We can only share a limited experiance, but it might help a few newbies. Our host is based in the UK, and is part of a vast network worldwide. They claim a 99% uptime, and have value, mid range, a resellar packages. Support is key, and the length of time it takes for the support to work, which in our case is normally within the hour depending on what time it is submitted.
We've actually had more social chats than that of support chats, and they have really helped and over the years we've managed to build up a good relationship with them and put names to faces. They also 'share' in house news, upgrades, future plans with us also.
A good friendly personal service I think on small to medium sites outways price / speed and features. Knowing that a quick email will result in a fix and a quick fix at that I find to be much more important. We're only using their value packages at the moment, and can't complain one little bit, the sites are fast enough for what they need to be, and they're reliable, this is shared hosting at it's best.
In time I'm sure we'll be moving up to a dedicated server, but for now we can't complain. If in doubt, email the host, see what sort of response they give, is it warm? Do they welcome you? Or is it a robotic automated scripted response and you're just another customer paying the bills?
Good customer service shows, as there is a lack of it these days, so check for reviews of the host, email the host, weigh up the costs and features of others, check where the servers are, if backups are done, and how friendly they are, and I'm sure in time loyalty will pay off for you.
Hope some of that helps.
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