FREE dotCOM reg...

Nice thanks JD!

doesnt work in the uk

I haven't used 1&1 before but knowing what I know from reading on the forums...

You need to explicitly cancel services/domains you don't want to keep before they expire at https://cancel.1and1.com/ - Unless they changed, they certainly don't make it easy for you to escape. You have to fax in forms for each domain you want to let expire. Still, be sure to follow ALL the steps exactly.

Otherwise, they will charge all the renewals to the card you provide them on signup. If they are unable to bill you for whatever reason (expired credit cards, change in address etc.), there have been horror stories of people being unknowingly sent to collection agencies.

It's fairly unconventional when most registrars will just allow your domain regs to lapse when they come due. Well, a handful of "webhosts posing as registrars" do it like this as well.

Just fair warning - see this thread http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/270414-1-and-1s-cancellation-process.html or do a forum search for "1&1" for more info.

Time is money...

Firstly, getting the authcode ... wonder how easy that actually is for "promo" domains - sure, as per ICANN / registry rules, 1&1 has to provide it, but they don't have to make it easy - much like how Register.com used to (still?) only provide the authcode over the phone.

Secondly, canceling at 1&1 is no picnic. Even if the domain name is transferred out, 1&1 may still think it's there and/or have associated other services with it that need to be canceled too to avoid getting rebilled. 1&1 can and do send accounts, even for nominal amounts outstanding, to collection agencies.

In short, in my view, 1&1's free promo is more akin to a Trojan horse full of nasty surprises.

Ron

How many reg allowed per person?

I just got off the phone to one of my clients about 10 minutes ago, before seeing this thread... they had a domain and hosting (separately bought) at 1and1 - they tried to cancel the hosting a week before renewal but no-one replied to them.

They couldn't work out how to transfer the domain out, so they tried to cancel it - and as mentioned above, they were requested fax documents in... they went through weeks of hassle but thought they'd managed to do it. No confirmation though. Five months past (after expiry) and they got a letter last Friday from debt collectors threatening legal action.

On top of all this, their outstanding bill is £50 + VAT for one years renewal cost and some other added nonsense.

I have 5-6 .co.uk domains there, ones which I don't mind being renewed every two years... but I'd NEVER use them for anything else. They've intentionally made one of the worst interfaces to use. You can't even see the most basic thing as an expiry date without using an external whois service.

Thanks to OP (James) for trying to help, but in all honesty - I'd rather pay full price than to use 1and1 ever again. And I'd strongly recommend others to becareful when dealing with 1and1... nothing is ever straight forward with them... becareful what you get yourself into.

Domagon said:

In short, in my view, 1&1's free promo is more akin to a Trojan horse full of nasty surprises.

Click to expand...

Couldn't have put it better myself.

I wouldn't even use 1and1 for a free domain.

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Beware of registrars bearing "free" gifts--almost always a bad ending.

Be warned and take care.



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this type of services are 100 % fake..

In my opinion, normal free will be sad ending.

Unless, it will be transfer out easy.

don't waste your time. I reg'd a name at 1and1 and tried to transfer but no can. Then I used another register to reg the same name and got it. So I cancelled my paypal with 1and1 and NEVER again will I use them.

It seems they only want your info and could care less about YOU. So No Deal!

I have bought one name there and transferred one out. It did take me calling so it took about 10 minutes of my time for the transfer out which might be worth it for all the domainers who don't rake in money hand over fist.

You know, if 1and1 paid ME $10 for each name I reg with them, I still wouldn't do it. That is exactly how horrible of a registrar they are. I speak from personal experience.

Quote: 'It's easier to STAY out of trouble, than it is to GET out of trouble'.
- Don't let them get their hooks into you by dangling a free carrot for you, and then have to figure out how to extricate yourself later.

That's my 10 cents

Thank you and be cautious ! I agree that it is easy to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble. Great Tip! Thanks again.

I reg'd about 10 names with them 3 years ago and transferred them all to GoDaddy with no problem. I transferred them out about a month from expiring by using cancel.1and1.com. I never needed to fax or call them. But their interface does suck.....LOL.

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A tip that I learned from transferring out of Yahoo!:

Transfer the domain FIRST, then once the domain is safely tucked into your new account, THEN cancel it at the losing registrar. I know for a fact that Yahoo! "assumes" that they are still managing your domain and will continue charging your card for a domain they no longer have.

If you cancel the domain before transferring it, it will go into the drop system.

Some registrars are just plain sharks, and it's best to just avoid them altogether. It is no "accident" that predatory registrars have to offer cheapies and even freebies on .com domains.

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I reged a domain from this promotion 2 days ago... I am still waiting for approval.

Just use a prepaid VC CC. Then close it after obtaining the domain. That way, they cant book you.

Prepaid CC is no help. They will send you to the collection. I had dedicated server with them before. After I canceled it, somehow it still ended $20 outstanding balance. They sent me to the collection. I also received collection agency's demand for service I did not order. Somehow someone else used my name to order service. I had to go to the police station to file identity theft in order to get the collection agency off my back.

Sam said:

Just use a prepaid VC CC. Then close it after obtaining the domain. That way, they cant book you.

Click to expand...

cache is 100% correct.

1and1 renews domains before they actually expire.

It doesn't matter what prior payment method you used.

It doesn't matter if your credit card info on file is outdated.

It doesn't matter if you don't have any payment method on file.

1and 1 will renew your domains.

It doesn't matter if you don't pay for the renewals.

1and1 will not cancel the renewals which they could do. (They have 45 days after expiration date to request a refund from the Registry).

1and1 will send your "outstanding" account to Collection.

It doesn't matter if you are delinquent with just a few domains, 1and1 will lock your entire account.

If you register a domain with 1and1 and then find out how to disable automatic renewal, you will lose all ability to control your domain.

You must have the Name Servers set as you will want them, and be sure to get the Auth Code, because you will not have any access to the domains.

1and1 = 0

Wow everything sounds bad with this reg from what ive heard, however i think ill stick to paying for reg's at godaddy they seem to be the bets for me so far. Thanks for the post anyway.

Theres no such thing as a free meal imo