No public_html Directory on my Host

Question

I use an off-the-peg open source formail script.
I just uploaded a contact page to someone else's site after they gave me their FTP details.  First problem I noticed was if I put public_html in my Host Directory box in my FTP details it would not connect.  Remove that and FTP all fine.
Then when I tested the form it took a million years and I got a message saying: "Unable to Create Check File" and this is what the formail FAQ says:
This is usually a configuration error in your server's PHP.
PHP must be configured to have a valid directory for creating temporary  files.
If FormMail cannot create a check file, then you need to contact your  hosting provider to have the problem with the temporary directory  solved.
Note that the temporary directory must be configured as a directory not a URL. Your hosting provider should know the difference!
As a workaround, you can create your own directory for temporary files.   Review the configuration setting in formmail.php called SCRATCHPAD
Further reading seemed also to point to the absence of public_html on the server but I don't know how to check that.  I have contacted the hosts and they seem like twits.  It's only email support and they seem to make cut and pasted, auto responses rather than answer any questions.  I can't see a public_html folder in the host file manager in the MyPANEL page (which is nothing like cPanel) and as I said, DW doesn't like to have it in my FTP settings.
Any advice would be terrific.
Martin

Answer 1

Many thanks both,
Bregent you seem to speak with such confidence.
With the formail script it suggests creating a file for a scratchpad:-
We recommend you create the directory above your web server  Document Root directory/folder, if possible.  For example, if your web pages are  served from:
/home/your-site/public_html
create a directory/folder called:
/home/your-site/fmscratchpad
This more secure as no browser will be able to view the scratch pad directory/folder.
Turns out though that the scratchpad is used to check the script version and send out an alert for updates.  Turning that off solved the problem.  The more complex solution described above, suggests creating a folder at the same level as public_html and I wasn't even sure I had one!
Martin