Arvxie Hosting Plan Not Accurate

I went with Arvxie hosting because they said unlimited disk space and bandwith.

I uploaded all the stuff on my hard disk to them as an off  site back up.

This is the email i receive from them today.

I feel mislead....

We have been monitoring your account's resource usage on the server for the past several days and would like to notify you of the following metrics. Although no action has been taken at this time, your usage is of concern to the server's integrity and reliability. 

The current type of usage of your account false against our Terms of Service and Acceptable Usage Policy. You can not use the space provided to you under our hosting accounts for storage/backup purposes. We have identified that the directories listed below contain data that is rarely accessed and fall within our storage/backup policy limitation. 

At this moment, your site is comprised of 38363 megabytes with the following folders holding the data referred to above: 


We need your cooperation in finding a remedy. Depending on your specific case, we generally recommend one or more of the following solutions:

• Remove the files mentioned above
• If you have many sites hosted on one account: Split the sites throughout more accounts
• Upgrade your account to our DedicatedClass

They did the same thing to me, I switched over to Joombyte because of someone in this forum and I haven't had an issue since. but every month I was on Arvixe, I had issues.

Nearly all 'shared' hosting sites that advertise as 'unlimited' have small print that says 'within fair use' depending on other users on the server.

Its a bit of a con really.

Get VPS or Dedicated. Better for Dolphin anyway.

If your server is struggling to accomodate 38GB of files, then you can bet the bandwidth youre getting is pretty crap also.

Must be a ton of other users sharing it.

Thank you both for posting this issue. I currently have an account at Arvixe. I am building my first D7 site. It is good to know that I will have to move before I invest more time.

The same e-mail came to me, that makes me think and become suspicious about Arvixe.

aneilaDesign

Dolphin becomes much more tamed when you have full control over how your server is configured. Either go VPS or dedicated, you will have none of these worries. At the moment your usage is shared and their servers will not be tailored specifically for your actual Dolphin site. You'll notice speed changes too when you're not sharing it with others. It's better for you... and them. It needn't cost the earth either. It's worth doing if you want your users to have a positive experience with your current/future Dolphin site.

Arvxie's 'bait and switch' web hosting tactics are well know around here.  They are scum as far as I'm concerned.

You need to read the terms of service and usage policy before signing up with a hosting provider (you should also read any reviews on them, but that should come naturally). I don't like the hosting providers who offer "unlimited" resources, because it's simply untrue, and impossible.

In this case, you apparently uploaded files to the server as a form of a reliable backup. Many of the cheaper, "unlimited" hosting providers don't allow this (in fact, it's usually a no-no for most shared hosting packages). I don't know how you managed to upload nearly 40GB of data, but if it's material unrelated to your site, they probably don't want to invest in extra storage for people who aren't utilizing it for their sites.

You have three choices:

1. remove the backup files from the server and store them somewhere else (such as an external hard drive)
2. purchase a dedicated hosting package, which isn't cheap, and is basically overkill
3. switch to another hosting provider, but only after reading their terms of service and usage policy, etc.
4. go to the gym (bonus)

I'm not going to put Arvixe at fault, since those are their rules, and you're bound to them by signing up for their service. I recommend you become familiar with their usage policy so things like this don't happen again.

in their defense, they are within the parameters of the web hosting industry in what they say. if the files you uploaded were not part of your site, then you should not be using the web server as a means of 'off-site' backup of your files. if the files pertain to the website, then they should be up-to-date files and relevant to the purpose of the site.

i would take the same stance if there were a user who had a large amount of data loaded on the server just for storage. a web server is for serving web pages. if you need a backup solution for your files, you can look at getting an external hard drive or a local NAS or use one of the services such as carbonite.com

so the unlimited space, would relate specifically to files that are conducive to the operations of your website.

I have been using Arvixe for the past year. Three sites and No issues. They are very responsive to my needs and tickets, alot more responsive than Boonex. Ha ha

Dos Dawg is correct in his thinking and i agree 100% with him.

I disagree DosDawg my friend. The only term being read by the new user is the term "unlimited".  Why would it matter if the files are stored or being served? If you are going to make a distinction and set a limit, then do so up front so new users know it going in.  Arvixe's exceptions are posted in small print so the new user won't find them until they have paid some money to Arvixe.In fact, I will go so far as to say MOST unlimited shared hosting plans and server farms are doing the exact same thing. It is misleading and criminal in nature.

Arvixe=scam artists and I for one would love to see Boonex remove them from this site as a possible host. Everyone knows going in that Dolphin is a resource intensive application and Arvixe is tricking new Boonex members into paying them money, then dropping them for "violations" to make room for the next sucker....

RE:

Ya know... sometimes I feel that's all my Dolphin site is...... a bunch of files loaded on the server for storage.

SF, its a web hosting account, thus all would relate to the task of 'web hosting'

the fact that a consumer fails are refuses to read TOS and does not under any law dismiss what is written. i just went to Arvixe's site, and took a moment to read about bandwidth and disk usage. this is what is posted in bold font that anybody who is capable of reading, and those with a handicap, and appropriate software on their machine, listening:

Bandwidth and Disk Usage: Customer agrees that bandwidth and disk usage shall not exceed the number of megabytes per month for the Services ordered by Customer on the Order Form. Arvixe will monitor Customer's bandwidth and disk usage. Arvixe shall have the right to take corrective action if Customer's bandwidth or disk usage exceeds the Agreed Usage. Such corrective action may include the assessment of additional charges, disconnection or discontinuance of any and all Services, or termination of this Agreement, which actions may be taken is in Arvixe sole and absolute discretion. If Arvixe takes any corrective action under this section, Customer shall not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid in advance prior to such action. Using a shared account as a backup/storage device is not permitted. Do not keep backups on the server of your websites or installation scripts.

not permitted in TOS, means they are in the rights. its a web hosting server, not a file server or backup server. never has been and that is an industry standard.

as an example of this on a different scale. if you were to go to a seafood establishment with an ALL you Can Eat offer, you wouldnt take a basket and fill it up and think you were going to go home with a weeks supply of shrimp and oysters. its not written anywhere, and nobody says that to you when you place your order for the ALL  you CAN Eat offer.

shared web hosting accounts are not now and never have been an off-site backup solution. its for web hosting, and only files relevant to the website are permitted.

choose any hosting provider and read the TOS, and you will see this is the factual case , thus it is not illegal, nor underhanded.

I have yet to see a shared host that will allow you to make a backup of your computer files to it. At least not 30+ gigs worth. If everyone did that, it would fill up the hard drives and slow everyone down - not to mention cost the hosting company money in add on drives.

BTW - NOTHING is unlimited in web hosting. Any company that says such a thing is not being honest. That said, most of them do say this. Doesn't make it true, or right. It's certainly unethical, at least IMO it is. Someday there will be a class action about this "unlimited" nonsense and then we might actually see some honesty.

Ok DosDawg then explain this to me.

If there is no part of the contract or server that can be considered "Unlimited" by any stretch of the imagination, then why use the term?

The ONLY reason the term is used is to deceive the prospective buyer. Do you offer "unlimited shared hosting" on Terabyte?

SF, i dont offer unlimited anything.

i think the misconception comes from overall expectations that have evolved over a period of time. when you are seeking the service specifically for 'web hosting' you look  up companies who provide 'web hosting' services.

now if you are a simpleton, and think oh great this is unlimited space, i can backup my hard drive and my moms hard drive and get the neighborhood together and we can all backup our hard drive to this 'unlimited space'.

then that is outside my realm of comprehension of stupidity. webhosting and the verbiage unlimited came about back when most sites were static and consisted of 5 pages and maybe 30 or so images.

understanding that at one point diskspace was an incredibly valuable commodity. so when webservers starting catering to the average joe schmoe, web hosting was extremely expensive. with the advancement of web technologies, php - mysql and dynamic websites, came the requirement for more and more webspace. though these were still small in stature, maybe 200mb. also keep in mind, that the hard drives we were working from locally were most likely under the 10GB range and understand that our connection protocol was 56k Baud Rate and most times less than that, because the internet itself was expensive, as well as the possibility of having a computer in your home.

so given all variables and constants that have evolved, what has also evolved is the state of laziness where nobody reads TOS and AUP.

ok, not trying to cause an arguement here, just trying to explain that when specifically dealing with a web hosting service, then that is what the space would reference specifically is what is needed for your web hosting needs. granted, i have dolphin sites that are in excess of 100GB, so its not so much the space that is the problem, (oh and those are not on shared hosting).

lets look at another avenue SF, since you are into dragging automobiles around off a hook. when one rents an automobile,and it says unlimited miles, do you think that would actaully refer to unlimited miles? within reason yes, but if you rent a car for one week and you drive it along with assistance, 24-7 @ 60mph for 7 days, do you not think something would be said about that?

there are limits such as boundaries

certain days of the week this is applied to

and several other factions

though its advertised as unlimited mileage. so if you are not going to read the TOS (rental agreement'. you could end up with a whopping bill on your credit card.

unlimited anything does not exist, and anybody who does not understand that, should not be on a computer. there are limits and boundaries to everything we do on this earth. reminds me of a cartoon show, where the 'jack-a-lope' is schooling the sheep, and says 'bounds bounds, bounds and rebounds.' there are boundaries

nothing is limitless, or as advertised unlimited.

READ TOS, and READ AUP, this would have eliminated this entire thread.

hey people, there is no such thing as 'UNLIMITED', and cloud hosting doesnt mean they are storing your data on the puffy white clouds floating around in the sky.

Well stated  DD

Shouldn't this be posted in the disputes section?

I don't think this warrants a dispute.

i dont really see it as being a dispute. the site member was not aware of the posted TOS from the service provider. and in all reality, that is the first thing that should be read.

whereas my good friend SF would tend to think otherwise, i was just trying to provide a little information for a better understanding.