Aplus.net SUCKS - HHO -Web Hosting Forums

Dan Grossman · #1 04-21-04, 07:28 AM

Just wanted to drop a note about Aplus.net and their general sleeziness. First, they telemarket to people through the WHOIS database. I am not one of them, but there's threads on several forums about it.

The thing that really got me though was when I found out that they are leeching PR off their customers by inserting code on customers' pages whenever Googlebot stops by, without their customers knowledge or consent. The following exists in the cached copies of every customer I checked:

Code:

<center style="visibility:hidden">
<a href="http://www.aplus.net">Web Hosting</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;
<a href="http://servers.aplus.net">Dedicated Servers</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;
<a href="http://domains.aplus.net">Domain Names</a> by Aplus.net
</center>

Obviously, this is a hidden layer containing links to Aplus, boosting their PR and reducing the PR of all their customers, affecting their search result ranks and boosting Aplus.net's. I visited aplus.net to check their hosting agreement today, and it mentions nothing about modifying pages under any circumstances. Live chat popped itself up and had no answers of course.

Sleezy, sleezy, sleezy, leeching off customers' hard work and messing with their sites and search positions.

P.S. Asked for proof: Do a backlink search for aplus.net at Google ("link:aplus.net" in search) and you'll see all their customers' sites (that already isn't normal). Click on the cached link under one of their sites to see the site as Google saw it at the crawl, and view source. You'll find the links to aplus.net despite them not existing in the live pages. Aplus.net is inserting them only when Google visits, which leeches PR and hurts these customers' search ranks!

Dan Grossman · #2 04-24-04, 04:52 PM

After causing enough of a stir on half a dozen forums and the sudden influx of angry hosts and individuals at their online chat, Aplus.net issued this press release yesterday:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040423/laf059_1.html

nybble · #3 05-30-04, 03:13 PM

Well... they hired someone to boost their google rank... and he did, whats the problem? (No answer needed)

If what they say is true they didn't do anything wrong

but if they did it on their own.... hahaha, well... its kinda funny!

blue27 · #4 05-30-04, 03:29 PM

This thread is a little old but what is funny about it.

You can't seriously believe that they didn't know what was going on.
This is a sleazy tactic, they knew about it and they did nothing until the pressure was on.

Just because they bought a press release on Yahoo "explaining" things doesn't make them blameless.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. The hosting industry needs to be regulated to keep this kind of thing from happening. The same as all spammers and quick buck artists need to be stamped out.

nybble · #5 05-30-04, 03:31 PM

Yeah.. you say that now, but everyone hates it when they `clamp down`.

For example, taxes. Tell me you don't love to file your taxes every year?

blue27 · #6 05-30-04, 03:33 PM

What do taxes have to do with anything?
A regulated industry is a sustainable industry.

The only people it seems who don't want regulation are the kiddie hosts and the hit and run hosts who are only in it for the quick buck and don't give a damn about any clients they may have.

nybble · #7 05-30-04, 03:37 PM

Thats true..... but, don't tell me you don't hear people talk about 'big brother'?

I see your point..... I suppose it would work

but, you know... we need a better way. People will always find a way around it....

Lets take warning labels off everything and let it take care of itself?

blue27 · #8 05-30-04, 04:06 PM

People will always talk about Big Brother.
They are the paranoid and the ones who don't want to do their part to keep the wheels turning.

Here in Canada everyone insists on free health care and subsidized everything, but few want to pay the taxes that are essential for this to be possible.

**ldcdc** · #9 06-01-04, 06:18 AM

Hi Blue27! Nice to see you. Missed you over at WHT, but I know you had your reasons to leave.

Canada... the land of social protection. At least that's how I see it.

Back to Aplus though... How could they not know about it? The supposed third party would've needed access to all their servers to do what it did. The approval would have to come from way up the hierarchy ladder.

Regulation.... IMHO the idea in itself is commendable. However, in real life, it would solve some problems but create others. Such is life though. And life would be boring if things were perfect.

blue27 · #10 06-01-04, 06:26 AM

I think philosophically regulation is a good idea, but like you say Dan, there would be many problems to overcome.

The main problem, as with anything else internet related, is borders.
Not all countries are willing to accept any sort of internet reform.

**Chicken** · #11 06-01-04, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by blue27:

I have said it before and I'll say it again. The hosting industry needs to be regulated to keep this kind of thing from happening.

No form of regulation would have prevented this from happening.

blue27 · #12 06-01-04, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chicken:

No form of regulation would have prevented this from happening.

Not necessarily.
If there are reprecussions for these type of actions, hosts will think twice about doing it.

**ldcdc** · #13 06-01-04, 06:59 AM

Just because the law, which is a form of regulation, exists, that doesn't mean there are no more crimes. Bad hosts will exist and bad things will happen to hosting customers. Even good hosts make mistakes from time to time.

Also new rules would be created to address new problems. However, before something is acknowledged as a problem, bad things happen to people.

FidelGonzales · #14 07-19-07, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue27

This thread is a little old but what is funny about it.

You can't seriously believe that they didn't know what was going on.
This is a sleazy tactic, they knew about it and they did nothing until the pressure was on.

Just because they bought a press release on Yahoo "explaining" things doesn't make them blameless.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. The hosting industry needs to be regulated to keep this kind of thing from happening. The same as all spammers and quick buck artists need to be stamped out.

Nope. The world needs less liberal socialists who look to government to impose its heavy hand to solve such issues. Albeit a relatively meak effort, forums like this are certainly providing an avenue of fighting back at fraudulent hosts.

I agree, though, paying PR Newswire to push a press release in response to this issue in order to cover their rear end is pretty pathetic, which is exactly what I believe Aplus.net hosting is all about. I've got a few damn good stories about why I no longer host with them, but to sum it up, they suck. Save yourselves the headaches and the money and migrate to a company such as GoDaddy.

Frimon86 · #15 07-20-07, 03:12 AM

I didnt know they put codes on their client websites, thats extremely low.......