As with many big purchasing decisions, signing up to a web hosting package is a big commitment. If we’re to get the best value for our money from our new plan, we usually have to sign up for a minimum commitment of at least a year, if not longer.
So it’s no surprise that lots of people think carefully and do as much research as they can before breaking out the credit card and making that commitment. After all, if something goes wrong -or the hosting company itself fails to live up to its sales promise- aren’t we essentially tied into a long-term plan that isn’t suitable, all with no means of escape?
Not necessarily.
These days, it’s quite common to find top web hosting companies offering money-back guarantees, giving customers like you something of a trial period, where you can get your site running, then cancel within a set time if things aren’t up to scratch.
That said, not all of these guarantees are the same, and whilst a good hosting comparison site should be able to give you the basics, we thought it might be a good idea to provide you with a more indepth overview of the best web hosting deals with money-back guarantees.
Bluehost
Once upon a time, Bluehost offered an any-time money-back guarantee. This meant that no matter when you canceled, they’d refund any unused hosting fees.
So, for example, if you paid $120 for a 12-month contract and paid $10 per month for two months, you could then cancel and get your $100 unused fees back.
Sadly, that no longer seems to be the case. The company now offer the standard 30-day guarantee. If you cancel at any time within 30 days, you’ll get a full refund minus $15.99 for a domain name.
While that may not seem all that great, it actually works out well as this means that you get to keep your domain name in case you want to take your website elsewhere.
On the whole, we think Bluehost offer some of the best web hosting plans on the market, so we’re convinced that you won’t actually need to ask for your money back.
Still it’s nice to know it’s there, right?
iPage
As part of their Customer Satisfaction Policy, leading provider iPage promise a full money-back guarantee for the first 30 days from the date of your purchase.
That includes all the hosting fees you’ve already paid, minus the cost of your domain name.
That’s because hosts like iPage need to pay for the domain name itself, so they cover the costs of that in your fee.
Again, the good news, is that whilst this cost may not be refundable, it does mean that you get to keep your website address and move it elsewhere.
HostGator
If 30 days isn’t quite long enough for you to decide whether a hosting company is right for you, you may want to look at giving HostGator a try, as they offer a full refund for the first 45 days.
Again, this is excluding the cost of your domain name, and is only valid for shared, reseller hosting or Virtual Private Server plans.
InMotion Hosting
Again, we’ve got another hosting company who go above and beyond the typical plan.
Providing you take out a hosting package for six months or longer, you’re well covered by a ninety-day moneyback guarantee.
You don’t need to be a mathematical genius to work out that this is three times as much as many other companies’ offer.
The 90-day policy is valid on their shared Business plans, Virtual Private Servers and long-term Reseller hosting packages, whilst dedicated hosting, and reseller or VPS plans that are billed monthly come with the standard 30-day refund eligibility.
This post is in response to a question we received on our Facebook page. If you’d like us to answer your burning questions about web hosting, DIY web design or anything else? Get in touch with us on Facebook or via Twitter @WebDesignDIY
