FatCow
Complaint 308845 Details

I'm filing this complaint on behalf of my client, (Delfino Vineyards) after encouraging her to transfer her web hosting to FatCow.

The company experienced problems almost immediately after transferring their website to this host: notices of unsecure host to website visitors, duplicate and triplicate emails - even deleted ones. The company uses the Microsoft Outlook email client.

She was sold a Microsoft exchange application for each mailbox with quarterly renewal and it was installed on Saturday, 2/15/14. By Monday all email - new and existing- folders and contacts were wiped off the company's computer. Eight years of business emails and contacts.

For the last week, the company owner has spent an estimated 46 hours on the phone with several members of Fatcow technical, who have put her on hold, disconnected her a few times, promised return calls that never transpired, charged her additional fees for escalating the problem. It is not fixed. They charged her $200 MORE to put her in touch with a Microsoft technician, who held a conference call to discuss the situation - only to find out later that it wasn't Microsoft at all, but another service firm.

Meanwhile, the owner was encouraged to install another 'recovery' application provided by FatCow while on the phone with a FatCow rep (names are listed in the formal report which will be filed). The owner encountered a 'bad certificate' warning and was told by the rep to just bypass it and proceed with the installation. This resulted in 2,359 (that is not an exaggerated figure) virus bugs infiltrating her system and wiped out ALL folders on her computer. I believe the real Microsoft is now involved in trying to retrieve and reconstruct her folders and information.


The company has lost eight years of valuable information, contacts, and emails.

The company has lost folders that resided on their computer.

The company has lost business because of cautions posted on their website.

The company owner has had to bring in extra employees to work while she spent time on the phone with FatCow and 'Microsoft' technicians.

The company has experienced stress that interfered with day to day business.

The company owner has not been able to email, gather information, submit reports to various boards she serves on, contact her wine club customers during a wine promotion. She has lost information and email strings on various projects.

This problem has caused marital strife.

The company is overdrawn in their business account because of having to purchase technical help and applications 'on the spot' that were promised to fix or repair the damage.

This is the first step in attempts to recover monetary damage to the business, while of course value cannot be attached to the loss of business information, organization and contacts.