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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Dealing with customer support: Bluehost
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Showing posts 1 - 6 of 6, (reverse)
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05/17/2011 01:29:46 AM · #1
I can't remember when I started using Bluehost for my website and since everything is handled by smugmug I never login to my cpanel.

Yesterday, all my emails stopped sending and receiving. I had no idea why. I came to find out that Bluehost had put new, stricter password rules in place. The information was sent to my primary email address. My fault, I didn't update my primary address after I moved (I was using a random email address the ISP was providing). But my God, the hoops they made me jump through...maybe I'm wrong here, but this is how it went.

Me: What do I need to do to get things going?
BH: You need to reset your password.
Me: Can you send that to my studiof7.com (The site I have hosted on their servers)
BH: No, we can only send it to your primary email address.
Me: It doesn't exit anymore.
BH: You will need to send us government issued photo ID, original bank statement of when you purchased it for the first time, all with matching information of course.
Me: My ID is in Japanese. How am I suppose to get the original bank statement...I can't remember when I purchased it.
BH: Talk to your bank. They have to keep records up to 7 years. We will translate any ID or information sent to us.
Me: Can't I just give you my credit card number.
BH: That only tells us you have access to the number, not that you are the owner.

And this was 40 minutes now, there was more back and forth but it was pretty much the same. So I followed up with

Me: Sounds like it would be easier to cancel the account and start a new one.
BH: You would need the password to cancel it.
Me: You aren't charging my VISA for something I'm not using.
BH: I'm sorry we can't help you unless you provide....

End chat...

Start new chat with different person

BH: What's the last 4 digits of the credit card and the last 4 digits of your password (My credit card expired last year but I still had the last four digits in an amazon account. I guessed the password and got it)
BH: Thank you. We'll forward your reset link to your new email address.

In the original chat the person IMO wasn't listening to reason. I'm not sure how many Jason McDonald's there are living in this neck of the woods with the same last 4 digits etc...

I'll be sure to keep my stuff up to date...what a pain...
05/17/2011 01:51:16 AM · #2
Ya, sometimes they get so stuck on following their script they cant see past it to common sense.. its very aggravating!
05/17/2011 08:29:28 AM · #3
I use InMotion Hosting. I've had plenty of tech questions, one similar to the one below. My conversation with them went a LOT smoother.
05/17/2011 12:55:32 PM · #4
You have to understand that in computer security, the easiest way to attack a system is by "social engineering". The person sitting at the keyboard is almost always the weakest link. From their perspective, the first call sounds like you're someone who's trying to scam their way into an account that they don't own. You need a password reset, you don't have access to the email address on the account, and you're calling from a foreign country. They should have made it easier than they did, but I'd be nervous about a provider that could reset your account with just the last 4 digits of a credit card, and the last 4 of a password. In fact, I'd be extremely nervous about a provider that could look up your password at all. Passwords should be stored encrypted, and the provider shouldn't be able to decrypt them for any purpose.
05/17/2011 01:13:31 PM · #5
I switched hosts because BlueHost was such a PITA to deal with.
06/04/2011 06:24:47 AM · #6
Originally posted by shamrock:

I switched hosts because BlueHost was such a PITA to deal with.

my experience has been the complete opposite. i guess i'm lucky i'm in the states, because i never use chat. i've never had a problem getting through to a live person that was able to help me. they're not perfect, but after three years they've never given me a reason to change. i guess it also helps that i log into cpanel at least twice a week...
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