Here is a list of common questions and answers. If you can not find an answer to what you are looking for, please feel free to contact us.
Q. What is included in the design fee?
A. The design fee includes the initial consultation to discuss what you want to do with your website. It also includes one .COM domain name, website hosting and email for 1-Year.
Q. What if I need more email addresses?
A. We offer additional email addresses for a low monthly fee of $4.95 per address. We do offer ‘bulk’ discounts for customers needing 5 or more addresses. During your initial consultation we will discuss your business needs.
Q. How long does this all take?
A. Your initial consultation will be about 45 minutes to an hour. It is recommended you write down your questions and have these handy during the process. We normally schedule the consultation about 48-hours in advanced. We will send you a questioner which will help guide you through the process. The focus of the initial consultation is to find out what YOUR needs are. You tell us what you want to do and we will work FOR you to get it done.
Q. What if I am unsure or decide I am not ready or don’t want to continue?
A. After the FREE initial consultation, you have 24-hours to make payment to get started. This will give you some time to “sleep on it” and decide if this is the route you want to go. If after 24-hours you decided this isn’t what you want to do, then let us know.
Q. Do I pay the full amount up front?
A. No. You will pay 50% to start and then the final 50% is due after your final approval. Your site will be live within 24-hours of the final payment.
Q. Why 1-Year? Can I keep my site for longer or less time?
A. In order to keep our prices low, we ask that you commit to at least 1-Year with our domain and hosting services.
Q. But what if my site is only needed for a limited time?
A. We will try to work with you in this case. Please contact us for more information.
Q. My developer wants to move the site to another server, but it has only been a few months. Am I stuck with Al Net Solutions?
A. No. You can move your site elsewhere after 60-days of registration. However, downtime may occur and you will not get a refund for the time you already paid.
Q. What happens after the 1st year?
A. About 60-Days prior to the end of your first year, we will send you an email asking if you wish to continue your domain, email and hosting services for $75 for another year. You may also choose to move your domain and hosting to another provider at that time.
Q. What do I need to do to move my services to another provider?
A. Please reply to the email indicating if you want to move your domain, hosting or both to a new provider. We do not charge a fee to move your domain, however the new domain registrar will charge you a ‘transfer fee’ which usually includes extending your registration an additional year.
Q. If I want to move my website to another provider what do I need to know?
A. You need to make sure the hosting provider supports PHP (and preferably on a Linux server) as well as MySQL Database. Your WordPress site should be able to be moved to another hosting provider without much difficulties. You (or your developer or new provider) will likely need to modify the wp-config.php file in the root folder to get WordPress to talk to the database at your new provider. We will provide you with an FTP login so that you can get download your site contents. We will also provide a copy of the MySQL DB on the server for you. Note: Due to the size of the WordPress installation and database we are unable to email you the files. We can however place the contents on a DVD and send this to you via postal mail. We do charge a $25 fee for this service which includes priority mail postage and handling fees.
Q. What if I get busy and forget to pay you for the next year?
A. If you do not respond to the 60-day email, we will send another email 30-days prior to the end of your first year. If you do not pay us by the end of the 1st year, we will suspend your site and send you another email. We will send you a ‘final notice’ 7-days after your first year. If payment is not received or arrangements made by 14-days after your first year we reserve the right to terminate your service.
Q. Can I still get my site back after the service is terminated?
A. Yes, if you contact us within 30-days from when the final notice was sent. However there will be additional fees involved. We will charge $100 for the next year PLUS the cost to recover the expired domain from the registry (typically $100) or you may choose to register a new domain for $15.
Q. Can I have more than one domain go to my site?
A. Yes, you may have as many domains as you like going to your site. The only costs involved is a registration and processing fee of $15-$20 depending on the type (.NET, .ORG, .COM, etc) of domain name.
Q. What if I decided I want a different name?
A. You may change to domain connected to your site at any time. However, you will need to pay a registration and processing fee of $15-$20 depending on the type of domain. Further, since domain registrations are non-refundable, we are unable to offer any refund on the original name. You own that domain until it expires. However, you may sell, rent or give the domain name to someone else.
Q. Do I own my website?
A. Yes, the contents of your site are yours. The domain will be registered in your name, but will show Al Net Solutions as administrative, technical and billing contacts.
Q. Do I have access to my domain?
A. No. In order to keep overhead costs low, all domains are maintained internally by Al Net Solutions. However, should you need to update your DNS settings, just send us an email with the information and we will make the changes within 12-hours. If you want to move your domain to another provider, let us know and we will unlock the domain and provide you with an authorization/transfer code.
Q. Can I make changes to my site or have someone else make changes?
A. Yes. The sites are built using WordPress which allows for easy customization and editing. You will have an admin user name and password which will allow you to access the WordPress dashboard or back office. You may make any changes you like to your site. However, we do not provide support for using WordPress, but WordPress does have an online help/tutorial site.
Q. My developer needs FTP access, can I get this?
A. Yes. Please contact us and we will email you this information upon request. Most basic WordPress changes can be done through the Dashboard. Advanced functions such as themes and plugins may require FTP access.
Q. My developer needs access to the (MySQL) Database , can I get this?
A. Yes. Please contact us and we will email you this information upon request. WARNING: Making changes within the database can be risky and can break your site. We recommend your developer backup/export the database before making any changes.
Q. What if I (or my developer) mess something up and the site no longer comes up?
A. Please notify us immediately. Time is very important here. While we do make backups of the sites, not everything is retained for the same amount of time. We will assess the situation and see what has gone wrong.
Q. My site got hacked, what do I do?
A. Please notify us immediately. We will review the situation and see what is needed to fix this. If you can still access your WordPress Dashboard we urge you to change your admin password by clicking on the Users Tab on the left. If you are “locked out” of your dashboard, we can manually reset the password on our end.
Q. Are there fees if you have to repair my site if it gets messed up?
A. May be. Depends on what has happened and why. It may be a simple fix or may be require us to retrieve a backup copy from an earlier date from our service provider. We will assess the situation and inform you what we will need to do and the costs involved. Note: If we have to obtain backups from our service provider we are billed for this service and you will need to pay the recovery fee of $175 before we can authorize them to do the recovery. If we are unable to recover or fix your site, we will refund the recovery fee.