This is uber important for anyone using GoDaddy for their wordpress site but its important for everyone using them to host a website.

To be clear here...This has nothing to do with domain registration. This is about site hosting.

If your credit card expires or if you forget to renew your files will be "deleted". GoDaddy will then offer to "recover" the files for $150. So if you have a wordpress site your screwed. All your files are stored with your host.

Back up your wordpress site files. You can export wordpress and i would also use FTP software to backup the entire root directory just for the hell of it. That way you wont lost any uploaded images/video etc.

If you have an HTML site you should have a local copy of the files so its usually not that painful to start over. Assuming you have the latest files and you are not storing other files at your hosting space (like i do so that i can send people download links for stuff too large for email).

GoDaddy just sucks. As can be found written all over the 'net, they nickel and dime you for everything. I cut my losses and switched away from them just 2 months after transferring to them, had prepaid basic hosting for 2 years, but didn't want to be pecked at for the duration.

thanks Mac,

I use a WP plugin that backups my WP Database. It sends me a email with the zip once a week.

Would this be the same as backing up the site files? Never had to do a restore to actually see if it works..

1and1.com

What's the name of that plugin? I'm using DBC Backup and it saves to a folder on the server, but no option to email a zip. I could automate backing up that directory, but I like the idea of a plugin that does it for me.

I don't know if it backs everything up. I don't always use wordpress the way it should be. An example would be photos. Instead of sitting there uploading a dozen photos with the wordpress uploader i just create an "image" file directory and upload my pics then link to them with img html tags. I do the same thing with file downloads. So a wordpress backup app wouldn't get all my files. I need to back them up manually or find a directory backup utility.

This stuff isnt an issue for me because i make weekly backups of all my domains. I have every website i own (over a dozen) on a single hosting package. I use filezilla to ftp in and copy the root directory over to my hard drive with 1 click. I do it before heading to bed so its done while im away from the computer. My hosting company is [Link: manage.aff.biz] Right now they have a 3.95 a month everything included plan. Normally 5.95.

You're lucky it can be recovered. Just wait until you have to pay a data recovery service to get your files off from a failed hard drive.. They quote you $1,800 and you have to agree, but then they inform you there is no charge because your data cannot be recovered. Now imagine those are your company files on that hard drive and Windows Home Server or the cloud didn't really exist; plus your sync'd Mac Book Pro was stolen the week prior. $150 sounds cheap.

Did you find this out the hard way????? ;)

So in other words...

If you dont pay your bill AND you dont do regular backups, Godaddy charges your $150 to recover your site from their backups.

I'm not seeing an issue here.... actually, that seems quite reasonable to me.

I use ipower.com for hosting.
A couple years ago I lost my website and did not have a backup. They restored everything for me no charge.

Its called WordPress Database Backup -

[Link: austinmatzko.com]

If your account lapses for 1 hour you can't access your files even if you pay your bill immediately. You are then told that the files have been deleted (a lie) and forced to pay a $150 "go f yourself" fee for "recovery" (when they say recovery they mean some guy puts your files back where they belong).

Kicking puppies is quite reasonable to some.

So a company using an overdue payment as an excuse to steal someones files and hold them hostage in exchange for $150, since anyone with half a brain knows there is nothing to "recover", seems reasonable to you?

Luckily this type of behavior is so beyond the pale and so anti-customer that most companies don't do it, and when someone pays their bill their service is restored. At the most, a modest reactivation fee is charged.

Update...

Today i got an email from another client who told me that "after 30 days godaddy deletes your files and they cannot be recovered".

Crazy that they charge at least twice what most hosts do but somehow can't afford to hold on to your files for more than 30 days.

I only now read this thread.


I never thought of you as a puppy before I read that!