This is a review on the web host: Hostgator.

I was flipping through a couple of the threads on the web hosting portion of the boards and had seen a couple questions on the web host "Hostgator". Since this is my most recent provider, I thought I could help out and provide a review for them.

Price: AS OF 12/12/2008
Host gator is very competitive with there pricing structure. Since most people pay month to month, please be aware that on there homepage, the price they advertise is if you pay for 3 years of service. And for someone just starting out, this usually isn't feasible.
On their shared hosting package's, for now they only offer the Linux back end. They have a pricing area for shared hosting with a windows back end, but for the last 2 years it has always said coming soon and I honestly don't see that change coming anytime soon.
They offer 3 shared packages, hatchling, baby, and business. Each one has various offerings but the best thing to note about each is you get unlimited bandwidth and storage space. Honestly when I looked, the best option to get was the baby package, unless you absolutely needed the dedicated ip address. In which case you would get the business package. Business package also includes a free SSL certificate, and the ability to login to ftp anonymously.

HELP!
To be completely honest, with host gator it is hit and miss. (At least through there online 24x7 chat support) Tech wise, if you encounter a problem with something and you use there interactive tech support chat, it's a 50/50 chance of someone being able to help you in a timely and correct manner. The techs are helping 5-20 other customers at a time and it does take some time for them to respond back to you occasionally. Every now and then, you'll run across someone who isn't very helpful or just doesn't seem interested in responding to your question. I simply exit out, give a negative review, and try again. (This happened twice and never since then)
Their payment system, is a bear at best. It is very slow and sluggish and every time I use it I always seem to have problems. Maybe it's me.LOL. But unlike tech support, since like everyone else they are very eager to take your money, if you have payment problems, there online chat technicians are extremely helpful. (Go Figure)

Cpanel
If you have never used a CPANEL interface before, it can look quite intimidating. After you get acquainted with it, it's very efficient and easy to find/do what needs to be done.


Hopefully this helps SOMEONE while trying to make the decision of which hosting provider to use. All in all I would rate them a 5/5 on there claim of uptime reliability. Tech support 3-4/5 depending on who you get. OVERALL
4/5. If anyone has any questions just post it, and I will do my best to answer what I can.