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General Questions
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Is there a trial period or money-back guarantee?
No, BurstNET™ services do not come with a trial period or money back guarantee.
The reason for this is that since BurstNET™ is such a high bandwidth service,
if we were to offer such a refund policy, we feel too many individuals will utilize a
full month's service and cancel to avoid the bill. Also, due to the sheer amount of
orders BurstNET™ generates, we feel our time would be best spent provisioning
and providing support for legitimate, long-term clients only. A trial period or money-back
guarantee is just not practical due to the amount of time our staff spends on each order/client.
The only exception to this would be if BurstNET™ specifically advertises a sale with such,
or adds such a clause to a custom quote or contract.
How am I billed?
BurstNET™ invoices you via email. You can request a statement via email as well, at any time.
A secure web interface is provided for online viewing of your account invoices/statements.
Hard copy statements can be mailed per occassion for those clients that request such.
You will receive an invoice for each new service/account order shortly after such service is activated.
Your initial service/account order invoice date will be your regular monthly billing date.
All further service/accounts ordered will be pro-rated to that date,
and then be billed regularly on that date every month (...if it is a monthly service).
Special arrangements can be made for custom billing requirements.
BurstNET™ accepts Visa™, Mastercard™, American Express™, Discover™, Paypal™,
Bank Wire Transfers, Western Union™, Company Checks, Personal Checks, Money Orders, Electronic Checks, and Cash.
You can opt to not have your credit card charged every month, until you specifically submit a payment each month.
IMPORTANT: BurstNET™ bills in advance for all services, usually 2-3 weeks prior to the service renewal date.
Payment is not due until the date of renewal, however,
customers with auto-debit payment methods will be charged upon advance invoice creation.
NOTE: Therefore, you may receive an invoice for new service, and a monthly renewal invoice only 7-10 days later.
The invoices following will then be 30 days later, assuming you are on a monthly renewing service.
If a client cancels a service prior to renewal date, advance charges for that service will be promptly refunded.
How much assistance/management do you provide for my service?
The majority of the BurstNET™ product line is a premium "fully managed" solution,
and therefore receives a higher level of service and management than our budget-minded,
popular, "basic managed" product line--NOCSTER.
BurstNET™ will assist you with all support for services provided directly thru BurstNET™.
BurstNET™ will help you with basic settings for your email software and ftp client,
as well as assist you with using the web browser control panel.
BurstNET™ is not responsible for teaching you how to use another company's products.
Example: BurstNET™ will assist you with the settings for using MS Frontpage™,
but we will not teach you how to actually use the product itself.
You need to contact the software maker in such a situation, who provides tech support for how to use their product.
BurstNET™ cannot even attempt to support all the thousands of software products on the market.
BurstNET™ will attempt to provide some tech support for the most popular programs our clients use.
BurstNET™ will assist with installing your own programs and cgi scripts, however,
we cannot provide support on how to actually use such once they are installed.
BurstNET™ will provide support for any program or cgi script that we provide pre-installed with your service.
BurstNET™ is not responsible for designing, nor developing, your website, including HTML and/or images.
BurstNET™ will attempt to give a quick look at your design/development problem, and offer a suggestion if it is a small issue.
Anything complicated relating to design/development is not the responsibility of BurstNET™.
Please see our "Definition of Managed Services", for a detailed explanation of our server management policy.
What if the hardware fails?
BurstNET™ stocks replacement parts for all servers.
BurstNET™ is always building new servers for our shared hosting clients, as well as our dedicated server clients, so a full inventory of parts is maintained.
Hardware failures are uncommon, but they do happen, and are a part of the hosting business. BurstNET™ repairs all failed hardware promptly, to minimize
any downtime caused by such.
Are there any hidden costs?
No.
All costs are stated plainly on our website.
We do not hide fees in fineprint, or in our terms of service pages.
The only costs that are commonly found to occur beyond your expected flat monthly rates per service,
are those due to increased package features or bandwidth usage.
Pricing for such is plainly stated on our website.
BurstNET™ very often will allow you to upgrade your packages to the next size up,
should you see an increase in features required or bandwidth usage for the current month,
and not want to pay for such additional usage.
Disk space usage and availablility, as well as estimated bandwidth usage, is available to you in the majority of the control panel versions included with our services.
What is Cpanel™/WebHostManager™? Do you have a Demo?
CPanel™ is the brand name of the web browser control panel software that BurstNET™ utilizes on its web hosting packages.
Demos of the CPanel™ User Interface and
the WebHostManager™ Admin Interface are available.
What happens if I decide to leave BurstNET™
Generally, BurstNET™ services are provided on a month to month basis, without any required term contract.
Some special offers, internet access services, or custom quoted solutions, may have required contract terms
and/or signed contract requirements. All advance payments, for unused service periods, will be refunded should
you decide to leave--if they were not part of a required term contract. BurstNET™ does not prorate current
service periods, for cancellations occuring mid-service period. If you wish to cancel service, you MUST fill out
the Service/Feature Cancellation Form.
If you do not have access to fill out the required form, you may fax a signed cancellation request, and a copy of your
identification (drivers license, passport, legal photo ID, etc...) to 570-343-9533. The fax should include your
billing account number, billing account password, service/domain/circuit name/id, current service password, requested
service effective cancellation date, details of what specifically you wish to cancel (all/partial service/features),
and any other relevant information/details. Not using the service, or moving your service elsewhere, is NOT a valid
method of cancellation--nor is BurstNET™ even aware if such occurs.
Is there a discount if I pre-pay for several months in advance?
BurstNET™ offers 2 months free for all yearly advanced payments.
Pay for 10 months of service, and receive 2 months free.
This discount may not be applicable to special offers and/or custom quoted solutions.
NOTE: BurstNET™ does not accept credit card payments for any period longer than three months in advance.
May I have some examples of some sites hosted by you?
BurstNET™ makes a sample client page available
to the public on it's website.
This page has examples of virtual hosting, dedicated server, co-location, and reseller clients available.
What type of support do you offer? Average Response Time?
BurstNET™ offers support to our clientele 24/7/365 via toll-free phone,
web based ticket system, email, & AOL Instant Messanger.
We strive for response times of no more than a few hours for general support issues.
Response times of just a few minutes are quite common during normal business hours, or for reboots/emergencies.
BurstNET™ has recently implemented a web based support ticket system,
which integrates all incoming support email into it.
The ticket system tracks support inquires by "time waiting" for response from the support dept.
The BurstNET™ administration carefully monitors that
the BurstNET™ support staff maintains a fast response time, with courteous and helpful service.
Please see our "Definition of Managed Services", for a detailed explanation of our support policy.
Can I have adult content on my services?
BurstNET™ formerly had a seperate division, UnRestricted.NET™, set up for adult hosting content.
However, due trends across the hosting industry, and competitors' policies, the UnRestricted.NET™ adult hosting division has been phased out.
As of January 1 2008, LEGAL adult content is permitted on all BurstNET™/Nocster™ product lines.
May I view your Terms Of Service?
The BurstNET™ terms of service (TOS), including policy and service guidelines, are available online at:
http://www.burst.net/policy.shtml.
How long have you been in business?
The company has been in business since June 1, 1991.
The company started as a retail store, then branched out as a distributor in the mid 1990's.
In 1996, the company was changed from a sole-proprietorship to a sub-chapter S Corporation.
August 1st 1996, the company was incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania, USA.
BurstNET Technologies, Inc.™ entered the web hosting industry in December 1996.
Further Company Information is available.
What if my site breaks your "acceptable usage policy" rules?
Users' sites may be suspended for violations of policy, or if extreme, or second time offenders, sites may be cancelled.
Each occurance is dealt with on a case by case basis, and we try to work things out with every client.
Notifications will be sent, if BurstNET™ takes any action on your account.
Can I visit the BurstNET™ Data Center?
BurstNET™ allows dedicated server and co-location clients ONLY to visit the BurstNET™ Data Center.
Visits to the BurstNET™ Data Center are by appointment only, and arranged for a mutually convenient time for both the client and BurstNET™ staff.
There is an international airport 10 minutes from the BurstNET™ Data Center. The BurstNET™ Data Center is directly off of the US Route 81 Super Highway.
How is my service monitored?
BurstNET™ maintains internal and external monitoring systems for every server in the BurstNET™ Data Center.
The servers are checked every 5 minutes via network monitoring software.
BurstNET™ monitors uptime as well as individual features and services running on each server.
BurstNET™ staff is notified via alarms, email, screen popups, and paging, if a problem occurs.
Please see our "Definition of Managed Services", for a detailed explanation of our monitoring policy.
What is the uptime?
BurstNET™ strives to maintain a 99.5% network and server uptime service level.
Some specific services may advertise a higher level of service, such as the Maximum Admin™ product line--which offers a 99.9% SLA Guarantee.
This uptime percentage is a monthly figure, and does not include any scheduled hardware/software upgrades, nor "Acts of God".
Our definition of "Act of God" includes; fire, flood, tornado, earthquake,
telco fiber issues (ie...Verizon™ cutting a fiber line somewhere),
backbone peering point issues (ie...UUnet™ having a router go down in Virginia that wipes out internet service for the entire East Coast),
hard drive failure (faulty hardware is rare, but cannot be predicted nor avoided), as well as network floods, hacks, and attacks.
If BurstNET™ fails to meet it's 99.5% uptime guarantee, and it is not due to one of the above reasons,
partial downtime credits will be made available to each client, upon request, on a case by case basis.
BurstNET™ does not credit a full month's service if we only have 99.4% uptime.
This would not be financially healthy for BurstNET™, and in turn would only negatively affect the service level
BurstNET™ provides to you. "Partial refunds for partial downtime" is our standard policy.
Please see our "Service Level Agreement", for a detailed explanation of our SLA.
Do you have a Service Level Agreement (SLA)?
The BurstNET™ Service Level Agreement is available online at:
http://www.burst.net/policy/sla.shtml.
What is your connectivity to the Internet?
The network is connected via 10-Gigabit Ethernet & 2.5Gbps Wavelength handoff(s) on redundant/dual-path OC48/OC192
DWDM fiber-optic transport connections to XO™ Communications and Zayo™ Bandwidth.
Verizon™ (Formerly Bell Atlantic PA) and Frontier™ Communications (Formerly Commonweath Telephone - CTSI),
fiber is also available in the facility. The network currently connects BurstNET POPs (Points of Presence) in Scranton,
Philadelphia, & NYC.
BurstNET® transit is provided via multiple 10-Gigabit/Gigabit Ethernet transit circuits
from Global Crossing™ (http://www.gblx.com),
Cogent™ Communications (http://www.cogentco.com),
BTN™/PCCW™ (http://www.btnaccess.com), XO™ Communications (http://www.xo.com),
Hurricane Electric™ (http://www.he.net), & Deutsche Telekom™ (http://www.deutschetelekom-icss.com).
BurstNET® also peers with multiple carriers at the New York Internet Exchange™ (http://www.nyiix.net).
For redundancy, BurstNET® is currently running BGP4
(border gateway routing protocol) to maintain the speed and uptime.
If one backbone line goes down, it will balance the load to the other(s).
If one line gets congested, it will load balance the traffic.
BurstNET® is currently negotiating with additional major backbone
providers to open POPs in the BurstNET® Scranton PA facility, with XO™ Communications being available already at this time.
BurstNET® is currently the only major data center/co-lo facility within 60-75 miles
of the Tier-3 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre PA USA Metro Area.
Do you have battery backups and generators?
Our Network Operations Center is backed up and protected by
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems. In a very rare case
of utility outages, our auto-start generators start automatically,
taking over for the UPS system and supplying all necessary power
for our Network Operations Center. Powerware™ UPS Systems provide the power backups, along with
Asco™, RussElectric™, & Square D™ switching gear, and Cummins™ & Detroit Diesel™ generator systems.
What kind of security does the BurstNET™ Data Center have?
The BurstNET™ Data Center in Scranton, PA USA is a high security facility.
The facility is manned 24/7/365 by BurstNET™ personnel.
Double metal security doors, with interior gating, protect the main entrance to the facility.
The windows-less facility has advanced security, fire, temperature, and flood alarms, directly piped into
the Security Monitoring Company via phone, cellular, and internet connections.
A Scranton Police Station is less than two blocks away, and a Fire Station less than six blocks.
A 16-camera digital video system monitors the interior and exterior of the Data Center.
This video system is monitored internally at the facility and externally from the BurstNET™ Sales/Support office.
The video data is recorded live both on and off site, and stored for several months ahead.
Visitors cannot gain access into the faclity without employee escort.
The physical servers and equipment area is secured from the visitor's area by huge metal doors,
as well as metal sheeting and bulletproof glass walls.
Armed guards are planned for the future, but not a necessity at this junction.
How is extra bandwidth billed?
BurstNET™ maintains software on most servers and on all switches to monitor
individual website usage and server-wide usage. Bandwidth is billed per Gigabyte (GB) over
your monthly allocation, rounded up to the nearest Gigabyte. Allocations are currently calculated based on the 50/50=100
calculation method. For example, a 2000GB allocation would allow 1000GB of inbound (downstream) AND
1000GB of outbound (upstream) bandwidth. This calculation method is subject to change with
30 days notice to clients. Utilization is based upon MRTG stats taken directly
from the managed switch port a server is plugged into. Usually between the 3rd and 5th of the
month you will receive your bandwidth overage billing, if applicable, for the preceding month's usage.
If bandwidth overage billing occurs more than 30 days past the end of the period being billed for,
client is permitted the same amount of time to pay the bill.
Can I switch between BurstNET™ & NOCSTER service?
The primary difference between our product lines is the level of management/support provided,
the quality of hardware, the availability of phone support, and the bandwidth allocation included.
One product line may be more suitable for your needs, but your needs may change sometimes.
Virtual hosting, co-location, and dedicated servers may be changed to an alternate service,
but it it is more involved then just a billing modification.
Virtual accounts will have to be moved from one shared server to another specifically setup for the other product line.
In this situation, IP addresses may change, but both accounts will be left operational until DNS propagates.
Reseller accounts cannot be moved, due to huge differences in sales format...ie...sales by the accounts vs. sales
by the block of space/bandwidth.
Co-Located service requires very little modification to change plans.
Dedicated servers would require the most changes, including hardware changes,
as well as possibly moving data from the old hard drive to the new drive in another machine.
However, depending on specifications of the new service plan selected,
the hard drive may just be able to be physically transferred to the new system.
BurstNET™ does charge $65/hour system administration fees for making such a transition on a dedicated server.
Why should I choose BurstNET™?
Simple. BurstNET™ is one of the oldest web hosting companies in the
industry, being founded over a decade ago, all the way back on June 1st 1991.
With most hosting companies being started in the past 2-3 years,
BurstNET™ has an edge over the competition;
Specializing in web hosting since 1996. BurstNET™ maintains one
of the most feature rich hosting packages on the market, so
advanced that many hosting companies cannot compete.
BurstNET™ was one of the first hosting companies in the industry to offer
technical support via ICQ & AOL Instant Messanger, as well as to offer
high bandwidth packages (20GB+ per month) to the general public.
BurstNET™ offers Cpanel™ & WebHostManager™ on it's packages,
the premier software in the business. It should be noted that the lead developer of the
Cpanel™ software, J. Nick Koston, is a former BurstNET™ employee.
BurstNET™ is one of the few hosting companies that actually owns
its own data center. Most hosting companies, our competitors,
co-locate their boxes at data centers that they do not own.
BurstNET™ has won several awards for providing some of
the most complete hosting packages and support levels available.
How do I get started?
Simple! Just fill out one of our Secure Order Forms!
You will receive details shortly afterwards about how to proceed with your new BurstNET™ service!
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