There are many ways to contact a web host. For some customers this mean posting messages in public message forums like Web Hosting Talk or others. Sometimes this gets them a response, sometimes it does not. However, it always comes with a bad taste and nobody really walks away happy. Here are some generic rules or tips on how to contact your web host.
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First check your sign-up email if you are already a customer. Usually a well crafted welcome email shows you the proper ways on how to contact your web host. In most cases this should at least cover the support area, sometimes it also covers sales, or even management. The next step if you still do not have that information you should visit your web host's website to find out how to contact them. A first hint would be a "Contact Us" page. If that is not around look for an "About us" type of page to see if there is contact information. If you see a dedicated "Sales" web page it might give you access to the sales team of the web host.
Speaking of sales - some web hosts have a phone number listed on their home page. This is usually for Sales only, but depending on the web host you can also contact technical support that way. If you do not find any contact information on the website whatsoever, check for a help desk or ticket system to contact your web host. Smaller operations or web hosts located in different countries or time zones might use that for the "first line of defense". Still no luck it is now time to consider a different web host or to do a final check. The final check in finding contact information is the WHOIS record of the domain your web host is using. But don't hold your breath - depending on who is running the business, you might either see wrong WHOIS information or they are hiding the real contact information behind a WHOIS Proxy Service. One main thing of advice - the more difficult it is to find proper contact information of a web host, the higher your chances that support lacks in quality.
The following example shows you how good companies like Liquidweb make that information available. The first thing you notice is that the phone number is right on the homepage. No need to click your way around to find it. It is highly visible. You will also notice that next to the phone a link to the chat option with the sales is provided. Below the phone number you see an additional menu option called "contact" - which leads you to the contact information page.
Once you know how to contact your web host you should gather some additional information to make the situation as productive as possible. If you have a sales inquiry, prepare your question and follow-up questions so that you do not forget important pieces to ask about. I usually pre-write everything when using a chat option. Copy and paste is so much more efficient then scrambling to type. If you call your host, have a notepad handy to take notes. If you have an existing hosting account get the domain name and the account number (if something like this exists) ready. If you are contacting the host about an existing ticket, get the ticket number and the name of the technician you have worked with. Collect IP addresses and other pieces as needed before contacting support.
Stress situations are always bad for both sides. You might be upset about something and if you address your situation the wrong way to the wrong person you might get nowhere. Before yelling at someone find out if that person is actually the right contact to help. Even if you find the right person to talk to, yelling should not be necessary. You will get things done better if you stay calm. Make sure you exactly say what you want. Nobody can guess what is on your mind. Don't hesitate to ask for money back or one month free of service if the web host dropped the ball on you - but do it in a professional way and explain why you think that it is justified. Stay calm and you get things done. After a call (sales or support) write down pieces of the conversation. It will be much easier to do it right away and then use that data later on. Save copies of emails or chat conversations.
Remember - there are many web hosting businesses out there. If your host is not willing to work with you, you can go somewhere else. On the other side be realistic of what you want and what a host is able to deliver. Downtime will happen with even the very best web host. It's how they deal with the problem that makes the difference. If you pay $1.95 a month for web hosting I would not expect the best service. It is just not possible to expect top notch support for almost nothing.
