Michael Moore:
Existing customer
mmoore@atomicdwarf.com
Domain name: alphacontrol.org
Interested in: service renewal
Question: I wasn’t planning to renew my hosting agreement and I thought I had another few days before it expired. However, I see that a charge has been made to my bank account to automatically renew. Please let me know what I can do about this situation.
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Petar: Hello Michael
Petar: Welcome to SiteGround.com Hosting Services!
Petar: Could you please allow me a second to check your account details
Michael Moore: yes
Petar: I can see that you are a customer of ours for a long time, Michael – since 2007 actually and may I please ask for the reason you would like to close the account?
Michael Moore: I see that your prices have gone up and I only use this account to host a wiki. It’s expensive. I have another website already where I can host it. I am moving my wiki there.
Michael Moore: If I do that, I can avoid the $108 expense of this account.
Michael Moore: I thought that my account didn’t expire until June. I thought I had a few days yet.
Petar: Unfortunately, the renewal payment was already processed and I cannot give you a suitable discount for it, Michael, however specially for you I can offer you something else – what would you say if I offer you to extend your expiration date for the account with 3 more months?
Petar: In that way you get 15 months of hosting for a renewal rate of 12 months and you can always use the account for another website
Michael Moore: Is that going to let me avoid the $108 charge?
Michael Moore: I want tp pay $0 and have 0 moths of hosting. How is charging me $108 any kind of compromise.
Michael Moore: When was my account set to expire?
Petar: From what I can see your account was set to expire on 2011-06-12, and we have all services on recurring for our customers convenience to avoid any downtime due to expiration
Michael Moore: I created my account on June 12, 2007. I didn’t expect to be charged again until June 12, 2011. Why did you charge me early?
Michael Moore: Why was it renewed before 6/12/2011 though?
Petar: That is why the recurring date is set 15 days prior to the expiration date in the event that the renewal is not completed due to an error, the customer would have time to rectify it
Petar: That is exactly why we start to notify you 45 days prior to the expiration date that your service is up for renewing
Michael Moore: I do not want to extend my account another 3 months. I do not want to pay $108. What can I do?
Petar: You can easily cancel the account from your User area -> Billing section -> Billing cancellation link and there you will see the options that you have, Michael and you can choose the most suitable one for you
Michael Moore: If I cancel the account, will I get all or some of the money back?
Petar: You can request for a refund of the payment and we will refund it withholding only $35 late cancellation fee and $14.95 domain name renewal payment – the rest will be refunded to your credit card, Michael
Michael Moore: How is it a late cancellation? I’m cancelling it before it expires again? I also will want to cancel the domain name. I’m moving it to another host as well.
Petar: The late cancellation fee is there to cover all the transaction fees that follow the initial transaction and then the refund, as well as the time and effort of our Billing, Sales and Admin departments
Petar: and as for the domain name I can make a special exception for you and waive that fee so the total withhold will be only $35 and you will be getting refunded $72.40
Michael Moore: So, I would, in effect be paying $35 for receiving no service.
Petar: Actually, this is a special solution for you because you have contacted us so soon after the renewal took place, Michael, because all renewal payments are non refundable
Michael Moore: Just so you know, I will be posting the text of this conversation on my personal blog and making my own comments. I’ll also be liking it to my Facebook account.
Petar: We have tried to notify you about the upcoming renewal by sending you 3 notification emails to mmoore@atomicdwarf.com
Michael Moore: The comments on my blog and Facebook will be non-retractable as well.
Petar: Yet you have not taken any action to stop the renewal and and we had no way of knowing you did not need the account so it was renewed for the next year
Michael Moore: OK. It looks like you will be charging me $108 and I will be making my case to the court of public opinion.
Michael Moore: So be it.
Petar: Of course, that is entirely your right as everyone can express his or hers opinion in any way he/she wants, Michael
Petar: I am only saying that we have provided you with the service you have paid for and as per our mutual agreement when you created the account, it has been set on recurring
Petar: Which can be stopped at any time from your account if not needed, yet since you did not such a thing, the account has been renewed as per this agreement
Michael Moore: Well, I won’t be making that mistake again.
Michael Moore: I understand.
Michael Moore: Good bye.