Activeservers, Inc.

Review: [redacted] had an issue with her accountant, who happens to be my sister. Due to various reasons, my sister quit working for Activeservers, owner, [redacted] Handshy.I have been a long-standing customer of active servers for email and website. Paid yearly and upfront.Due to the issues with my sister, [redacted] deleted my account and web site for no reason at all and without giving notice of dropping my email. Blaming it on the issues she had with her accountant. This is my business email and everyday I do not have it, I am loosing business and my customers cannot get in touch with me.She will also not give me the IP address and information so I can find another server to host my site. My site and email is [redacted].Legally, she is in the wrong on so many issues and I would like to make an official complaint and get my web address and email infos so I can find another server.How she has handled the situation is very unprofessional and illegal.What can I do about forcing her to give me my email and website address?And, making an official complaint for doing what she did?Desired Settlement: I want my email turned back on until I find another server to host my email and website.I also want my email address and website information necessary to have another server host it.ASAP!!!

Business

Response:

Imagine my surprise when, on April 26, 2013 I received an email from Ms. [redacted] from her [redacted] address (that we have hosted for her since 2006) stating:

Hi Everyone, I just heard that my email provider is closing down. So, please use momentarily [redacted]

Since I'm lucky to hear from Ms. [redacted] once every other year or so, this took me by surprise. True, we did have a common link as my previous bookkeeper (not accountant) is her sister, and I could only presume this is where Ms. [redacted] received this information since she doesn't live in the US, and hasn't in decades. The only thing that logic states could've prompted this type of statement would be the fact her sister quit with less than 2 hours notice and told Ms. [redacted] (her sister), that our business would close without her. But that is totally irrelevant and in no way has any bearing on the actions taken here. I sent Ms. [redacted] an email indicating this was not the case if in fact she was referencing the server where her [redacted] domain name received email. Ms. [redacted] did reply to that stating she was glad to hear it, etc. Unfortunately, the original email was sent out to everyone in her contact list, so Ms. [redacted] advertised defamatory information to the following people: I then, on Saturday April 27, 2013, requested Ms. [redacted] inform her clients that the information she was given was: “false alarm” or “late April Fools”, or “Sorry, I was given bad information” and your email will be available along with your domain name and your website, just like it has been for years. Unfortunately, Ms. [redacted] ignored that request, and instead, continued to send out this defamatory notification with every single email she received at her in2motion.net email address, and had all email forwarded on to a different address in a different network. On August 17, 2013, almost 4 full months later, I noticed Ms. [redacted] was still sending out the defamatory information, blatantly ignoring my simple request received by her in April. I then informed Ms. [redacted] she would immediately have to find a new provider for her website and email. I do admit, I was angered by the disrespect shown, the lack of concern over the continued defamation of our company, and the blatant disregard of a simple request. I did disable both the website and email on August 17th. Other than the email Ms. [redacted] sent in April, we have not received any communication from her regarding her website or email. Had Ms. [redacted] attempted to act in a professional manner and even attempt to send an email to "the company" instead of to "me personally", we would've gladly given Ms. [redacted] her website files and domain name, the same day we received some form of payment from her for an Invoice sent to her in January. Unfortunately, Ms. [redacted] decided it was easier or better to file a complaint against our company instead of trying to communicate with us. She states in her complaint several inaccuracies regarding her account I would now like to address. "Paid yearly and upfront." This is not even close to truthful. In fact Ms. [redacted] was always late with her payment, if she bothered to pay at all. I can only presume this is due to the fact she was moving around Europe and access to her email was spotty at best. Or possibly because of the relationship we had with her sister, Ms. [redacted] possibly thought she would not have to pay. I do not know what her reasonings were, I can only speculate. I do know in the past her Parents would submit a check as payment for her, because she lives "out of country". And an invoice sent in January would be "lucky" to be paid in August, if at all. On more than one occasion, I "zeroed out" the invoice after a year of nonpayment for her "because of the relationship with her sister". Unfortunately, the most recent invoice sent back in January for hosting her website and email for the calendar year 2013 is still unpaid. So Ms. [redacted]'s statement "Paid yearly and upfront." is simply untrue. As stated in our policies (available on our website) "Payment is due each anniversary month or period following the date the account was established. Any account not brought current within a week of email notice or exceeding this time frame in any way is subject to suspension. Service fees will accrue during any period of suspension." So regardless of the timeframe or reason why Ms. [redacted] thinks her account was terminated, the facts themselves indicate, Ms. [redacted]'s account was over 8 months in arrearage, and suspension was definitely indicated. Once Ms. [redacted] pays us for the renewal of her domain name, we will gladly release it to her to be transferred and/or records modified. The earliest the domain name itself can be transferred to another registrar is 10/17/2013 due to a "registrar hold" that was placed on the domain name "by the registrar" and not by me (Pam Handshy) or ActiveServers. However, we would be willing to update the name servers to those indicated by Ms. [redacted]'s new hosting company when she gets one and notifies us via our support address ([redacted]) what those names are. Just as we would be willing to make any DNS changes to point her domain name to a new website host and email provider. However, Ms. [redacted] will need to actually communicate with us, and this is something that past history shows simply does not occur. Had Ms. [redacted] made the first attempt to reconcile her account with us, or to make even an attempt to communicate in some way, we would've told her what she needed to do to get her website and email transferred. Instead, Ms. [redacted] decided her best course of action was to disregard all requests and instead file this complaint. Considering Ms. [redacted]'s payment history with us along with her blatant refusal to remove defamatory remarks from her email autoresponder, we will have to decline on allowing her to host her email within our network. Ms. [redacted] had been notifying her customers of a new email address that was not her business address for almost 4 months prior to suspension. She was not, and apparently had not been receiving email at her "business email address" as indicated by her complaint, as we queried the logs prior to suspension and found no evidence of any email addressed to her there. I am sure her customers were able to contact her at the email address she instructed them to by either her email blast of April 26, 2013 (contacts above) or her autoresponder telling them to do so. Ms. [redacted] is incorrect in thinking this is all tied to whatever relationship there was with a previous employee. It simply comes down to her blatant and continued defamation and lack of payment. I will again repeat, we will be "more than happy" to assist Ms. [redacted] with her move to any other hosting company for her website and email. However, she is not welcome to have them hosted by ActiveServers and most certainly not for free as she has done for the prior 8 months. If this issue can be resolved with Ms. [redacted] paying for the renewal of the domain name in2motion.net, and moving both her website and email to another hosting company and she discontinues the defamatory comments, we will not take any collection or legal actions against her.