RackSpace.com, Rack Space Hosting, Web Hosting Deceptive sales practices - "Fanatical Support" is actually a Fanatical Rip Off! San Antonio Texas

First off, I am not an employee of Rackspace, I am a customer who has been pleased with our experience. We have 5 dedicated servers at Rackspace, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. Honestly, I would guess the original poster misunderstood what the "30-day cancellation" actually meant. There wouldn't really be any benefit in Rackspace lying in this way, they have so many high-profile clients and large-volume customers, why would they waste trying to make an extra buck off of lying to someone about a 30-day cancellation policy like this? 

Rackspace truly does have Fanatical support. Call them any time, 24/7/365 and an actual person will pick up the phone. They do have 100% guaranteed uptime, we've never been down for a moment in the 4 or 5 years we've been with them. 

The thing is, you get what you pay for. They are not the cheapest, and if you're a very small company just looking for one small server, don't bother with them. They are really for companies who want their top-notch customer service & support, expertise, 100% dedicated uptime, and dedicated servers. We probably could find our same infrastructure for half the cost elsewhere, but the support and service is worth the extra cost for us. So, make sure it's a good fit for your needs before you sign up with them. 

You're welcome to contact me for more information about Rackspace, I can explain to you that I am indeed a customer and not an employee. 

RackSpace.com did finally negotiate a settlement - not what fully what I was promised in the begining (100% out clause), but a partial refund (I am not allowed to disclose the details per their request) It took a few weeks of going around with them to get them to give in just to that point, but they did give up the full 18 months they were originally trying to claim right to when I was told I would have a 30 day full refund in the begining.

I am still offering caution in how you do busness with this company as I should not have had to go through weeks of torture and having my credit card charged for items I cancelled within the time period I was originaly told I would have, but they did finally conceed to a negotiated loss on my part. My advice - get everything in writting before you sign anything and do NOT give them a credit card or make quick decisions even if they make you feel as though it is a life and death situation to get a contract.

Quick decisions are what they are banking on - the sales peple can be very opportunistic. Web hosting is a very competitive business and there are a lot of options out there to shop around for the best price and service- the sales people know this. It is worth taking and extra 24-hours to get everything in writing to insure you get what they tell you they will give you and hold out for exactly what you want - do not trust they will make it right if it is not in writting. Get more than one quote and review the "out clause" in writting.

No, I've never worked with their company, nor did I know anything about them, until you mentioned them. As I've mentioned, I've been in the hosting business. I know how they work, and you can easily glance at their site, and see they specialize in dedicated servers.

I received the Terms of Service link from their customer care, which I easily contacted via their site. They were very helpful, actually.

Again, I have nothing to do with RackSpace whatsoever.

Not to mention, you stated you purchased a server in your original report.

"My RackSpace.com sales person was a strong sales person and convinced me to sign an 18 month hosting contract to get a server "started" for us should I not be able to work it out with my existing host."

The "rebuttle" written about "they doubt...Terms and Conditions...." was obvoisly written by a RackSpace employee...how else would this person have known it was a "dedicated server" or terms of a contract? It is likely rebuttle was written by the very person trying to hold me to a contract that I WAS given a 30 day out clause on.

This should further my suggestion that RackSpace.com is dishonest in representations. DO NOT use RackSpace.com....espcecially if you are a small company or a person with limited technical ability. They will take advantage of you. Unless you are certain you need their services do NOT sign anything no matter what the sales person tells you.

I'd actually be very surprised if they actually give you 30-days free on a dedicated server. I used to own and operate a hosting company, and it's really unheard of to get the first month free, along with no setup fees.

You can read their Terms of Service, and it'll explain the fees.