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BLATANT LYING FALSE ADVERTISING WITH InMotion!!!
| Posted by vraezsvfew, 04-30-2014, 06:26 PM |
| I never used inmotion but I was considering them until I realized the PRICE PER MONTH ON THEIR PAGE IS A COMPLETE LIE!!!
Chat rep informed me that the 13.99/mo is for FIRST MONTH ONLY and if I read the tiny print on the sales page I would see that it was only for first month. This is after saying multiple times that the price on their page added up to less per month for an annual subscription than the numbers he was giving me in chat.
BUT!!!
13.99/MO MEANS "13.99 PER MONTH", IT DOES NOT MEAN FIRST MONTH ONLY!! THERE IS NO ASTERISK NEXT TO IT POINTING TO A DISCLAIMER!!
If you look at the page you can see some faint grey against a dark background disclaimer, but there is no indication that it applies to the costs in the next section.
Worse, the wording is so ambiguous that any person would never think that "the current subscription price" is DOUBLE what they paid the first month!
IN OTHER WORDS, they are saying, "I KNOW WE ARE ADVERTISING PRICE PER MONTH, BUT REALLY IT'S A LIE BECAUSE WE WILL ACTUALLY BE CHARGING YOU A DIFFERENT PRICE NOT LISTED ANYWHERE ON THE WEBSITE THAT IS TWICE AS MUCH AS SOON AS YOU SIGN UP."
THIS IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF FALSE ADVERTISING!!!
I can't believe this bull sh**!! Needless to say, I closed the tab and will never return to these liars!!!!!
screen shots:
http://i.imgur.com/4Hytj3i.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XBTLmsz.jpg
Can you believe this CRAP???? I'm SHOCKED!!!
Last edited by vraezsvfew; 04-30-2014 at 06:30 PM.
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| Posted by thedediguy, 04-30-2014, 07:02 PM |
| Sadly you will find many who can and will mis-lead customers, e.g it's $4 a month yet they charge you three years etc, it is sadly a way of the industry.
The best advice is to move you are clearly not happy and they have mis-lead you so it seems, so ship out and tell them so, they may offer you some sort of deal.
Sorry to hear you having issues as a new client, that is not good at all, have you asked to speak to a manager or senior?
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| Posted by vraezsvfew, 04-30-2014, 07:18 PM |
| 4/mo for three years is not false advertising because they say it is $4/mo for three years AND the price REALLY IS $4/mo. That's not false advertising like I described that InMotion is doing.
InMotion is SAYING one thing but SECRETLY CHARGING YOU A HIGHER AMOUNT. THIS is false advertising.
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| Posted by bindner, 04-30-2014, 10:23 PM |
| I think what's pi##ing you off is what ever that sales rep said about yearly prices? I don't see anything out of the ordinary otherwise? Other than it's quite expensive, but they're clearly posting 50% off first month only on their homepage. Maybe you had other expectations, but it looks pretty clear to me. ( wouldn't touch them with a ten feet pole anywho personally though )
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| Posted by BoxIntense, 04-30-2014, 11:56 PM |
| Just checked and tried ordering, it seems that the discount is only for first invoice (meaning, if you chose yearly payment, your monthly recurring cost will indeed be discounted by half for the first year).
I agree though, this is both shady and a very bad advertising practice, they should've put an asterisk and explain this in clear, concise passage somewhere in the page.
This is why I never paid using credit cards and always go with intermediary/payment processor. Because this kind of shady practice are a lot harder to be done when you're using payment processor like Paypal.
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| Posted by WindsOfChange, 05-01-2014, 12:07 AM |
| Sad, Why would they do such gimmickry?
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| Posted by vraezsvfew, 05-01-2014, 12:40 AM |
| I completely agree; whenever possible I use Paypal.
As for the cost, actually it is a lie; in fact even if you choose for a year then you do NOT get 50% off; only 50% off for first month.
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| Posted by BoxIntense, 05-01-2014, 10:53 AM |
| They're probably trying to get more conversions on the reseller product line.
I'm not a law expert (hopefully others with more expertise in the field will chime in the discussion), but I think the way they did this is illegal and should be reported to FTC.
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| Posted by Atlanical-Mike, 05-01-2014, 11:01 AM |
| Its not lying it's good marketing, because they do tell you before you order, some companies don't tell you and / or sell you Unlimited when it's not unlimited. At least you didn't fall for it.
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| Posted by Crothers, 05-01-2014, 11:47 AM |
| Great job finding that and not blindly signing up. Good catch.
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| Posted by Akin Olagbaiye, 05-01-2014, 01:51 PM |
| Yes, well done in finding the catch but sadly this is not as big a deal as you seem to feel. Majority of hosting providers who offer these servers/cloud hosting at cheap costs are hiding something. If they weren't they would quite simply be out of business. I have mystery shopped many hosting providers and you would be shocked as to some of the stuff I find.
I am just glad to be working for a company that hides nothing.
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| Posted by WireNine, 05-01-2014, 02:17 PM |
| They should put a asterisk next to the costs so this would make sense
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| Posted by ncweedman, 05-02-2014, 02:30 AM |
| Sorry bud, but it's quite clear in the text that you will get 50% off the first month, and only a new customer. I'm an idiot and I understood it... I think this is the definition of someone looking for a deal, thinking they found one and jumped on it without reading into it fully?? Cheers
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| Posted by SupportGuide, 05-05-2014, 10:56 PM |
| It annoys me too that some hosts do this. In my opinion they should have put an asterisk and made it clearer.
It's like going to a furniture store that has a clearance 70% off sale, but it is really 70% off inflated costs, and their "discounted" rate is the same as what you would pay elsewhere.
Legal, but gives a bad taste in your mouth.
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| Posted by fr33hosting, 05-06-2014, 06:41 PM |
| i think a good hosting company would make it very clear their pricing policy
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| Posted by jrianto, 05-06-2014, 11:13 PM |
| Everyone is out there fishing and have their own way for a bait. Some took steps that isn't very nice.
You can fish with a worm and wait patiently, or you can use a dynamite and bam you got a lot of dead fishes to catch more quicker... but still the fish are dead, they're no longer alive. You can eat the fish right away, grill em, put some nice sauce for the fish... and that's it.
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| Posted by SupportGuide, 05-07-2014, 02:00 AM |
| Which is why fishing with dynamite is illegal in most places....
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| Posted by StrongPurpose, 05-07-2014, 12:02 PM |
| Treat customers well and they will keep coming back with referrals. Provide as much information as possible prior to the sale it will prevent chargebacks/returns.
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| Posted by Akin Olagbaiye, 05-07-2014, 12:29 PM |
| Couldn't have said it better myself!
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| Posted by timel, 05-13-2014, 07:43 PM |
| Hey Vraezsvfew,
I work with InMotion Hosting, and I'm very sorry that you feel like we are falsely advertising things to you. First off - I'll be more than happy to extend to you a free month on our R-1000 plan, as a way to apologize for your misconception of our hosting company trying to be deceptive. We definitely do not want to come across that way to any of our clients, or potential clients! We strive hard to ensure all of our clients are satisfied - being employee owned and operated, entirely US based, and make ourselves available by phone and live chat 24/7/365 to keep this relationship between us and our clients available anytime they need us.
Aside from our header and footer on each page - there is nothing else on these pages. There is nothing, whatsoever, deceptive about what we advertise. There's a link to chat with a live representative on each page, and of course our phone number is there, so if there's any questions at all - we'll be happy to address them if there were any pricing issues. The pricing of $27.99 includes a full license of WHMCS, Softaculous, WHM/cPanel, and are hosted on commercial grade Dell servers - so it's a very robust environment for our resellers - and highly competitive with other brands. I've attached screenshots of each of the steps in between the first page and last page pictured, which all state the pricing as clear as day.
If you do have any other questions or concerns, send me a PM - I'll be happy to provide my direct number and/or email to discuss this further, and see if there is something we can work out for you! Again, I apologize that you feel this way, but we in no way intend to make our prospective clients think we are trying to scam them. I hope this help clear up any confusion you might have had Vraezsvfew.
-Tim Elsass
InMotion Hosting
Attached Thumbnails
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| Posted by DWS2006, 05-14-2014, 08:55 AM |
| The above is vague (intentionally or otherwise), in that I'm sure many users think that $13.99 is the rate that will be charged on a recurring basis. One-Time promos are not unusual and I agree that your pricing is not unreasonable, however clearly stating the recurring fee during the order process would go a long way in avoiding any potential misconceptions.
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| Posted by Coolraul, 05-14-2014, 09:27 AM |
| I disagree.
It seems quite clear to me particularly when you go to the order page. No banner or quick "deal" statement is going to have all the terms and conditions. It isn't as if they don't state the savings in the order form. This is a case of someone looking for a deal thought they found one then they see the full T&C. I should add that I suspect that posting here is a way of getting the provider to give them the deal they want.
Hardly misleading.. is it a teaser statement sure.. Not unlike "Zero percent financing for your new car... if you qualify". No one thinks that everyone even if they don't qualify for financing would get zero percent.. Common sense has to be applied.
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| Posted by DWS2006, 05-14-2014, 10:38 AM |
| To each their own I guess.
Personally, I've never seen another provider that doesn't directly state the recurring amount during the order process (the $27.99 only appears with a line through it), but I'm sure there are more out there.
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| Posted by SupportGuide, 05-15-2014, 01:42 PM |
| Looking at the images, I think InMotion Hosting probably should have put some asterisks next to the sales costs, to draw attention to the fact that particular conditions apply (which was probably farther down the page somewhere, since it does not show in the image).
You have to remember, that while we are familiar with industry practices, someone who never had a website before can easily misunderstand what we meant.
I personally think that without the asterisk and without disclosing the actual monthly price at checkout, you are opening yourself up to misunderstandings like this. (Saying "standard rates will apply" isn't really clear to someone who never purchased hosting before, although you would think it should be.)
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| Posted by DLee, 05-15-2014, 03:58 PM |
| I'm going to have to err to the side of not being false advertising. If you went through the complete checkout process and read everything you'd see the price you'd be paying. They could have been more straightforward on their front page, but there's nothing illegal here.
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| Posted by DWS2006, 05-15-2014, 04:24 PM |
| If you walk through the purchase right to the point of completing the order (step 4) you never see the recurring price (other than the strikeout). http://i58.tinypic.com/34yqjpu.jpg
Maybe they show you post purchase, but it's a little late then. Certainly not illegal, but I can understand how a buyer could easily get confused. Especially if they didn't pay attention to the add banner and just ordered from the plans page.
I wouldn't say false advertising, but definitely more vague than most hosting providers. More like a cable/satellite company, though even there the symbols pointing you to the fine print are always visible (typically firm costs are given too, not "we'll charge the standard rate").
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