When Website Design Becomes Predatory: The FatCow Deception

"I've got to say: FatCow's website is a mess. You can't just go to FatCow.com and find a simple breakdown of what's included in a plan. It sends you to vague subpages, redirects you to random 'articles,' and suddenly you're in the iPage Knowledge Base. It's bananas."

That's what I wrote to Steve and Marian after spending hours trying to understand what they were actually paying FatCow for. What I discovered wasn't just poor design - it was a masterclass in predatory user experience.

This is Part 3 of my investigation into how Irsfeld Pharmacy was trapped in a $3,500 per year web hosting scam. Read Part 1 and Part 2 to see how we uncovered the financial exploitation and domain ownership mystery.

As a service design strategist, I know the difference between poor execution and intentional obfuscation. FatCow's website architecture falls squarely into the latter category.

Let me show you what I mean by taking you through the actual experience of trying to understand their services.

Step 1: You land on FatCow.com looking for hosting plan details.

Step 2: Click on "Web Hosting" in the main navigation.

Step 3: Get redirected to a page with vague marketing copy about "unlimited everything" but no actual pricing breakdown.

Step 4: Click "Learn More" about a specific feature.

Step 5: Land on a completely different subdomain with different branding.

Step 6: Try to find your way back to compare plans.

Step 7: Discover you're now in the "iPage Knowledge Base" - a completely different company's help system.

Step 8: Give up and call customer service, where a sales representative can "explain everything" and sign you up for services you don't understand.

This isn't user experience design. This is user experience manipulation.

I decided to dig deeper into FatCow's site architecture to understand how this confusion was engineered. What I found was damning.

The Sitemap Analysis:

Looking at FatCow's XML sitemap revealed thousands of disorganized URLs with:

• Inconsistent naming conventions

• Multiple domain variations (fatcow.com, www2.fatcow.com)

• Random campaign IDs are scattered throughout

• Educational content buried under cryptic paths like "/edu/bilu-be" and "/hapack-be"

• Legacy promotional URLs that lead nowhere

• Automatically generated pages nobody cleaned up

The Domain Shell Game:

FatCow doesn't just operate under one brand. They're connected to:

• iPage (shared knowledge base and support systems)

• Multiple hosting brands under the same corporate umbrella

• Various subdomain structures that break navigation flow

• Different billing systems make it hard to track what you're paying for

The Information Architecture Breakdown:

From a service design perspective, FatCow violates every principle of transparent communication:

❌ Unclear value propositions: "Unlimited everything" means nothing
❌ Hidden pricing: True costs are buried in fine print and add-on screens
❌ Inconsistent navigation: Different sections use different menu structures
❌ Broken user journeys: Multiple dead ends and circular redirects
❌ Scattered information: Related services are spread across disconnected pages

Here's what most people don't understand: confusion is a sales tactic.

When potential customers can't easily compare services or understand pricing, they default to trusting the sales representative who calls them. That rep becomes the "expert" who can "explain everything" and recommend the "best" package.

The Confusion Funnel:

• Overwhelm the visitor with complex options

• Frustrate them with broken navigation and scattered information

• Exhaust their patience for self-service research

• Rescue them with a helpful sales call

• Upsell them on services they don't understand

• Lock them into contracts with no clear exit strategy

Steve and Marian fell into this funnel perfectly. They trusted the "helpful" representatives who could "handle everything" for them.

During my investigation, I discovered that FatCow's confusing architecture isn't accidental - it's the result of corporate acquisitions designed to obscure ownership and responsibility.

The Corporate Web:

• FatCow was acquired by Endurance International Group

• Endurance also owns iPage, HostGator, Bluehost, and dozens of other hosting brands

• They share backend systems but maintain separate brand identities

• Customer service often can't help with issues across brands

• Billing systems are intentionally siloed

This explains why Steve's FatCow support experience was so poor. Representatives literally couldn't see the full picture of what he was paying for across different systems.

The Acquisition Strategy:

• Buy from smaller hosting companies with good reputations

• Maintain separate brand identities to avoid monopoly concerns

• Migrate customers to shared, lower-cost infrastructure

• Increase prices while decreasing service quality

• Make it difficult for customers to leave or comparison shop

Let me show you how this confusing architecture directly cost Steve and Marian money:

The SSL Certificate Scam:

• FatCow charged them $112.35/year for SSL certificates

• Their sales page buried the fact that basic SSL is included in most plans

• The upgrade sales pitch focused on "premium security" without explaining the difference

• Result: $372.09 in unnecessary SSL charges over 5 payments

The Email Storage Upsell:

• Each email account cost $53.84/year for "50GB storage"

• No clear explanation of what basic email includes vs. premium options

• No comparison to market rates (Google Workspace: $6/month, Microsoft 365: $6/month)

• Result: $303.31 in overpriced email storage across 12 payments

The Security Theater:

• SiteLock Essentials: $373.68 for 3 years

• Marketing promised "comprehensive website security"

• No clear explanation of what threats this actually prevents

• Duplicate coverage with other security services they were already paying for

• Result: Hundreds in unnecessary security theater

As someone who designs services for a living, FatCow's approach violates every principle of ethical service design:

Principle 1: Transparency
✅ Good design: Clear pricing, obvious value propositions, honest comparisons
❌ FatCow's approach: Hidden costs, vague benefits, scattered information

Principle 2: User Agency

✅ Good design: Easy self-service options, clear exit strategies, portable data
❌ FatCow's approach: Force phone sales, lock-in contracts, difficult cancellation

Principle 3: Informed Consent

✅ Good design: Customers understand what they're buying before purchase
❌ FatCow's approach: Complexity that requires "expert" sales guidance

Principle 4: Continuous Value

✅ Good design: Services improve over time, pricing stays competitive
❌ FatCow's approach: Service degrades post-acquisition, prices increase annually

Based on my analysis of FatCow and similar companies, here are the warning signs that a service provider is using a confusing design to overcharge you:

Website Red Flags:

• Can't find clear pricing without entering contact information

• Different sections of the site have different branding or navigation

• "Learn more" links lead to unrelated articles or knowledge bases

• Comparison charts that don't actually compare anything meaningful

• Forced phone calls to "customize your perfect solution"

Service Red Flags:

• Representatives discourage you from reading terms and conditions

• Pressure to "act now" on limited-time offers

• Bundled services you can't unbundle or price separately

• Automatic renewals for services you don't remember purchasing

• Different billing cycles for different services to obscure total costs

Communication Red Flags:

• Email confirmations that don't clearly list what you purchased

• Bills with line items you don't understand

• Customer service that can't explain what you're paying for

• Multiple logins for what should be integrated services

• No clear cancellation process or contact information

FatCow isn't unique. This predatory design approach has become standard practice across the web hosting industry:

The Race to the Bottom:

• Acquire smaller competitors to reduce choice

• Maintain separate brands to appear competitive

• Use confusing architecture to prevent price comparison

• Lock customers into multi-year contracts

• Degrade service quality while increasing prices

• Make cancellation difficult and expensive

The Victims:

• Small business owners who trust "professionals" to handle technical services

• Entrepreneurs who don't have time to become hosting experts

• Family businesses that make decisions based on relationships, not contracts

• Anyone who assumes good faith from service providers

Let me show you the difference by comparing FatCow's approach to SiteGround's (where we ultimately moved Steve's website):

SiteGround's Approach:

✅ Clear pricing grid with exactly what's included in each plan
✅ Honest comparison of their services vs. competitors
✅ Single login for all services (hosting, domain, email)
✅ Transparent billing with itemized charges
✅ Easy cancellation process clearly documented
✅ No forced phone sales - everything available online
✅ Free SSL, backups, and security included (not upsold)

The Result: Steve pays $350/year and understands exactly what he's getting.

Here's what should have happened from the beginning:

Proper Domain Management:

• Business owner registers domain in their own name

• Web developer gets temporary administrative access when needed

• All login credentials and transfer codes are documented and shared

• Annual renewals go to the business owner's email

• Clear contracts specify who owns what

What Actually Happened:

• Tyler registered the domain in his own name (possibly for convenience)

• Steve assumed he owned it

• No documentation of the arrangement

• No shared access or credentials

• Years of renewals happening invisibly

Before You Buy:

• Demand transparent pricing - if they won't show you clear costs upfront, walk away

• Research independently - don't rely solely on company websites or sales calls

• Ask specific questions - what exactly is included, what costs extra, and how do you cancel

• Read actual customer reviews - not testimonials on their website

• Start small - avoid multi-year commitments until you've tested the service

After You Buy:

• Audit annually - review what you're paying for and whether you still need it

• Document everything - keep records of what you purchased and why

• Test your exit strategy - make sure you can leave if you need to

• Compare regularly - market prices change, your needs change

• Ask questions - if you don't understand a charge, demand an explanation

Steve and Marian's story should serve as a wake-up call for every business owner who has ever trusted a service provider to "handle the technical stuff."

The questions you need to ask right now:

• Do you understand exactly what you're paying for with your current providers?

• Can you easily cancel or change services if needed?

• Are you paying separate companies for services that should be bundled?

• When did you last compare your costs to current market rates?

The principles you need to demand:

• Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

• Clear explanations of what you're buying

• Easy self-service account management

• Straightforward cancellation policies

• Regular communication about changes to your services

This isn't just about web hosting. The same predatory design tactics are being used across industries:

• Insurance companies with incomprehensible policy documents

• Telecom providers with confusing bundle pricing

• Software companies with feature matrices that obscure true costs

• Financial services with fine print that contradicts marketing promises

When companies deliberately make their services hard to understand, they're not serving customers; they're exploiting them.

Steve and Marian's nightmare is finally over. Their beautiful new website is live on SiteGround's transparent, affordable hosting. They understand exactly what they're paying for. They have full control of their domain and hosting accounts. They're saving over $3,000 per year.

But the bigger victory is awareness. They now know the red flags to watch for, the questions to ask, and the standards to demand from any service provider.

Irsfeld Pharmacy, which was trapped by predatory design, is now empowered by transparent service. That's the difference between companies that serve their customers and companies that exploit them.