Website Hostage Negotiations
“Help! My web host won’t give me access to my files! They won’t relinquish my domains! They’ve taken my website hostage!” Though it seems like a crazy scenario, these cries are heard far more often than you might expect. Like a rogue valet driving off with your shiny new car never to return, as soon as you hand a web host your keys, you’ve entrusted them with more than many people realize; and not all of them are willing to simply return your property once the time has come to part ways.
How do I know if my host has gone rogue?
Often, a business owner won’t even realize there is a problem until they attempt to switch hosts. Only after requesting their web assets do they realize that their host isn’t cooperative. How do you know if your host is holding you hostage? Here are a few tell-tale indicators that we have identified over the years:
- The host in control of your assets is unresponsive or dodgy, often taking weeks to respond to simple requests. When responses are finally received, they ignore any part of the request which involves them giving you more access to your property.
- The host may become entirely unresponsive by phone.
- The host becomes unwilling to bend server settings to suit your needs, but equally unwilling to assist in helping you switch hosts to one that will.
- Your host does not give you access to any sort of control panel so that you can manage the website yourself; or, the control panel is limited in such a way that you cannot manage hosted domains or backup databases and files.
- Generally, if you find yourself second-guessing good business decisions based on your web host’s temperament that day, your host has gone rogue. It’s time to get out.
How do I regain control of my website?
Okay, so you’ve decided to break up with your web host. It turns out that breaking up isn’t always easy to do. There are several aspects which you must consider:
- Domain Names
- Website Files
- Databases
The most important part is your Domain Name. This is your company identity – guard it as well as you can. We always recommend having your domain names hosted in a separate location from your website. That way, if your host goes rogue, you still hold the keys and can always simply point the DNS at a more reputable target while you work behind the scenes to regain control of your files. If your bad host is also in control of your domain name, the process can be more involved, but is still doable. Here are the steps we recommend for regaining control:
- Make certain that you are paid up on your hosting and domain registry fees. Sometimes, hosts will hold you hostage until you pay your bill. Domain registry fees are even more important, as failing to pay them can cause you to lose ownership of your domain name entirely.
- Do a Whois lookup on your domain and look for the Administrative Contact’s email address. If this is set to an email address you can check, transferring the domain will be simple. If not, see if you can change it in your host’s control panel.
- Set up an account at GoDaddy or another Registrar of your choice. Make sure it is not the same place where you wish to host your website. From here, begin a domain transfer. An authorization code will be sent to the Administrative Contact on the domain. If that is an address that your host controls, they will receive the email.
- If your host received the authorization code, you should submit a formal request to the host that they forward the code to you. If email or phone requests are ineffective, send a USPS Certified Letter. If the host is still unresponsive, send one from your lawyer. If your host/registrar is approved by ICANN, they are bound by certain legal requirements.
Website Files are usually easier to obtain. Very few hosts – even if they’ve gone sour – fail to provide at least FTP access to your site. If not, you can use a website downloader tool such as HTTrack to download an offline copy of the website. Keep in mind that this will not download any server-side code such as PHP. Depending on the complexity of your site, this may or may not be the final word, but, it is better to at least have a working offline copy in case you need to hire a developer to restore the site to operable status and need a frame of reference.
In order to backup your databases, you will either need access to a hosting control panel or a clever developer. If you are unable to backup your database through your host’s control panel, sometimes it can be done with code. One trick I’ve used in the past is to install a copy of phpMyAdmin in a folder within the live website, examining the website files to find the database login information. This, of course, requires that you have at least FTP access to your server. If phpMyAdmin will not work, a good developer can sometimes write custom scripts to export essential database tables.
Email addresses will most likely need to be recreated on the new host regardless of your situation. Make sure that you have a list of your active email addresses before making the move. Additionally, for any accounts that have a lot of important emails stored, use a program such as Outlook to download existing email from your host before pulling the plug. It is a good idea to do the final transfer on a weekend or late at night when you are unlikely to miss important emails during the switch.
So as you can see, though bad web hosts can be a nightmare to deal with, they aren’t the end of the world. Here at Appletree MediaWorks, we have navigated some of the worst and come out on top. Feel free to drop us a line if you find yourself unable to navigate these troubled waters. We’ll be more than happy to help. And we won’t go rogue on you – we promise! (it’s super bad for business) 🙂
Subscribe To Our E-Newsletter
Recent Articles
- Everything You Need to Know About Your Google Business Listi
Google My Business is the tool that allows you to directly edit your busine…
- Why You Need an SSL Certificate on Your Website
Have you ever visited a website and been greeted by a warning stating that…
- Social Media After Death
As of this year, at least 2.34 billion people worldwide are social media us…
Categories
Recommended Posts
- Do I Need Alignable?
- Why Is It Important To Know Who Owns Your Representative? One Example: Glass-Steagall
- Facebook Password Reset Scam!
- Calendar
- Common Email Scams to Lookout For
- Web Designer Vs. Web Developer
- Technology for Christmas
- Snapchat Hacks and Data Breaches
- What's a Twitter Storm?
- Help, My Google Maps are Broken!
Upcoming Events

Social Media
- We're thankful for all the technological advances that allow us to interact with wonderful clients like you. #HappyThanksgiving! https://t.co/X8DuHRaydz
- Timeline Photos We're thankful for all the technological advances that allow us to interact with wonderful clients like you. #HappyThanksgiving!
- As we're approaching the #holidays❄🎄, keep in mind that you should update your #Windows7 machines to continue receiving updates.
https://t.co/soguio7x7l - Windows 7 End of Life Approaches As we're approaching the #holidays❄🎄, keep in mind that you should update your #Windows7 machines to continue receiving updates.
https://appletreemediaworks.com/windows-7-end-of-life-approaches/ - ‼ #Google and #Samsung phone users ‼
There is a confirmed #vulnerability in your camera app. #Hackers can gain access to your camera through a malicious app, then take pictures, videos, record phone calls, and more. Be sure to keep... - Google Confirms Android Camera Security Threat: ‘Hundreds Of Millions’ Of Users Affected ‼ #Google and #Samsung phone users ‼
There is a confirmed #vulnerability in your camera app. #Hackers can gain access to your camera through a malicious app, then take pictures, videos, record phone calls, and more. Be sure to keep ... - Appletree E-Newsletter ❗IMPORTANT #TechTips and #security information!
We have a new E-Newsletter going out tomorrow morning. Be sure to sign up to get it! Get up to date on scams going around, security, helpful products, and more from Appletree!
Click the link ... - Timeline Photos We are beyond grateful to all of the Armed Forces members that have and are serving our country. Thank you. #VeteransDay2019
- We are beyond grateful to all of the Armed Forces members that have and are serving our country. Thank you. #VeteransDay2019 https://t.co/awu7kQ3dcu
-
-
-
- 🍎If you're experiencing issues with location and time on your #Apple device, you may have missed an #important update. Don't worry, it is still possible to update, but you'll need to use iTunes.
How to update: http://ow.ly/zj1750x2GmE
More info: http://ow.ly/N8GX50x2GmDAs of November 3, 2019, some iPhone and iPad models introduced in 2012 and earlier require an iOS update to resume accurate GPS location. This is due to the GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other ...Update your iPhone or iPad software if you're experiencing issues with location, date, and time - 🍎If you're experiencing issues with location and time on your #Apple device, you may have missed an #important update. Don't worry, it is still possible to update, but you'll need to use iTunes.
How to update: https://t.co/VxG4jFYNNa
More info: https://t.co/Rghvh9Ov32 - Don’t forget - today’s the big day to get your opinion out to the public - BY VOTING! #votingmatters #keepvoting
-
-
- ❗IMPORTANT❗
📱 If your older Apple device is not updated to version 10.3.4 or above, make sure you do so before 8:00 PM (EST) this Saturday or you'll lose the ability to access the internet and online features.
More info ...Starting just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019,* iPhone 5 will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, ...Update your iPhone 5 to continue using App Store, iCloud, email, web, and other services - ❗IMPORTANT❗
📱 If your older Apple device is not updated to version 10.3.4 or above, make sure you do so before 8:00 PM (EST) this Saturday or you'll lose the ability to access the internet and online features.
More info... - How to Stop Unwanted Calls 🤳We know what an #inconvenience unwanted calls can be. There are ways to help prevent yourself from receiving #spam and #robo calls.
Find out here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/how-stop-unwanted-calls - Happy #LaborDay from us at Appletree! We will be closed to observe the holiday. #UnionStrong
- You may have seen this photo circulating social media (specifically Instagram) for a while now. Head of @instagram, @mosseri, has came out and said that there is no truth to it.
.
.
.
.
#hoax #instagram #privacypolicy - Have YOU signed up for our bi-weekly #eNewsletter yet? Don't miss important #security and #TechTips, helpful products, and #scams going around.
Press the link in our bio to see what you're missing and subscribe for #FREE! - Self control is hard sometimes, I get it.
.
.
.
.
#amazon #primeday #shopping #selfcontrol #onlineshopping #amazonprime - The great grandkids are bezel-less! 📱
.
.
.
.
#bezelless #bezellessdisplay #iphone #smartphone #technology #newtech #meme #techmeme #techjoke #funnytech - Chinese Government Holds Back Everyone’s Internet Freedom: A strong example of the problems this world... Chinese Government Holds Back Everyone’s Internet Freedom: A strong example of the problems this world faces with cyber censorship is what is going on in China. The government blocks many websites, searches, and software based on their content.
- EU-US Privacy Shield Still Not Protecting Your Privacy: Still collecting bulk data, problems with the... EU-US Privacy Shield Still Not Protecting Your Privacy: Still collecting bulk data, problems with the judicial redress act, and no true protection for businesses
- Copyright and Social Media: This has become a gray area. Almost everyone is guilty of... Copyright and Social Media: This has become a gray area. Almost everyone is guilty of sharing something on social media, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, that was copyrighted and not yours to share. But what is fair to ...