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Avoid DeluxHost — Cheap VPS Doesn't Mean Customer Support Is Optional
I understand that a €16.20/year VPS comes with modest expectations. I'm not expecting premium hardware or enterprise-level support.
But a low price should never be an excuse for leaving customers without effective support.
I purchased a Netherlands Z-4 VPS from DeluxHost on October 20, 2026. Shortly after purchase, I encountered severe disk I/O problems.
After reporting the issue, my account was restricted, the server showed no observable improvement, and two subsequent emails — one requesting account restoration and another requesting a refund — went unanswered.
Here is what happened.
1. Severe Disk I/O Issues From the Beginning
Shortly after purchasing the VPS, I began experiencing repeated and severe disk I/O stalls, causing significant system unresponsiveness and occasional periods when the server became completely inaccessible.
I spent considerable time troubleshooting the issue myself, but could not identify any workload on my side that would explain the behavior.
Even when the VPS was essentially idle, disk utilization repeatedly reached 100%.
On October 22, I collected monitoring data over approximately 5 hours and 12 minutes:
- Disk utilization repeatedly reached 100%.
- Utilization remained at or above 80% for a cumulative 89.8 minutes.
- Severe I/O stalls occurred even without significant disk-intensive workloads.
More importantly, from October 21, when I first reported the issue, through October 27, the I/O monitoring graphs have shown no meaningful improvement whatsoever.
The original technical problem remains unresolved.
2. Support Ticket Submitted, Account Restricted the Same Day
After troubleshooting the problem myself without success, I submitted support ticket TMVHIDSF9OYVR on October 21.
Later that same day, while attempting to upload additional diagnostic evidence, my client-area session was unexpectedly terminated, and my account access was restricted.
I immediately emailed DeluxHost requesting that my account be unlocked.
As of October 27, six days later, that email has received no response.
To be fair, DeluxHost did reply to my technical support ticket on October 22. I appreciate that they responded the following day.
However, because my account had already been restricted, I was unable to log in and read their reply.
That was also the only reply to my support ticket.
Meanwhile, the server's I/O monitoring graphs continued to show the same severe problems, with no observable improvement.
I cannot know whether any internal technical actions were taken, but from the customer's perspective, there has been no visible technical progress or effective resolution since the issue was first reported.
3. Formal Refund Request Sent October 22 – No Response
With the technical problem continuing and my account access restricted, I sent a formal cancellation and refund request to [email protected] on October 22.
In that email, I explained the persistent I/O problems, the account restriction, and the considerable time I had already spent troubleshooting the service.
I provided supporting evidence, including the paid invoice and disk utilization monitoring screenshot, and requested a full refund of €16.20 to my original payment method, rather than account credit.
I also referenced Section 8.4 of their Terms of Service regarding the 14-day right of withdrawal, to the extent applicable.
As of October 27, five days later, I have received no acknowledgment or response to my refund request.
This means two separate emails sent to DeluxHost remain unanswered:
- October 21: Request to restore my account access — no response after six days.
- October 22: Formal cancellation and full refund request — no response after five days.
Meanwhile, the original disk I/O problem remains unresolved.
4. Why I'm Sharing This Experience
I understand that technical problems can happen, especially with budget VPS providers. I also acknowledge that DeluxHost initially replied to my support ticket the following day, which I appreciate.
However, the subsequent handling of this situation has been extremely disappointing.
The VPS has experienced severe disk I/O problems since shortly after purchase, with no meaningful improvement visible in the monitoring data.
My account was restricted on the same day I submitted the technical support ticket, preventing me from viewing the provider's only reply.
Despite sending separate emails requesting account restoration and a refund, neither has received a response.
My main concern is not simply that a cheap VPS experienced technical problems. It is that the problems have remained unresolved while the normal channels for obtaining support and requesting a refund have effectively failed.
Budget pricing may justify lower performance expectations, but it should not mean that basic customer support becomes optional.
At this point, I am no longer interested in further troubleshooting or a replacement VPS.
I simply want DeluxHost to cancel the service and refund the original €16.20 payment.
5. Timeline and Request to DeluxHost
For reference:
- Order: #22215
- Service: Netherlands Z-4 VPS (Annual)
- Support ticket: TMVHIDSF9OYVR
- October 20: Purchased the VPS.
- October 21: Submitted a technical support ticket after unsuccessful troubleshooting.
- October 21: Account access restricted; emailed support requesting restoration.
- October 22: DeluxHost replied once to the ticket, but I could not view the response.
- October 22: Sent a formal cancellation and full refund request.
- October 27: No responses to either email, no further ticket replies, and no observable improvement in disk I/O performance.
- Amount paid: €16.20
I have retained the invoice, disk I/O monitoring screenshots, and email correspondence as supporting evidence.
If any DeluxHost staff members see this thread, please search your support mailbox ([email protected]) for emails sent from [email protected].
You should find my account restoration request dated October 21 and my formal cancellation and refund request dated October 22.
Both emails remain unanswered as of October 27.
I would appreciate it if someone could review these emails and process my refund request.
I'm sharing this experience so other LET members can make an informed decision. I will update this thread if DeluxHost responds or the situation is resolved.
Comments
Thanks for the warning. It's unfortunate that you didn't read everybody else's warnings
Hi,
I’ve just seen your emails, but given the hundreds of emails we receive every single day, how exactly do you expect me to easily spot yours? Couldn’t you have reached out via DM and explained the situation?
These posts all seem the same to me, identical, AI-generated content where people recount their personal stories, making them sound dramatic, even though the issue could likely have been easily resolved by migrating, or otherwise refunded without any issues, as in the case mentioned in the post.
In this case, the customer is complaining more about the fact that they didn't receive an email than about anything else.
I’ve read posts from people complaining about having to wait days for a response, only to find that their support tickets had actually been open for just five hours, so, draw your own conclusions. 😆
Doesn't matter. OP was forced to email you instead of responding via your internal ticket system. There hasn't been clarity about why their access to support was restricted in the first place.
I don’t know the exact reason, or whether it was actually restricted, we’ll find out soon. In any case, the matter has been resolved.
Hire more staff.
To paraphrase OP, he:
If OP is being honest, then you should be grateful for posts like these. In that circumstance it would be perfectly reasonable to chargeback and move on
A chargeback often takes weeks, so it would have been pointless, it would probably be easier to just message me directly, messages in posts get lost very quickly. Just this
Was their account restricted though? If so, emailing support is a reasonable action. If it's unlikely that you'll manage to read your support inbox, you shouldn't be advertising a support@ email.
Maybe. Or it could go the same as their account/emails. It's all a waste of time