HostPapa Testimonials

Customer Success Story: VIVAA

Brian Mycroft chose HostPapa for two main reasons: the company is based in Canada; and HostPapa offers unlimited storage. Mycroft currently has three sites with HostPapa, including vivaa.ca, a team website for a competitive outrigger canoe paddling team in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. "I believed I would get better service and more accountability from HostPapa than I would from an unknown company," he says. Mycroft's original goal was to make a website filled with resources for the team. But already, in just six months, the site is getting hits from over 31 countries and is listed at the top of Google when searching the team name.

Mycroft appreciates the tools and features HostPapa provides, especially the Apache Server/MySQL combination with the Joomla CMS web templates. He also used Joomla and Rockettheme templates he installed himself using the installed MySQL database. "After a short learning curve, building websites is extremely rewarding and gets easier all the time," Mycroft says. "The provided templates assist with the learning process. If one is not impulsive the online help will explain just about any problem one can come across." About Vancouver Island Va'a (VI Va'a): Vancouver Island Va'a (VI Va'a) was formed in 2008 for the express purpose of adding a higher level of outrigger competition to the Victoria, British Columbia paddling community. VI Va'a, now melded into the Gorge Comp Program, is coached by Brent Bagnall and Risa Greenwood and trains at the Gorge Rowing and Paddling Club at the Selkirk waterfront in the Gorge Waterway in Victoria.

Customer Success Story: Software Simplified

When Dave Watts was having problems with his former web hosting company, he e-mailed HostPapa for help and a second opinion. Even though he hadn't yet signed on with HostPapa, he says, the customer service representatives were "always quick to respond and help in any way they could." Buoyed by this experience - and the positive reviews of HostPapa he read online - Watt made the switch. He's been a happy HostPapa customer ever since. Watt and his wife run Software Solutions, a home-based business that offers customized MS Office instruction to businesses large and small. His previous hosting company, with extended downtime and "atrocious support and billing," did not meet his business needs.

"We have had two other hosts before HostPapa and left them both over poor support," Watt says. "The costs of most hosts are similar, but the support seems to be a problem with most companies. HostPapa has been the best in that category in our experience." Thanks to HostPapa, softwaresimplified.ca is up and running again. The site itself, says Watt, is currently fairly simple and straightforward, filled with useful information for clients. It may evolve over time to include course downloads and possibly even online courses.

For now, he's just glad he's finally found a hosting company he can count on. "As I stated previously, the tech support people are great and responded to my questions and pleas for assistance even before I was a customer," he says. "I usually got answers in a few hours, but never more than a day." "(It's) nice to do business with a company that actually deals with its customers." About Software Simplified:

Since 2005, Software Simplified has been teaching MS Office software to companies of all sizes. A home-based business, Software Simplified visits their clients' workplaces to teach employees how to use the features in any versions of the MS Office Suite. Courses and full-colour manuals are customized for each client; they get only what they need and use in the operations of their company. Software Simplified will teach individuals or small groups up to 10.

Customer Success Story: Mafic Studios, Inc.

If Kris Holland doesn't have a reliable server, his business comes to a stop. As the head of Mafic Studios, Inc., a 3D animation and visualization company, Holland must be able to transfer large files to his clients - which include the Canadian Space Agency and Popular Science magazine - when he needs to.

HostPapa has been able to meet those needs, and more.

Holland wasn't so lucky with his previous web hosting company. Not only did that company suffer constant and significant downtime, "throughout the problems, they were incredibly difficult to get hold of, had no online live chat, and I had to call them long distance because they didn't have a toll-free number… (and then) they gave me inaccurate information."

Switching to HostPapa has put an end to those problems, too.

"Every time I've had a problem or question, I've been able to talk/chat with someone (at HostPapa) within a few minutes and had it solved. And then, a few days later, someone follows up to make sure everything is still OK. Who could ask for more?" Mafic Studios, Inc. is based in Sudbury, Ontario, but deals with major clients throughout North America and around the world. Holland relies on his web host provider to keep him in constant communication with his customers.

"My e-mail also comes through my server, of course, and that means I need to have uninterrupted access or my business stops," he says. "There is nothing more frustrating than not to be able to follow up with a new client because your server is down. "And if there is downtime, which is of course unavoidable, the host needs to stand up to their product. At the very least, (the web host needs to have) people available to keep me in the loop, which HostPapa does."

Holland has used Dreamweaver to develop his site; having the full range of tools HostPapa provides for free at his fingertips "is a good thing, though." Eventually, he plans to develop a more involved site, involving e-commerce.

"At the end of the day, HostPapa's service is what it came to," Holland says. "Price and environmental cognizance was next in line. Being in Canada was also a plus."

About Mafic Studios, Inc.: Mafic Studios, Inc. is a 3D animation and visualization company based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Their customers are primarily engineers and scientists, including the Canadian Space Agency. Mafic has also done architectural, gaming and broadcast work, as well as successful training animations for the mining industry. Mafic is a regular contributing artist to Popular Science magazine, and their work has appeared in Time Magazine and on CNN, MSNBC, CBC, CBS, and the Discovery Channel.

Customer Success Story: Intensity Fitness Corporation

It took only seconds for HostPapa to win over Eric Jozsa.

As the owner of Intensity Fitness Corp., Jozsa offers one-on-one and group personal training to clients looking for a healthier lifestyle. He relies on top-notch customer service in order to connect with his customers. And he expects the same from the businesses he works with.

"When I first contacted HostPapa, the customer service was amazing," Jozsa says. "I could not believe that I got a support person on the phone with me almost immediately. The gentleman that spoke to me helped answer every one of my questions without treating me like I knew nothing about web hosting."

Jozsa signed up on the spot.

Jozsa is also impressed by the easy-to-use tools HostPapa offers its clients free of charge. He especially liked the simplicity of the SohoLaunch Website creator. Jozsa's web experience was limited to one website built in high school; SohoLaunch proved a simply perfect fit.

Besides, Jozsa says, "I'm sure if I ever have a problem with it, I will get some great help from the HostPapa support team."

The HostPapa experience stands in sharp contrast to Jozsa's previous web hosting company. Jozsa was constantly frustrated by "horrible customer service," the amount of time he spent on hold and the attitude of technicians on the other end of the phone call.

"Their e-mail support was even worse," Jozsa continues. "Instead of helping me fix the problem, they blamed me for not knowing how to use their website builder properly. I actually have an e-mail addressed to me from the web host stating '(We) are not responsible, you are the one who built the site. A poor workman should never blame his tools.'"

Frustrated, Jozsa immediately requested a refund - which fell within the 30-day money-back guarantee - but it was a year before he saw the money.

Confident with the service and support HostPapa provides, Jozsa has big plans to expand his website and business. He's currently reconstructing IntensityFitness.ca; the final version will have a fully functional shopping cart so clients can purchase fitness products and apparel. He also plans to add extra features to his EricJozsa.ca site, including a newsletter and blog.

Jozsa sums up his HostPapa experience:

"(My favourite things are the) customer service and the speed at which projects get done," he says. "Transferring my domain name to HostPapa was a breeze and most of the work was done for me!"

About Intensity Fitness Corporation: Intensity Fitness Corporation is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It provides one-on-one and group personal training to goal-oriented clients seeking to lose weight, increase energy levels and create an overall healthy lifestyle. Intensity Fitness Corporation also consults clients in the areas of nutrition and supplementation, bodybuilding, and fitness equipment investments.

Customer Success Story: Beacon Hill Park Photos

Nature photographer Jim Chapman was first attracted to HostPapa by the web hosting company's firm commitment to the environment. But, six months later, he says it's also the people involved in the company that have kept him such a happy customer. Chapman, who once managed 13 provincial parks on southern Vancouver island, takes beautiful pictures capturing the most candid and fleeting moments in nature. He's a life-long lover of the outdoors and wanted to share his photos with friends, family, and an ever-growing clientele.

But web experience? He didn't have a bit.

"The interest and curiosity from among friends, family and the general public sparked the beginning of my business," he says. "I have always been involved in the environment with a personal focus… My determination to find some way or form to be green on a larger scale led me to create a green-energy powered website." As he researched possible web hosts to meet his specifications, "HostPapa kept popping up!"

Chapman also appreciates HostPapa's low prices. And, much to his relief, building his first web site proved much simpler than he ever imagined.

"HostPapa is easy to use for those that are not 'html'-savvy," he says. Chapman has used SohoLaunch plug-in for a special photo gallery and SohoLaunch Blog - both tools provided free by HostPapa - to get started.

During Chapman's first six months as a HostPapa customer, he had plenty of questions. Each time he called, he was able to speak to a real live person.

"I have talked to about half a dozen people and never had a bad experience," he says. "They are really professional, nice, friendly and knowledgeable. HostPapa customer service and support always help troubleshoot problems on my site and if they do not know exactly how to solve (my problem), they'll try to figure it out."

Along the way, Chapman was shown many tools and features he never thought he'd be able to use.

With the support of HostPapa, Chapman plans to keep expanding his website, adding online purchase capabilities so customers can order photographs online.

About Beacon Hill Park Photos: Beacon Hill Park Photos grew out of photographer Jim Chapman's desire to share the beauty of nature with friends, family and the general public. The website provides viewers with easy access to Chapman's considerable collection of images. He invites comments, photo ideas and special requests from the public. Soon, customers will be able to order photographs directly from the website.

Customer Success Story: Coaching Horizons

As a new web designer, Barb Pierce had many questions as she was putting together and loading her business web site. She was delighted to find HostPapa's customer service was as good as they promised.

"I was always treated respectfully and promptly," says Pierce, noting HostPapa was "approachable and enjoyable" to work with.

Pierce is a one-on-one business coach with clients around the world. She relies heavily on her web site, Coaching Horizons, to educate and inform both current and potential clients about her style of coaching. Her site is "a place where people could go and learn about what I do prior to contacting me for coaching sessions," she describes.

Pierce chose HostPapa after a strong referral from a friend; it's also important to her that HostPapa is a green hosting provider.

Pierce is pleased with the free tools HostPapa provides to its customers, and currently uses Creative Suite and GoLive to further improve her web site. With a year of experience under her belt and confidence in her hosting service, Pierce plans to redesign her site and add more features to make it more customer-friendly.

"This experience has given me the confidence to not only grow my website, but also to expand my business," she says.

But Pierce's favourite thing about HostPapa remains the first-class support and customer service.

"This was highlighted recently when I had to load a web site onto one of (HostPapa's) competitors' servers. To say it was a painful process would be a huge understatement." "They did not have on-line support, nor did they have a 1-800 number. It ended up taking me close to 20 hours to load."

"I have been recommending you to anyone asking about web site hosting and any new sites that I develop will definitely be with you."

About Coaching Horizons: Coaching Horizons provides personal coaching in NLP and hypnosis. The team at Coaching Horizons will help you to rediscover yourself by teaching you to identify and reach your goals.

Customer Success Story: Integral HR Solutions

Anthony Folan, President of Integral HR Solutions made the switch from another web hosting company to HostPapa approximately one year ago. Folan chose to leave his first web hosting provider because they were unreliable.

Folan's experience with his former web hosting provider was "horrendous" mainly due to server downtime, lost emails, terrible customer service, and other problems. Folan realized that he had to find a trustworthy web hosting service if he wanted a reliable website for his independent HR consulting business.

After thoroughly reviewing several web hosting providers and confirming numerous references, Folan decided to switch to HostPapa, which he described as "a very wise choice".

The outstanding service levels, uptime guarantees and ability to access technical support, both online and over the phone, are just some of Folan's favourite things about HostPapa.

"HostPapa's technical support representatives provide exceptional service, and they successfully facilitated the transfer of my website from my previous provider!" Folan says he's confident his clients have access to his website and that his email messages are transmitted and received without incident.

Going forward, Folan is excited about the continued success of Integral HR Solutions. With the help of HostPapa, he says, his website will continue to prosper, allowing him to meet and exceed his customer requirements.

About Integral HR Solutions: Integral HR Solutions is an independent HR consulting firm based in Brampton, Ontario. They specialize in providing Human Resource services and support to a variety of organizations within the manufacturing, distribution, and service sectors. Some of the areas they cover include conflict resolution, policy and procedure development, mergers and acquisitions, recruitment, retention, and employee engagement interventions.

Customer Success Story: Lac du Bonnet

Bill Campbell is a perfect example of a HostPapa customer making the most of his HostPapa experience. He originally chose HostPapa because he required more bandwidth and more MySQL databases, which his previous provider would not make available to him without significant extra cost. He also needed more add-on domains, as his provider only accommodated two domains per site and no sub-domains.

His site, www.lacdubonnet.info, is a non-profit website, promoting the area, events, organizations, and businesses of Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Canada. However, Campbell also hosts a whopping 12 other local websites in addition to a community events calendar, services directory, and classified section-all of which are now hosted with HostPapa.

Campbell admits he was at first reluctant to make the switch to HostPapa as he was "leery of web host promises."

"Everything turned out to be cost plus with my previous provider once I wanted to expand," Campbell explains. "My site, being free to the user, made this an impossible option. So I decided, what the heck, I'll try HostPapa. At the price you were offering, what could I lose? Boy was I surprised! I now have everything I need. The transfer of files was smooth, and I now have more room and resources than I will need for a while. And I'm not yet finished exploring all the tools available!"

While his initial goal for the website was to promote his home town, once Campbell signed up with HostPapa, "I found that my opportunities were endless," he says. He now has a total of 13 domains, all under one HostPapa account. The best part is that he's only paying $5.95 a month-total!

Campbell, who has ten years of limited experience with FrontPage, considered himself a web "hobbyist"-prior to joining HostPapa, that is. "With the tools and templates HostPapa provides, I can now create professional looking content that is comparable to most professional sites." He makes great use of HostPapa's web templates, unlimited MySQL databases, Noah Classifieds, unlimited add-on domains and sub domains, and the free extra domain name.

When asked to pinpoint his favourite thing about HostPapa, Campbell can only reply, "Everything! The abilities, resources, cost, and support have taken my web experience to new heights."

As for his future plans, Campbell will be expanding into the world of web design, providing others with low cost alternatives and opportunities to promote themselves on the web-"a little guy's alternative," he likes to say. Campbell has a hard time believing he's only been a HostPapa customer since August of 2007. "HostPapa makes you feel so at home," he says, "it feels like I've been here for years."

Here are Bill Campbell's websites-all hosted under one HostPapa account:

www.lacdubonnet.info - Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba information site
www.rec.lacdubonnet.info - Winnipeg River Recreation District
www.library.lacdubonnet.info - Lac du Bonnet Regional Library
www.legion.lacdubonnet.info - Lac du Bonnet Royal Canadian Legion
www.blues.lacdubonnet.info - Lac du Bonnet Blues Senior Hockey
www.arsenault.lacdubonnet.info - Local trucking company
www.campbells.lacdubonnet.info - Local grocery store
www.r0e1a0.com - Postal code portal to Lac du Bonnet information
www.TP42.com - Manitoba hotels
www.bathcoat.com - Local bath refinisher
www.datahelps.com - Local web host

Customer Success Story: Life Potential Developments

Bob Clarke, of Life Potential Developments, made the switch to HostPapa about a year ago. He left another web hosting company before his contract even ran out. Clarke has left four web hosting companies altogether-most of which because of, in his words, terrible service, downtime, lost emails, and various other problems. "None of this ever happens with HostPapa," he says. "I have not had a single problem in this area." Clarke has some IT experience. He uses FrontPage, Dreamweaver, and other html editors, plus ftp programs, Camtasia for video, as well as some audio programs to set-up audio on the site.

Clarke's favourite thing about HostPapa is simple: "It works-all of the time! My site is never down and I don't lose any business. The support staff is super helpful, and there are tons of great features free with an account."

When Clarke started the website seven years ago, his goal was fairly clear-cut-to get more exposure. Looking ahead, he has plans to improve the functionality and look of the site, which includes building on the five additional domains he has as well.

"I am now working on building our business into a mostly web-based business," he explains. "We presently take all sign-ups for training and coaching over the web and we are aiming at mostly electronic downloads for products." Clarke's advice? "If you want security and success with your web, call HostPapa. If you want security and success with your life, call Life Potential Developments."

About Life Potential Developments Bob Clarke and Ronda Degaust offer neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) training and coaching through Life Potential Developments. The organization's goal is to help people feel better on the inside, so they perform better on the outside. Using NLP techniques, Life Potential Developments helps people design their own life coaching plans, so that they become empowered in every area of their lives with new clarity and energy.