GoDaddy Overcharges and Website Crashes? Here’s Why You Need a Pro Watching Your Back

When a client reached out with a question about their latest website hosting renewal invoice (which he had already understandably paid), it seemed like a simple enough request. But what I found was far from routine.

As part of our website management services, we work within the client’s existing hosting setup. Whichever platform they have selected, we don’t force a switch unless we immediately see issues—we make sure their site is running as efficiently as possible. This client happens to be using GoDaddy, which is no longer on our recommend list just because so many clients have found support difficult to deal with.

In this case, two specific charges on the renewal invoice raised major website hosting red flags and more than doubled the annual hosting cost.

Charge #1: Unnecessary PHP Extended Support Fee

One of the fees was for “extended support” on a slightly older version of PHP. This was surprising because it’s not something other hosts are charging for, and more importantly, it’s something we could fix in minutes.

Here’s where an important distinction needs to be made:

GoDaddy would not have sent any notice about this to us—only to the client. Assuming that they sent one at all; they may not have. Even so, it’s so easy for clients to skip such a notice considering how inundated everyone’s mailboxes tend to be.

We don’t have access to the billing side of the account, so this isn’t something we would have seen unless the client shared their invoice.

This is why it’s crucial to have a professional who knows what to look for. As soon as I saw the charge, I immediately went into the hosting settings and upgraded the PHP version to the latest stable release which completely eliminated the need for this “extended support”.

We don’t always jump to the newest PHP version right away—we typically stay one or two versions behind to ensure stability. But in this case, GoDaddy was charging a steep fee just to keep an older version running—not because the client actually needed any additional support. That charge should only apply if you’re actively using support for the issue, right? not just because they decided to bill for it.

Charge #2: A $200+ Fee for Extra Server Resources That Didn’t Exist

The second charge was even more outrageous: over $200 for “Level 3” additional server resources.

This client’s website is extremely lightweight because we always build and maintain sites for efficiency. There is no reason they should need anything beyond the most basic hosting plan.

So, I checked their cPanel to verify what resources were actually available and what were being used. And guess what?

They only had basic-level resources in their account.
They were only using a fraction of those basic resources.
The Level 3 upgrades they were charged for weren’t even applied to their account.

In other words, they were being billed for something that didn’t exist (for them).

Since I can’t access billing I also can’t call about billing issues. I advised the client to call GoDaddy and dispute both charges (and told him what to say). The invoice had already been paid because it included their hosting renewal for the next year, so they wanted to make sure that was paid quickly, but I was confident they should be able to get a refund—especially for the Level 3 resources they never received and the fact that invoice is paid in advance so their new hosting term has not even begun yet.

GoDaddy’s Response: Excuses, Gaslighting… and a Mysterious Website Crash

When my client called to dispute the charges, GoDaddy fought back hard.

First, they claimed the client needed both the extended PHP support and the extra server resources because he was “hosting two websites.” This seemed logical to the client at first, because in addition to his business site, he also owns an Airbnb rental and has a website for that.

But there was one big problem: that Airbnb site isn’t hosted on GoDaddy. He just purchased the domain through them. The actual website is hosted on a third-party platform designed specifically for short-term vacation rentals. So while yes he does have two sites, GoDaddy is only hosting one.

Even if he was running two sites, his usage was so low that he wasn’t even coming close to maxing out the basic hosting plan. (I personally host six sites between me and my husband, with zero issues – not on GoDaddy) And again—those “Level 3” resources weren’t even applied to his account.

Yet GoDaddy continued to argue. They told him if he downgraded, “his sites would break”.

But here’s the kicker:

I had already updated the PHP version, making the extended support unnecessary. They don’t even offer extended support for the version of PHO that we upgraded to.
His hosting plan was more than enough to handle his site.

At some point during the chat, GoDaddy disconnected on him.

My client texted me, frustrated but determined to try again the next day.

Then… His Website Mysteriously Crashed

The next morning, he woke up to find that his entire website was down.

It was working perfectly—I had double-checked everything after the PHP upgrade. Now? Fatal error. So he quickly texted me.

I immediately logged in and started troubleshooting. Got the immediate fix, and after about an hour, I had everything back to normal and had done a little bit extra basic cleanup. But while I was in there, I noticed something strange:

A new plugin had appeared in his plugin folder.

I had never installed it.
It wasn’t one I had even heard of before.
And it certainly wasn’t needed for his site.

I keep a detailed list of every plugin installed on my clients’ sites for reference, and this wasn’t on the list. I have no idea how it got there, but I deleted it while restoring the site.

Now, I’m not saying anything definitely happened… but the timing was very interesting.

This Is Why You Need a Professional on Your Side

If this client hadn’t had an expert to reach out to, here’s what would have happened:

He would have unknowingly overpaid by nearly $300 for unnecessary hosting fees.

He wouldn’t have known how to check if the extra resources were actually applied (they weren’t).

He wouldn’t have had the technical expertise to fix his site when it crashed the next morning.

This kind of situation is exactly why our WordPress maintenance plans exist. We know hosting companies like GoDaddy can be confusing, and we make sure our clients aren’t paying for things they don’t need.

Plus, website maintenance is included in our website development and SEO plans, so clients who work with us for bigger projects always have this protection built in.

Technology is complicated. Hosting companies can be predatory. You don’t have to navigate it alone.