Web Host Policies and TOS

By: Shashank Wagh
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[ Posted On: 2006-06-27 ]

All webhosting providers implement certain policies and TOS guidelines for the services they provide. It is very important for clients to read those and understand them before they signup for their services. In this article, we will review some types of policies webhosts implement or aspiring webhosts should implement.

Account setup / verification policies.

The webhosting provider needs accurate information about the clients. Due to the ever-increasing number of fraud signups, each web host, based on their will, has some or other fraud verification or detection system implemented. Some use automated systems, which have phone or email verification. Once verified, the account is usually setup within 24 hours unless the webhost has an automated system to setup the accounts. The setup policy and time may vary from host to host.

Content.

There are certain restrictions on content on almost all webhosting providers. You cannot blame the webhosts for this because they have to maintain a properly running shared hosting environment and keep their network and servers within the service policies of their upstream providers or datacenters. People might end up uploading warez, nullified scripts, hacking scripts, child porn, proxy scripts, spamming scripts, etc. if there are no restrictions on content. They need to prevent their servers and network from being used for unlawful purposes.

Spam policy.

Spam is a serious offense in the modern-day world. Webhosting providers should have zero tolerance policies for spamming. Most webhosting providers suspend your account if you have been found spamming. Webhosts have to protect their servers from being listed in the various spam lists. Usually they suspend and warn users for spamming. But termination becomes necessary if the user still does not stop sending spam.

Payment.

Webhosting providers need to be very particular about payments. They need accurate information related to your payment procedure. Your account is suspended in most cases if you do not pay on time. Non-payment after that leads to cancellation and termination of service. Some web hosting providers levy late fees for delayed payments. They do offer some days of grace period each month but beyond that you cannot blame them for suspending or canceling your account.

Backups.

Some of the webhosting providers provide data backups on their servers for their shared and reseller hosting accounts. You need to check before hand if the host you are hosting with does provide backups or not. Otherwise it is better to do you own manual backups from time to time. The data retrieval from backups is a chargeable service on most webhosting providers. They need to maintain additional infrastructure for backups and so it is normal that they charge for backups. Even if your the webhosting provider does provide backups you can always maintain local copies of all your important data as well. After all, the backup systems are also mechanical devices; they can go down just like the servers.

Upgrades/ Downgrades.

Almost all webhosts offer upgrade/downgrades within their own packages. Usually the difference between the upgraded and the current package is charged in case of upgrades and some fixed downgrade fee is charged for downgrades. Your hosting needs do no remain the same always, so you need to make sure the host you choose offers upgrades as well as downgrades before hand.

Refunds and Cancellations.

A 30-day money-back guarantee is offered generally by most webhosting providers. If you are not satisfied with their service, you can cancel within 30 days of signup and they should refund you 100% as per their policy. Sometimes partial refunds are offered based on the services you had ordered. Services like domain registrations are not liable to refunds in any case. They follow different cancellation procedures as well. Some use forms or some allow cancellations from the billing system directly.

Excess Usage Policy.

Sometimes a client can exceed the allocations of his hosting plan like disk usage or bandwidth usage. Most webhosting providers sell these add-ons based on per GB pricing. Some of them ask you to upgrade to the next available plan. These add-ons are mostly needed on webhosts who do not allow overselling for reseller accounts. But they should be available as an option on all packages as and when needed.

Resource Usage.

Most modern day scripts are multipurpose and so can use heavy system resources at times. Webhosts implement resource usage limits to avoid such scripts from crashing the servers and maintain a top notch shared hosting servers. They disable such scripts or give a warning. Too much traffic can be cause of heavy resource usage as well at times. If you already know about your sites usage you can directly opt for a VPS or a dedicated server.

Legal Policies.

All webhosting companies operate under some or the other jurisdiction or state laws. Most webhosting companies do not accept any responsibilities of any damage you or your sites/business may suffer due to unintended service interruptions or breakdowns. It is kind of "no warranty" service they provide just because of the risk factors involved in using electronic storage. They can and have the right to terminate any account which is found to be used for illegal and unlawful activities classification of which is at the sole discretion of the webhosting company. They have the right to refuse service, refunds and explanations to anyone based on these grounds. Normally a webhost would protect the privacy and information of the clients but they have the right to disclose any information to law enforcement agencies without prior notice or confirmation with the client. They also reserve the right to change their TOS, services, plans and prices at any time.

These are some of the general guidelines for the TOS that a webhost should have. If you are a hosting client you can check if your webhost has at least of the basic points from the above. I hope this article will help Webhosting providers and resellers to create TOS of their own.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

Shashank Wagh of Hostgator.com LLC is one of the premier web hosting providers currently in business. Hostgator.com provides powerful hosting plans suitable for all your hosting needs.

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