Names.co.uk Introduction
Names Hosting is a leading web hosting company in the United Kingdom. It offers simple hosting plans at reasonable rates. The network infrastructure is efficient and reliable whereas the company promises to deliver 99.99% uptime. Customer support is efficient although it could be improved with greater accessibility.
Names Hosting was established in 1998 and is an early entrant into the web hosting industry. The company offers domain, web and email hosting to a diverse and growing set of clients in the United Kingdom and beyond. The company is part of the international consortium Dada which gives it remarkable access to quality technical and human resources. The company uses a robust and efficient cloud platform to deliver ecommerce, server hosting, and digital marketing services to clients.
Customer Service
Names Hosting has a well-organized and dedicated customer support system. Clients can easily post a query on the website’s ticketing system. The website also has a Support Center with self-help articles on a variety of topics including email, domain management, security, and website creation. The client can easily browse through the categories and read the relevant articles. In addition, customers can call the company on an international and a UK number to speak to a technical support member. All of these services mean that Names Hosting takes great care to facilitate customers and respond to them in real time.
Networks and Data Centers
In 2013, Names Hosting built a new data center in Reading spread over 50,000 square feet and boasting of 2N configuration and generators. Along with the generators, UPS supply ensures that the electrical supply to the system is continuous. Attention has been paid to the security aspects including CCTV recording of the premises and security staff deployed at the data center 24 hours of the day. In addition, the company utilizes the data centers maintained at the Telehouse data centers in the UK. This enhances the resilience of the network infrastructure of the company.
Special Features
- The company offers a large collection of guides and tutorials on the website that help new clients become familiar with the hosting functions.
- The company maintains a high level of network reliability.
- The customer and technical support team is robust and is available throughout the day to assist clients with their queries.
- The range of hosting plans is impressive and suits the needs of different types of clients.
Packages and Plans
Names Hosting offers four types of web hosting plans:
- The Starter plan starts at £3.99 per month and comes with 50GB disk storage, unlimited bandwidth, 10 FTP accounts, and 10 email accounts.
- The Professional plan starts at £5.99 per month and comes with unlimited disk storage, unlimited bandwidth, 100 FTP accounts, and 100 email accounts.
- The Premium plan starts at £9.50 per month and comes with unlimited disk storage, bandwidth, FTP accounts, and email accounts.
- The Platinum plan starts at £17.50 per month and comes with unlimited disk storage, bandwidth, 100 FTP accounts, and 100 email accounts.
Uptime/ Downtime
Names Hosting guarantees 99.99% uptime to all its clients. Uptime is a very important aspect of the hosting service since excessive downtime can be costly for business websites and damaging to the reputation of the company’s clients. This is included as part of the service agreement. It is possible for the company to meet this service promise because it maintains an efficient cloud infrastructure. However, the company does not offer any kind of service credit or reduction on the price to compensate clients for increased downtime.
Drawbacks
Names Hosting is one of the best web hosting companies in the United Kingdom. Although it has successfully built up an impressive market and clientele in the UK as well as on the Continent, there are some weaknesses in its service offering. Below is a list of some of the most frequently cited problems with Names Hosting:
- The company does not offer backups as part of its web hosting plans.
- There is no 24/7/365 technical support available. Clients can only contact the technical support team on weekdays and may have to consult the tutorials for support on weekends.
- Surprisingly, the company offers support for VPS and dedicated hosting only on the weekdays.
- Names Hosting does not offer a money back guarantee on any of its web hosting plans.
- The company has an ambiguous refund policy which could deter many people from signing up for any of its plans.
Coupons 2016
Names Hosting frequently issues discount coupons to facilitate prospective and current buyers in signing up for its hosting plans. The discounts are fairly generous and often amount to 10% to 60% off depending on the type of service. Sometimes the coupons offer a flat pound rate off of certain services and applications.
Awards
- In 2011, Names Hosting was included among the Top 25 Most Popular Companies by Dedicated Server Directory.
- In 2011, Names Hosting became a finalist in the Best Shared Hosting Provider and Best Dedicated Hosting Provider categories as the 2011 ISPA Awards.
- Names Hosting was voted the Best Shared Hosting Provider at the 2010 ISPA Awards.
Social Links
Names Hosting has an active presence on social media which helps it to interact with clients and promote its services in an informative way. These are some of the most active social media platforms of the company:
- On Twitter at @namesco.
- On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/namesco
- The company is also on Google Plus at https://plus.google.com/+namescouk/videos
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