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Why People Hate EIG Companies

Introduction

In this article, we will talk about Endurance International Group, a.k.a. EIG. We’ll discuss why people hate EIG companies. We’ll also try to tell you more about them, and some of the hosts that are EIG companies. You will learn about the group, but also about some alternative hosting options. Be sure to stay tuned until the end to find out the ones we recommend.

History Of EIG

Endurance International Group is a massive player in the hosting industry. This USA company was founded back in 1997 and was formerly known as BizLand. The company follows the economics of scale principle. It does that through acquiring smaller companies. EIG went public in 2013.

Today, they are one of the biggest players in the hosting world, owning dozens of companies. However, what makes their business model tricky is that they let the companies keep their names. That makes it hard to know who is behind the hosting company, which is one of the major reasons people dislike EIG.

Often times, they change the way operations are being run as well. They are said to often do this by outsourcing everything to a cheap workforce. Most of the big complaints about EIG are related to poor support.

In reality, hiring a cheap workforce is almost standard business practice for many businesses these days. I personally believe that some of these things are overblown. However, these are some of the most common complaints we have seen over the years.

EIG

Some Popular EIG Companies

Because EIG is always expanding, it is next to impossible to write about each company it owns. Instead, we will focus only the more prominent players that you are likely to encounter when choosing hosts. Here they are:

  • BlueHost – this is one of the best known, and the biggest hosting companies out there. BlueHost is the recommended company by WordPress. It also has decent support, good security, and uptime, plus affordable pricing. I also did a BlueHost review if you want to learn more about them.
  • HostGator – one of the biggest names in the industry, HostGator is also owned by EIG. HostGator has over eight million domains on their servers, which is really something. They have affordable prices and scalable plans, with their managed WordPress hosting being particularly good. Overall, a decent host. Here’s my full HostGator review if you’re interested in learning more.
  • iPage – those of you who are on an ultra-tight budget might like iPage. This host is cheap, and you do get a lot for the money, for example, a free SSL. But, their speeds and uptime are not the best, which has to be said. A good option for bargain-hunters who are just starting out. We also did an iPage review as well.
  •  A Small Orange – this is an OK company, at least if you are from the USA, where they have good site speeds. They don’t have the best support, but they do have an excellent 90-day trial period. You can learn more about them in my A Small Orange review.

EIG also owns dozens of others that you may or may not heard of. Some of them include HostMonster, FatCow, Domain.com, iPower, JustCloud, PureHost, FastDomain, SiteBuilder.com and many more.

They are always expanding, buying worldwide companies who are in the hosting and domain industries.

So What’s Wrong With EIG Hosting?

As you can see, EIG has steadily been taking over the hosting industry. While there’s nothing wrong with that on its own, there are issues about this multinational company that are not that obvious, so let’s dig a bit deeper.

It’s All About The Profit

While every company has a goal to make money, multinational companies like EIG are all about “the ends justify the means.”

To make more money, EIG looks to cuts prices on introductory offers. They tend to buy budget hosts, cut the price even further, and try to lock customers in with them. I do need to note, that this is a very common tactic within the hosting industry.

Like many giants, they cut the prices by reducing service costs, which increases their margins. They have done this by overhauling the staff in some cases.

This can be a big problem in the hosting industry, as it heavily relies on support. Everyone who owns a website knows that you will have to contact support at some point. Having great support staff that you can rely on is so valuable.

Unfortunately, many people feel that EIG has only hurt companies they take over in terms of support. You may find agents who don’t speak fluent English, and this can be difficult at times. Also, if the primary concern is hiring the lowest-paid support, you can’t expect them to be experts. Support experts to me, are the biggest difference between a host like SiteGround and an EIG host like HostGator.

EIG Building

They Are Not Very Transparent

You can double-check almost every hosting company by simple Google and Wikipedia search. With EIG companies the information is not always in plain sight. Many think this is intentional.

The business model of EIG is to buy a company but to let it continue running under its old name. During this time they regularly move the operations under their main umbrella. When you go to the EIG website and look at their brands, only a few of the hosting companies they’ve purchased over the years are actually shown.

So, the name will remain the same, but the business model will usually change. This hits the old users the hardest, but it also creates a problem for the new users. Many times they’re reading (positive) reviews online, left by happy customers before the transition happened.

Heavy Advertising

You can see HostGator, BlueHost, iPage and other EIG companies advertised everywhere. They’re often suffocating smaller, privately-owned companies, not letting them reach their audience.

While advertising is a legitimate way of attracting customers, giant multinational companies often focus on it more than on making the service better. I believe this is the case with EIG. Their focus needs to be on improving their support.

This is especially hurtful in the hosting industry. This industry is all about long term contracts, and drawing you in to sign long term agreements. That is why it is of vital importance for you to do your homework before committing to anything. The positive is that all reputable hosts have a money back guarantee period.

My Recommended Non-EIG Companies

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons not to choose EIG (or any future hosting conglomerate). All that I mentioned above can be avoided by choosing a privately-owned host. This is our recommendation. Here are some good options:

  • SiteGround – this privately-owned host started on solid foundations, which allowed them to grow very fast. They are renowned for their incredible speeds, reliable security, and excellent support, all with an affordable price tag. They’re are highest recommended host, and what we use for this site.
  • GreenGeeks – this company is easily one of, if not the best low cost hosting provider out there. They have amazing site speeds, solid support, and nearly perfect uptime.
  • A2Hosting – the fastest hosting solution we have tested, A2Hosting is built for speed. It also has decent security, terrific support, and four green data centers to choose from. They’re a good option overall.
  • HostPapa – for those of you looking for a managed WordPress plan, HostPapa is one of the best choices. WP managed is excellent as it takes care of most of the site maintenance for you, so you don’t have to worry about updates, your host does it for you.
  • Hostinger – for those of you who are looking for a cheap, but independently owned solution, Hostinger is the best bet. They have incredibly low-cost plans but also guaranteed uptime, solid support, and great speeds.

My Personal Thoughts on EIG

I do not personally have anything against EIG. But if you do a Google search for them you will find thousands of people that despise them. They seem to put most of their focus into BlueHost and HostGator. I’ve actually ranked each of these hosts fairly high on my WordPress hosting comparison article. Because of their focus on BlueHost and HostGator, many of their other acquisitions have not faired as well.

The first host I ever used many years ago was HostGator. I didn’t have a great support experience then, but I truly believe it has improved over the years. In particular, the last two years when I have tested them it’s been a better experience. However, many of their hosting companies could certainly use better support.

SiteGround, my most recommended host, has put a focus on their support. I’d be willing to bet they have seen a bigger increase in users than most companies over the last few years. This is a direct result of their customer support focused approach. I think EIG could learn a thing or two from their approach.

In the end the choice is yours. The best thing to do before using any host is to try them out. Be sure to take full advantage of any money back guarantees offered by companies. Again, I recommend that you give SiteGround a shot before anyone else. I honestly think you’ll be happier with them than any EIG host.

Your EIG experience

I know not everyone has the same experience when it comes to EIG. There are many reasons why people hate EIG companies, but also many why some people love them. I know many people that absolutely love BlueHost, and recommend it to everyone. Do you have any other thoughts not covered in this article as to why people hate EIG companies? Feel free to share your thoughts and your own EIG experience in the comments below. As a reminder comments will be manually approved, so please keep them friendly.

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