Well, they don't like telling anyone they bought out their provider, nor that it's the cause of a previously good service going downhill. The company buys out hosts offering a decent service at (sometimes) higher prices, then turns them into budget providers with low reliability while trying to keep the news on the low.

As for how the other guys get customers... Deals usually. Sometimes literally on web hosting forums, where they talk advantage of the offers section til they inevitably get banned.