FAQ

General

How long does it take to get a hosting account or website?

I generally get accounts up and running within 2-3 business days. Websites are generally done in 7-10 business days.

Is there a contract?

Nope. You may cancel hosting at any time.

Is there a cancellation fee?

Nope. I just don’t do refunds for partial months.

Do you do refunds?

Refunds are at my discretion. Most orders are completed pretty quickly which is why I require payment up front. If you cancel hosting, you have until the end of the billing cycle to have access to your account.

What companies do you work with?

I use DreamHost for pretty much everything. The website is powered by WordPress and payments are taken through Paid Memberships Pro and processed by Stripe. As far as the business, I run with Intuit QuickBooks and my mother is an accountant. Hi mom!

I need a single page up for just a few months until [insert thing here]. Is that okay?

Of course. The package is meant for people who just need an event page or a resume, something that will be up until a certain date, event, or whatever happens.

I just need one page to put my business on. Can I apply for the INDIE plan?

Sure can! Sometimes all you need is one page, especially if you just need a central location like a digital business card.

I have a [insert business here] but I don’t know where to even start.

The only dumb questions are the questions you never ask. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, there’s really only two things I need to get started: your business colors and your logo. I can walk you through everything else.

Is bandwidth truly unlimited?

“Unlimited”. You know, with air quotes. Accounts in good standing who are optimized (not hogging bandwidth) or otherwise abusing the privilege of unlimited bandwidth will have unlimited bandwidth. However, if your account strains the server, I may have to limit your bandwidth to keep the server functioning for everyone else. Having a hosting account is like living in an apartment complex and the person abusing the unlimited bandwidth is that person that takes up half the parking lot with guests at a party every night of the week so that their neighbors that live there have nowhere to park.

Design Questions

Why is it important that the designs have a contact form?

Some companies charge to add contact forms and I wanted it to be clear it was already included.

Is it just the design part or is the coding included?

The coding is included.

I see a website that I really like and I want to copy it. Will you do that for me?

I really don’t want to do that. Someone probably worked really hard on that design and it’d be wrong to steal it. However, we could come to a compromise by finding elements of that design you really like (after all, that’s why you want it, right?) and making it something unique to you. Wouldn’t that be better anyway?

Billing/Accounts

Do you have backups?

Yes. I run backups every week of the whole server.

I got hacked! Help!

Oh no, we’ve all been there. I’ll work with you to get everything sorted out.

I have a solid payment history with you. Lately, the Universe has been against me and [insert life event here] has happened and I may not be able to make a payment. Are you going to cancel my account?

No! Seriously, though, life happens. People get laid off, fired, quit; businesses go under, family members pass, children get sick, dogs run away, cats need surgery. If you are unable to make a payment because you’re having a crisis, just contact me. I’m more than willing to waive a month (or two, but c’mon, I’m working here, too!) for clients that are in good standing, especially if your website is important to your income or well-being. That’s the plus side to only working with me instead of a large company: I get it, and I can make it happen.

I know I only get one MySQL database but I’d really like two since I run my main fan site and then a few subdomains. Is there a way…

Yes. Just get in touch.

Why did that MP3 I put up go away?!

Because I was contacted by someone who has a lawyer and was told to take it down. Sorry!

Other Services

So, I got this website on someone else’s server, but I’d like to make the move to your service. Can you do that for me or tell me how?

Both. You’ll have to trust me with your account information on your current host because there’s no other way for me to access that account. If it’s a very simple copy and paste situation that takes me 10 minutes, I don’t charge. To migrate a full domain, MySQL databases, and email servers, please purchase Roadie.

I’m purchasing hosting from you, but I just need a little help installing a script!

I got you! Installing scripts is easy, so if you’re already purchasing hosting, I’ll gladly install WordPress, Joomla, or other platforms for free. You just need to provide for me what login details you want so I can create your administrator account when I’m finished.

If it’s a lesser-known script like Affiliationally, the install is still free. By the way, Martina is awesome.

I have a fan site launched on a hosting plan with you, and I bought a design from someone else, but I can’t figure out what to do with it…

No! Just kidding! Of course, I’ll help. They’re usually pretty simple to deploy, and if you’re in good standing, I won’t even charge.

I don’t have hosting with you, nor have I ever bought anything from you, but I just need a little bit of help with something. Can I ask you?

Sure! I don’t charge for questions or consulting, but if you’re asking me to modify something you purchased or help to make it live, then my hourly rate is $35, charging at every half hour of work.

Miscellaneous

I have a huge photo gallery of celebrity images. Will you host me?

No. Where’d you get those, WireImage? You know that’s against their Terms of Service, right?

….Right?

I have a bunch of media sourced from different places. Will you host me?

I have nothing against media, but it has to be yours.

I have a fan site that’s really, really popular and I get tons of traffic. Will you host me?

Yes! While I don’t cap bandwidth, I do expect your website to be optimized so it doesn’t slow down the server. Many CMS platforms have ways to increase website speed.

I really don’t know what I want. I just know I want a website. Help!

Believe me, I know this particular headache myself very well. The best thing to do is to find inspiration. Get on Pinterest. Do some Google Image searching. Put together some stuff you like and perhaps we can make something neat together!

What’s the catch on the free hosting?

Free hosting is on a case-by-case basis. If you just need a simple website up for a good cause or a charity, all I require is that you’re honest with me (and a link to my website at the bottom of your website). If I find out you’ve lied to get free hosting, you will be terminated.  You are also responsible for purchasing your own domain name. If you can’t afford one, I can create you a subdomain at hosted.ashahays.com.

If you’re a small fansite and you’re okay with a subdomain, as long as you update at least monthly and your website looks nice, you can have 1GB free space at you.killjoyacademy.com (yeah, it’s not active, but I’m the boss).