local companies get DOUBLE so much. (i.e. website owner pay + visitors pay)

From the perspective of cheap local bandwidth websites hosted in SA should be WAY cheaper than international but precise the opposite is true.
 
Cut your losses and find another ISP...that is what most of us did. They should stick to hosting websites and leave ADSL to the big boys.
 
Have a similar problem they miscalculated the usage, then after a couple of emails they say prove it, so we said no, you know theres a problem fix it we don't have to prove anything.

Then I received 800mbs back but the account was capped (under status) for hours and hours and even more emails to sort that out.

Finally it is active with 800mbs left to use but I can't connect at all. So I have 800mbs that expire tomorrow with no way to use it.

Even more emails and all they say is check your router settings, restart your pc, unplug cables leave for a minute that sort of rubbish. But they can't understand we have THREE accounts with them THREE, only the ONE does not connect (the one that was cappped) the other TWO connect.

So 1 out of 3 doesn't connect
2 out of 3 connect

There is no bloody problem with my router or pc it is on their side. Obviously it was capped they fixed it then "un-capped" it but still actually capped.
 
Sorry for the inconveniences you have experienced with your ADSL account.

I have taken a look at the account and it seems that it was incorrectly locked by our system. Your 6Gb top up has 2.918 GB available and should not be locked at all.

I know that our sys admin team had made some adjustments to our system in order to safe guard us against overusage, this may be what has affected your bandwidth usage figures.
Click to expand...

Received above response 6 and half hours after posted this and send link to Afrihost.

With above responses it's CLEAR that you must be very careful with Afrihost bandwidth to make sure you don't paid for 10 GB but only get 7 GB before your account is locked so that they can just ROB you of the remaining bandwidth which you PAID for.
 
Almost 12 hours after our ADSL account was "incorrectly" locked, it's still locked despite Afrihost (Keenan) statement that it's "fixed".
 
ruan567 said:
Afrihost suspended a lot of accounts due to copyright violations via p2p. I'd check that as well to make sure if I were you.
Click to expand...

What have downloading our OWN backups via FTP have to do with p2p and copyright violations???
 
At last online with Afrihost after 12 hours but at a mere 11 kb/s download speed while our "backup" WebAfrica account ran at full speed despite the Seacom debacle.
 
After cancelled our Afrihost account due to above.

I know you are frustrated with Afrihost for the past couple days
but I do apologize for any inconvenience... Our guys did try their
best to accommodate all our clients even though the problem wasnt on
our side, at the same time we did succeed in the long run..

Please do reconsider cancellation as we now back up and running, Things
should be much smoother now, If theres any feedback or suggestions that
you would like Afrihost to improve on please do let us know,
After all we are the best Hosting Co. ever.. :) (Then KEEP with hosting because it's clear Afrihost know zit about internet connection services
Click to expand...

My reply

Please don't LIE to me.

Afrihost locked our ADSL account during the night and only restore it 12 hours after the first ticket.

As per Keenan it's 100% YOUR fault for locked our account in ERROR because there is more than 3 GB available.

If the payment cannot be stopped please issue a refund WITHOUT a delay.

Our money is good enough for you but at the same time Afrihost regard and threat clients as toilet paper and not even Gian or Moshe answered their email.

I don't want such utter crap service even if I get it for free.
 
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