Glob@t Review
Globat, or Glob@t, markets itself fairly well. The company has been around since 2001 and it boasts that it provides service to over 100 000 different websites, which is pretty respectable. You can’t believe everything you read though, especially not on the Internet. Even when claims are technically true, the facts of a situation can vary greatly even from the most basic and seemingly obvious expectations.
First, let’s take a look at what Globat is offering in terms of its budget hosting package. You’ll get unlimited storage space and bandwidth rights. Naturally, this unlimited bandwidth doesn’t mean there is no cap, there is just no cap you can be charged for exceeding. New users are offered free domain registration, but once you have an account, setting up new domains will cost extra.
Organizations can avail themselves of unlimited e-mail accounts which can be accessed through POP3 servers or IMAP as well as web-mail portals. Glob@t can also provide you with security certificates as well as oscoCommerce and Zen Cart functionality if you have an interest in e-commerce.
In terms of site design possibilities, you’ll also have access to a wide range of technologies ranking from support for PHP, Perl and CGI scripting to RealAudio, QuickTime and Flash streaming capabilities.
The company’s servers are protected from attacks by firewall protection, and power failures by Uninterruptable Power Supplies and diesel-powered backup generators. The company also offers phone support as well as free online chat and e-mail support that is available 24 hours a day seven days a week.
That all sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Unfortunately, while these services are, technically, provided they may not actually be delivered in the way you’d expect or, really, in any way that you will be comfortable with. Customers report numerous problems on almost every point resulting in an astoundingly bad reputation.
The company rates below average in term of reliability and that’s essentially their best attribute, which is not ideal to say the least. The worst complaints are in reference to their customer support system. Even when they are contactable, most users report little resolution to their woes. That, of course, is when the support isn’t AWOL. It’s pretty rare these days to find a company that operates any kind of support system that doesn’t allow for a hold queue, but Glob@t seems to have done it. Having to wait is bad, have to call repeatedly hoping that you win the telephone version of Russian roulette is intolerable and this is how many customers describe their experience.
You’ll also have to make sure you always read the fine print. Everything about this company is difficult to understand. The $4.44 monthly rate only applies to the first 12 months if you sign up for a 12 month contract, but there is no indication of what they charge is afterward. If you are willing to sign up for two or three years, after that first year, the initial 4.44 rate rises to $6.95 or $5.95 respectively. The word “rate” however is a misnomer. The fine print will tell you that you will be charged for the entire term of the contract all at once. Customers also report that once you have signed up will frequently need to opt-out of additional features to avoid being charged. Cancellations are process through the same support lines that usually return busy signals. In short, you’d better hope you like Globat and that is problem free (which doesn’t seem likely), because if you have a problem or want out, you’re in for a really bad day.
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