How I paid for a server for a year in advance and still owe FirstVDS – a true review

What I like most in relationships with companies is honesty. It allows us to forecast our expenses and income and plan for the future normally (to the extent that this is possible for us).

That's why I really don't like small print in contracts, strange and incomprehensible wording, managers who prevaricate and say “that's not what we meant at all when you read this…”

I hoped that I would never need to write such an article about FirstVDS – everything worked out so smoothly with them…. I wouldn't say that it was a model hosting for renting VPS, but let's say it was quite predictable, understandable and honest… It was…

Until we all received another letter:

From July 9, 2024 The cost of renting VDS and backup will increase by an average of 25%. The change will affect all VDS, including archive tariffs.

Frankly, it's surprising that they didn't raise prices earlier. Price increases are a natural process and there's nothing surprising about it, if it weren't for one thing…

With a slight movement of the hand, a server paid for a year in advance turns into 9 months…

Wait, what? Even if I paid for a year, the prices will still go up?

Maybe I misunderstood something? That is, if I convinced the client to pay for the server for a year in advance, then now 25% of the money that is already in the account has disappeared somewhere?

Just in case, let's go to the control panel and try to order a server:

If my eyesight is bad and I can't read some particularly small print, please correct me?

Is everything written correctly here? The period for which the service will be ordered? And can you even choose the payment period?

Maybe I'm reading it wrong somehow?

And here is the next step of the order:

Am I right in understanding that the payment period for the service is indicated here? Is that right?

Until the very last moment, I hoped that the company would make concessions at least to regular and long-standing clients who had paid for services in advance.

And we even collectively contacted the company with a request to comment on the situation.

Once again, we don't care about price increases! We care about services paid for in advance!

Here is the company's official response:

Payment periods on the site are implemented in the existing way for the convenience of users when planning the validity period of services, however, they do not affect the pricing scheme and do not guarantee the validity period of the server when the cost of services changes. If the cost of your server increases or decreases, its validity period will depend on the amount of funds on the balance. Likewise, if you, for example, purchased additional services and paid for them from the balance of your personal account, the validity period of other services will be reduced in accordance with the increase in daily expenses.

For our part, we had no intention of misleading anyone. The current mechanics of holding promotions, replenishing the balance of the personal account for the billing period according to the current cost of the server, as well as pricing of services have been in effect for many years and have already survived more than one price increase, but have never previously caused problems with understanding among clients. In view of this, we will take steps in the future to make these mechanics more transparent and understandable. There are currently no plans to change the principles of server pricing.

Unilateral change of the cost of services, without any exceptions, is provided for by the public offer agreement (clause 3.2). Current information on tariffs is posted in the Personal Account and/or on the Provider's Website (clause 3.1). Changes to conditions are made by notification, and the client always has the opportunity to refuse the changed conditions and terminate the agreement (clause 6.4).

We are very sorry that some of you have incurred additional costs associated with fulfilling obligations to your clients, however, we cannot take into account the interests of third parties not involved in the relationship between FirstVDS and our clients.

We hope for understanding of the current situation and look forward to continued cooperation.

I think that from the company's side this response was written something like this:

Although, maybe I am very much mistaken, and in fact they really are very sorry that such a situation happened… Anything is possible.

Conclusion

Everyone can draw their own conclusions here. It is very sad that I had to write this article – I hope for understanding from FirstVDS and continued cooperation, as they wanted.

I want to finish on a positive note – there is one very indecent joke, which I cannot quote due to its indecency – when a Russian laughs and then cries…

So this story actually has a continuation – the FirstVDS company has resellers… And quite a few of them. And their prices are also raised, though in August (what is it that always happens in August?)… And something tells me that not all resellers have such cunning and well-thought-out public offers as FirstVDS does.

I send greetings to all FirstVDS resellers. I was already in the process of transitioning to this status, but something kept me from taking this step…

There will be no moral. There will be no conclusions. Everyone will do what they can.