Web Hosting FAQ's - Looking for web hosting in the UK - Where to start?

FAQ's Web Hosting

Web Hosting - Frequently Asked Questions

Web Hosting made simple, with 123 Simples. Our web hosting options offer customers a choice of servers, either in the UK or the United States, depending on their area of residence. 123 Simples have 4 set hosting packages, and then we have the Creator Package. With prices starting from just £39.99 per year for our Simples Starter Hosting (excluding domain names), this means that we can offer our clients what we believe to be good value for money hosting.

Our preferred partner hosting options are now also available. Broadly speaking both sets of hosting options provide clients with the same UK based servers. There are some minor exceptions, and depending on which hosting solution you are choosing, then we have divided our hosting faq into two sections. This section deals with our preferred hosting partner. For complete and full details of their FAQ Section, you should consult their own website.

Hosting Partner Solutions

Using hosting provided by our preferred partner solution - FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions about our preferred hosting partner solutions:

Why has 123 Simples added more hosting packages?

Basically we have added further hosting packages to satisfy customers who are merely looking for web hosting options. Although we can provide hosting packages for our web design clients, we felt that it was helpful to give people much more choice when looking for web hosting. Our preferred web hosting options allow customers who are happy just to have better web hosting, faster speeds and great support, to opt for any of these choices if they would like to.

Why would I choose your preferred hosting options?

We believe that by offering customers alternatives for their web hosting requirements, they will be getting the best option available. Our preferred hosting provider has been in business since 2001, providing support and hosting to 1000's of happy customers.

24/7 Support

Our preferred hosting partner solution offers excellent 24/7 support systems, and has the team behind them to deliver high end quality support and service to their customers, night or day. 123 Simples can only offer limited support for the web hosting packages it offers, albeit that our customers have never had reason to complain (yet).

Web Hosting Infrastructure

Our preferred web hosting partners have the necessary web hosting infrastructure in place already. They have the facilities that customers require to make sure that their websites operate 99.9% of the time, and they have the support teams in place along with technical backups.

If I purchase a web hosting package from your preferred web hosting partner, am I covered by 123 Simples?

NO. All our preferred hosting packages that we make available through this website are governed and run by that particular web hosting provider. Your contract, payments, terms of hosting, etc will be all dealt with through the preferred hosting partner. They alone will be solely responsible for any issues that you may have, and for any support enquiries.

I can get a site hosted elsewhere cheaper. Why shouldn't I go there?

Cheap does not mean better. Our preferred web hosting provider is in our opinion very well priced and offers a lot more than some of the better known web hosting names. That is why we are happy to recommend them.

Does your preferred web hosting provider offer web hosting worldwide?

If by that do you mean can they host websites from customers anywhere in the world, then the answer is YES. 123 Simples will only offer web hosting to UK or US based customers, whereas our preferred web hosting provider can provide web hosting for anyone living in any country.

Are their server's Unix, or NT?

NO - Our web hosting providers servers are Windows based only.

Do they allow adult web sites?

NO.

Is tax included with my monthly / quarterly / yearly plan price?

NO. All prices quoted on our preferred hosting providers web hosting packages are exclusive of VAT @ 20%.

The prices quoted on your website differ from what I saw advertised on the hosting providers website

The prices that appear on this website are for illustration purposes only. Whilst we have made every effort to ensure that the pricing is correct at the time of going online, it is possible that our preferred web hosting provider may have altered their own pricing, or specifications, or both. If you notice a discrepancy then please do let us know so we can make a correction on this website.

FAQ's 123 Simples Web Hosting

Using hosting provided by 123 Simples - FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions about 123 Simples hosting provisions:

How can 123 Simples offer web hosting packages?

As an authorised and recognised reseller of web hosting, we can offer web hosting packages to any customers that we choose to. Our web hosting packages are primarily intended for our customers who have asked us for web design services. Having said that however, we are also happy to provide non web design customers with various web hosting options, and that is why we have also added other web hosting options from our preferred web hosting providers.

Do you offer 24/7 support for web hosting?

NO. Not at the moment. We do however offer web hosting clients (and web design clients who use our web hosting) limited but effective everyday technical support. Usually our web hosting providers who provide such an excellent hosting service, deal so promptly with any potential issues, that our support team can cope with perhaps more mundane problems.

What online control panel would I be using?

The control panel we use is called WebsitePanel. It is the successor to what people knew as Dot Net Control Panel, and it is the same website panel that our preferred web hosting providers use themselves.

How long does it take to setup my web hosting account?

Usually your account will be setup automatically within 15 minutes of ordering, but may take up to 24 to 48 hours before it is fully active, excluding weekends. Although some of our systems are mostly fully automated, it does sometimes require "human interaction" on our part, to complete the registration process, websitepanel setup, etc.

Why is 123 Simples Better Than Other Hosting Providers?

123 Simples include many features and services in it's hosting packages that you would not find as standard: -
(a). Websites are in their own Isolated Application Pool running in a dedicated server process improving performance, security, reliability and stability.
(b). It may surprise you to learn but most web hosts do not backup your website's data. Our servers at 123 Simples fully backup all our servers each night.
(c). Ultra fast low populated servers with less than 300 websites per server (some providers have 10,000 per server!).
(d). Personalised customer service that goes above and beyond what you would expect.
(e). We have the support of a dedicated infrastructure behind us.

If 123 Simples is so good, why have you just started?

123 Simples may have "just started" but behind us we have nearly 3 decades experience of running our own business, which means that we are not only used to working hard, but that we know how to treat customers and operate a proper business.

I can get a site hosted elsewhere cheaper. Why shouldn't I go there?

123 Simples don't claim to the cheapest solution - just perhaps better than some that you may have used in the past. Remember, there is an old saying that you will get what you pay for. Just because some other hosting companies may appear cheap does not mean that the service will not suffer as a result. Often cheaper services usually mean that they may be running many hundreds, if not thousands of websites, on servers that cannot handle such demand. You usually find this is indicated by frequent downtime of your sites, sites not loading fast enough, or seeing Service Unavailable when you navigate to certain pages. All this can mean that your site suffers just because you chose the cheapest solution.

Will you place ads on my site?

We will NOT place ads on your site unless you specifically request us to do so (this may have been something that you asked us to do as part of your web design stipulation, or you specifically asked us to do this for you).

Do you allow sites to advertise for money, on their web site?

Yes, we allow sites to have commercial advertisements.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept payment by BAC's (Bankers' Automated Clearing Services), now termed Faster Payments Service, Google Checkout and PayPal (both options may mean a small handling charge), and finally personal cheque (payments only accepted from UK banks). If you are paying by Faster Payments Service, or personal cheque, then the hosting services may be delayed whilst the payment methods are clearing. Generally speaking however, BAC's (Faster Payments Service) is the preferred and quickest method.

Are your server's Unix, or NT?

NO - Our servers are Windows based only

Do you allow adult sites?

Unfortunately not. However, we do have a server which does allow adult sites, and if you are intending on having an adult based site, please let us know before we process your transactions. We can then advise you if a different web hosting solution that can meet your needs.

Is tax included with my yearly plan price?

Yes, tax is currently included within the price, but only on the hosting packages offered directly by 123 Simples. All other hosting packages that may be offered by our preferred web hosting provider(s) may or are, subject to VAT @ 20%.

Can I read a help file about how to use my new Control Panel?

Yes you can. We are putting together detailed help manuals for our customers within our article database and you if you are a customer you will be able to read those articles by logging into your Client Area, which is called CustomerZone.

Can I pay monthly?

No, unfortunately not. There are too many added costs involved in paying monthly, and so to keep your prices as low as we can, we have opted for annual payments only.

Are there any hidden costs, or setup fees?

No. The price you see (or are given) is the price you will pay. However, if you are requesting that we bring across websites and/or databases from other servers, then there will be some charges but we will have discussed this first with you.

Do you offer telnet or shell access?

No due to security reason's we do not offer telnet or shell access.You are still able to unzip files on the server using our file manager as well as the ability to setup cron jobs.

Can I password protect directories?

Yes you can password protect directory's within your WebsitePanel Control.

Where can I view an example of your web hosting contract?

You can view our standard hosting solutions contract by clicking here.