This webmaster is shopping for another host

I have been with Hostway for almost 4 years now and it has been a pretty good run. If they were competitive on pricing, I probably would stay.

Pros: Good infrastructure, good server speed, great functionality, great uptime, decent to good tech support, adequate billing support. They have a nice control panel, simple and intuitive that allows you to access all your domains and hosting accounts from a drop down menu. Even the basic hosting plan has some nice free add-ons like a blog, and a site builder for the do-it-yourselfer. The e-commerce cart is pretty good for a canned solution.

Cons: Pricing is not competitive. Also note that prices listed on this site are only if you pay a year in advance, and if you cancel, you do not get a refund for unused time. Prices are higher if you choose to pay on a monthly or quarterly basis. They also nickel and dime you for things that (I feel) should be included. It is extra for a referrer log, extra to add Urchin web stats, extra for sub domains, extra for clean mail plus... you get the idea. And the real dealbreaker for me is that they charge me $75 a year to be an "agent" and refer business to them! This fee cuts steeply into commissions earned and gives little incentive to stay. Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg. After looking at my last years Hostway statement, I realized I am probably better off moving myself and my clients to a better priced host.

So I'm shopping around.