InMotion Hosting has gone downhill

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Posted by cyberpark, 04-09-2017, 11:24 AM
I hosted with InMotionHosting for a long time with no problems. Then suddenly, the account needed to be moved to a different server and this turned into a nightmare. They messed up half my sites, took over a month to get them functioning again, lost content, and told me the problems were my fault even though I didn't touch anything to do with the move. They were simply to move my account from one server to another and they were completely in charge of it. After more than a month, I'm still having trouble with things not working and they just told me I had to go figure out how to fix it. They did the opposite of what I asked them to do to try to fix it. They seem to misread or fail to understand the trouble described to them and then don't want to be bothered with it. I'm looking to leave them and find a new host asap. I'll be looking through WHT to find a new reliable host that has technical experts who can complete basic tasks without costing me hours or weeks of downtime.
Posted by MechanicWeb-shoss, 04-09-2017, 01:25 PM
Migrations can go wrong due to a lot of variables, if it does, there are ways to address it. But why would you lose your content during a migration? If you have made up your mind, you may also consider a reseller hosting. It seems that you were hosting multiple sites and the best way to do that is to put each under its own separate account.
Posted by TrentaHost, 04-09-2017, 01:36 PM
Sometimes it could be simple thing like different PHP settings on each node; when they do a migration they should also keep a backup on the old node; seem if you can get them to revert back to the backup and then ask your new host to perform a migration; this way the new host can check settings etc and ensure everything is done properly.
Posted by cyberpark, 04-09-2017, 01:37 PM
They moved it once, then went to another version that had been closed since the move. I know - seemed like they didn't know what they were doing. I've hosted sites for 16 years and this is the first time I ran into this. It is a reseller account. Half the sites were messed up, half migrated fine. I can't explain it but am looking around. I managed to fix the last problem myself but don't want to take a chance staying with them because service, which used to be excellent, is now far below par. This has been more than a month long nightmare. Thanks for your reply.
Posted by MechanicWeb-shoss, 04-09-2017, 01:49 PM
When you aren't happy with a provider's service, it's time to move out. Good luck with your hunt. Make sure you have backups and of course when you find your new home, have periodic backups of your websites at your end. Anything can go wrong at any time. Better be prepared.
Posted by cyberpark, 04-09-2017, 01:56 PM
You are correct, one of the problems was a change in PHP version. They did not keep track of what version was being used on the old server for my software so it failed when they moved it. That was only one of the issues. That's fixed. I would definitely need some older PHP available to keep going with the existing files. It's all on cPanel so I might just move things myself next time.
Posted by dedicatedheaven-Dan, 04-09-2017, 02:09 PM
I advise you look for a new host, it doesn't seem like that's good customer service if they are telling you to fix the problem yourself. But also make sure in the future you make backups of your sites so that if something goes wrong you can just restore your own backup.
Posted by MechanicWeb-shoss, 04-09-2017, 02:25 PM
I would definitely preferred transferring the sites where I can. Unfortunately, cPanel requires root access to perform a full transfer. However, you can still backup your files and databases and transfer them via FTP. Regarding PHP version, many providers support PHP versions as old as 5.2 but I don't recommend using it. You may want to spend some time and update your scripts/applications so that they run on newer versions of PHP. It will only reduce headache down the road.
Posted by cyberpark, 04-09-2017, 02:31 PM
I do have backups and was able to update the content that was lost for the html pages. It wasn't the only problem, though. It seems strange that some sites would have reverted to old content and others didn't. The whole thing was weird. I couldn't control where they were putting the sites, under different WHM accounts, even if I had backups. Backing up wasn't the only issue, unfortunately. It was just plain strange. Time to move on.
Posted by TrentaHost, 04-09-2017, 02:38 PM
Well, in that case purchase a Reseller Hosting with another provider; ask the provider to move over all your websites and then with CloudLinux you can manage the PHP versions for each consecutive website.
Posted by cyberpark, 04-09-2017, 02:39 PM
Yeah, I know, the scripts need updating. Trouble is, I only know enough PHP to be dangerous. I avoid messing with them. Learning PHP is on my list of things to do in my spare time. For now, I'd like to find a reliable home that will run things as they are until the scripts can be addressed... some day. It's only a couple of small things, but I need time to address that.
Posted by cyberpark, 04-09-2017, 02:44 PM
I don't know if I need a dedicated IP or not. Anyone want to try to explain that issue in layman's terms? I see some have SSL available without needing dedicated IP. One concern I have is a client who has almost 400 paid members and sends out mass emails to them from time to time. No spam allowed on my accounts. Just this one account needs mass emailing privilege. It's a nonprofit membership org. Thanks.
Posted by TrentaHost, 04-09-2017, 02:53 PM
If you are able to justify the emails no host should have an issue with them being sent out at that rate.
Posted by LJSHost, 04-09-2017, 04:30 PM
No you don't need a dedicated IP. Used to be the case for SSL but no so much these days unless someone is running an old operating system that does not support multiple certs on a single IP. I would say a news letter etc sent once a week/month would not be an issue, I would not consider that spam. Many forum owners have a large about of mail going out for notifications etc. Mass mail has a very different meaning from SPAM.
Posted by MechanicWeb-shoss, 04-10-2017, 03:58 AM
That's good to know. You may want to have a look at here when you find time: https://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp
Posted by cyberpark, 04-10-2017, 10:30 AM
W3 schools is my go to resource. Glad to see another reference! Maybe after the move, I can relax a little and pursue that. Thanks for your time and responses. I really appreciate it.
Posted by SenseiSteve, 04-10-2017, 11:09 AM
Your issues with InMotion Hosting seem out of the norm given the reviews we normally see here. I know it can be frustrating when moves don't go smoothly. Good luck with your migration elsewhere.
Posted by IH-Jake, 04-11-2017, 07:39 AM
In a forum like WHT members do not take sides. Since we are not aware about the exact reason why they moved your accounts from one server to another in first place, I am unable to comment more on it. But assumptions can go like it might be an overloaded server. It is always recommended to use the latest versions of software for security reasons and older versions of PHP are not supported by many. Generally issues do occur if the sites are migrated in between two servers who are not identical but this can be fixed by a few tweaks here and there. I don’t think your host will spend time to note down your software versions while migration as generally the majority will advise you to ensure the scripts are up to date. But, if the host is not able to provide you with an acceptable answer, then yes your decision to make a move is justified.
Posted by DewlanceHosting, 04-11-2017, 08:01 AM
Oh, So sorry that you are facing this issue. They should take backup before moving and read your reply carefully. Also deny to fix it is really not good thing, If PHP version is only problem then it will not take time for hosting provider to detect version of PHP and change it according to requirements but since they deny you so best option is try to find a good hosting company who take precaution before doing anything and they must read your comments/reply carefully instead of reading in so hurry or ignoring.