Fasthosts customers still frozen out of websites
More support staff drafted over password reset cockup
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Fasthosts has promised it will bring in more support staff to deal with the volume of calls it is still receiving following its poorly-handled password reset on Friday.
Many customers haven't received the replacement passwords that the Gloucester webhost said it had sent in the post. We asked for an update on the debacle, and got this statement late on Tuesday:
Fasthosts are working with all affected customers to help them receive their new passwords as swiftly as possible. Affected customers who have not received their new password letters may call the Customer Care Helpline and once authenticated, can be provided with their new passwords over the phone.Whilst Fasthosts has seen high call volumes throughout today, the company will continue to provide additional resource over the next 48 hours in response to the demand. We apologise to those customers affected for any inconvenience caused during the issuing of new passwords and thank customers for their understanding and cooperation.
The firm said it had used first class post to send the control panel access codes.
The system-wide reset was triggered by a hack attack in October.
Fasthosts asked customers to change passwords at the time, and said last week that those who did would not be affected by the reset. Many Reg readers say they complied in October, but have been locked out now nevertheless.
Fasthosts says its priority is security, but its handling of the debacle has provoked apoplexy in the webmaster community, as evidenced by the comments on our original story.
Customers who haven't changed all their email passwords will face similar problems when they're also reset on Sunday*. ®
*Fasthosts has been in touch to say that email passwords will be reset on Thursday December 13, rather than the original date it gave of 10 days after the control panel rest.
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COMMENTS
Farcehosts
This is just complete ARSE!!!! Umm lets see I try to get into control panel....I can't they've scrambled my password...shite.....I phone customer support....1st Dec 07 - queue position 444 hold for 15 minutes queue position 443; 2nd Dec 07 queue position 454 hold for 30 minutes position 450; 3rd December queue position 54, hold for 1 hour queue position 49....still no bloody answer.....ahem, lets try emailing customer support.....ok I've got an auto-response....and nothing else......7th December....fasthosts take another £65 out my account for a bloody site that I cannot access....Farcehosts......ARSEHOLES!!!! I foresee a little call to Mr. Trading Standards coming up.....
Not the only one claiming David
David, you will not be the only one taking action.
I received no email, no letter, nothing to inform me of what is going on and if it was not for The Register and Google I would have known nothing about this. I have already wasted a great deal of money on their 0870 premium number plus, of course, my time.
I am locked out of my email which I rely on for my business. I will be moving my domain name and exchange box - hope that is possible - to another provider on Monday and writing to fasthosts asking for a refund of the 12 months I paid up front back in the Autumn. If I do not get a refund and confirmation that my credit details are not longer with them I will pursue a claim through the small claims court.
I currently have no access to my email and no means of getting in touch with them as I cannot even send an email as their automated email system bounces all emails back if you cannot access a PIN - I did not even know I had a PIN - through my Account but I cannot get into my account because they have changed the password without telling me.
FARCEHOSTS vs FASHOSTS DEBARCLE continues...
I'm just recovering from a 6 hour! call that ended at midnight last night (14th December) I went from 58 odd all the way down - (I had handsets on charge being swapped as they ran out of charge, plus a wired landline off the hook - just in case!)
I was nervous when I reached number 4 in the wait! having missed being number 13 for some lucky reason! (just then I read about the chap that was cut-off about now!!!!)
Anyway when I got through I was so calm (&tired) I just went for the specific tasks in hand - the guy at the other end sounded like he'd had enough grief anyway!
I was one of the lucky ones who rec'd a snail mail letter - would you believe when it said "Your new Control Panel Password is: ????????????l?" that the second to last letter - although identical to the last one in the word "Control" ie an "l" is in fact supposed to be an "i"
I see someone else has also found this out too.
As soon as this was typed in (with telephone help also) I got through to my Control Panel - what joy! I was closer to being in control myself!
It seems clear to me that FARCEHOSTS (claiming to be number 1 provider) must NEVER have had the resources to deal with the customer base they had in the first place - this is at the very least MIS-MANAGEMENT at least - even if it also smells of Fraudulent practice if not?! A good revenue earner through premium rate lines indeed!
Many Thanks to you guys who gave me a local number to ring - even though I live & work in GLOUCESTERSHIRE they seemed no easier to contact! - I was even going to go the the office in person when they were open - as the supposed "help-line" defences were doing their best keeping me out!
I only rec'd automated emails telling me to look in my now locked up email account - even though I pleaded with them to ring me or email me (via yahoo - it WAS WORKING!)
I WILL be looking into a claim for at least my 6 hour call - when I get the costs worked out - and wiill be looking into further action also.
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