General | Hosting (General) | Virtual Private Servers | Colocation | Dedicated Servers | Broadband | Web App Development | Project Oversite | Support | Unanswered Questions
General
- How does your billing work?
- Why are you so strict with fraud checking? Don't you want my money?
- One of your special offers is a great deal. Will the price I pay ever change?
- Why does my invoice show more than the monthly subscription amount?
- How do I cancel my service?
- What happens when I cancel my service?
- Is there a 'right' time to cancel?
- I've just placed an order but when I login to the control panel it says cancelled. Why is this?
- Can I merge or synchronise separate invoices into one?
- Do you accept Bitcoin?
Questions
How does your billing work?
Our billing system doesn't work like a lot of other ISPs. In order to give our customers time to pay their invoices, they're generated 2 weeks before they're due and you're emailed a reminder at generation time. This gives you two weeks to pay as some customers may be busy or need additional time to arrange payment, especially for larger companies and with larger invoices.
- Invoices and reminders are generated mid month.
- Payment date is the end of the month.
One of your special offers is a great deal. Will the price I pay ever change?
No, the price you pay will always remain fixed unless the offer explicitly states that it will change. If it is to change it'll be extremely clear that it does and it will never be hidden in the small text.
We rarely have offers that change price. If the price does change it's generally of the "first month free" types of offer.
How do I cancel my service?
All services except for licenses, broadband and telephone services can be cancelled directly via the control panel.
You must cancel your service BEFORE your invoice is generated. Your invoice is generated mid-month. Cancelling your service does not cancel your service - it will continue to run until the end of the period you've paid up to.
If you cancel your service AFTER your invoice is generated, you are still liable for it so please, all we ask you to do is cancel before it's generated if you don't wish to pay for the invoice.
Is there a 'right' time to cancel?
You must cancel BEFORE a new invoice is generated. When your next invoice is generated is prominently displayed on the landing page in your control panel.
Can I merge or synchronise separate invoices into one?
Whilst it isn't possible to merge invoices that have already been generated, it is possible to synchronise all your payments so that you can pay for your services in one go.
This is done by bringing all your services forward to a date that you'd like your new invoice to be generated on. N.B. This will immediately generate an invoice for the difference between what has already been paid and the new invoice date that you've chosen (i.e. pro-rata). Naturally, the closer the new invoice date is to today, the smaller the newly generated invoice will be. Additionally, due to a quirk in our billing system, this invoice needs to be paid before 8.30AM UK time or the modified services will be suspended.
If you're unable to or don't wish to pay for an invoice immediately, please don't use this facility.
If you'd like to synchronise your invoices, please log into your control panel and go to the My Orders page. Once there:
- Select the products you'd like to synchronise
- Change the dropdown box to Align Billing Dates
- Click Go
- You'll then be asked to choose a date in the future. Once this has been saved, an invoice will be made ready for you.
- You can access and pay for this invoice in the My Invoices tab.
Answers
Why are you so strict with fraud checking? Don't you want my money?
We would like nothing more than to provide you with all the services you need but for us it's not just the financial aspect we consider; we also like to ensure our existing customers are safeguarded from rogue users whom might disrupt service for others.
Hopefully once you become one of our established customers, you'll benefit from this policy too and you can be assured that we do the utmost to make sure our new customers won't distrupt your services.
The downside for us is that this policy costs us time, money and often drives customers away due to the requirements to prove their identity or because they feel aggrieved by the insinuation that they're being singled out as a fraud risk or as a potentially disruptive user.
When people host with us, a major consideration is the quality of our service - this is one of the ways we maintain our status as one of the friendliest and helpful companies and is one of the many factors that distinguishes us from other providers. There are plenty of companies that will happily take anyone's money regardless of the problems this might cause existing users but we're here for the long term and if it means we'll need to occasionally turn people away to make our network safer, more reliable and ensure our existing customers are happy, that's what we'll do.
Ultimately, we're here to build a business people will feel happy to use so we have no interest in making short term gains at the expense of our long term goals.
We're sorry if you're ever asked to provide additional identification and we can completely understand if you don't wish to do so :)
Why does my invoice show more than the monthly subscription amount?
Our invoices are pro-rated. This means that you'll be charged for whatever is left of the month, however, if there's less than half a month to go, we will charge you for a full month PLUS whatever's left of the current month.
This results in an invoice that's slighty more than the monthly amount (because it covers slightly more than a month).
We do this because frequently, addons and special offers will only be a fraction of a Pound and a large chunk of this will end up paying processor fees and we end up with almost nothing.
What happens when I cancel my service?
When you cancel your service, the only thing that changes is your invoices will no longer be generated. Your service STILL CONTINUES TO RUN until the end of the period you've paid up till so if you want, the day after you've paid your invoice, you can cancel your service and not interrupt you web hosting, VPS, dedicated server etc.
I've just placed an order but when I login to the control panel it says cancelled. Why is this?
Your order isn't cancelled. An email has been sent to you requesting further information. Whilst we're waiting, the control panel reports the order as cancelled but in reality your order is just pending.
Do you accept Bitcoin?
Unfortunately we're not currently accepting Bitcoin. We are looking into this and may consider it in the future.
Questions
Why don't you offer unlimited bandwidth?
There isn't really such a thing as unlimited bandwidth. At the very best, you'll be limited by port speed and even then, that port speed will be contended by every other user hoping to get their share of the 'unlimited bandwidth'.
Often, a provider who offers unlimited bandwidth will cut off high-volume users. This is because they only have a limited amount of bandwidth and it's going to cost them a lot of money to provide all the bandwidth the top users will use. These customers will be told that they've breached the "fair use" policy and will be told that they need to reduce their usage or be asked to leave.
It's a marketing gimmick that we won't be using to sell our services. Understandably, this will put off some customers as our service won't offer unlimited bandwidth (with the associated 'Fair Use Policy' restrictions) and they'll find a provider that will.
For customers that need to know what they're getting, we hope you'll find our products an excellent choice.
Answers
How do I cancel a domain name?
Please visit the control panel and cancel your domain name there. You must cancel before your invoice is generated otherwise you'll still be liable for payment as monies are paid to thrid parties which we can't recover.
Do you support IPv6?
IPv6 is available in Beta in our Maidenhead datacentre. This means IPv6 is usable for dedicated servers, co-location and Virtual Private Servers in that location, however, functionality is more limited than that available for IPv4; most notably, rDNS isn't configurable from the control panel.
Due to demand, we can now set rDNS for dedicated servers only. This can be done by emailing support but will attract a small fee for each edit.
Please note that IPv6, whilst in beta, isn't supported beyond providing basic configuration information (i.e. we're unable to debug your configuration for you if you get stuck).
Virtual Private Servers
- What does VPS stand for?
- What is a VPS?
- How is a VPS different to a dedicated server?
- Do you offer any control panels?
- Will you help me transfer my data?
- I currently have a special offer with you but this newer offer is now more suitable. Can I switch to this offer?
- Do you allow adult hosting, IRC, VPN, TeamSpeak, Ventrillo, torrents, forums and proxy sites?
- Do I need a VPS?
- Do you offer server management?
- What will get me suspended?
Questions
What does VPS stand for?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server
What is a VPS?
A VPS is like using a fraction of a dedicated server. To an end user, a VPS appears as a complete server and as such you have complete control over how to use your assignment of it. In essence it's a virtual computer, hence the name Virtual Private Server.
How is a VPS different to a dedicated server?
A dedicated server requires a physical machine which costs to lease, run and locate. A VPS has the same benefits of a dedicate server at a fraction of the price.
Do you offer any control panels?
We can provide cPanel and DirectAdmin control panels, or you can provide your own. We can also install free control panels such as Webmin and ISPconfig. We can also provide you with LxAdmin free of charge.
Do you offer server management?
Yes, we can manage your server for a small fee per month. Please contact us for a quote.
What will get me suspended?
Spamming isn't allowed on our network. If your account is brand new, spam reports within the first month will get your service suspended immediately. You'll then need to get in contact with us so that we can confirm the server is a) being monitored and b) will be checked for compromise.
Abuse of resources such as disk IO or CPU hogging. We will initially email you asking you to check your VPS hasn't got a runaway process but we need a response within 24 - 48 hours (depending on severity). If we don't get a response, we assume the VPS isn't monitored and we can and sometimes do suspend.
Answers
Will you help me transfer my data?
Of course. Our experienced staff can assist you with any data transfer but for complex setups we will make a charge for this service.
I currently have a special offer with you but this newer offer is now more suitable. Can I switch to this offer?
Most of our special offers are to attract new customers as we depend on new custom to survive and often, the pricing is done on a break-even basis. Having said that we do allow you to switch offers so long as you sign up to a 12 month contract with your new package (paid yearly). Please note, data transfer between VPS will be your responsibility.
Do you allow adult hosting, IRC, VPN, TeamSpeak, Ventrillo, torrents, forums and proxy sites?
Absolutely. It's your VPS, so you are free to do what you like with it as long as it complies with UK and your local laws. (Yes, we do know our ToS states no IRC, though we do allow it on request...)
Do I need a VPS?
If you need power and control, a VPS is for you, otherwise, a hosted site might be more suitable.
Questions
I currently have Provider Independent IP assignemnts. Can I bring these over to you?
Yes you can. We have the facility to manage your PI assignements. Please note we make a charge for this.
Dedicated Servers
Questions
I currently have Provider Independent IP assignemnts. Can I bring these over to you?
Yes you can. We have the facility to manage your PI assignements. Please note we make a charge for this.
Questions
How do I transfer from an existing ISP?
Please contact your existing ISP and request your MAC (Migration Authorisation Code).
Once you've supplied us with your MAC, we can begin the tranfer process.
I've placed my order, what happens now?
That's all you need to do.
We'll contact you to arrange installation dates and engineer visits if necessary.
Do you provide a modem?
If you do need a modem, one can order one at the same time you sign up for a broadband product.
Answers
How do I order my optional extras?
Optional Extras should be ordered at time of sign-up. Don't worry if you forget though, you can still log into the control panel and add your extras there, it'll just take an extra few days to get them added to your account. For some addons, changes may take up to a few weeks.
Do you filter or block torrent sites such as the Pirate Bay, KickAss Torrents, Fenopy etc?
We don't filter or block any websites but neither do we condone piracy.
What ports or services do you block?
We don't block any ports or services. You're free to use your connection as you like.
Questions
I have a website idea. Can you help me?
Of course we can, however, the types of projects we take on are larger projects, either fully backed by a business plan or to build processes around an existing business.
We can help with much smaller sites but there are a multitude of other companies whose expertise is with smaller, vanity style sites.
How long will it take?
The time it takes will be based on your spec. Without a detailed examination, we won't be able to provide you with an estimated time.
Answers
How much will it cost?
With any large sized project we will provide a quote based on a detailed examination of a spec. Without a spec, we won't be able to provide you a quote.
How can I find out more?
Feel free to contact us or in a few weeks we'll have an article on how we manage our web application development projects.
Questions
What is Project Oversite?
Project Oversite is our custom control panel which all our customers use. It provides VPS management for both us (as management) and for our customers (as users). It also provides bandwidth monitoring, billing and other management facilities.
When will it be available?
It'll be available before the end of the year (2013). If you need specific details not mentioned here, please feel free to contact us via the contact page.
Answers
Who can buy and use it?
Although we primarily see service providers using our control panel, it's available to anyone who needs an easy to use control panel to manage their VPS.
Can I run a business with it?
Yes you can. We make no limitations on who can use it and we expect most of the interest for our control panel will be from business users.
Support
- Do you provide free support?
- Can I pay for support?
- How long do you take to respond?
- Using one of your 64MB special offers, I'm setting up a scale-free, custom network with a Tor exit node on a self built CentOS install as the production server for a company that's contracted me to do this. It's not working - please fix this immediately as it's almost 7am here and my business users expect 100% uptime.
- What email address will I receive support on?
Questions
Do you provide free support?
Yes, we provide free support for all issues relating to making our services available. Anything beyond that is provided on a best-effort basis and we always try and help out with any issues you might have with your own setups.
Can I pay for support?
Yes you can and a support contract guarantees you priority. Our support contracts are based on your exact requirements and response times. Please contact us with details of what support you'll need and we can get back to you with a quote.
How long do you take to respond?
Free support has a response time of up to 72 hours - this is because services with support contracts take priority. Most support emails are dealt with within 12 hours but complex issues or issues that require time to investigate can take much longer. Most support issues fall within the 72 hour timeframe.
Answers
Using one of your 64MB special offers, I'm setting up a scale-free, custom network with a Tor exit node on a self built CentOS kernel (fine tuned for low latency) as the production server for a company that's contracted me to do this. It's not working - please fix this immediately as it's almost 7am here and my business users expect 100% uptime.
Whilst we offer free support, we reserve the right to decline to support anything that isn't directly related to making our services available (i.e. we cover things like hardware failure, network infrastructure, control panel gremlins, etc.). We will try and help where we can but please don't expect to offload your support and development onto us as that's something we do make a charge for :)
What email address will I receive support on?
We only reply to support via our support email address - support@openitc.co.uk. Support requests sent to other email addresses will result in a significant delay in being answered.
You'll know when your email is in the support queue as soon as you receive a support ticket number.
