Hosting-NZ Limited has a very special announcement to make - over the past 4 months we have been planning a merger with an Australian based company, Bark Host Pty Ltd. Combining our infrastructure and knowledge, we will be able to offer better products and services to our valued clients (you!).
When will this merger take place?
All accounts will be added to the Bark Host billing system on the 31st of December 2011. This is a very simple process, and requires zero input from our existing clients. The Hosting-NZ website will be offline temporarily (all client websites will not be affected) whilst this process is taking place, and once complete visitors trying to access their client area will automatically be redirected to the new system.
Why are you doing this?
We originally planned to refresh the company image in another 2-3 years, as deep down we came to realise that Hosting-NZ would get lost in the masses of websites and businesses in the same industry... Hosting and NZ were search terms that are completely saturated. We have experienced an amazing amount of growth since 2008, and the time to breathe some life into our branding was due sooner rather than later.
What new products and services can Bark Host provide?
Bark Host has opened our range of hosting products to servers located in Australia and USA, with huge resources at competitive prices. On top of our standard hosting plans most of our clients currently utilise, we will also have Cloud Servers (VPS) available in locations all over the world - this is great news for those who need fully scalable solutions, with over 100 images available to choose from. SSL Certificates from 3 major providers can now be purchased from the client area/order form without needing to submit a support ticket.
New Client Area
The client area (where you manage your hosting services and domain names) has been completely upgraded to improve usability. Previously, we openly admit, doing something like changing your cPanel password or upgrading the hosting plan was not as easy as it should have been. Issues like this, and many more, have been addressed and rectified to provide a better experience for our users.
Contact Details, Office Locations, and Support
The Hosting-NZ 0800 number and email addresses remain the same, and the Hosting-NZ website will direct users to Bark Host so you can always find us. Our admin office has been relocated to Launceston, in Tasmania/Australia. Support will not change, we take pride in answering support tickets very quickly by technicians located in both NZ and Australia, and phone hours shift by 2 hours - which means we can take your calls 10 hours per day (10am - 8pm).
Invoice Payments and the Exchange Rate
Payments will still be accepted via credit/debit card and PayPal. Unfortunately we had to make the decision to discontinue bank transfers, as it would become too complicated and time consuming to manage, especially with the fluctuating exchange rate. We have taken into consideration the Australian dollar, and left our NZ credit card payments in place so our clients avoid any currency conversion fees from banks.
Existing Accounts and Pricing
Considering the change to Australian Dollar (at the time of writing, $5 AUD = $6.54 NZD), we wanted to compensate our clients so you are not paying more and not getting anything extra. All of our hosting plans now include unlimited resources, such as parked domains and databases, which means fantastic value for your dollar. During the merger on the 31st of December, all existing plans will be upgraded automatically, so all you need to do is sit back and watch your plan limits increase on the 1st of January 2012. For those who have purchased addons such as parked or sub domains, please submit a support ticket (after the 31st December) to billing as we would not want you to be charged for services that will be a part of our standard packages. Due to the change in office location, we will no longer be charging GST.
CMS and E-Commerce Plans
Instead of having multiple plans setup for each content management system or shopping cart (such as WordPress and Magento) we have amalgamated our plans down to make life easier. We will still provide free installation/setup of most popular systems, all you need to do is select which one you would like installed during the checkout process. We will be continually adding new systems as we confirm compatibility.
Want to know more? Hopefully the details provided will answer most questions. As always, we welcome questions or feedback (good or bad). If you would like further information, get in touch with us via email: info@hosting-nz.co.nz Kind Regards, Hosting-NZ Limited
