Problems with server.lu

[unknownman]

I'm now going to tell something I should probably not tell, but:

Every second ticket is a "When will I get my server?". We are not going to respond to that any longer, because it takes a lot of time.

BUT...

We are currently implementing an ETA feature in the control panel, where you will see WHEN your server is expected to be released (with no real guarantee, but more sort of a guideline).

We are currently selling 10 times more servers per day thatn 6 months ago, so YES, it has become a real challenge to keep up, especially with our suppliers who are having a hard time with us :-)

@xirvik: power loss? I'm not aware of that.

I'm not sure how it takes so much time to respond saying :
1. A time
2. A Date
I reckon I can do that in about 5 seconds.
I'm pretty sure it took you more time to reply to this post than it would take you to reply to a where is my server ticket.

And yes, if you reply then it doesn't make the customers open new tickets since they think you did not get the last one...

If you are getting 10x more customers and its been 6 MONTHS surely that has been enough time to say get some extra staff? I can't imagine it taking longer than 6 months to hire a few extra people. And maybe look at getting some extra suppliers?

As for the "Servers are usually set up within a day", here is a response I got to a ticket I submitted:

28.04.2009 - 17.47

The ETA for your server is either today or tomorrow morning.
New hardware is currently being assembled.

28.04.2009 - 17.29

I have sent an email and have got no reply and have opened 2 tickets and still no reply. Please can you let me know what is going on and why it takes so long for a ticket/ email to be answered?

Funny thing is, its the next day, in the evening and still no server.

[dwdm]

I don't think you are in a position to judge how we do our internals. And new staff is constantly recruited, but you don't find people matching a specific profile on every corner. Same counts for good suppliers.

[Snarkyone]

Could be worse, Hosting-IE told me 6-8 days for my server a long time ago and it took over 30 days and withholding payment with a complaint through paypal before it was finally delivered. I played hell getting a intelligent response from them. I have heard nothing but good things about Server.lu so I would hope that this is just an aberration and not the standard operating procedure with these guys. I can understand your frustration though, when you pay that much for something you would like to be aware of what the delay is if any is happening and it only takes a few minutes to communicate to the customer whats going on. A little patience and communication could avoid any unpleasantness. On the down side, I was looking at getting one these, but if it has been a hassle lately maybe I can wait until things get smoothed out.

[dwdm]

... it's not like we would not try to improve ourselves. Just give us a chance to act and a little bit less ETA flooding would be nice

[unknownman]

I don't think you are in a position to judge how we do our internals. And new staff is constantly recruited, but you don't find people matching a specific profile on every corner. Same counts for good suppliers.

Read my post again, I am NOT judging your company. I merely posed suggestive questions. And there is no need for me to put down your company, since I thought you were good enough that I actually purchased from you. I am hoping you take your customers views into mind so that future customers can benefit from constructive criticism. If anything, I was helping you.

... it's not like we would not try to improve ourselves. Just give us a chance to act and a little bit less ETA flooding would be nice

Since you are online now, can you answer Ticket #2893 please?

[Snarkyone]

I take it that now is not really a good time to order from Server.lu then? Is the backlog that bad? Not that it matters but I see that Unknown is from the UK or at least thats the flag he is flying, you can order a server pretty cheap from OVH why not just go there and get one in 24 hrs?

[unknownman]

I take it that now is not really a good time to order from Server.lu then? Is the backlog that bad? Not that it matters but I see that Unknown is from the UK or at least thats the flag he is flying, you can order a server pretty cheap from OVH why not just go there and get one in 24 hrs?

Yes I am from the UK
OVH prices, when you add on the VAT, is more expensive. And I thought I'd try out server.lu since I had a seedbox from Xirvik from there and it was ok.

[dwdm]

Currently we need about 24-48 hours to release a server that is not available, because the ratio staff vs. new orders is not good anymore. There is new staff joining us soon, so this will hopefully get better.

But please please please stop whining about delivery speed. If you really need your server yesterday when you order it today, then my personal advise is to look somewhere else. We don't need that pressure right now, because we are already aware of all this and we are doing a lot to get this straighten up.

I can understand you though. If I needed a DS I would also want it at once. But right now it's hard to do so... we have to deal with it and so do you. And if you can't, well... OVH is not far away.

[Snarkyone]

24-48 hrs is perfectly acceptable. If that's all it takes then you should not see too many complaints from people. Sometimes delays happen and sadly there is nothing you can do about it other than communicate effectively so that there is no question of what is going on with the order from customers. I think it's when 48 hrs turns into a week with no word of explanation is when people will start to get hot under the collar and I don't think anyone could blame them at that point. Good luck in getting it sorted. From what I have heard once you get this server you will be pleased, so hopefully you will have it in the next couple of days.

[dwdm]

I don't blame anyone - I would probably not act differently.
I am getting angry if one of our upstream's NOC is not answering fast enough. This may be something different though, because this is _really_ critical. Doesn't mean a server is not critical, but low cost is always combined with "less" priority than high end and server.lu is low cost.

So, to summarize: everybody should get their server before the long weekend arrives. This evening we are going to release some 50 servers that have been pending. Most of you people should be part of this load.