I also use Namecheap.com No problem with them.

You write "the answer to which is obviously not 5". Nobody ever said that. The OP sais that he "announced that the answer was 5!". Do you see the difference? The exclamation mark. The answer is 5! (five factorial) and 5!=5*4*3*2*1=120 so 5! is the correct answer :-)

It's probably too late now but why don't you change the content of the 'sort mode' combo box dynamically? For example if the user has selected 'name' in the 'column info' combo box then the 'sort mode' one should show 'name' and 'suspense date'. In the same way if the user has selected 'ssan' in the 'column info' combo box then the 'sort mode' one should show 'ssan' and 'suspense date'. It really depends on the users but it looks like, from what you're saying, that they are not that computer litterate so you should try to avoid make them think. Putting 'selected info column' in the 'sort mode' combo box make them think because they have to link the 2 combo boxes together in their mind. I know it's trivial but it looks like it's not for them. With the above solution they don't need to link the combo boxes together they just have to select an item in each of them which is probably the behaviour that average users expect.

You seem to forget that dealing with customers is part of running a business. If you're just interested in programming then you should probably think of getting employed somewhere. Having said that, I understand it can be frustrating when customers don’t 'get' it and are confused about basic terminology ('download' instead of 'install') but at the end of the day they are interested in your software because it helps them in one way or another (you don't mention in your post what your software is about). They just want to get it installed, use it to do whatever they need to do with it and move to something else. Anything which prevents them from doing this (be it their fault or not) will not make a successful experience. You should probably try to think of making this process as smooth as possible. First of all, does it really need to be sent by post? Why isn't it possible to download the software directly from your site (in fact it’s probably what they expect and that's why some use the word 'download' instead of 'install' when they contact you). Installing a piece of software from a CD is more uncommon now than, say, 10 years ago so you really go against the flow (and more importantly against their general user experience). You say 'Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them'. Again, do you really need to do this (giving then a code), couldn’t you send them a file by email (with a specific extension). They would just have to double-click on it, your software would read it and extract the code for them automatically. This way the user wouldn’t have to do anything (simply copying and pasting can be tricky for some...) . Another option would be for your software to connect to your web server when it's launched and check if the user has paid or not and if so download the licence code automatically. I'm not saying this is the way to go. I'm just saying there are different options you might want to think about. Basically every time a user complains about something even if it is trivial and shouldn't even be an issue ask yourself if what they're trying to do is really necessary and cannot be automated for them. The less a user has to think the better....

I would also recommend DiscountAsp.net. I have been with them for more than 6 years and I haven't had any real issues (and when I did their customer service has always been great). To give you an idea I have 1 SQL Server database with them (over 420MB and still growing). The good thing is that you can access it from SQL Server Management Studio like if it was a local database. You can also backup (and restore) the database through their contol panel or their API (if you want to automate this process). Regarding their webserver yes you can use .net 4.0 Anthony

I'm not sure where you are based but in some countries this is quite common. Less now than it used to be because most people submit their CV/Resume by email these days but when you had to send it by post with a cover letter it wasn't unusual (in some European countries) to have your hand writing analysed. Not sure if it's very scientific or not but it can tell if you're shy or not etc so basically they can get an idea of your personality without even having met you yet.

http://www.discountasp.com I've been using them for about 4 years. Customer service is really good and I think they do everything you mentioned.