Bad Mood
December 02, 2003
I'm blogging in a bad mood today and what a pity because it's the start of a new month, the last one for 03. And what has gotten the normally sunny natured me into a black one you might well ask?
My business depends on email and web, obviously enough as it's an internet marketing one. So I give high priority to internet related bills I need to pay because without my site and my email, I'm in trouble. Yesterday I got an email off my hosting company, Digiweb, a terse short little thing demanding €215.38 and if I didn't pay it they would cut my services off tomorrow!
I can't understand how companies like this manage to stay in business at all. Their systems are so appalling they haven't even managed to send me a bill yet, a first demand. No they just go straight into the final demand 'getting heavy with it' kind of email. It turns out when I rang them that this amount is actually for arrears and payment in advance. Well they can sing for their payment in advance, I'm off to another provider. Hosting is such a commodity business it's not as if I get any value add from these guys.
On the other hand, here's a company that has its systems and its services right - Access Telecom.Now I know I may have mentioned them before, but they really are a great company. Cheap phone charges, email billing and when you ring with a question, they actually sound rather pleased to hear from you. None of the barely concealed aggression from the gusy in Dundalk, who incidentally, close their office every day for an hour for lunch. Yes, there was a day when their server was down, but the whole tech team went off for their sambos as usual.
My business is going to where it will be valued. I may not be a huge account right now, but the way things are going I certainly will be in the future.