Complaint Review: Streamoad Inc.

Streamload is an online storage and file hosting service company.

Their commercial service was "Streamload" until August 2006, they upgraded it then to "Mediamax," which provided the same service but with an enhanced presentation. Or it was supposed to.

The problem is that since this "update," very frequently:

1. Hosted files do not work

2. About uploads (by the user or third parties), either:
- they fail (connection to mediama server is not possible)
- files uploaded appear to be completed but do not appear in the "File manager" of the website
- files already uploaded cannot be accessed
- upload speed is very slow

3. There are extended periods of downtime (the last one was beginning of July 2007).

4. Their beta software (Mediamax XL) to backup, synch, upload... does not function at all.

5. All this makes the advertised services on their webpage a lie ("backup safely and reliably," "share all your files")

Mediamax's answer to this is :
- Periodic "information" and excuses on their blog (http://blog.streamload.com), with no comments allowed.
- Modification of their blog entries when the end dates of downtime are postponed ("unavailable until", say, "the 26th of June" is changed into "the 27th of June" when it appears that on the evening of the 26th of June, the service is still down).
- Invocation of temporary technical problems ("upgrades are necessarily imperfect," "moving our database will disturb the service") when in fact there is a continuity of problems since August 2006.
- and I guess their answer to the problems of Mediamax XL is that it is just a "beta" software. Well, a beta software should still perform some tasks, no? It exists for at least 8 months, and it still does not perform basic tasks like simple uploads.

- Automated response by tech support, with no solution of the problems.
- And lastly in my case, a free three month extension of subscription, with no refund for the past period, and no perspective of further improvement of the service. (I was asking for a one year refund, or a one year free offer).

=> These answers are not enough for a service that does not deliver what it pretends.

Clement
London
United Kingdom