For decades, I have had my email and website hosted at Microsoft. When I first signed up with them, I didn’t give it a second thought. I had been doing much of my development using Microsoft tools, so it seemed like a natural choice. Surely everything would integrate seamlessly, and this would make my life easier…
Setting up a new Microsoft email is no more difficult than with any other provider. You can usually set up a new account, or connect to an existing email account with no problem in a matter of hours, or less. So far, so good.
An email account may continue to work flawlessly for years and years on your computer. But what happens when something goes wrong? Sooner or later, your computer crashes, or it seems like your account has been hacked, or the setup that you have gotten used to gets screwed up. , or something important stops working Help screens and “knowledge Base” articles rarely provide answers to these problems. What do you do now? Call tech support, right?
One of the reasons that I felt confident signing up with Microsoft is that they are so big. Currently, they have well over 100K employees. Naturally I assumed that this would translate into great support. This has not been my experience.
I won’t go through the details all of the various problems I have had trying to connect to a live Microsoft support person, but they range from not being able to find a correct and working phone number, to not being able to prove that I actually have an account with them, to finding that I have reached someone who cannot help with the particular service I have. I have spent literally hundreds of hours dealing with this type of nonsense over the years. Eventually, I had had enough of it.
When I finally decided to pull the plug on Microsoft, some months ago, I asked some friends, shopped around, and settled on BlueHost.
BlueHost sales support was excellent. They answered all my questions and clearly described all of the options. I could have started hosting a single website with email for a few dollars a month, but as a software professional I chose a package that allows me to host an unlimited number of websites for about $12 per month, including automatic backups and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools. I had several sites in mind for the near future, so the decision was a “no brainer”.
Most important to me, BlueHost support is always available at a moment’s notice. I have already contacted them numerous times. I use either email or chat, depending on what is best for me at the time. I can get help understanding the vast array of services included with the account, how to set up the various options and use the tools. Every representative I have worked with has been friendly, efficient, knowledgeable, honest and patient with my endless questions. They have answered and solved everything that I have, so far, been able to throw at them.
I am a Software Developer, but not a Web Designer. I was completely new to WordPress. Yet I was able to get great looking sites up and running in short order, and was soon on my way to learning all of the in’s and out’s of setting up sites, blogging and building businesses online. There is still a lot to learn, and there are frustrations along the way, but there is always someone for me to go to when I need it. They are always willing to help and they can always get me to the next step.
As I want, I can take on new customers, build live websites for them using my newfound skills. This all happens inside my unlimited hosting account at no extra cost to me. I can set my own fees and rates for managing the website until they are ready to manage it themselves. At that point they can set up their own account (at BlueHost or wherever else they choose), and simply transfer the site to their account. This opens up a whole new, low friction and risk-free, creative line of business within my existing company. And it’s not even the main reason I opened my account!
I can even set up simple blogging websites for family members, friends, clubs or groups, with email, in very little time, for very little or no additional cost.
This is such a breath of fresh air compared to my previous hosting experiences! I highly recommend BlueHost!
Disclosure: The following is an “affiliate link”. If you purchase a product or service from this company after clicking the link, I will receive a commission, at no cost to you.
