Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!


New on LowEndTalk? Please Register and read our Community Rules.

All new Registrations are manually reviewed and approved, so a short delay after registration may occur before your account becomes active.

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.

Thanked by 1JasonM
«1

Comments

  • tzulitzuli Member

    Thanks for the warning. It's unfortunate that you didn't read everybody else's warnings

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    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?

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider
    edited October 27

    @tzuli said:
    Thanks for the warning. It's unfortunate that you didn't read everybody else's warnings

    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. 😆

  • @DeluxHost said:
    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.

    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.

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @OttoWood said:

    @DeluxHost said:
    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.

    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.

    Thanked by 1OttoWood
  • @DeluxHost said:
    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?

    Hire more staff.

    Thanked by 3DeluxHost forest HiJizo
  • tzulitzuli Member

    @DeluxHost said:
    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.

    To paraphrase OP, he:

    • was delivered a useless product
    • got locked out of his account
    • tried to reach your support by email
    • waited days for any improvement

    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

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @tzuli said:

    @DeluxHost said:
    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.

    To paraphrase OP, he:

    • was delivered a useless product
    • got locked out of his account
    • tried to reach your support by email
    • waited days for any improvement

    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

  • forestforest Member
    edited October 27

    @DeluxHost said: In this case, the customer is complaining more about the fact that they didn't receive an email than about anything else.

    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.

    Thanked by 2OttoWood itzsenu
  • tzulitzuli Member

    @DeluxHost said:

    A chargeback often takes weeks, so it would have been pointless, it would probably be easier to just message me directly

    Maybe. Or it could go the same as their account/emails. It's all a waste of time

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @forest said:

    @DeluxHost said: In this case, the customer is complaining more about the fact that they didn't receive an email than about anything else.

    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.

    It appears there are no restrictions on his account from our side, so I’d be curious to know what he was referring to

    Thanked by 1forest
  • @DeluxHost said:
    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?

    Given how active you are on the forum, if you were really paying attention to your work, you shouldn’t have missed my repeated mentions of you. That said, I didn’t know before that messaging you directly would get a quicker response than mentioning you.

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @HiJizo said:

    @DeluxHost said:
    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?

    Given how active you are on the forum, if you were really paying attention to your work, you shouldn’t have missed my repeated mentions of you. That said, I didn’t know before that messaging you directly would get a quicker response than mentioning you.

    In these cases, it is certainly a better solution, in any event, your issue should already be resolved. I am sorry for the wait you’ve experienced of course.

  • Update (October 27): DeluxHost has contacted me directly, apologized, and committed to a full refund, account restoration, and additional compensation. These commitments are pending fulfillment. See my latest reply below for details.

    Less than an hour after I published this thread, I received a direct email from Matteo Martelloni at DeluxHost.

    He sincerely apologized for the delayed response, the persistent disk I/O issues, and the restriction on my client account. He also acknowledged that I should not have had to go through so much effort just to receive a response.

    DeluxHost has now made the following commitments:

    • Cancellation: Confirmed the cancellation of Order #22215.
    • Full refund: €16.20 to be refunded within 24 hours.
    • Account restoration: Client account to be unlocked within 12 hours.
    • Explanation: A detailed follow-up explaining the technical issues and why my account was restricted.
    • Goodwill compensation: A free VM for one year on a better and more reliable node once everything is resolved.

    I appreciate this response, particularly the clear commitments and the willingness to take responsibility rather than dismiss the complaint. The offer of a free VM was also unexpected and a welcome gesture.

    To be clear, these are currently commitments, and I am still waiting for them to be fulfilled.

    I will update this thread again once the refund has been processed, my account access has been restored, and the promised explanation has been provided.

    I believe it's important to share positive developments just as openly as negative experiences. I hope DeluxHost follows through on these commitments.

    Thanks to the LET community for providing a platform where customers can share their experiences and get issues noticed.

    Thanked by 2DeluxHost forest
  • HiJizoHiJizo Member
    edited October 27

    @DeluxHost said:

    @forest said:

    @DeluxHost said: In this case, the customer is complaining more about the fact that they didn't receive an email than about anything else.

    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.

    It appears there are no restrictions on his account from our side, so I’d be curious to know what he was referring to

    As shown in the screenshot I sent with my email five days ago, I’m reporting this again.

  • @DeluxHost said:
    It appears there are no restrictions on his account from our side, so I’d be curious to know what he was referring to

    @HiJizo said:

    • Account restoration: Client account to be unlocked within 12 hours.

    hmmm..

    Thanked by 1tzuli
  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @OttoWood said:

    @DeluxHost said:
    It appears there are no restrictions on his account from our side, so I’d be curious to know what he was referring to

    @HiJizo said:

    • Account restoration: Client account to be unlocked within 12 hours.

    hmmm..

    I’ve asked the technical team to look into it, as I don’t see any restrictions on my end, it could be a bug, so I’ve sent them a DM to see if we can resolve it together.

  • @DeluxHost said:

    @forest said:

    @DeluxHost said: In this case, the customer is complaining more about the fact that they didn't receive an email than about anything else.

    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.

    It appears there are no restrictions on his account from our side, so I’d be curious to know what he was referring to

    Sorry, there seems to be a problem with the image link. You can visit https://postimg.cc/bGLgbtD7 to get the clearest image.

    Sorry, there seems to be a problem with the image link. You can visit [the link] to get the clearest image.

    https://postimg.cc/bGLgbtD7

    Thanked by 1DeluxHost
  • @DeluxHost said:
    I’ve asked the technical team to look into it, as I don’t see any restrictions on my end.

    Aren't you the one that sent that dedicated email, why would account restoration be mentioned if you're oblivious to it? or the LET host rep account is a different person?

  • rpqurpqu Member

    LOL LMAO

  • @HiJizo said:
    Update (October 27): DeluxHost has contacted me directly, apologized, and committed to a full refund, account restoration, and additional compensation. These commitments are pending fulfillment. See my latest reply below for details.

    Less than an hour after I published this thread, I received a direct email from Matteo Martelloni at DeluxHost.

    He sincerely apologized for the delayed response, the persistent disk I/O issues, and the restriction on my client account. He also acknowledged that I should not have had to go through so much effort just to receive a response.

    DeluxHost has now made the following commitments:

    • Cancellation: Confirmed the cancellation of Order #22215.
    • Full refund: €16.20 to be refunded within 24 hours.
    • Account restoration: Client account to be unlocked within 12 hours.
    • Explanation: A detailed follow-up explaining the technical issues and why my account was restricted.
    • Goodwill compensation: A free VM for one year on a better and more reliable node once everything is resolved.

    I appreciate this response, particularly the clear commitments and the willingness to take responsibility rather than dismiss the complaint. The offer of a free VM was also unexpected and a welcome gesture.

    To be clear, these are currently commitments, and I am still waiting for them to be fulfilled.

    I will update this thread again once the refund has been processed, my account access has been restored, and the promised explanation has been provided.

    I believe it's important to share positive developments just as openly as negative experiences. I hope DeluxHost follows through on these commitments.

    Thanks to the LET community for providing a platform where customers can share their experiences and get issues noticed.

    Does this mean we'll see even more slop on LET since it seems to get stuff resolved ?

  • rpqurpqu Member

    @fredo1664 said:

    @HiJizo said:
    Update (October 27): DeluxHost has contacted me directly, apologized, and committed to a full refund, account restoration, and additional compensation. These commitments are pending fulfillment. See my latest reply below for details.

    Less than an hour after I published this thread, I received a direct email from Matteo Martelloni at DeluxHost.

    He sincerely apologized for the delayed response, the persistent disk I/O issues, and the restriction on my client account. He also acknowledged that I should not have had to go through so much effort just to receive a response.

    DeluxHost has now made the following commitments:

    • Cancellation: Confirmed the cancellation of Order #22215.
    • Full refund: €16.20 to be refunded within 24 hours.
    • Account restoration: Client account to be unlocked within 12 hours.
    • Explanation: A detailed follow-up explaining the technical issues and why my account was restricted.
    • Goodwill compensation: A free VM for one year on a better and more reliable node once everything is resolved.

    I appreciate this response, particularly the clear commitments and the willingness to take responsibility rather than dismiss the complaint. The offer of a free VM was also unexpected and a welcome gesture.

    To be clear, these are currently commitments, and I am still waiting for them to be fulfilled.

    I will update this thread again once the refund has been processed, my account access has been restored, and the promised explanation has been provided.

    I believe it's important to share positive developments just as openly as negative experiences. I hope DeluxHost follows through on these commitments.

    Thanks to the LET community for providing a platform where customers can share their experiences and get issues noticed.

    Does this mean we'll see even more slop on LET since it seems to get stuff resolved ?

    We will see more thread like this.
    What do you thought, @angstrom?

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @fredo1664 said:

    @HiJizo said:
    Update (October 27): DeluxHost has contacted me directly, apologized, and committed to a full refund, account restoration, and additional compensation. These commitments are pending fulfillment. See my latest reply below for details.

    Less than an hour after I published this thread, I received a direct email from Matteo Martelloni at DeluxHost.

    He sincerely apologized for the delayed response, the persistent disk I/O issues, and the restriction on my client account. He also acknowledged that I should not have had to go through so much effort just to receive a response.

    DeluxHost has now made the following commitments:

    • Cancellation: Confirmed the cancellation of Order #22215.
    • Full refund: €16.20 to be refunded within 24 hours.
    • Account restoration: Client account to be unlocked within 12 hours.
    • Explanation: A detailed follow-up explaining the technical issues and why my account was restricted.
    • Goodwill compensation: A free VM for one year on a better and more reliable node once everything is resolved.

    I appreciate this response, particularly the clear commitments and the willingness to take responsibility rather than dismiss the complaint. The offer of a free VM was also unexpected and a welcome gesture.

    To be clear, these are currently commitments, and I am still waiting for them to be fulfilled.

    I will update this thread again once the refund has been processed, my account access has been restored, and the promised explanation has been provided.

    I believe it's important to share positive developments just as openly as negative experiences. I hope DeluxHost follows through on these commitments.

    Thanks to the LET community for providing a platform where customers can share their experiences and get issues noticed.

    Does this mean we'll see even more slop on LET since it seems to get stuff resolved ?

    To get help, all one would need to do is write to me, but for some reason, I think people feel that starting a new post is easier, or I don’t know what else to think.

  • DeluxHostDeluxHost Member, Patron Provider

    @OttoWood said:

    @DeluxHost said:
    I’ve asked the technical team to look into it, as I don’t see any restrictions on my end.

    Aren't you the one that sent that dedicated email, why would account restoration be mentioned if you're oblivious to it? or the LET host rep account is a different person?

    There are several of us who stay in touch and help each other out quickly; I’m a sales representative, but I can assist wherever possible, though I’m not a technician.

  • @fredo1664 said:
    Does this mean we'll see even more slop on LET since it seems to get stuff resolved ?

    Who knows; but at least it lets LET members identify good vs bad providers; part of LET is feedback, if we didn't want that, then may as well pack up shop and switch to LowEndBox.

    Thanked by 2HiJizo tzuli
  • @DeluxHost said:

    @tzuli said:
    Thanks for the warning. It's unfortunate that you didn't read everybody else's warnings

    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. 😆

    What you’re saying seems to imply that I’m making things up. Using AI to handle this doesn’t mean the facts are wrong. If you insist on that view, I can provide a complete chain of evidence.

    AI is perfectly suited to this situation, because I don’t want to spend even a little time or effort on you. What you’re saying sounds like a stock response that treats customers as untrustworthy. All we expect from you is that you do what you’re supposed to do. Is that unreasonable?

  • @DeluxHost said:
    There are several of us who stay in touch and help each other out quickly; I’m a sales representative, but I can assist wherever possible, though I’m not a technician.

    Fair enough; I'd be cautious though, because some of your responses in this thread are like you're in some position of authority; especially parts giving your take on AI slop, in which you attempted to sweep everything under, which might actually be surprisingly effective on convincing those on LET that are super against slop.

    In saying that, I'd avoid overstepping the sales representative role, it could create a unintended negative image on the brand, potentially causing your loss of employment.

  • @rpqu said: What do you thought

    I did thought you are was korrect.

    Thanked by 1rpqu
  • M4ketechM4ketech Member
    edited October 27

    @HiJizo said:
    What you’re saying seems to imply that I’m making things up. Using AI to handle this doesn’t mean the facts are wrong. If you insist on that view, I can provide a complete chain of evidence.

    AI is perfectly suited to this situation, because I don’t want to spend even a little time or effort on you. What you’re saying sounds like a stock response that treats customers as untrustworthy. All we expect from you is that you do what you’re supposed to do. Is that unreasonable?

    What you expect? Its like person who just copy & pastes template. There is nothing wrong, no issues and all issues (there is none) are resolved fast. Just copy paste this mantra to keep public image shiny.

    People waiting for weeks or months for refund. People get VPS migrated to healthy node, why oversell first place...
    Overall there is no issues, so time to make new offers and get more customers. Best provider ever.

    Sarcasm is skill ;)

  • Here's my experience as a DeluxHost customer with six VPSs.

    12 tickets in under two months. Since 4 September I've had to open:

    • #TMTMR8LOIZEQX: paid but not activating
    • #TMTNMDOF1WA3K: Debian 13 install stuck in verifying
    • #TMTOBKMW6BWP4: Z-4 Anti-DDoS profile drops WireGuard packets that the identical rule passes on F-4
    • #TMTVJ4ZIADRQ8, #TMUWWNSMEXISB, #TMUX3A8W68K7A: getting VPSs off the firewall, and one still showing "Protection active" afterwards
    • #TMTNFIXBEG5CG: srv20544 at 55-65% CPU steal, sustained across reboots
    • #TMUN4DZW64YDO: transfer of an L-4
    • #TMULCTBQ5KZCM: Z-4 virtual disks freezing for 20-70 minutes, F-4 CPU steal unchanged
    • #TMUX3OSZQYYBU: request to move four VPSs to less loaded hosts
    • #TMV5OXWOTQJBZ: refund of account credit

    Early September: storage on three Z-4 VPSs froze for 20 to 70 minutes at a time, fully stalled for over half of each day. The F-4 ran at 36 to 52% CPU steal. All documented with per-minute monitoring in #TMULCTBQ5KZCM.

    28 to 29 September: support proposed migrating the affected VPSs and promised to update me. Then silence for a week, with my follow-ups unanswered, until I chased them again on 5 and 6 October.

    After the migrations: still 6 to 14% CPU steal, about 4% packet loss with 450 ms round trips on four VPSs, all six unreachable for 90 minutes on 7 October, and two VPSs down completely from 12 October.

    12 October: in #TMULCTBQ5KZCM, support offered me a choice, and wrote: "In that case we'll refund the unused part of the current billing period for the VPSs you choose." I accepted that same evening, listed the amounts, and sent my bank details. The same day I opened #TMV5OXWOTQJBZ for the EUR 36 of remaining account credit.

    15 October: I asked them to confirm in #TMULCTBQ5KZCM. No reply.

    18 October: they closed #TMULCTBQ5KZCM. Still no reply, no confirmation, no refund.

    27 October: 15 days after I asked, they answered #TMV5OXWOTQJBZ by refusing to refund the EUR 36 credit, citing a 12-hour refund window. That credit belongs to the same VPSs they had already agreed to cancel and refund. Both tickets are open again, waiting on DeluxHost.

    So: a refund offered in writing by their own staff, accepted the same day, then ignored, the ticket closed, and the credit kept. DeluxHost, you can look up #TMULCTBQ5KZCM and #TMV5OXWOTQJBZ yourselves. I have the full ticket history and monitoring data if you want to dispute any of this here.

    If you're considering them, ask yourself what happens when something goes wrong and you need support to follow through.

Sign In or Register to comment.