1and1.com HATER...AAAACCCKK!

[movingconcierge]

So before I knew anything about anything, I regged a ton of names with 1and1.com. Everytime I reg a name at 1and1.com, I think I'm putting it on my card. Well apparently this is not the case at 1and1.com.

Nearly four months ago, 10/06/06 to be exact, I get an email from 1and1.com that my card had a problem. I looked into it and indeed there was a problem. I could only spend x per day on that particular card. So, I replied for 1and1.com to do exactly that and let me know if there was still a problem. No response. Nothing. I think all is fine and well with the world.

Today I get a collections letter from 1and1.com for every name I have ever bought from 1and1.com! Worse, I go to check out my 1and1.com account...LOCKED! No notice, nothing. I was just in my 1and1.com account last week. No 1and1.com notifications to read, NOTHING!

So I emailed them just now to ask WTF? I hope they respond quicker than four months. I am going to call 1and1.com at this moment too.

Just in case another newbie is drawn in by that 1and1.com low price, don't do it kid! Run! They are evil...evil....imho

 

[2Cunning]

eeek thats bad but the web hosting looks real nice, not a good idea?

 

[floatingworld]

its bizarre that you can go blue in the face giving detailed breakdowns of what is going on and still some take the free crack offered up by the 1+1 dealers even though they are dressed up in clown outfits. The latest offering is apparently free .infos. Flies into the web.

 

[alex_d]

Well here we go again.

Another month, and another bill for 10 domains that I transfered out of 1and1 in December !!!!

This is getting beyond stupid. How can a registrar bill you for a domain that hasnt been in your account for 4 months. I explained everything in my email to them, and what they reply back to me is the complete opposite of what I am asking.

This company is beyond belief. They seem to take whatever money they can from customers, and then bullsh*t you for days, delaying refunding your money.

All i can say, as so many others have done before, Avoid 1and1 like the Plague. They will suck your wallet dry, and act like complete idiots when you try and contact them.

Alex

 

[Kate]

So my guess is that it is best not to leave credit card info with any registrar (if possible) because there is always a likelihood that you get some unexpected charge to your account.
BTW It's not only 1&1 that does not refresh the accounts for moved/expired domains, others registrars have the same issue

 

[verbster]

I've now read evey posting in this forum about 1and1. If I hadn't already registered a few domains through them, I would have heeded the warnings here and avoided them.

However, since I already own names through them, and since there seems to be some emotional contradictions or disagreements in certain areas of 1and1's service and/or procedures, I will run a test for myself to see what's what. My next move is to attempt a domain transfer out of 1and1. To do this, I will follow fluoride's method (which seems normal). I'll report back what happens.

So far, here are my observations:

For my domain purchases, I received an invoice of charges at the end of the month I registered them. They were then charged to my card at the beginning of the next month. This billing process, while different from most registrars, was accurate and detailed. So far, I have detected no extraneous charges, but I do not have any domains up for renewal of TFR'd out, either.

Although I would rather be billed individually at the reg time, this monthly biilling actually helped me in a weird way: It drew my full attention to the amount I was spending on domains. While it's easy and painless to buy one domain at a time and have the six or seven bucks deducted, it's a whole new ballgame to get hit with a balloon amount of hundreds of dollars at once. I slowed my buying, usually frivolous, immediately.

The tech support is sometimes helpful on small, easy issues, but overall it is not very good. All the tech support I've talked to are not native English speakers (they sounded Eastern European), and this caused some difficulties. A few questions took too long to get answers, and the rep sometimes was impatient. Some of my questions simply got a "No" or "We don't currently offer this service" e-mail replies. Some were not resolved at all.

The control panel is good in some ways, but inadequate in others. It definitely needs a bulk-change feature for DNS and such. There should be a cost-free way to move domains between "packages" and other 1and1 accounts. There are some more shortcomings, but it takes too long to describe them.

They were easy to tfr a domain into, and provided detailed, current e-mail about the status of the imported/transferring domain.

I'll now try a domain transer out and to empty a package and close it out. I'll accurately report my findings in what I hope is a neutral, informative manner.

Hope it will help.

 

[floatingworld]

here's some real tests for you:
try to stop a domain being renewed within 1 week of domain expiry, within 2 weeks of domain expiry.
try to stop your credit card being charged if you request domain cancellation within periods mentioned above.
try to sideways push a domain to another user without getting charged.
try to transfer out or sideways push any of the 'free' 5 info names without getting charged.
why close an account? but if you have to, try to do it without having to send a fax.
try to cancel any domain AND remove it from your account without having to send a fax.
try to sell a domain to another domainer from 1+1 account and get it transferred within 7 days without any faxes, emails or telephone calls.

1+1: Total Rubbish Registrar Award 2005-2006.

 

[movingconcierge]

Those F()(kers Locked My Account Again!!!

Without warning or reason, 1and1.com aka 1 & 1 Internet Services locked my account again. I'm all paid up. The last notice was for me to put an up to date credit card in my file. I asked them to quit harrassing me.

I just cannot believe that some idiots here defend them?!? It just astounds me...really.

 

[movingconcierge]

Another request off to ICANN...

"1and1.com aka 1 & 1 Internet Services, Inc. has locked my account for no reason and will not answer my emails. I have no balance due and no monthly fees. My first name does not expire for more than 3 months from now.

If you search the internet, you will see this story repeated thousands of times over. I really wish that an authority would stop the piracy and extorsion of the accounts of hard working webmasters. We feel helpless and it seems that no organization cares about our plight.

Would you PLEASE, PLEASE investigate this valid claim of breach of policy and provide some accountability on the part of the registrar."

I encourage everyone who has had a problem with 1and1.com aka 1 & 1 Internet Services, Inc. to file one of these complaints here:

ICANN 1and1.com Complaint Form

FTC Debt Collection Complaint Form

[edit]

DON'T FORGET THAT 1AND1.COM IS A MAJOR INVESTOR / BUSINESS PARTNER IN SEDO. MOVE YOUR NAMES TO NAMEDRIVE, TRAFFICZ, ETC. SELL THEM AT AFTERNIC OR TDNAM. BOYCOTT SEDO TOO! I'VE DONE IT SO CAN YOU. TAKE A STAND!

[/edit]

Further, and if you are so inclined, an email off to these news editors would help to raise the question of legitimacy of 1and1.com with these agencies:

COMPUTING:
[email protected] [PC Answers]
[email protected] [PC Advisor]
[email protected] [Custom PC]
[email protected] [Mac User]
[email protected] [Computer Buyer]
[email protected] [Computer Shopper]
[email protected] [PC Pro]
[email protected] [Net Magazine]
[email protected] [Digit Magazine]
[email protected] [PC Plus]
[email protected] [PC World]
[email protected] [Max PC]
[email protected] [Linux Format]
[email protected] [PC Format]
[email protected] [PC Magazine]
[email protected] [PC World]

GENERAL MEDIA:
[email protected] [Independent newspaper - UK]
[email protected] [Guardian newspaper - UK]
[email protected] [Independent Television Network - UK]
[email protected] [Independent Radio Network - UK]
[email protected] [Ananova on-line news]
[email protected] [Spiegel TV - Germany]
[email protected] [Spiegel magazine - Germany]

This is just getting obsurd....someone has to do something to stop these @$$holes

If anyone has any other contacts that might be able to put pressure on 1and1.com to adjust their anticonsumer behavior, please post it here.

 

[movingconcierge]

FTC Complaint form

Here is my FTC complaint form about 1and1.com harrassing emails about money I don't owe. At the very least, I hope to have the FTC alert 1and1.com I have filed a formal complaint against them. I encourage everyone to take the 2 minutes to do the same.

First Name:
Last Name:
Age Range:
Street Address:
City:
State or Canadian Province: California
Country: UNITED STATES
Zip Code or Postal Code:
E-Mail Address:
Home Phone:
Work Phone:
Subject of Your Complaint: Debt Collection
Name of Company You Are Complaining About: 1 & 1 Internet Services, Inc. AKA 1and1.com
Street Address: 701 Lee Rd. Suite 300
City: Chesterbrook
State or Canadian Province: Pennsylvania
Country: UNITED STATES
Zip Code or Postal Code: 19087
Company Web Site: http://www[dot]1and1.com
Company E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Phone Number: (877)461-2631Ext.
How Did the Company Initially Contact You?: E-mail
How Much Did the Company Ask You to Pay?: 1248.07
How Much Did You Actually Pay the Company?: 1267.02
How Did You Pay the Company?: Personal Check
Did You File a Dispute with the Credit Bureau?: N
Did You File a Dispute with the Credit Bureau More Than 45 Days Ago?: N
First Name Christopher
Last Name: Flagg
Date Company Contacted You: 03/23/2006 (MM/DD/YYYY)
Explain Your Problem: (Please limit your complaint to 2000 characters.): (Product Name: Domain Names) I have paid in full, including a pseudo late fee that was added after I paid their bill in full. The actual notice of debt is in dispute, but I paid it in full. I continuously get harrassed by the 1and1.com billing department. My account is repeated locked for no reason. I get repeated requests to pay an unknown and / or non-existent balance.

This company has a reputation for extorsion and account hostage techniques. I did not know that until I was well vested into my account. If you "Google" "1and1 billing" "1and1 sucks" or "i hate 1and1" you will find thousands of supportive claims.

Further, I have documented some of my experiences on an online forum I participate in and have found that others in my group have had the same tactics used on them. I beleive that this company is not playing by the rules and is abusing consumers. Please investigate 1 & 1 Internet and help me put a stop to the harrassment.

 

[verbster]

I just cannot believe that some idiots here defend them?!? It just astounds me...really.

movingconcierge,

Just because some domainers have not suffered your misfortunes, it doesn't necessarily mean they are defending them. And even if someone does choose to defend them, who are you to call them idiots? I'm betting even those who have not had problems with 1and1 will sympathize and support you in your cause; I know I will. So aim your disrespect at 1and1, not at NP members just trying to offer an honest opinion.

 

[leviathon]

In fact 1&1 expects them to beat all their competitions in domaining and hosting.

 

[movingconcierge]

Yeah...idiot was wrong...I was pretty steamed last night finding my account locked again...

 

[TestCase]

Am just glad 1&1 are HQ'd a loooooooong way from where you're at MC.

If they weren't, I suspect there'd be an APB out right now with your name on it and we'd be watching a segment about you tonite on Americas Most Wanted....

 

[movingconcierge]

BBB Complaint Form

Please, if you have a valid complaint against 1and1.com aka 1 & 1 Internet Services, Inc. fill out this form! It only takes a few minutes and anything we can do to raise awareness of 1and1.com's shady business practices will help those that they get after us.

BBB Complaint Form

 

[JH]

i used there uk site 1and1.co.uk hahaha wot a mistake , all was goin well until i changed hosts so i changed my namservers 4 days ago now , but there still pointing to my old host ???

 

[floatingworld]

don't worry, the 1+1 Stepford Wives on the forum will advise you that it is user error.
PS 1+1 may effectively be closed for easter doing anything useful (you better believe it), so wait till next weds before resetting again, then email the buggers (+ plan your transfer to another registrar)

 

[movingconcierge]

haha...well when they get in they'll have about 200 emails from me because I've emailed them 50 times a day from the first time I noticed my account locked again.

I just have to start turning this bitching into action or it's meaningless. So from now on it's complaint forms, emails, letters to editor; its an all out offensive on 1and1.com. I'd love for some others to join me in telling their story to the FTC (if you are in the US), ICANN (even though they are effectively and admittedly impotent in this type of complaint), the BBB (ditto ICANN since 1and1.com has many, many BBB complaints already), this thread, and other blogs.

I have to say that one of the most complete sites battling 1and1.com is bankraid.com.

But, the most important thing others can do, in my opinion, is BOYCOTT SEDO and all other sites / companies that are a part of the 1and1.com family. The parent company website is unitedinternet[dot]com

 

[andriegel]

We have over 2K names at 1and1 with four host acounts

Hi,

My business partners and I have over 2000 names on four accounts at 1and1.

I signed up for one of their "free" accounts shortly after they launched in the US market.

*I have never been ripped off by them in any way.

*You no longer have to fax deletions in: they have an interface to delete or transfer your names.

*When I get unsatisfactory service on the phone, I escalate to a supervisor with no problems on the 24/7 toll free support lines.

*They send me a "heads up" email when I am soon to receive a TM complaint :o

*When I was raking in about $500 a month on their affiliate program using typos of THEIR name on THEIR server, they were reasonable about it and only asked that I transfer the typos to their accounts.

I realized some may have been "screwed" by them, just like happens with any large provider of hosting, names, phone, ISP, etc. but you really lose credibility in your case when you call them the devil incarnate, etc. or gloat that you will bring them down with your strikes, sit-ins, 200 emails-a-day complaint campaign. Try this: go to 1and1 headquarters. Put a bag of dog shit on their front porch. Light the bag on fire. Ring the door bell. When the chairman of the board comes to the door, he'll see the bag on fire, and naturally try to put out the fire by stomping on the bag. The stomping action will cause the dog shit to coat his wing tip Kennith Cole's, causing him much consternation and regret for ever ripping you off.

best regards,

Andrew

 

[biggerboy]

i used there uk site 1and1.co.uk hahaha wot a mistake , all was goin well until i changed hosts so i changed my namservers 4 days ago now , but there still pointing to my old host ???

don't worry, only taking 3 weeks for me :td: now I have 3 domains to cancel, this ought to be fun.

 

[movingconcierge]

I just somehow knew that you'd show up...1and1 sounds like your cup of tea...How's the hurricane katrina profit fund going, andriegel? Did you raise a ton of money? And thanks for bringing 1and1 to the masses with your reseller program. I'm sure everyone is just as happy as you are...

You're right again about me. I just like to cause trouble. I like to call people out when they profit from natural disasters like hurricane katrina and coincidentally, 1and1, the devil themselves. Back to the bat cave with you...

Here are a few choice words from andriegel

[...]but there is always profit related to Disasters.

[...]Oh, and by the way: My site http://katrinablog.org is for sale to the highest and best use.

If you are a sole proprietor in the domain name or web arena, you ARE a bottom feeder. I'm just not affraid to admit it. In capitalism, you have to "whore yourself to the man" in one way or another. I'm 100% self employed- I call my own shots. But you know what? I still have to occasionally "whore myself to the man" to accomplish the mission. One day, when I am making money soley from investments, domain name speculation and affiliate sales, I will no longer have to "whore myself", but I will still be a bottom feeder.

It looks like you're whoring yourself right here trying to defend the worst company most have ever dealt with. You're just as offensive as I remember.

 

[dgridley]

People such as movingconcierge continue in their attempts to educate the masses re: 1and1 and, as is human nature, many will continue to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear.. hopefully, if just one domainer can be saved from the maws of crass commercialism, poor customer support, etc., etc., all will be worth it.

 

[andriegel]

thanks for the laughs!

BTW: the Katrina Blog has not made very much money.

BUT, the Katrina family that we adopted, moved out here to California, got an apartment, each jobs and a car seem to be doing pretty well. Thanks for asking.

 

[fluoride]

Hi again

Noticed that one brave soul is going to attempt a domain transfer based on the advice I gave. I know from my own experience that it need not be fraught with difficulty, but I am concerned that some folk are seemingly still being billed for domains transferred elsewhere. This brings me to an important point.

When transferring your domain name(s), make sure your new host is the nameserver. I have noticed that when you do transfer a domain name, the nameserver is sometimes defaulted to the host your are transferring from. So, if you are moving a domain from 1&1 to (say) GoDaddy, then make sure that GoDaddy's nameservers are used. If you leave the nameservers as 1&1's, this may be the reason that some folk are still being billed. It's just a guess, but it may be the reason.

Also, when transferring domains, cancel the entire package the domains are listed under. If you have any 'add-ons' to your domain name (such as email), then these will NOT be cancelled after transferring - and you will still get billed for them.

I suppose the salient point is that if you are brave (or foolish) enough to do business with 1&1, then make sure each domain you register has it's own package. That way, when you move or (try to) cancel a domain name, you can delete the entire package and not just the domain name.

Having said all of this,the 'horseshit' still remains for cancelling domains using the so-called fax method.

On a more postive note, I was recently contacted by someone in authority at 1&1 (Germany). The telephone call even came to my home. Seems 1&1 may be a little nervous about all the bad publicity they are getting on my website (www.bankraid.com).

I've offered to work for the company providing they take-up all of my recommendations. This would mean being more efficient and honest with customers, trashing the pain-in-the-ass cancellation system and making it more user friendly, and sacking / replacing some of the people they employ. I should add that I turned down the chance to give a seminar to 1&1 (The 1&1 rep. asked me to consider it). My argument was that it's not so much the staff that need educating, it's the company policy that needs to change firstly.

Don't think this will happen, but you never know. This is one pig that may yet get to fly! But until any of this happens, avoid 1&1 like the plague (quite literally!!!).

Chris.

 

[movingconcierge]

Chris,

That's quite an interesting development; that 1and1.com would want a disgruntled customer to establish a QA benchmark and set customer service protocol.

I'd welcome the change, however I'm skeptical, actually it's more like totally pesimistic, that 1and1.com aka 1 & 1 Internet could change it's company culture by the pen of one man.

I think that it will take our culture to change their culture. Maybe we could start an anti-1and1.com webring / link exchange?

At any rate, Chris, thanks for stopping by and giving us some of your insight. And thanks for your website,

BankRaid.com

MC

 

[flishess]

I regged all my newbie names there in Nov. I wonder if I was to attempt to sell would I have to put up with all the bs (not .net)!

:yell:

I have been using 1and1 for a long time with no problems...

If the starter of this thread had read how 1and1 charges your account he would have known that they only bill you once a month for however many names you register.