I don't see the purpose of this host locking an irate customer in over the situation. I could understand if this was day 119, or day 90, or something of the relationship, as there's a certain subset of people that just want things for free. Instead, it's a customer who's been there for two days, and is already upset at the service.
I'm unsure what all this company does, but if they purchased domain names and such, I would at least attempt to come to a compromise to cover the expenses. Is it so hard for a company to compromise anymore?
"We are sorry that you did not find our services up to your standards, even though we are within our agreed terms. We strive for perfection, however we also realize that nobody is perfect. We would like to work this out with you, however if you believe we are not the company for you, we would like to compromise. We have spent $20 of your initial investment to register your domain name for two years. If you should choose to no longer be our customer, we would like to be reimbursed for this amount and in return we will relinquish ownership of the name over to you. Should you wish to continue your endeavors this name will be vital to you and your success. The remainder of our agreement will be refunded in full"
Of course, $20 is a bit much for a domain for two years, but I'm sure they'll claim a higher expense than what was actually incurred to help cover the time.
In my company, I wouldn't want to lock an angry customer into my services for two years on the second day of me providing services for them. I'd be looking to sever the tie and part ways amicably, before I end up having them waste my time and energy while trying to find every possible loophole to break the agreement and harm my company. There's no sense in making someone go out of their way to hate you, especially since the Internet's not a warm fuzzy secure place.
This was the position I thought was reasonable. Thinkhost didn't even have to put out for my domain name, I already own it.
Rodney's position that I should have done more homework is valid and pretty much the same position Thinkhost.com has taken.
It doesn't make me any more a fan of the company though and it certainly won't get me to be an advocate for them at any level. It does insure that I will try to help others not make the same mistake I made and end up on the bad side of a TOS and unrelenting customer service.
It doesn't make me any more a fan of the company though and it certainly won't get me to be an advocate for them at any level. It does insure that I will try to help others not make the same mistake I made and end up on the bad side of a TOS and unrelenting customer service.
And this is what makes many other hosts/services/products stand out in comparison. Many times, how you feel about a company is determined not only by the quality of their product/service, but how they handle "issues" when they arise.
Same reason why my wife no longer shops at Target They followed their "policy", even though they verbally agreed to make a compromise (they later renegged on that compromise and said we only follow policy). They could have made a happy customer pretty easily, with little to no cost to them, but instead, they made an angry customer who tells everyone she can to stay away from that business. I'd be in the doghouse if I ever walked near a Target.
Re: Think twice about Thinkhost.com 
They followed their "policy", even though they verbally agreed to make a compromise (they later renegged on that compromise and said we only follow policy). They could have made a happy customer pretty easily, with little to no cost to them, but instead, they made an angry customer who tells everyone she can to stay away from that business. I'd be in the doghouse if I ever walked near a Target.
