What? MWeb does not accept domain transfer ticket. Again!

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Potion

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Why anyone would want to host with MWeb is a mystery. No control panel, hellishly expensive, and they hijack domain ownership by making themselves the billing, technical and admin contacts on the whois records at Uniforum.

MWeb, like many other large hosting companies (e.g Hetzner and WebAfrica) and ALL of the cell phone service providers, have prehistoric or overly complicated rules and procedures to terminate service, which I have no doubt are deliberately put in place for one of two reasons:

1. The '-ations'... Prevarication, Obfuscation and Procrastination. The logic behind this is to frustrate the client so that, either the process becomes drawn-out into at least the next billing cycle and they can exact an additional month or two's subscription out of you. Or else you simply abandon the process because its just too damn hard and time-consuming and you convince yourself that it isn't so lousy (you're wrong, it is!) and just stick with them.

2. To protect themselves from the general incompetence of their own staff who - surprise! - are as inept as they are underpaid. Yep, substitute competence for systemised business rules.

So the last time I embarked on this journey with MWeb, I decided to do it by the book. I called them and spoke to Fahid, who set out the procedure... Get the domain owner - the Mweb account holder - to fax them a letter requesting Cancellation For Transfer and for MWeb to accept the transfer request, and also send the photo page of his/her ID document. Huh? FAX! It's 2011 Fahid - who has a fax machine?! "You can scan it and use email-to-fax or just email it directly to [email protected]." Okay then...

The letter was duly drafted and sent by the designated account holder, and off to coza-admin went the domain Update form. "I did exactly as they asked, It'll work this time" I thought. But no, after the obligatory 24 hour voting window I get...


The domain Update application for X.co.za has been rejected.
No votes were received.​


Every time a coconut! By NOT doing anything at all MWeb had foiled the process. And around we go again. If I had a buck for every time...

Let this be a warning to anyone considering hosting with MWeb, or any of the other dinosaurs. Just don't do it. There are hundreds of smaller hosting companies whose angle is to keep your custom with excellent service, 21st century technology and value for money. Go with them instead. They won't resort to the MWeb dirty tactics: Own control of your IP, make it hard for you to get back control, and cut you off if you're late (without the courtesy of calling first, just to make sure the error wasn't theirs). Wouldn't you prefer someone who calls YOU 30 seconds after you've logged a support issue on their website. And when you call them you get to speak to the bloke who built the systems, not some out-of-his-depth-call-centre-tron.

Rant Over...
 
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Thanks Potion, I'll bear that in mind. It seems people even have trouble exiting a standard monthly ADSL contract these days. Perhaps it's all part of the retention tactic. Perhaps I should exit now and look for someone else before it becomes an issue.
 
Potion said:
Why anyone would want to host with MWeb is a mystery. No control panel, hellishly expensive, and they hijack domain ownership by making themselves the billing, technical and admin contacts on the whois records at Uniforum.

MWeb, like many other large hosting companies (e.g Hetzner and WebAfrica) and ALL of the cell phone service providers, have prehistoric or overly complicated rules and procedures to terminate service, which I have no doubt are deliberately put in place for one of two reasons:

1. The '-ations'... Prevarication, Obfuscation and Procrastination. The logic behind this is to frustrate the client so that, either the process becomes drawn-out into at least the next billing cycle and they can exact an additional month or two's subscription out of you. Or else you simply abandon the process because its just too damn hard and time-consuming and you convince yourself that it isn't so lousy (you're wrong, it is!) and just stick with them.

2. To protect themselves from the general incompetence of their own staff who - surprise! - are as inept as they are underpaid. Yep, substitute competence for systemised business rules.

So the last time I embarked on this journey with MWeb, I decided to do it by the book. I called them and spoke to Fahid, who set out the procedure... Get the domain owner - the Mweb account holder - to fax them a letter requesting Cancellation For Transfer and for MWeb to accept the transfer request, and also send the photo page of his/her ID document. Huh? FAX! It's 2011 Fahid - who has a fax machine?! "You can scan it and use email-to-fax or just email it directly to [email protected]." Okay then...

The letter was duly drafted and sent by the designated account holder, and off to coza-admin went the domain Update form. "I did exactly as they asked, It'll work this time" I thought. But no, after the obligatory 24 hour voting window I get...


The domain Update application for X.co.za has been rejected.
No votes were received.​


Every time a coconut! By NOT doing anything at all MWeb had foiled the process. And around we go again. If I had a buck for every time...

Let this be a warning to anyone considering hosting with MWeb, or any of the other dinosaurs. Just don't do it. There are hundreds of smaller hosting companies whose angle is to keep your custom with excellent service, 21st century technology and value for money. Go with them instead. They won't resort to the MWeb dirty tactics: Own control of your IP, make it hard for you to get back control, and cut you off if you're late (without the courtesy of calling first, just to make sure the error wasn't theirs). Wouldn't you prefer someone who calls YOU 30 seconds after you've logged a support issue on their website. And when you call them you get to speak to the bloke who built the systems, not some out-of-his-depth-call-centre-tron.

Rant Over...
Click to expand...

Good Morning Potion, your frustration is evident and noted. I have escalated your query to our management team to ensure you receive the assistance you require.

Kind regards,
MWEB Guy
 
Potion said:
Why anyone would want to host with MWeb is a mystery. No control panel, hellishly expensive, and they hijack domain ownership by making themselves the billing, technical and admin contacts on the whois records at Uniforum.

MWeb, like many other large hosting companies (e.g Hetzner and WebAfrica) and ALL of the cell phone service providers, have prehistoric or overly complicated rules and procedures to terminate service, which I have no doubt are deliberately put in place for one of two reasons:

1. The '-ations'... Prevarication, Obfuscation and Procrastination. The logic behind this is to frustrate the client so that, either the process becomes drawn-out into at least the next billing cycle and they can exact an additional month or two's subscription out of you. Or else you simply abandon the process because its just too damn hard and time-consuming and you convince yourself that it isn't so lousy (you're wrong, it is!) and just stick with them.

2. To protect themselves from the general incompetence of their own staff who - surprise! - are as inept as they are underpaid. Yep, substitute competence for systemised business rules.

So the last time I embarked on this journey with MWeb, I decided to do it by the book. I called them and spoke to Fahid, who set out the procedure... Get the domain owner - the Mweb account holder - to fax them a letter requesting Cancellation For Transfer and for MWeb to accept the transfer request, and also send the photo page of his/her ID document. Huh? FAX! It's 2011 Fahid - who has a fax machine?! "You can scan it and use email-to-fax or just email it directly to [email protected]." Okay then...

The letter was duly drafted and sent by the designated account holder, and off to coza-admin went the domain Update form. "I did exactly as they asked, It'll work this time" I thought. But no, after the obligatory 24 hour voting window I get...


The domain Update application for X.co.za has been rejected.
No votes were received.​


Every time a coconut! By NOT doing anything at all MWeb had foiled the process. And around we go again. If I had a buck for every time...

Let this be a warning to anyone considering hosting with MWeb, or any of the other dinosaurs. Just don't do it. There are hundreds of smaller hosting companies whose angle is to keep your custom with excellent service, 21st century technology and value for money. Go with them instead. They won't resort to the MWeb dirty tactics: Own control of your IP, make it hard for you to get back control, and cut you off if you're late (without the courtesy of calling first, just to make sure the error wasn't theirs). Wouldn't you prefer someone who calls YOU 30 seconds after you've logged a support issue on their website. And when you call them you get to speak to the bloke who built the systems, not some out-of-his-depth-call-centre-tron.

Rant Over...
Click to expand...

Hi Potion

Please provide me the domain name and or your MWEB account details, as requested via inbox messaging.

Kind regards, MWEB Guy
 
@MWEB guy. Please don't quote the entire original post — it's unnecessary.

The point of this thread is NOT to resolve an issue with the transfer of the one domain — it is used here to demonstrate the issue. The point of this discussion is to highlight the fact that MWEB's hosting service is simply below par in many areas: pricing, product, technology and customer service, and that its business model is something that belongs in a bygone era. I would prefer not to continue this discussion privately through PMs as you request, but rather leave it in the open. After all, the best disinfectant is sunlight!

I applaud the tireless remedial action by a small group of clearly hard-working and interested employees like the MWEB guys and gals who comprise MWEB Guy, but, with respect, almost certainly are not in a position to answer for MWEB's policies and procedures. Thanks, therefore, for elcalating to management.

So, deliberately resorting to a course of action without the benefit of assistance from MWEB Guy, I called your support centre and spoke to X (from now on - names withheld to protect the innocent, and the guilty!) who informed me that the cancellation was not actioned by the responsible departments, and that it's probably because no end-date was stipulated. I said that this was entirely possible (since I had not explicitly been instructed for one to be inserted).

But what did they do about it? Did they call or email the customer? No! Did they contact the originator or the domain transfer request? No! For more than 24 hours they did, well... Nothing. Nada. Nix.

End of year function on Friday, perhaps?

function MWEB-end-of-year () {
/* do_nothing */
return null;
}

Apologies for the excursion.

"Oh", X tells me, "you can't resolve this until Monday; the people able to action the transfer don't work weekends or after hours."

You also need to know that MWEB requires a one calendar-month notice period for termination of your CONTRACT. So even if you manage, by some stroke of luck, to transfer a domain immediately, you still end up paying MWEB until the end of the following month. Which gives us something else to think about: A one month notice period is perfectly acceptable for any service that is billed monthly in arrears. But why is a one month notice period (or even a contract) necessary for a service which is billed in advance?
 
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I have been having the same issues. I have now been trying to cancel my MWEB ADSL account for the last three weeks. You email cancellations with copy of ID, blah blah blah and then you get the auto response that your ticket has been logged. Then you get an email from someone in customer service that you have to do the process again.......!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three weeks it has taken them so far to accept my 30 day notice!!

I found a small ISP in CPT and when you call them they answer and you get to speak or email with the same person through the whole process of joining...

Come on MWEB! It shouldn't take you 30days to accept a cancellation request.
 
It's Tuesday, almost a week later, and here we sit...

I called MWEB client service again. A bubbly and chatty minion informed me that there's a backlog of requests, and Wednesday 23rd requests are still in the queue. They are busy working on the 22nd Nov requests, so will get to it later today, or tomorrow, "we're not sitting around doing nothing, we've been very busy". "and anyway, the contract specifies at least 3 working days, and up to 3 weeks (yes, 3 weeks!) to cancel". Frankly, I wouldn't be so proud of my hard work if it involves processing cancellation requests. Poor R (again, name withheld etc..) didn't think it a poor show that it takes a week to process a simple transfer request in a world where I get notification of a credit card purchase before I've even signed the slip! Go figure. :confused:

With apologies to MyDogHasNoNose, "Wake up and smell the coffee!"
 
Potion said:
@MWEB guy. Please don't quote the entire original post — it's unnecessary.

The point of this thread is NOT to resolve an issue with the transfer of the one domain — it is used here to demonstrate the issue. The point of this discussion is to highlight the fact that MWEB's hosting service is simply below par in many areas: pricing, product, technology and customer service, and that its business model is something that belongs in a bygone era. I would prefer not to continue this discussion privately through PMs as you request, but rather leave it in the open. After all, the best disinfectant is sunlight!

I applaud the tireless remedial action by a small group of clearly hard-working and interested employees like the MWEB guys and gals who comprise MWEB Guy, but, with respect, almost certainly are not in a position to answer for MWEB's policies and procedures. Thanks, therefore, for elcalating to management.

So, deliberately resorting to a course of action without the benefit of assistance from MWEB Guy, I called your support centre and spoke to X (from now on - names withheld to protect the innocent, and the guilty!) who informed me that the cancellation was not actioned by the responsible departments, and that it's probably because no end-date was stipulated. I said that this was entirely possible (since I had not explicitly been instructed for one to be inserted).

But what did they do about it? Did they call or email the customer? No! Did they contact the originator or the domain transfer request? No! For more than 24 hours they did, well... Nothing. Nada. Nix.

End of year function on Friday, perhaps?

function MWEB-end-of-year () {
/* do_nothing */
return null;
}

Apologies for the excursion.

"Oh", X tells me, "you can't resolve this until Monday; the people able to action the transfer don't work weekends or after hours."

You also need to know that MWEB requires a one calendar-month notice period for termination of your CONTRACT. So even if you manage, by some stroke of luck, to transfer a domain immediately, you still end up paying MWEB until the end of the following month. Which gives us something else to think about: A one month notice period is perfectly acceptable for any service that is billed monthly in arrears. But why is a one month notice period (or even a contract) necessary for a service which is billed in advance?
Click to expand...

Lame response. Do you honestly think you can tell people what to do like that? I feel for your issue (but you shoulda researched before hosting with them), I dont feel for your attitude in telling someone else how they should respond to your posts.
 
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ghoti said:
Lame response. Do you honestly think you can tell people what to do like that? I feel for your issue (but you shoulda researched before hosting with them), I dont feel for your attitude in telling someone else how they should respond to your posts.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Ghoti here

At the end of the day you decided to host with them bad mouthing mweb here is not the way to go, they do have strong points like adsl, get yourself your own reseller hosting wherever manage your own domains, create cpanel accounts, register your own domains with co.za so you will never have issues and can only blame yourself if anything goes wrong

By the way I am not a mweb fan boy this just does not sit right with me

You can be glad mweb has the decency to respond to your post (And yet you bad mouth them even more) I would of left you for a month if I was them
 
tck said:
I have been having the same issues. I have now been trying to cancel my MWEB ADSL account for the last three weeks. You email cancellations with copy of ID, blah blah blah and then you get the auto response that your ticket has been logged. Then you get an email from someone in customer service that you have to do the process again.......!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three weeks it has taken them so far to accept my 30 day notice!!

I found a small ISP in CPT and when you call them they answer and you get to speak or email with the same person through the whole process of joining...

Come on MWEB! It shouldn't take you 30days to accept a cancellation request.
Click to expand...

You should not of gone this route in the first place see it as your punishment for making uninformed decisions

PS: I would consider how reliable your small ISP is, as the small companies cant match up to the likes of afri host etc
 
I disagree, I want to hear the outcome - no response from Mewb is SWAK. If people don't post their experiences, we don't know about them and google won't produce something that hasn't been posted.
 
byron_spy said:
You can be glad mweb has the decency to respond to your post (And yet you bad mouth them even more) I would of left you for a month if I was them
Click to expand...
Sometimes I shake my head at just how much we've grown accustomed to accept crap service in this country. And that from the big boys... thinking Mass Stores, Multichoice, MTN, Voda, etc. All hot on the marketing but toothless on the customer support. And btw... it seems they have already left him for a month hence his post.
 
MyDogHasNoNose said:
I disagree, I want to hear the outcome - no response from Mewb is SWAK. If people don't post their experiences, we don't know about them and google won't produce something that hasn't been posted.
Click to expand...

I agree, you do not have to be a web guru to know mweb's hosting is definitely far from being what it should be

My point however is try to keep it to just fair comments, the mweb rep still had the decency to comment and that does mean something, no need to shoot a man down that is already on the ground
 
RollyDodger said:
No thanks to the upstream providers!
Click to expand...

I currently use afri and host gator no probs from my side :love:

DSL side also afri :love:

We all have different experiences though and one needs to remember that we are paying for a service that we are entitled to but bad mouthing a company is not a solution, forums are to solve problems not too make them a huge mountain
 
byron_spy said:
I agree, you do not have to be a web guru to know mweb's hosting is definitely far from being what it should be

My point however is try to keep it to just fair comments, the mweb rep still had the decency to comment and that does mean something, no need to shoot a man down that is already on the ground
Click to expand...
I think he was pee'd off and reacted lol. It happens. Businesses that offer bad service must be prepared to deal with snotty clients. It's a balancing act - train your liasion staff to treat the client well, or replace them more often due to burnout.
 
byron_spy said:
I currently use afri and host gator no probs from my side :love:

DSL side also afri :love:

We all have different experiences though and one needs to remember that we are paying for a service that we are entitled to but bad mouthing a company is not a solution, forums are to solve problems not too make them a huge mountain
Click to expand...
Sometimes badmouthing a company for the right reason provides results. Every time I have had a go at a firm on Hellopeter, I've got results. I only do this, however, if i've exhausted all other avenues. And believe me, I'm patient.
 
byron_spy said:
My point however is try to keep it to just fair comments, the mweb rep still had the decency to comment and that does mean something, no need to shoot a man down that is already on the ground
Click to expand...

Point taken. And I agree. In my original post you will read:"
"I applaud the tireless remedial action by a small group of clearly hard-working and interested employees like the MWEB guys and gals who comprise MWEB Guy"
Click to expand...
To return to the saga, I expect it will be resolved today. MWEB did eventually send a notification that the domain has been released for transfer, their letter reads:

Thank you for your e-mail.
The requested services ( X.co.za) have been scheduled to terminate on 31/12/2011, following one calendar month notice.

Please advise your new ISP to send the transfer ticket. We only have 24 hours to accept the ticket, therefore we advise that you contact [email protected] as soon as the ticket has been sent for us to accept the ticket immediately.

The following products remain active on the account:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Website Hostng Should you require further assistance, feel free to contact us.
Click to expand...
It's totally in character that MWEB should require an additional unnecessary step (contact them when the ticket is sent) - surely the backend process should automatically feed a queue of domains awaiting transfer. Go figure?

Jeez, this thing keeps getting better...

Now, once the domain is transferred, DNS and all, then poor tom dick and harry (names changed, obviously) won't be able to receive or check their MWEB mail accounts (except via a webmail interface), but the 'products' will continue to be charged for. I am relieved that MWEB mentioned this so that the 'products' can be cancelled, they could have just keep quiet until the client woke up in a month or two... or more, if he had a debit order. (Please, don't anyone tell me they have a debit order for anything with any corporation!)

Lastly. To set the record straight, I don't use MWEB's hosting service. I am helping my customer to transfer hosting to another provider where his newly developed website was waiting to go live... I can't very well tell him that, as byron_spy so succinctly put it, "this is punishment for making uninformed decisions". My punishment is that I have a contract deal with the client that didn't include the phone calls and time spent with this, so it's cost me real money!
 
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