TSOhost - still OK for small users?

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

I moved to TSOhost when I left Demon (well, really, Namesco) - I think
on recommendations here. Mainly just to handle email, though their
minimum package I took included a tiny (by modern standards - many times
the original Demon amount!) webpage (which I've mainly used as many
people use DropBox and similar, without imposing script on my
share-ees).

Since then, I've been perfectly happy with them (basically, have had no
need to contact them at all).

Of late, though, I've had a few emails from them advertising new
facilities they're offering, which sound marvellous - as far as I
understand them - for the more demanding website user.

I'm a little concerned that they may ditch "support" for the
ex-Demon-type user like me, who really just wants mail
forwarding/handling and very basic webspace. Any others here in the same
boat?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

gazing at someone in distress is prurient and rude.
- Alison Graham, RT 2015/6/20-26

[Joe]

On Tue, 15 Dec 2020 12:02:09 +0000
"J. P. Gilliver (John)" <G6...@255soft.uk> wrote:

> I moved to TSOhost when I left Demon (well, really, Namesco) - I
> think on recommendations here. Mainly just to handle email, though
> their minimum package I took included a tiny (by modern standards -
> many times the original Demon amount!) webpage (which I've mainly
> used as many people use DropBox and similar, without imposing script
> on my share-ees).
>
> Since then, I've been perfectly happy with them (basically, have had
> no need to contact them at all).
>
> Of late, though, I've had a few emails from them advertising new
> facilities they're offering, which sound marvellous - as far as I
> understand them - for the more demanding website user.
>
> I'm a little concerned that they may ditch "support" for the
> ex-Demon-type user like me, who really just wants mail
> forwarding/handling and very basic webspace. Any others here in the
> same boat?

Yes, I have their basic web hosting. I'm not using it for a lot at the
moment, just some PCB and gschem symbols and footprints, and the email
for testing. I do also upload the odd file that I can't manage to email
to someone, though then it's usually difficult even to send them a URL.

I think there are quite a few people who want some basic web space,
without needing databases and php, who are not happy to use a machine
at home. I host my own email domains, apart from the TSO one, but I
would never consider running a public-facing web server. I know just
enough about web security to know that I know nothing like enough to
keep a server secure.

--
Joe

[Malcolm Loades]

On 15/12/2020 12:02, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
> I moved to TSOhost when I left Demon (well, really, Namesco) - I think
> on recommendations here. Mainly just to handle email, though their
> minimum package I took included a tiny (by modern standards - many times
> the original Demon amount!) webpage (which I've mainly used as many
> people use DropBox and similar, without imposing script on my
> share-ees).
>
> Since then, I've been perfectly happy with them (basically, have had no
> need to contact them at all).
>
> Of late, though, I've had a few emails from them advertising new
> facilities they're offering, which sound marvellous - as far as I
> understand them - for the more demanding website user.
>
> I'm a little concerned that they may ditch "support" for the
> ex-Demon-type user like me, who really just wants mail
> forwarding/handling and very basic webspace. Any others here in the same
> boat?
>

There is a terrible similarity between Demon and Tsohost - they once
were the finest ISP and hosting company on the planet. Then Demon sold
out and the downward spiral immediately started. Later Tsohost sold out
to Godaddy and it's 'here we go again' in a race to the bottom.

I've moved both my own and a charity's hosting I look after away from
Tsohost. I left in May when it was taking 3 days for each response in a
support ticket thread! But did you not notice any of the following
problems?

https://www.theregister.com/2019/08/20/tsohosts_still_struggling_to_fix_email_issues/

https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/09/tsohost_email/

https://www.theregister.com/2019/06/18/tsohost_weeklong_outage/

I moved everything I look after to www.krystal.uk and couldn't recommend
them more highly. Support is by telephone 09.00 - 20:00 Mon to Fri,
Live Chat and email. Whichever you choose the support is near instant
and high quality, no reading from a script.

I have a referral code (FAE3FCDE) should you or anyone like the look of
them. I've opted to split the referral 50/50 so you'd get a £10 credit
and so would I.

Malcolm

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

On Tue, 15 Dec 2020 at 14:08:21, Malcolm Loades <dev...@loades.net>
wrote (my responses usually follow points raised):
[]

>There is a terrible similarity between Demon and Tsohost - they once
>were the finest ISP and hosting company on the planet. Then Demon sold
>out and the downward spiral immediately started. Later Tsohost sold

Maybe it happens to all such. (PlusNet too, though they're still
tolerable.)

>out to Godaddy and it's 'here we go again' in a race to the bottom.

I didn't know TSO had done that. They still email me as if they're TSO.

>
>I've moved both my own and a charity's hosting I look after away from
>Tsohost. I left in May when it was taking 3 days for each response in
>a support ticket thread! But did you not notice any of the following
>problems?
>
>https://www.theregister.com/2019/08/20/tsohosts_still_struggling_to_fix_
>email_issues/

Interested to see "Brit hosting outfit TSO" and "Slough-based" - I sort
of got the feeling when I started that they were Hungarian, or something
like that; certainly anyone I spoke to seemed to have a Russian-ish
name.

I hadn't noticed any blacklisting - but then I rarely email anyone with
a hotmail or outlook address. Actually, if it's done by IP address, most
of my outgoing mail goes via PlusNet's outgoing server, so maybe that's
why I never noticed any problem. And I never used cloud mail - I'm not
even sure what that is; is it another name for webmail? (Which I don't
use either.)
>
>https://www.theregister.com/2020/07/09/tsohost_email/

(Again, seems to be a problem for those using TSO's outgoing server.)
>
>https://www.theregister.com/2019/06/18/tsohost_weeklong_outage/

That one passed me by.

>
>I moved everything I look after to www.krystal.uk and couldn't
>recommend them more highly. Support is by telephone 09.00 - 20:00 Mon
>to Fri, Live Chat and email. Whichever you choose the support is near
>instant and high quality, no reading from a script.

Sounds good - for now.

>
>I have a referral code (FAE3FCDE) should you or anyone like the look of
>them. I've opted to split the referral 50/50 so you'd get a £10 credit
>and so would I.
>
>Malcolm

Saved for reference.

Sadly, looks like it's what one of the commenters to one of the first
two stories you linked to said: such companies have a "honeymoon period"
of about five years, before they join the downward slide. I'd say for
undemanding users, there's probably another five to ten years during
which customer service deteriorates greatly, but provided you don't need
to contact it, the actual product remains usable. I think I've been with
PlusNet since about 2007 - with the product actually improving,
gradually, either product (e. g. speed) or price, but custserv declining
in quality. TSO (less time, but still some years - from when Namesco
went to Orifice 365) I've not really had any reason to contact.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Who came first? Adam or Eve?" "Adam of course; men always do."
Victoria Wood (via Peter Hesketh)

[John Hall]

In message <i3rual...@mid.individual.net>, Malcolm Loades
<dev...@loades.net> writes

>There is a terrible similarity between Demon and Tsohost - they once
>were the finest ISP and hosting company on the planet. Then Demon sold
>out and the downward spiral immediately started. Later Tsohost sold
>out to Godaddy and it's 'here we go again' in a race to the bottom.

Sounds a bit similar to Gradwell. but in their case it wasn't the boss
selling out but rather getting so obsessed with VoIP that in the end the
company dropped everything else.
--
John Hall "Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always
pays off now." Anon

[Chris S]

On Tue, 15 Dec 2020 14:08:21 +0000, Malcolm Loades
<dev...@loades.net> wrote:

>There is a terrible similarity between Demon and Tsohost - they once
>were the finest ISP and hosting company on the planet. Then Demon sold
>out and the downward spiral immediately started. Later Tsohost sold out
>to Godaddy and it's 'here we go again' in a race to the bottom.

"Sold out" is a bit tabloidish! :-)

From https://digital.com/web-hosting/tsohost/

Begin Quote.

WHO OWNS TSOHOST?
In short, TsoHost is owned by Paragon, which is owned by Host Europe
Group (HEG) which is owned by GoDaddy. Here’s more detail:

TsoHost is owned by Paragon Internet Group, Ltd.

Paragon was acquired by Host Europe Group (HEG) in 2015, and now
operates as a subsidiary of HEG.

GoDaddy EMEA acquired HEG in December 2016 for $1.79 billion. (At the
time of acquisition, HEG was owned by the international private equity
firm Cinven, which acquired the business in August 2013.)

End Quote.

There may be a similarity to the Demon story in so far as it is likely
that Vodafone acquired C&W for it's network infastructure, not due to
any particular interest in Demon. I don't know but I'm guessing
Godaddy's interest in HEG was not focussed on Tsohost as $1.79
billlion seems a tad on the expensive side for the latter!

Chris S
--
Demon Customer 1993 - 2015; Gradwell Customer 2002 - 2016; now with Zen for connectivity and Tsohost
for web/email hosting (last Gradwell hosted domains migrated October 2016).