30-Day Hosting Money-Back Guarantee. No questions asked .
How many times have you come across such marketing and sales gimmicks when buying products online?
Most of us don’t usually reach this point, but in those rare moments when we have to, the experience isn’t always pleasant, to say the least.
When I recommend a product, I make sure to run various tests before recommending it to millions of SidelinePlay users. Bluehost is one such web hosting company, and it’s on our list of recommended WordPress hosting. I like it because it has a lot of unique features. However, this article is not about what Bluehost hosting offers, but about its marketing gimmicks and how reliable it actually is.
I wanted to test the effectiveness of the Bluehost money back guarantee. I will share the specific steps and overall experience of canceling a brand new Bluehost hosting account and getting a refund.
The story behind trying to cancel my Bluehost account
3 weeks ago I purchased a new hosting package from Bluehost to test out its new features. I purchased a new hosting package and have been trying it out. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized it was more than 25 days since I purchased it, and that's when I had the idea to test out its refund policy.
Why am I doing this?
Often, companies make it difficult for users to cancel their accounts, and not everyone has a blog to share their experiences.
So, I decided to find out for myself what it was like to cancel my Bluehost hosting account and whether I could get a full refund.
Let’s get started
I was expecting to find an account cancellation form. However, Bluehost offers account cancellation over the phone. Their cancellation department is located in the US, so I had to call a US number from my country.
We all know how much time technical support usually takes.
I used Google Voice to call the Bluehost account cancellation department. For additional information, you can use Google Voice to make free calls to US numbers.
I called 844-853-6296 and the operator on the other end was Daniel.
Our conversation is as follows: ( I deleted the small talk and focused on the important content)
Operator : What is your domain name?
Me : *******.com
Operator : What are the last 4 digits of your password?
I : ****
Operator : I have sent you an email with a verification token. Please provide me with the information.
Me : 304522 (Note: Keep your email open and your Bluehost account password ready)
Operator : Is there anything I can do to change your mind?
Me : Thanks, but I would like to go ahead and cancel my account and get a full refund.
(…waited 30 seconds)
Operator : OK! Do you want to keep the domain or cancel it as well?
Me : If I cancel my domain, can I get a refund as well?
Operator : No. Domain name payments are non-refundable.
Me : OK. I want to keep this domain.
He made me wait a minute and then...
Operator : I have cancelled your account. You will receive a full refund within 3-5 business days.
I admitted it and hung up the phone.
I asked myself, is this true? It took me several minutes to realize this.
In less than 8-10 minutes I had my account cancelled without any issues. Usually the experience of cancelling an account is not worth mentioning.
Another thing is that, depending on your payment method, you can also get a refund within 24 hours.
According to the Bluehost account cancellation page, if the payment method is:
- PayPal: Refunds will be processed within 24 hours of account cancellation.
- Credit Cards: Refunds may take up to 10 days, depending on your card issuer.
Conclusion: Bluehost cancels accounts quickly
Overall, I was impressed with the entire Bluehost account cancellation process. The entire process was very smooth and there were no issues with the refund. The only unsatisfactory aspect of the process (and feedback to the Bluehost team) was the lack of a confirmation email after the account cancellation. However, you can verify your account status by visiting the billing section of your Bluehost account dashboard.
Overall, Bluehost scored highly in this experiment, and they definitely deserve a round of applause for their customer-centricity.
Have you ever tried to get a full refund with Bluehost or any other online service? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below.
Here are some selected guides for you to read:
- Choose a good domain name for your blog
- How to Buy Web Hosting with a Free Domain for Your WordPress Blog
- How to use a free SSL certificate with Bluehost
- How to create your WordPress blog with Bluehost
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