WEBReseller.NET REFUSING TO CANCEL MY ACCOUNT

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Posted by rod19425, 03-09-2005, 05:18 PM
Well, Here we go again... I had been with WebReseller.NET for about 3 years. I was paying 189.99/month for services that I felt were never delivered. I ended up meeting face to face with Robert in January and he promised to give me a brand new dedicated server for the same price I was paying and put LPanel ont here for me, etc. Well, I submitted a ticket to them on February 19th asking where this server was. It was still open today when I finally cancelled my account. So, he replies to that right away and says: "You would be billed becuase you are under agreement, again, a server was setup shortly after your visit and the current system was maked as useable until 06/15/2005 ". Well, I never got a notice from them and the ticket was never replied to and I never signed any agreement, let alone through 6/15/05. He claimed that he emailed me directly to let me know and not through the system. He claims he had the wrong email address (same email, less one letter). That is bull... but not the point, I want to cancel now. So, he says I must call him. So, I do. He tells me he ordered a new server just for me and it cost $1800 and he is not eating that cost. Plus, they have a 30 day cancellation notice. So, I say fine, bill me for the next 30 days (which they did this morning) and then I am finished. HE SAID NO. He said he needs to speak to some folks and he may give me a free month or two, but he needs to recoup his fees. I say that is not my problem. he threatens to have his lawyers handle it and that if I refuse payment, he will report me to credit bureaus and a collection agency. He then says give him to Monday to talk to some people and then he will get back to me to work out a compromise Luckily, I have printed everything. Even on my billing account it shows monthly renewal. There is no contract and his Terms of Service and cancellation form clearly states 30 days notice. So, I pay for this month and I am done. Do we agree? What is he thinking? Anyone have any suggestions of what I can do next?
Posted by rod19425, 03-09-2005, 05:21 PM
And obviously this is not the first time... See threads http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...hreadid=336063 http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...hreadid=364818
Posted by Joe W, 03-09-2005, 06:03 PM
Looking at one of the posts in the links I found this little post just FYI Dont know if this helps or was ever put into place. sounds to me like endless offers to try to keep Sub's is the game he plays.
Posted by rod19425, 03-09-2005, 06:15 PM
Seems like the same people to me. I met with Rob face to face back in January. I am willing to concede the 30 day notice, since it is still on their website. But, I won't pay a dime after that. Incidently, when I go into the billing section of their site the plans clearly state that I have a monthly bill with them that ends on 4/9/05. So, I am hoping this gets resolved in the next 24 hours... I don't want to have to have lawyers fight this out. But, it is nice to have your wife work for a large firm that would be happy to go to bat for her and me....
Posted by countrytyme, 03-09-2005, 06:46 PM
Don't know if this will help you out, but here is webreseller.net sla.htm from April 05/2001 http://web.archive.org/web/200202152...er.net/sla.htm sla.htm from May 30, 2002 http://web.archive.org/web/200206060...er.net/sla.htm sla.htm from January 09, 2003 http://web.archive.org/web/200212151...er.net/sla.htm Nowhere do I see the mention of contracts. Cancellation has changed to 30 day notice now. No mention of contracts on dedicated.htm pages either.
Posted by TMX, 03-09-2005, 07:06 PM
Check your PM. -Bob
Posted by deadserious, 03-09-2005, 09:17 PM
They attempted do pretty much the exact same thing to me over the past month, and of course if you read here you'll find dozens and dozens of other complaints dating back a long time. This is nothing new, and what Robert does is obviously not a mistake or misunderstanding. He knows the difference between right and wrong, lawful, and unlawful, and is well aware that what he is doing is wrong, unlawful, unethical, stealing, and a downright crime. There's no errors with their billing software, or misunderstandings, or anything of the sort. It's as obvious as he is unethical what he is up to, and that he purposely does it, and will continue to do it until he ends up right where he belongs. I was well aware from his first response exactly what he was attempting to do. That's funny how Robert acts like he actually has a billing department who makes decisions, when in reality it's obviously him making everything up as he goes. I can't even begin to imagine how much money he has stolen from customers who simply just say fine or whatever just to get it over with and how much money he has attempted to steal. I would guess that it is at least enough to do many, many years in prison, which I think is about the only thing he deserves and at his rate it won't take him much longer to get exactly that. I can't imagine why anyone would want to have anything to do with webreseller, especially the so called billing department, because if there is such thing, they obviously know exactly what Robert is up to. I think that all current webreseller customers should seriously consider switching providers before it's too late. Because if they did go out of business, which I would guess that chances are extremely high, they will obviously not care about their customers who they left behind, and would probably just take the money they could and run, and all customers would end up losing everything. I would especially not trust backups or anything of the sort that is stored at webreseller. I also think that all businesses that may lease software or other things to webreseller should really put them at a very high risk and think twice about who they are really dealing with. Also, anyone who plans to purchase anything at all from them, your best bet would be DON'T! Of course everyone needs to make up their own decisions, but I'll bet you can get the same recommendations from many, many others. And finally for those who plan to cancel their services with webreseller make sure that you cancel your current credit card first!!!!! They'll attempt to keep charging you for as long as they feel like it, so make sure that they are unable to steal your money, because they will without hesitation. It will most likely result in a lot of wasted time if you actually attempt to cancel your account via their online cancellation form, so your best bet would be to simply send them a certified letter with a return receipt, and keep a copy to provide to your bank because you'll surely need it, especially if you don't cancel your credit card that is on file with them. But if you'd like to see and hear the most blatantly obvious attempts at fraud you've probably ever seen in your entire life, then go ahead and ATTEMPT to cancel like you should be able to, and you'll get just what you wanted to see.
Posted by AussieHosts, 03-09-2005, 09:36 PM
I fully agree. Unfortunately, he seems to be one of these nasty little critters that manage to get by with a complete lack of ethics. They stole about US$700 from us, and only after posting about it here was any offer made to repay it. But the money was never returned to us. We were warned, and ignored those warnings. It's a shame that the actions of people like Rob/Webreseller cause so many problems for the industry. I know that we certainly wont ever trust a small operator like him again. All good things come to those who wait, and I can only hope that Rob and the thieves from Paysystems all end up sharing the same exercise yard in prison one day. Gary
Posted by countrytyme, 03-09-2005, 09:48 PM
That's no good sharing a exercise yard together. Many a scam is cooked up and server to unsuspecting outsiders even from a jail cell.
Posted by 1jetsam, 03-09-2005, 11:07 PM
I'd widthdraw my credit card or whatever method you are paying for. Then if you need to, you can get a new one later. I didn't have enough time to read the rest of your post, but I skimed it. And I also didn't get to read other peoples replies, so sorry if I am repeating someone else. I just thought I'd say something quick that might help.
Posted by Aussie Bob, 03-10-2005, 01:11 AM
I worked very closely with someone who had these exact problems with that host. Their language used to describe the host was not pretty, and out of character for this person I worked with. I just don't understand why these folks think they'll make more money by being deceitful, and dishonest. Just be the best darn host you can be, and serve your clients socks off, and you'll make more money from word of mouth, than trying to deceive and be dishonest with folks.
Posted by Everyday, 03-10-2005, 01:46 PM
Bob, you don't mean you wouldn't go with a small host again do you?
Posted by Aussie Bob, 03-10-2005, 09:07 PM
I think you mean Gary. I didn't say that.
Posted by Everyday, 03-10-2005, 09:12 PM
Haha! My bad! I saw Aussie and must have had a brain fade moment. A million apologies my good man. So then Gary, same question to you
Posted by AussieHosts, 03-10-2005, 09:29 PM
Then to put it in to perspective, no we wouldn't use a "small operator" again. Let me explain. In this situation, we were using Webreseller.net for about 2 years. Generally we had no major problems with the service. Every time there was a complaint raised on WHT (or their own forum) I'd usually go in to bat for them, and there were quite a few times this happened because in the early days they had a lot of problems. But each time, their billing practices would get mentioned in these threads, and I chose to ignore the warnings. Till...we cancelled our account. They eventually stole about US$700 from us, and ignored all requests to return those funds to us. In an earlier thread (just a few months back), when I contributed my disgust for their evil ways, Rob contacted me off the forum and apologised again, promised to refund the money, and offered to throw in a dedicated server for 12 months. So, here we are...more than happy to use a larger, more established and much more honest and responsive provider like Ev1. I can't see how Webreseller would be amounting to too much these days, given their track record, and it's their own fault. Gary
Posted by Everyday, 03-11-2005, 04:09 PM
Fair enough, I just think its a bit wrong to think all hosts smaller will have problems. Even ev1 started small back in the day. To each their own though.
Posted by rod19425, 03-21-2005, 11:28 PM
Well, after no word from Robert for two weeks, I emailed him adn he told me it is in his legal and collections department in Wilmington... Give me a break.
Posted by Shaw Networks, 03-21-2005, 11:41 PM
Nothing worse than getting yanked around by someone you can't reach. Let us know how this turns out.
Posted by deadserious, 03-22-2005, 02:08 AM
Yea that is pretty bad. But what I think makes it even worse is that there has been (for years), currently is, and will continue to be (Until they are held accountable -- They will be!) many more who have also had the exact same problems. I think it is a planned out standard procedure for Webreseller and Robert Greenwalt.
Posted by rod19425, 03-22-2005, 10:08 AM
Wel, now he has told me that his ... well, here is the email.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ] Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 23:46:57 -0500 To: rodstar@yahoo.com Subject: [CXE-72106]: CANCEL AN ACCOUNT From: "Robert" Add to Address BookAdd to Address Book CANCEL AN ACCOUNT As I said, your account has been sent to our legal / collections team, they will be filing suite for the remainder of the contract, administrative prices, and the new server... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by neXolt, 03-22-2005, 12:42 PM
People like this make me sick, if you have a wife who is in the a large law firm then get her to research this and find out if there is anyway to counter-sue, as he is probably just threating you to get you too pay out of court.
Posted by rod19425, 03-22-2005, 12:59 PM
You would think this guy would help me out as I live right near their offices (about 5 minutes away) and I have been there and met him. So, now I am really ticked off and I have decided to go another route. I looked at all of the posts here and I also looked at deadserious's excellent blog on webreseller.net at http://webreseller.speedyblog.com (ADMIN: if I am not allowed to post this site, please remove). I have since then sent a letter to the following people: 1. The Pennsylvania State Attorney General 2. The Better Business Bureau 3. ChargebackBureau.org (who handle their chargeback issues) I encourage everyopne to do the same. Though each letter is slightly different, here is the one I sent to the Attorney General of PA ============================================== Date: March 22, 2005 To: PA State Attorney General From: Derek (NAME REMOVED) Re: WebReseller.net Good Day, I am writing to you because I have attempted to cancel an account (through the proper forms and in accordance with their stated cancellation policy) with a company located in Chester County, PA and they refuse to acknowledge my cancellation and are threatening to destroy my credit and pursue undue legal action against me. I am asking for your immediate action to help me resolve this issue and to investigate the numerous other complaints against this company and their unethical and illegal practices. The company, located in Exton, PA is WebReseller.net. As you will see below, I am one of many customers who are currently being held hostage by this company. WebReseller.net is listed at the BBB with the following address: WEBRESELLER (www.webreseller.net) 140 South Village Ave Suite 110 EXTON, PA I have been a customer of theirs since 2002. I paid them 189.00 per month for web reselling services. The services that WebReseller.net provide are for the resale of server space for the purposes of web hosting. I pay to rent space on that server so that I can, in turn sell web hosting services to other customers. It is a standard method for web hosting in the market today. During this time, I never received the full services that I was promised. After numerous attempts to resolve this (starting in July, 2004) I finally met with them on January 21, 2005. I met briefly with Rob Greenewelt, the owner of the company, at his office. He stated through this meeting that he would make amends and provide me with a new server within a week. Several weeks passed and I never received any word that he set up the account. I used his standard helpdesk ticketing system to find out the status of the new server and never got a reply. Several inquiries went unasnswered. I then started to do some research and found that I was being overcharged significantly. I have a new service with better features for just $40.00/month from another vendor. Finally, on March 8th, I cancelled my account. I did this through the cancellation screen on his main website and through the ticketing system. The main website clearly states that there is a 30-day cancellation policy. You can see that here: http://www.webreseller.net/cancel.htm I was then bombarded with emails from Robert telling me that I was under contract until June, 2005 and that I would be billed. I told him that was unacceptable and that I would alert my credit card to not accept any future charges. He then threatened that any chargebacks would be reported to credit agencies, etc. I felt that this was almost blackmail. At no point, have I ever agreed to or signed a contract with WebReseller.net, other than the initial terms and conditions I received at initial sign-up in 2002. Robert and I spoke on the phone briefly on March 9th, where he stated that we would be talking to his lawyers and collections department and would get back to me on Monday, March 14. I never heard from him again. I finally contacted him on March 21, 2005 and he replied that his lawyers were filing suit against me. I complied with his 30-day cancellation policy. I am a very small business owner and he knows that I can not afford legal prices. He stated that in our phone conversation. Now, under normal circumstances, I would not come to you. But, I have been doing some research. There is a very well known site called Web Hosting Talk, found at www.webhostingtalk.com that deals with all types of web hosting and is a very active board. There is even a website dedicated to WebReseller.nets unethical practices. http://webreseller.speedyblog.com/ Robert Greenewelt himself has posted to this board. I have found many examples of clients of theirs that are having similar issues today or have had them in the past. It seems from this message board that Robert has a standard practice of not canceling accounts and not crediting accounts that he later agrees to cancel. One of his employees even states on the website that they would be removing the 30-day cancellation policy effective December 1, 2004. I have attached a few of the message threads from the board to this letter. I would attach the entire message of each thread, but some are several pages. I am asking that you please investigate this immediately as there are many people who are suffering undue hardship from this company and its underhanded tactics. According to the billing software on Roberts site, I will be billed again on April 9, 2005. That is outside the 30 day cancellation that I gave him. I do not want to have to go through what others have had to endure. Time is of the essence here. I would be happy to speak with you on the phone or in person. Thank you for your time. Best regards, Derek (NAME AND ADDRESS REMOVED) http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...ht=webreseller