Pay for Free backups?

**JPC-Tracie** · 04-14-2008, 03:02 PM

It's the same as when a company advertises "FREE Widgets!!" but then in small type at the bottom of the screen or page you see that a $19.95 "handling fee" applies.

It's not the same at all. Backups are free. It's that simple. Not all restorals are going to be free, though. There is a difference.

I think it's pretty clear with the terminology. We do backup the servers and in the case of some sort of disaster that is not the customer's fault, we will restore for free.

As also stated, customers can download their own backups for free.

**heavyharmonies** · 04-14-2008, 04:21 PM

The fact that backups are free is meaningless if restores are not.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

**Pawel Kowalski** · 04-14-2008, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by heavyharmonies

The fact that backups are free is meaningless if restores are not.

Not really. The back ups can be done once a month, once a week, or some other long period. Here they are done for you on a daily basis at no additional charge to you. If the hard drive in your server fails or anything else that happens that you are not at fault for the data will be restored for free. And you will only lose a day of work tops. I've been at a hosting company that would roll your site back a week because of a failure on their end (I won't name any names).

The only time you have to pay is to restore (not back up) your site because of a mistake on your end. And trust me, $15 for this service is insanely cheap (I remember a time they said they would charge you this but never actually did, the good olde days). So what they are asking is a perfectly fair price. And Greg, $15 restores are a very good perk you guys have here, if these prices were raised many people would be very disappointed. I assume any price change for this service this far down the road wouldn't affect previous customers?

**Ron** · 04-14-2008, 07:41 PM

I don't understand your complaint. You can download a daily backup for free, and manage them yourself. If you want JAG to restore from their version you can pay for that. Would you expect them to place the backup onto your PC for you? I suspect if you needed help in restoring from your free backup they might even wind up doing that for free even though they SHOULD charge for it.

If catastrophe happens and you lose your site or your database I suspect that you would not find the $15 charge to restore your site from JAG's emergency restoration system.

Elsewhere you could pay $5 or $10 a month every month for the backup service and then pay nothing extra when you needed your backup restored -- but more likely you would be charged for a restoration then if you needed your host's help too.

I've been there -- I lost one of my sites to a disgruntled mod and I had not backed that site up in a long while (the same reason that mod still had access to that out-of-sight, out-of-mind site). I couldn't have paid the $15 faster or with more pleasure when they restored it for me.

The demise of society might just be the rise of all the free stuff you get on teh interwebz changing expectations of the Pepsi Generation.

**heavyharmonies** · 04-14-2008, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Ron

I don't understand your complaint. You can download a daily backup for free, and manage them yourself. If you want JAG to restore from their version you can pay for that. Would you expect them to place the backup onto your PC for you? I suspect if you needed help in restoring from your free backup they might even wind up doing that for free even though they SHOULD charge for it.

If catastrophe happens and you lose your site or your database I suspect that you would not find the $15 charge to restore your site from JAG's emergency restoration system.

Elsewhere you could pay $5 or $10 a month every month for the backup service and then pay nothing extra when you needed your backup restored -- but more likely you would be charged for a restoration then if you needed your host's help too.

I've been there -- I lost one of my sites to a disgruntled mod and I had not backed that site up in a long while (the same reason that mod still had access to that out-of-sight, out-of-mind site). I couldn't have paid the $15 faster or with more pleasure when they restored it for me.

The demise of society might just be the rise of all the free stuff you get on teh interwebz changing expectations of the Pepsi Generation.

Who are you replying to? It's hard to tell without a quote.

I never said I had a problem with Jag charging for restores, just the the manner in which the backup/restore service is marketed. Oh, and for the record, I am paying the monthly fee for Jag's backup service...

At the end of the day, it's their prerogative how they market their services... doesn't mean we can't have constructive debate about it...

**Spathiphyllum** · 04-14-2008, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by Ron

The demise of society might just be the rise of all the free stuff you get on teh interwebz changing expectations of the Pepsi Generation.

You sure got that right. Software prices, for example and almost across the board, are insanely cheap for what they accomplish. There's almost an innate expectation that if it's online, then it should be free.

**Ron** · 04-14-2008, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by heavyharmonies

Who are you replying to? It's hard to tell without a quote.

You. Both times.

I didn't think a quote was necessary. Sorry.

Was "complaint" too harsh? I originally said "I don't understand your problem" but thought it was too personal. I thought about it for a bit. What phrase should I have used there?

Doesn't change the problem I have which is I don't understand the nature of the issue you have (is that better?) with the new wording, since it is my impression that it is very clearly spelled out (especially my version

). That was the gist of my response to Nick and my first paragraph to you. The rest was just inappropriate generalization... I did get off on a tangent about the value of the services vs. the marketing.

I think it was fairly universally accepted that the old wording left something to be desired...

All is good... I'm trying not to be confrontational, sorry if it's coming across that way.

**Rob** · 04-15-2008, 02:43 AM

You should be keeping your own backups anyway - that way it can be free if you sync it to your pc.

**Frank Broughton** · 04-15-2008, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by heavyharmonies

The fact that backups are free is meaningless if restores are not.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

No you just do not understand. The backups are for hardware failure. Not your failure. It is for protection if the hardware fails. Not if you loose files.

Not all hosts do this, so advertising it is important. If a host did not make backups daily and the hard disk went, all clients would have to upload their files again after the hosting company reinstalled the operating system and server software.

It is a bonus that they would allow a customer who messed up to access these backups and there is a fee to help bail you out for the backup files are HUGE and take time to rip individual files from!

Get it now?

**Connie** · 04-15-2008, 08:06 AM

Personally I like the new wording. I think it makes it makes the back up policy very clear, and makes the customer aware that if they need a restore due to their own error there will be a small charge associated with the charge.

I think the old wording led to a lot of confusion. With this new wording there should be no confusion. I think the new wording also points out how Jag listens and responds to their customers.