Do Not Use Ip*werweb

This is one of 2 e-mail threads about this I have going with them. They get snarky on my end a few days ago, and they just make themselves look more pathetic. So here's the background: As ya'll know, I am getting rid of my website while I have no time to maintain it. But I want to keep the domain. So originally, I told them I wanted to cancel hosting, but keep the domain. They always ask for your credit info to verify your identity, so I also told them in my original message that I am now married and my last name has changed, and that the credit card they have on file is defunct because the bank changed it when they changed my last name. When they first replied, they IGNORED EVERYTHING but "cancel my account" and asked for, you bet, my credit card info. His message also sounded to me like they wouldn't keep my domain for me unless I used their hosting services too. So I did two things: I called in, and talked to some guy who said he'd cancel my account -- and I signed on with a new, much more reputable company to take over my domain. Problem solved, right? But ip*werweb has not 1. deleted my account 2. taken down the website or 3. released the domain, so I can't switch the domain to the new company. Here is a transcrip of 1 or 2 e-mail conversations I've had with them recently. This one is less funny and pathetic looking than the other, but I think even they conceded their idiocy on that one and have chosen not to reply. ________________________________________________________ This is the first e-mail in this thread, chronological from there: Customer 09/18/2006 11:26 AM Hello, I have cancelled my account via online form/e-mail and by telephone, and my payment was declined, and STILL my login into cpanel is there at the domain. In fact, at first I asked to keep the domain name but cancel the hosting (so I would just have a placeholder page), with an explanation of why I need to do this in my request, and asked for info on updating my name to my married name should that make the process easier -- and both keeping the domain name and anything about my name change were completely ignored in the response - which lead me to believe that the only option ipower could offer me was to cancel my account completely. However, trying to make that happened has proved as impossible as trying to keep my domain registration with a placeholder page. When I called to cancel (over a week ago) I was told my cancellation was complete, but obviously it's not. What else do I have to do for my account to be cancelled and my old site taken down, and domain registration released? Thank you. Christine acct: xxx.com Response (M) 09/19/2006 03:44 PM Dear Christine, We are sorry to hear that we are losing you. If you are canceling due to a technical or support issue, we would like the opportunity to assist you. Please respond with a detailed message regarding the issue and we will have it sorted out immediately. If you still rather cancel, please reply with either your password and the last four digits of your credit card. Thank You Regards, Customer 09/21/2006 05:26 AM Please cancel my account. I no longer have time to maintain a site, and as a very amateur web designer, found the ip*werweb interface (esp. for e-mail, as in accessing messages for @whatever.com) and the help pages/contact us forms hard to use or take best advantage of. the password for xxxx.com is xxxxxxx. Thank you! Response (S) 09/21/2006 10:28 AM Dear Christine, Thank you for contacting IP*WER Technical Support. Sorry for the inconvenience. I have reviewed your email and found that it is an issue best handled by our Billing Department. We suggest you please do contact to our Billing department. Their contact information is as follows: Toll free: 1-888-511-4678 option 4 Outside USA: 1-310-314-1608 option 4 E-mail: billing@ip*werweb.com Hours of operation: Mon - Fri : 7am - 10pm PST Please feel free to visit our knowledge database at: http://helpcenter.ip*werweb.com and http://www.ipwhelp.com for step by step instructions on working with your iP*werweb hosting account. Should you require additional assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at support@ip*werweb.com. Customer 09/21/2006 12:11 PM You wrote: "I have reviewed your email and found that it is an issue best handled by our Billing Department." Actually, this whole thread has been e-mailed to and from billing@ip*werweb.com, and I already called billing about this once. But I suppose I will call again. Thanks Response (J) 09/21/2006 01:28 PM Dear Customer, We are sorry to hear that we are losing you. For verification purposes, please reply with your PASSWORD or the LAST 4 DIGITS of your CREDIT CARD. We would also like feedback as to why you are canceling your account; at least for our records, but also to see if we can do anything about it. Once this information is received, your account will be cancelled and any appropriate refunds will be issued in 30 business days. We thank you for your consideration. Thank You, Response (D) 09/21/2006 12:26 PM Dear Christine, Thank you for contacting IPOWER Technical Support. I have reviewed your email and found that it is an issue best handled by our Billing Department. What I can do for you is I will forward this to the Billing Department at billing@ip*werweb.com. You can email them directly if you wish to follow up. Their contact information is as follows: Email: billing@ip*werweb.com. Please feel free to visit our knowledge database at: http://support.ip*wer.com for step by step instructions on working with your Ipowerweb hosting account. Customer 09/22/2006 11:41 AM Please refer to below, where the answers to both questions were already contained in this very e-mail thread. But, I will copy-paste them from below: "Please cancel my account. I no longer have time to maintain a site, and as a very amateur web designer, found the ipowerweb interface (esp. for e-mail, as in accessing messages for @whatever.com) and the help pages/contact us forms hard to use or take best advantage of. The password for xxxx.com is xxxxxxxx. Thank you!" Again: cxxxx1, xxxx.com, and password: xxxxxxx. I no longer have the credit card you have on file and do not know what the number is -- the bank changed it. I would like to emphasize that it is repetitive, back-and-forth communications such as this that make customer help most difficult to use. I hope this issue is now resolved. Response 09/22/2006 11:59 AM Dear Christine, this account was cancelled on 9-7-06. Ricardo Rivera Executive Account Services IP*WER, Inc. _____________________________________________________________ ....I replied asking why, if it's been cancelled, can I still log into cpanel, my undeleted files are still there, and the domain has not been released. I told them I might as well put another webpage up there so I don't have to log in everytime to see if they've removed it yet. I also said that this mess is exactly why I want out. !!!!!! Note: Parts of these communiques, and ip*wer's name, have been modified for privacy and/or to keep this off search engine radar.