Is Dream Host Really That Bad?

If you’ve been doing any research on WordPress hosting and DreamHost, you’ve probably found conflicting comments about the quality of the service they provide. Some commentators warn not to host with them, while others, including blogging expert Yaro Starak, sing their praises and highly recommend them.

It’s Cool to Pick on the Big Guy
A note of caution about those who bag DreamHost. Some do so for good reason, which I’ll get into in moment, but others have simply jumped on the “bag DreamHost” band wagon. Some self styled blogging gurus, who have dubious claims to the title, seem to think that by jumping on this band wagon they’ll gain a bit a street cred with their audience. Everyone needs a someone to pick on, and the WordPress community is no different.

But is the trash talk deserved?
Yes and no. I currently have an account with DreamHost so I can tell you first hand what their service is like. I had decided to try out a DreamHost account as a back up. The other hosting serviced I used was sold to a larger company and the hosting plan I was on went from hosting ten domains to just three. I needed another unlimited account but didn’t have the budget to be choosy. So with a promo code in hand and massive discount on offer, DreamHost it was.

I must confess that things started very badly. When I first opened my account and began setting up the various blogs I manage, I thought I’d made a serious mistake. The server downtime was appalling. It seemed that every other day I could not access my sites, sometimes for hours on end, and of course, neither could my potential visitors.

When I had finally sat down to transfer some sites to my new DreamHost account, the money back guarantee period had lapsed. With all the problems I was experiencing, I was down on myself for not sorting things out earlier. I decided that when my finances permitted, I would move to a different host as soon as possible.

DreamHost Redeemed
But as it turned out, I did not move hosts, and no longer feel the need to. Ten months on and Nightmare Host has proven itself to be a Dream Host after all, now that the nightmares are over. I’m not sure what the exact problem of the ongoing downtime was when I first signed up, possibly another DreamHost account holder screwing things up on our shared server.

A common criticism of Dream Host is that they overcrowd their servers. I do not know if that is presently the case. I am happy to report though, that almost a year on and I’ve not had any more problems. There may have been the odd occasion when I could not access one or two of my sites, but they were soon back online again. Few hosts experience zero downtime. I have hosting accounts with three different companies, and I can say that DreamHost is now on par with them.

Excellent Customer Service
During this time, good and bad, I have to say that the customer service has been excellent. Whenever I encountered a problem and contacted support I received a prompt reply and a good explanation as to what the issue was. As an online retailer myself, I can testify that an informed customer is a happy customer, even when there is a problem. Consequently I find Dream Host’s upfront way of dealing with support a refreshing change.

UPDATE! I now use Media Temple for all my hosting. For more information on WordPress Hosting, visit my page on WordPress hosting providers to see the best options.