IPowerweb / IPower clients enduring massive problems
It seems that IPowerweb / IPower clientele are experiencing massive problems since Friday of last week. According to several Hostjury readers users of the IPowerweb / IPower service have been unable to check their e-mail since late Friday evening.
According to our sources it appears that Endurance International Group went ahead with their planned server migration without notifying any of their clients! The result is continuous problems and issues, clients unable to check their e-mail & unable to login to their web hosting accounts.
One IPowerweb / IPower user stated that technical support seems oblivious to the migration stating that the issues were a result of "Corrupt passwords" and would be handled within a few hours. Over five days later and the problems are still occurring.
We suppose the Endurance International Group name has another possible meaning. Just how long can their clientele endure problems!
Get in touch with iPowerWeb
One of our readers found the corporate phone number for Endurance International, the company that owns iPowerWeb. If you want quick, prompt service in getting your cancellation, domain name details or anything else give them a quick call: 1-866-897-5421
This is the only iPowerWeb phone number that will result in prompt service.
iPowerWeb Complaints
We welcome anyone having issues to put in a complaint at the Arizona Attorney Generals Office, contact details below:
consumerinfo@azag.gov
You can also use their online contact form here:
http://www.azag.gov/consumer/complaintformintro.html
Free Migration Services
We've decided to step up to the plate & offer free migration services for all iPowerWeb clients as well as a decent howto on escaping iPowerWeb.
Free migration for iPowerWeb / iPower clients by HostJury staff
Howto: Leaving iPowerWeb
You'll have more luck with us moving you than some ipowerweb transition kiosk.
There's a number of web hosting providers that offer free transfer services as well including:
Tell others about iPowerWeb / iPower
If you know of other people who might be having problems, you can tell others by 'digging' this article or by linking them directly to:
http://hostjury.com/blog/view/27/ipowerweb-ipower-clients-enduring-massive-problems
but... in USA, you dont use the lawyers to pretending massive refunds from those kind of companies-thieves like Ipoerweb is?
That Endurance International number is a real time saver. I was up and talking to someone within seconds of dialing. Admittedly, I've had nothing but bad experiences with IPower's phone support, and I really did not want to be on hold for an hour!
The representative from Endurance I was talking to was quite polite and knowledgeable, and when I requested a confirmation e-mail of my cancellation, they said I'd receive one once the cancellation went through, but I will obviously have to keep my eye on everything over the next few days to make sure it goes through.
Brian,
Try logging into vdeck, then click the button "FTP". You can create a NEW username and password for ftp, and set permissions. If this doesn't work, try out smarting their horrible tech support agents. I would try submitting a new ticket (not an update to your others) that simply states, I need to reset the password AND permissions for my FTP. Make sure to include your account info and the answer to your security question. Remember, your dealing with people who care vary little about your problems, and will not waste much time reading your ticket. Keep it short and sweer, and right to the point. Otherwise, they will not fix your problem, and ask you to give them the answer. If you havent set your security question's answer, do so by logging into vdeck, and at the bottom of the screen is an option to set it. Hope this helps! Good luck with ipower....
I began my account with iPower only three days ago and have already had issues. I cannot use an FTP client because it tells me Permission Denied when I try to create a file or directory. God knows Im not going to use File Manager to upload 400+ files one click,browse,upload at a time. I wrote support via vDeck, they responded with a half-attempt fix, I updated stating I was putting in the correct login info and detailed my issue, then another support tech writes back stating "I see another support person has answered your question." when they really hadn't. Frustrating. So frustrating.
I got an email from ipower 2 days before there UPGRADE...lol
I spent over $1000 to promote the Grand Opening of the site and all the photos were gone or fragmented after the upgrade. I have spent hours on hold and even have a chat transcript that promised my site would be fixed by last week. I did manage to speak with somebody that did start to fix my photos but ended up
deleting over 300 photos and then uploading them again. So i finally get it all working yesterday and this morning i go to my site to find there are no photos or gallerys at all. I have no faith in ipower and feel as though nobody there has a clue(except this guy Chris that tried to help me) This company has destroyed my creditbility with my new clients and have wasted a year of work not to mention thousands of dollars i have spent. No support or help!
I was able to successfully migrate away from Ipower. Let me just say this.
I read all I could in regards to ipower FAQ / RTFM. I belive on users solving problems for themseleves. Their is honestly no excuse for their service. I had been with them for 4 years before this. The first sign that they were mismanaging the transition is when my email I had set up on their servers failed. I need email. That was difficult to deal with sporadic email failures. I emailed their tech center several times to report the errors and nothing was ever done. I just firmly believe they are mismanaging their migration. So I choose too go to Dreamhost.com and it worked like a snap no down time, and my email is back up and running . I have been using dreamhost.com for over a year and have decided to consolidate my domains here becuase I believe DreamHost.com has a rich feature set and a great community behind it. Good Luck.. You will need much patience when dealing with ipower.com.
I am nowhere as knowledgeable as any of you out there, but I do know when I am being screwed over when it happens. I am/was with iPower and they completely stuffed my email - I haven't had one for over a month and had to set up alternatives in that regard.
So far so bad! The site itself seemed to work okay, that was until I decided I was sick of being screwed over and went to another hosting place and began the "transfer" process. It was only AFTER I began this that I saw that StartLogic was more or less the same as iPower! I am now F**KED!
Now everything is gone, my site, my email, everything. And I don't need to tell anyone here that there is NO SERVICE whatsoever! I have been on the telephone for over two and a half hours - at international rates (I am in Australia) - plus many hours on their so-called live "support" chat. Not to mention all the great many emails that have gone one-way, never to be seen again, let alone replied to!
So, now I am completely screwed. My site is due for renewal in a couple of days time and thus I cannot transfer it because of the time factor (or so I have read on transfer sites), and I don't know what to do if they want to keep it for themselves just to f**k me even further.
I am yet to try the "magic" phone number mentioned in another post, but I expect that that will have little or no result. If anyone has any suggestions for someone who is a complete cyber-illiterate, then it would be appreciated.
I am also going to see if I can follow what is written elsewhere in this blog and see if anything works with any of that (provided I actually do any of it correctly - given what I know, I would not be too sure about that).
I guess until then I am just going to have to try anything and everything to get what is right and proper. Wish me luck.
seacloud9
It seems like you are pretty upset. I have tried to read and interpret your post, and from what I understand you are trying to update your name server information or maybe you are trying to switch to a new hosting provider.
Firstly, let me give you a little incite before I try to troubleshoot your problem. If you purchased your domain and account through ipower, then your domain is locked and controlled through either ipower, tucows, or possibly go daddy. You need to know who is providing your domain name in order to make changes to your registration information.
When you register for a website, there are two fee’s included:
One is a monthly fee, which pays for server space, bandwidth
The second is a yearly fee, which pays for your server’s name
You need to identify who it is you are paying yearly for your domain. The information below is how to solve your problem if your domain name is registered through ipower.
Firstly, let me remind you that your domain is locked for your protection. Wouldn’t it be horribly unfair if a hacker came along and switched where your domain points because it was left unlocked? The lock is a feature for your protection, and every domain registrar will have this set by default.
Now for the answer:
First method (Of course, you will have to be logged into your vdeck to access it):
http://members.ipower.com/webControl/domaincentral/groups.bml
From this link, select your domain checkbox, then click modify. From this page you can figure out how to change domain information. If this fails, try the second method.
Second method:
https://manage.opensrs.net/index?action=modify_contact&type=owner
If your domain is registered and controlled by ipower, this link will be your best friend. If this is the case, bookmark this link and don’t forget it. It was very difficult for me to obtain it, and it will be your lifeline for unlocking and migrating away from ipower, if need be. Also, it will allow you to make changes to your domain registration. Log into it via your vdeck login information.
I hope this helps, if not, you can repost your problem a little clearer and less wordy and perhaps I could help you a little more too. Good Luck!
Well folks i come in here with my hands muddied , you see i work for Endurance international (ipower, dot5hosting, startlogic etc etc), i am the lowly Tier 1 tech you all call in an bitch at , like its my fault , like i dont want to help you , like i enjoy being your punching bag , just because i need to make a living , taking a job i Do not enjoy , but i also wont put up with your abuse , i do what endurance allows me to , i i cant do more , i want to , but i cant , they do no give me the access to solve even the simplest of fixes , so do me a favor when you call in , be nice , i know your mad from the probable 2 hour wait times , i know your upset that your web site is frigged , but dont take it out on me , i am just trying to make a Friggin buck , i can give you your email settings for a mail client , ill even sit there and let you test them , But all i ask is be a little nicer to those of us who stay awake longer at night trying to figure out why we put up with this shit , then those of you who feel the need to bash who ever you get on the phone , you want to make a difference? take it up with ENDURANCE INTERNATIONAL , not the person on the phone trying to survive
Wayne and Sean Beeg,
Take a look at these ipower help documents:
Password Changes (Site migration):
http://www.ipower.com/info/systemnotice.bml?id=6052
Password Requirements:
http://www.ipower.com/knowledgebase/read_article.bml?kbid=3099
Change Password Page:
https://secure.ipower.com/secureControl/PasswdChange.bml
This is what has occurred. The password requirements have become stricter under vdeck 3.0. It is possible that the password OR username you were using in vdeck 1.0 were not secure enough, or did not meet the new requirements. It could also be that the password is corrupt. Unfortunately, something happens during migration that corrupts all email accounts and passwords. I do not know why. So, you can also expect once you get into vdeck 3.0, you are also going to have corrupt email accounts that will need to be deleted and recreated in order to work again. (This is a headache you will soon notice when you can login to vdeck)
You will have to reset your password. If I were you, I would call ipower support during some off business hour. (Not between 9am-5pm) Why you might ask? Ipower servers are loaded with 700,000 other websites that are calling for tech support to. Most of these sites are small businesses. If you wait until after regular business hours, you will cut your hold time in half.
Secondly, if you were recently migrated, and have not yet set your security question / answer, you will have to get the credit card you used when you purchased the account ready, ipower will need the last 4 digits to verify you can reset the password. Also, make sure you know which email you registered with ipower when you purchased your website. (It should be the email account in which you are receiving account renewal emails and newsletters from ipower.) You need to know this email because when ipower resets the password, they will email the newly randomly generated password to this email account and if you don’t have access to this email account, it is going to cause you another headache.
This should solve your password problems. I also wanted to mention to Sean, I looked at you website, and your post thoroughly, and from what I understand you do not know the URL to login to vdeck. The url is:
www.ipower.com
You will notice on the left hand side of the screen, the login area. Also, it seems you are using the file manager to upload files to your site. Judging by the source code on your site you are probably using a text editor to develop the website. I recommend purchasing an old version of Frontpage, you can pick it up for next to nothing on ebay and the old versions of frontpage will do the same for you as the newer more expensive ones will. It works like Microsoft Word and is VERY easy to use. So, if you are using a text editor you should defiantly take a look at it.
If you still wish to use the inefficient means of file manager to upload files, then you will have to learn how to use the newer file manager program under vdeck 3.0. Also, if you prefer another method, try an ftp program such as WS_FTP. It costs about $20 and it is great to upload files and for making complete site backups (except database backup).
I hope this helps you guys, if you have any other questions, post back and I will try to help you the best I can. Good Luck!
I am experiencing the same problem with IPOWER...
Sean, can you provide me with an email address to Tech support....it is no longer available online and I need resolution to my problems as well.
Thanks everyone for the information and feedback on ipowerweb. Here's my experience as of late...
I inherited this from a guy in our church who was very frustrated with support. I got everything fixed and then bang now nothing is working all of sudden....
Somehow changes in VDECK no longer appear on my website? I publish and nothing happens. FTP access is busted. Changes in file manager do not work either.
I wrote support, they wrote back that I am supposed to be using file manager now and gave me a host for ftp to use that I have now been migrated to VDECK 3.0... I used that tool and no good so I wrote them back and told them I want a call from a support engineer, what was the URL to manage with VDECK 3.0, and ftp access does not work with the password I last used. Frankly I am waiting 4 days for a response. Its nuts. Like many others I believe their support is inadequate, they do not provide documentation to their users.
So, I am going to call the number listed above and demand immediate resolution. If resolution is not provided soon I will be looking to transfer my domain out of there, and will then seek a prorated refund for my church. In fact I am so unhappy with the way they are treating me that I might even consid0er small claims court!
Sean Beeg
Tech Coordinator
Cornerstone Presbyterian Church of Jackson, NJ.
OK if I vent too? I've had an ipowerweb account for about five years. Since this was my first website I had a lot to learn. Early on I complained that the admin tools (primarily Cpanel) were inadequate. So when they announced the transition I was hopeful. Duh!
After repeated automatic/manual attempts my site is still not transitioned. I actually received instructions from tech support regarding how to cancel the account. Of course, they pointed out there was a $50 cancellation fee.
Now I'm not filthy rich, but if I charged them my hourly rate for the time I've spent on this problem I could take you all to dinner.
One suggestion from an amateur. Run a simple Google search on your URL. I did that months ago and found all these links to ring tones.
While I'm diligent about virus protection at home, my account on their server had been hacked. I later found a folder in my account with, what else, a bunch of ring tone files. The virus was embedded in my index page and it had to be deleted to correct the problem. Now it appears that the virus is back. Google "surfhumor" and skip to about the fifth page.
Thanks for letting me share.
ksolway,
I have warned before and I will warn again. Do NOT use their backup utilities to make a backup of either your website OR your databases.
To backup databases, you will have to use phpMyAdmin. If phpMyAdmin times out, keep trying; I am sure eventually you will get enough speed and connectivity to backup your databases. (Isn’t it sad that it is so difficult just to have the server working long enough just to use.) If you are still struggling with this, you could try phpMyAdmin at a vary late hour, when the server will be experiencing the least amount of load.
Make sure to use an FTP program, something like ws_ftp to download your entire site.
If you use ipower’s database backup tool, there is NO way to upload this to your vdeck 3.0 site, or any other hosting companies site for that matter, as it is proprietary and for some reason, I don't understand, the backup tool is offered in vdeck 1.0, but after migrating to vdeck 3.0 you are left with a database backup you cant open or use. Even ASCII readers couldn’t extract the data from the backup file. Therefore, the vdeck 1.0 database backup tool is worthless.
Secondly, the vdeck 1.0 website backup tool is also a horrible choice. Why, you might ask? Well, firstly, it saves all the files on your site to a proprietary file format and that makes it difficult to find a program that can extract the contents. Secondly, and even more importantly, the website backup utility in vdeck 1.0 will backup ALL of your emails in the same file as all your website files…The problem with this? Well, if your ipower email accounts are anything like mine, you get mailed email viruses nearly daily amongst spam and other fun stuff. All of the viruses in your email accounts will be stored in the same backup file as the website files. Therefore, corrupting your ENTIRE backup with viruses. Oh, and finally, there is no restore utility in vdeck 3.0 to restore these backups.
I hope this helps you, if you have problems in the future, please post them here. David or I will try to help you as best we can. Good luck!
I have been trying to move away from Ipower for the last month, but they won't let me backup my databases! Their vdeck database backup tool simply doesn't work, and phpmyadmin times-out before it completes the task. No joy from technical support after one month of reporting the problem. Stay away from this company!
Everyone who still has an account with ipower should check this link out:
www.basicstate.com
If you sign up, you will get emails whenever your website is offline, and a daily report of your website's uptime for the day.
I tested one of my domains and it reported only a 72% uptime. Which is diplorable.
I thought my problems where resolved after my website migration from vdeck 1.0 to vdeck 3.0. My website appeared to work with some lag. However, with a 72% uptime a day, google is sure to penalize amongst losing visitors.
Worst hosting company I Have EVER dealt with. One of my client's sites gets knocked offline in Dec when they "upgraded" to Vdeck 3, also wiping out two databases that took many hours to restore. Since then the site has either taken on average 5 minutes to load or not load AT ALL. Customer support takes at least an HOUR to get ahold of and then just give you the standard "we are sorry for your inconvenience our engineers are working on the problem" And then NOTHING gets fixed. They obviously do not care about thier clients or the small business. My client is in the process of migrating to another company. I just hope we can even have enough fast access to the site to backup the databases and move the files.... IPOWERWEB SUCKS - STAY AWAY>>> FAR FAR AWAY! SC
We've been down for over a week now and are no closer to a solution; in fact we don't even know why our dedicated server got knocked off line to begin with.
We def want in on a class action law suit if there is one; we've lost thousands and thousands of dollars because of this and hundreds of man hours.
Can someone contact me about joining the suit?
I'm just going crazy with their support. I just talk with this person "Von Kelly" and he doesn't understand anything at all or just don't want to listen me. I did all the migration by myself, make all the changes which was necessary for new platform. mostly it was a problems with databases (MySQL) but I solved it (thanks to this Blog, I found the answers here). but there was only one issue which I just wanted to test. I have two different domains pointed to the same account, (ex. url1.com & url2.com) one of them is pointed to the rood directory and another to the sub folder, so both of them are like different applications with their own web.config files and because of the completely different nature of this two sites the config files (and of course assembly files in bin directory) are differet.
So, I just wanted to have another temporary subdomain to test the application in the sub folder. as you probably know they are providing the temporary domain in the migration process, something like yourdomain.ipower.com, so in my case I have url1com.ipower.com which was ok to test the site which was in the root, but for testing another application in the subfolder I needed another domain, url2com.ipower.com. but "Von Kelly" suggested to use url1com.ipower.com/subfolder to test another application. I spend about two hours explaining that it will not work because in this case it will read the web.confing from the root folder which is completely different... but no success. finally "Von Kelly" just disconnected me from chat...
So, I'm so angry like never. sorry for this long and probably not very clear post, but I'm still going crazy after this nice talk with this stupid "Von Kelly"!!!
P.S. I'm gonna definitely move to another provider!!!!
Jason Lim,
Try this:
http://members.ipower.com/webControl/signoff.bml.
It's what I did and it worked out well for me.
No way was I going to hold on the phone for an eternity. To this day, I cannot believe I had to PAY for their services. They should have paid ME!
I am on Hostmonster now. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!
evin