A month ago I received a notice my web site was not secure. Apparently Ipower (I have been with them for many years) sold to Ipage. I paid $112.35 on Sept 21 to ipage to have it made secure (it gets http// added to the site apparently). I was OK until today, and now if you try to go to my site you get an unsafe warning. I tried contacting ipower to no avail. There pages say wrong or bad address. If you do finally get there via my email, it says my passwords are wrong. What a nightmare. I am now 88. I built and maintain my own website, but this is getting very frustrating. I have been trying for an hour to fix this but I cannot get anywhere with their site. I have been told if I try to migrate to another hosting site, not all can handle my Web software which is Microsoft Expressions Web).
Thanks folks
Dave G
Beach Haven, NJ
Tonight and all day Sunday and Monday is predicted a major major flooding Nor'easter.
I will post on several forums as I am not sure where this belongs
I feel for you because I went through the same whole nightmare but iPage did eventually sort it out for me.
Their online Help is of very varied quality and it depends on the luck of getting the right Agent.
I eventually managed to get my case "escalated" to their experts and they did sort it all out for me and the iPage site does now run extremely well for me.
I built my Site with straight HTML coding through Dreamweaver but most people apparently now use one of the tools like Wordsmith so this may make a difference.
To keep your site updated and organized I use their tool from Advaced called FILEMANAGER.
Incidentally you need to use HTMLS:// to visit your website in Secure mode.
HTML:// indicates an insecured website and most people will stay clear of an insecure site!
Thank you, Ann., I paid the new owner (Ipage) to make my site secure. It was OK until lately and now the HTML prefix is gone, and I have ZERO luck trying to get to the old site to ask them to fix it, nor can I get to the new owner's site to get it fixed. I get the feeling the old owners just threw up their hands and are abandoning us. I am too old to attempt to write code, or for that matter to even attempt to use another app to recreate my site. If you can get to my site there is a lifetime's work of mine and my Dad's. If you go to my site click on the ALEXANDER GURTCHEFF page for a story of lost for 72 years negatives.
Thanks again.
Dave
After changing my passwords numerous times I finally was able to log onto my account. There site shows I DID pay for SSL protection, but it is not turned on when I try to go to my site. Do they physically need a techie to switch it ON?. Nowhere can I find a place to contact them. All they offer is FAQs. See screen shots. I am really angry with them.
Dave
Before I saw it, I did manage to get your Site to open by simply ignoring all of the warnings!
If you paste "how to get "escalated" help from iPage.com?" into a Google Search, you will get good advice on how to deal with iPage.
As a start, I would try with their Help (in Chat) and then ask for a Manager.
You could also look into getting a website design service to check the underlying code and bringing it up-to-date and into a form which iPage can handle?
I am very happy to report my web site is now "SAFE". Also my web site email now works (no thanks to Ipage). I FINALLY got to Instant Chat by doing the following: I went to the Financial Section, changed from automatic billing, and deleted my Credit Card on file with them. Their site kept warning me I needed to insert valid credit card number information. I kept ignoring the warning, and it must have triggered an "INSTANT CHAT" window. I have been trying to get access to this feature forever. It must have rung a bell with them that I was going to hit them in the wallet. I told my frustration about the SSL problem that I paid for, and made my site unsafe. I was chatting with a Financial Person, but they said if I held on for several minutes they would consult with a Tech Person. I did hold, and when he came back he said it should be fixed within 0 to 9 hours. About 9 or 10 hours later my web site was secure with no warnings. I fixed my email almost by accident. While trying to fix it I tried logging in to Ipower (the old hosting company before they sold it to Ipage) and noticed an alternate log in to "Roundcube". When I hit this it took me to a log in page to my old email. I gave my password and it took me to my old website email (BUT VERY DIFFERENT interface).
I now pay $112.35 for Domain Validated SSL per year. My Web Site cost is $594.67 for two years, due again Feb 22 2026. Is this high, low or average in your opinion? My web site is plain vanilla. No music, or slide shows, and no ability to order and pay for prints.
For a plain website, $594.67 for a couple years is steep. Add on top of that they're charging additional for SSL. Almost all popular hosts include basic SSL, no additional cost. The paid premium SSL stuff really is for e-commerce or sensitive data.
For some of my clients that have older websites that need old tech server environments, like old versions of PHP, I migrate them over to Hostinger. The first two years is going to be $71.76 ($2.99/month), then $10.99/month after that. They also offer free migration.
I see you're using MS Expressions Web. If you're using that to generate vanilla HTML/CSS and using FTP to upload, almost any host can take care of you.
Thanks dienliv. Your last paragraph is over my head, I am afraid. Many years ago I developed my web site with a “How To” book in one hand while typing with the other hand. I am 88 and do not know what kind of HTML/CSS the program uses. To upload my additions or changes to my site, I merely go to the menu and select “Publish Changed Files”. The program does the rest. Any help greatly appreciated.
Dave
As one octogenarian to another, I sympathize with your dilemma. As others have pointed out, you're paying more for your web host and SSL certificate than you would if you were to transfer all of it to another host.
However, it looks like you've now got your existing site set up to your satisfaction with iPage. You're able to log in and add/update any new postings using your existing software, and you've got your email operational. You've been through a trying experience to get this far and attempting to move your site to another host may well be more trouble than it's worth. At my age (81), I find that my time is my most valuable asset, and I think you may feel the same way.
If I were in your shoes, I'd simply leave well enough alone even though there are less expensive options. Spend your time doing what's familiar to you and forget about saving a few hundred dollars over a couple of years (assuming you are able to shoulder that expense). If the cost of maintaining your current site is prohibitive, you may want to hire a professional to make the move for you although that might be more expensive in the long run.
I spent most of my business life dealing with computers, software and websites, and I enjoy the challenge. But, as I have now entered my 80's, I've decided to let trying to keep up with everything fall by the wayside. I'm comfortable with what I know and I see no reason to get more involved in things I no longer understand.
You are a breath of fresh air Tom in Arizona. I was an engineer and by necessity became computer literate very early on in my career, but photography has been a serious hobby since I built my first darkroom in 1959. Everything you said is right on. Not knowing how many years are left, having fun taking new images, processing them, adding them to my web site, sometimes selling them, is more worthwhile than fretting over transferring my site to another host. Yes I can afford it.
Thanks for the insight.
Dave in NJ
