I wish I could help but I'm a Typepad person, not WordPress, but I've encountered those problems too with my blog host.
A great alternative that seems to work really well is IFTTT (If This, Then That) at
http://www.ifttt.com. You set up "recipes" that when something is triggered, it will cause something else to happen.
For example, I have a recipe so when my blog updates, it shoots an update to my Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook page. Works great! I use it for a couple of other non-blog related stuff too. Check it out!
