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Two of the largest webhosting companies around, (formerly RackShack) and The Planet () have announced a merger today. The merger is a result of both being bought out by investment company GI Partners.

As of right now, things are still in flux, and the only change to happen is both companies receiving an influx of funding. The management teams of both companies are remaining intact ... for now, at least.

I, for one, would like to see it stay this way. According to posts in a thread on the official forums at The Planet, , customer service declined and the company went downhill when GI Partners took over a UK bar chain. This may be why they are approaching this with a more hands-off attitude right now. I have to say something for them, though - it can't be that bad if they have the funds and resources to buy out two of the largest hosting companies.

I have to say, I'm a little frustrated at The Planet right now. After all of the problems encountered throughout the month of April initially configuring DaniWeb's two new dual core dual opteron servers, The Planet has taken it upon themselves to "forget" to cancel the old server and charge me for an extra box today. I'm sure management has a lot of other things on their mind but still ... don't forget the customers.

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Dani AI

Generated

A merger of large hosts commonly produces short-term customer friction: billing mistakes, support delays and service consolidation. ’s report of an extra charge after a planned server move is a typical symptom. The short checklist below focuses on practical steps that reduce exposure and speed resolution.

  1. Capture evidence immediately — invoice screenshots, control-panel views, ticket numbers, chat transcripts and timestamps.
  2. Require written cancellation confirmation — open a ticket that explicitly requests cancellation and refund, and keep the ticket ID and any emailed confirmation.
  3. Escalate if needed — if the initial response is slow or unclear after 48–72 hours, request a billing manager or account executive and reference all prior ticket IDs.
  4. Preserve the old environment until restores are verified — keep offsite backups and test a full restore before deleting the old server or flipping DNS.
  5. Review contract terms and payment methods — check auto-pay settings and any change-of-control or termination clauses that affect refunds or notice requirements.
  6. Treat chargebacks as a last resort — a credit-card dispute can resolve an unrefunded charge, but only after documented escalation through the provider’s channels.
Subject: Billing error / cancellation confirmation — Account #[ACCOUNT]

On [DATE] a cancellation request was submitted for server [HOSTNAME] (ticket #[TICKET]). An invoice/charge dated [DATE] appears for that server. Please confirm cancellation and provide a refund ticket number and expected timeline. Attached: invoice screenshot and cancellation ticket.

Regards,
[Name] | Account #[ACCOUNT] | Contact

All correspondence should be documented and kept offsite. Ownership consolidation often brings process changes and short-term service degradation; written confirmations and early verification reduce risk. If repeated problems occur, planning a migration while preserving the old environment until the new one is fully functional provides the safest path forward.

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Well it's official ... Douglas J. Erwin will now act as chairman and CEO of both companies, combined.

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