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UKDirectHost - £4 256MB OpenVZ VPS in Netherlands

Updated November 2011: Website has been showing “Under Construction” since 5 October. Probably not going to come back soon. Dead pool it goes…

UKDirectHost Shane from UKDirectHost Ltd is offering LowEndBox readers the following VPS for £4/month (~USD$6.45). It’s their “NL 256MB OpenVZ VPS” that can be ordered here, and make sure you use LEB as promo code. It has

  • 256MB guaranteed/378MB burstable memory
  • 15GB storage
  • 200GB/month data transfer
  • OpenVZ/SolusVM

Price does not include VAT — so if you are in UK/EU you do need to remember to add 20% if you are not exempted. This offer expires end of May. Servers in Netherlands (test IP: 217.18.71.85), and related offers can be found on WHT but not on their own website. Their website is in full Flash, which makes it dead slow on the 3G connection I am using now, nor allowing me to cut and paste text from their site. Anyway you can find their company detail on CompaniesHouse.gov.uk (Company No. 07458649), which has been incorporated in December last year.

Does anyone from UK know more about this shop?

LEA
Latest posts by LEA (see all)

36 Comments

  1. Daniel @ LowEndTalk:

    I don’t even have flash installed.

    May 24, 2011 @ 5:16 am | Reply
    • tommy:

      I dont have flash too :P

      May 24, 2011 @ 5:29 am | Reply
      • Daniel @ LowEndTalk:

        Flash’s performance on Unix systems just sucks.

        May 24, 2011 @ 11:04 am | Reply
    • I do but i use it with firefox. Which causes it to crash alot ( Windows User Here )

      May 24, 2011 @ 1:24 pm | Reply
      • fanovpn:

        For Firefox, install NoScript and enable the option “Embeddings->Apply these restrictions to whitelisted sites too”. Not only will NoScript make your browser more secure (Enable “General->Temporarily allow top-level sites by default->Base 2nd level Domains (noscript.net)” if you want to make it a bit more lenient / convenient), it will make Flash click-to-enable, so the flash plugin won’t even load unless you ask it to for a particular element on a page. FlashBlock is an alternative plugin if you just want the click-to-enable behaviour alone (no added browser security).

        Chrome / Chromium has click-to-enable behaviour built-in, as an option (you may need to add a startup flag under about:flags to make the option appear) too.

        There’s really no need to load flash when you don’t want it, but there’s no reason to not have it installed for when you need it.

        May 24, 2011 @ 4:39 pm | Reply
  2. cd:

    All flash? Yuck.

    May 24, 2011 @ 7:45 am | Reply
  3. circus:

    the whole site in flash is just beyond retarded. sorry..

    May 24, 2011 @ 7:54 am | Reply
    • Jim:

      I don’t agree with comments elsewhere about templates but I have to agree here. Even with a 24Mbps connection and flash enabled browser there’s “loading” bars all over the place at every click, which is totally stupid.

      They talk about “SEO Hosting” on their Twitter page too. I seriously doubt anyone with a clue about SEO would use an entirely Flash website. That kind of thing should have died off 5-10 years ago.

      Mind you they also talk about ‘offshore “bulk Email” hosting’ (hmmmm), and the guy who runs this company chooses to hang out at “blackhatworld.com” (“welshman”, for anyone with the time to Google), which maybe gives some idea of the kind of “SEO” tactics he knows about. Even some people there think he’s a scammer, which is pretty incredible.

      All of that’s more than enough to make this company one to completely avoid for me.

      Lie down with dogs, etc…

      May 24, 2011 @ 1:29 pm | Reply
    • cd:

      Yes, the whole site in flash is very mentally handicapped.

      May 24, 2011 @ 5:00 pm | Reply
  4. I would never buy from a host with an all flash site or one that prevents the back button from working correctly.

    May 24, 2011 @ 12:45 pm | Reply
  5. Spirit:

    Apart from flash… it’s nice site design and (atleast for me) actually fast. Apart from flash it seems more transparent than most of those LEB advertised hosts as include proper office address, company number, VAT registration number…
    People at LEB mostly don’t complain when “contact us” redirect us to ordinary WHMCS or some other anonymous contact form… but they are terrible bothered with flash. Don’t get me wrong, I am not some flash lover however it’s amusing how people are bothered with LESS important things while they often don’t care for more important thigns like.. company transparency.

    May 24, 2011 @ 1:17 pm | Reply
    • circus:

      well.. the thing is, I can’t see the “contact us” page because of the flash.. hee :P

      May 24, 2011 @ 3:42 pm | Reply
      • Spirit:

        I don’t buy it. While I accept that some of you don’t have installed flash as personal choice I believe that this is community with a bit higher IT/computer skills than average common people and it’s always just matter of interest not really a problem. It’s not that you can’t see it. It’s that you don’t want to see it. That’s the difference.

        May 24, 2011 @ 4:23 pm | Reply
        • circus:

          Yup you are right ^_^ I set my flash plugin to “on demand” (mostly because my slow internet connection and its 1gig traffic limit per day :P) and I don’t feel the need to enable it just to see that site, I’m sure I’m not the only one. IMHO it’s such a waste to have (maybe) great information but bad usability.

          May 24, 2011 @ 4:47 pm | Reply
  6. Jim:

    Is there a reason why my previous comment didn’t appear? (Referred to this guy selling “ofshore bulk email hosting” at black hat world dot com.)

    May 24, 2011 @ 2:47 pm | Reply
    • Christian:

      Maybe you throw in a WHT link?

      May 24, 2011 @ 5:06 pm | Reply
      • Jim:

        No, though I did write “black hat world dot com” the ‘proper’ way, so maybe that domain triggered a filter.

        Anyway, anyone who offers “offshore bulk email accounts” is bad enough, IMO, but he’s also a member of BHW – a search on “welshman” at BHW – where even there people think he’s a scammer (which, coming from “bulk emailers” at a blackhat site, is pretty funny), so this is one offer I’d avoid.

        May 24, 2011 @ 7:26 pm | Reply
  7. Ermm… wow, talk about speaking your mind.

    Let’s address some issues:

    1. Flash site. Yes, it is crap. We are in the process of having a redesign. At least it is not pointing to a WHMCS order form.

    2. Before talking about Googling black hat world, etc. Please do note the name difference…

    We are co.uk and not the .com name. We bought the .com name over in March to stop any confusion. We also got the Twitter account with it.

    Please get your facts straight before jumping in and making total fools of yourself.

    If there is a problem with the service, hosting, or anything hosting related, fine, please feel free to complain about it.

    If you have something to say that is untrue, with no foundation, or a personal opinion that is said with ulterior motives: Keep it to yourself.

    May 25, 2011 @ 12:09 pm | Reply
    • Spirit:

      So, you’re not related to this welshman and his bulk email services?

      May 25, 2011 @ 12:23 pm | Reply
      • We do not do bulk emailing. As you will see in our TOS, we do not allow it.
        And no, I am not welshman, nor do I use black hat world.

        We became aware of the problem in January of similar domain names and we had already approached the then owner to purchase the domain, which he agreed to in March after he shutdown. Because our domain was not cloaked, people automatically assumed we owned the .com domain as well and you will not believe we still get emails on a daily basis asking if we supply email accounts. So sorry, but I’m tired of that subject.

        It was not us.

        May 25, 2011 @ 12:39 pm | Reply
        • >We do not do bulk emailing. As you will see in our TOS, we do not allow it.

          Do disrespect intended but we have providers here who believe their own ToS/AUP doesn’t apply to them.

          Although you could have posted all that without the negativity.

          May 25, 2011 @ 4:03 pm | Reply
        • That’s “No disrespect intended…” of course.

          May 25, 2011 @ 4:03 pm | Reply
        • @drmike Yes I agree regarding the TOS.

          It is however extremely frustrating that we instantly get accused of various things due to an association of a similar domain name. We are now moving forward with building up our own brand image and hope to provide quality hosting, which is why we asked LEA to place an offer for us. Not to be attacked by people because we have a flash site, or because a domain with a different TLD than ours was involved with something totally different.

          May 25, 2011 @ 4:30 pm | Reply
        • I’m getting really tired of playing the heavy around here.

          I’m sure it is very frustrating from your side as you see it but please understand something.

          I can’t view your site either. Give this a read. And before you ask, yes I can see the menu and the links but everything 404’s for me when you click on those links.

          If you want to build your brand, attacking people who are pointing out problems with your website isn’t the way to go. Accepting them, dealing with them, and then moving on is the best way to show that what you’re doing is important.

          Here’s how you should have answered:

          “It’s a different company with a similar domain name and we’re not connected with them.”

          Not:

          “Please get your facts straight before jumping in and making total fools of yourself.”

          That’s poor customer service and shows a lack of professionalism.

          But to continue on:

          “If there is a problem with the service, hosting, or anything hosting related, fine, please feel free to complain about it.”

          Yes, I have a problem with the service. I’m a possible customer and am looking at different VPS providers. I’m not able to view your website. Is there a text only version of your site that’s accessible in Lynx?

          May 25, 2011 @ 5:34 pm | Reply
    • Jim:

      Quote from UKDIRECTHOST:
      “We also got the Twitter account with it.”

      ROFL. Of course, because free Twitter accounts are notoriously hard to get, and obviously you’d want to use an account that’s already associated with bulk emailing scamming if you have the choice. Funny that, like the “previous owner”, you’re also avidly following Alan Sugar.

      Quote from UKDIRECTHOST:
      “And no, I am not welshman”

      Link to welshman’s profile on BHW

      Location of “welshman”: Newmarket, UK
      Location of you: Exning, Newmarket, UK

      Quote:
      “We are co.uk and not the .com name.”

      Links to BHW threads:

      My server is down and I can’t access their member area in order to contact support – http://www.ukdirecthost.co.uk/clients/whmcs/index.php

      Does anybody know how to contact Welshman? I sent an email to the .co.uk site that I signed up on

      You might find life easy to BS people on lowlife boards like BHW, but you’ll find in the mainstream – non-spamming/scamming – world that it’s not a good idea to treat people like idiots and come out with weak lies when you get caught.

      Wether the claims on BHW of you scamming them out of money are true or not (not that I care whether spammers get ripped off), you have conclusively demonstrated to me, with this “it wasn’t me!” crap, that you cannot be trusted.

      May 25, 2011 @ 5:32 pm | Reply
  8. @drmike: Thank you for for your comments. Appreciated.

    In answer to your questions:

    1. Unfortunately our website does not have a text only version. Our new website was supposed to have been ready, but due to some problems on our end, we had to delay the launch of the new website by a week. It is scheduled to be released on Friday. Apologies.

    2. I apologise to everyone here for my outburst, I was not expecting to be criticised by people who were not even clients of ours. As previously said, if there was a problem with the hosting, I would gladly change/fix things. So apologies to those who cannot view the flash website, we are in progress in changing it to be more accessible for all OS’s and browsers.

    Thank you.

    May 25, 2011 @ 6:17 pm | Reply
    • Jim:

      I have a comment awaiting moderation (presumably due to the number of links) that shows that people at BHW signed up through your co.uk name and that “Welshman” is, by a huge KOINKIDINK, located in the same place as you (Newmarket, UK).

      So you might like to revise your lie that you don’t use BHW and your lie that your “co.uk” name has nothing to do with the bulk emailing.

      Oh, and if you don’t want to be criticized, don’t get involved in shady “black hat” activities like “bulk emailing”.

      May 25, 2011 @ 7:01 pm | Reply
      • Jim:

        Don’t want this to seem like a crusade against this guy but people here should know who they are dealing with since he won’t admit it himself. Remebering that he said the co.uk is his and he is not Welshman:

        Domain name: ukdirecthost.co.uk
        Registrant: Shane Brewer

        “I just got screwed over by Welshman aka Shane.”

        “His paypal account is frozen. Of course he is going to ignore it. Otherwise he has to deal with it…which is unlikely since he can’t face the customers he scammed.

        Easier to start new…right Shane? “

        Source: http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/email-marketing-opt-lists/286876-need-bulk-mailing-service-like-welshman.html

        Obvious sockpuppet (TheDominator) is obvious.

        May 25, 2011 @ 7:46 pm | Reply
        • Spirit:

          @Jim – good work.
          @Shane aka UKDirectHost it seems like you’re busted.

          May 27, 2011 @ 12:27 pm | Reply
  9. “I apologise to everyone here for my outburst, I was not expecting to be criticised by people who were not even clients of ours”

    Welcome to the hosting industry….lol.

    May 25, 2011 @ 6:29 pm | Reply
    • Agreed. You get way more criticisms here than WHT. To me, that’s not a bad thing. Just try not to take anything personal, that’s all.

      May 25, 2011 @ 8:50 pm | Reply
      • Daniel @ LowEndTalk:

        Thats because WHT has stupid rules.

        May 25, 2011 @ 9:23 pm | Reply
        • Adam:

          I wouldn’t call WHT stupid. They been here for years and I am sure their rules are created for a purpose.

          May 25, 2011 @ 10:10 pm | Reply
      • Hehe. Keeping the hosting industry in check… By keeping all the trolls here :) It’s a bit lawless here I agree. Just don’t have the time to set down the rules and keep it properly moderated.

        Despite all the criticism here, strangely new providers are still sending their hosting plans to me trying to get listed :P

        May 26, 2011 @ 12:29 am | Reply

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