1and1 order disregard, worst registrar ever and 99 cents quality

[urfin]

Hi,

Just wanted to share my recent experience with 1and1 service. Maybe it can be helpful for somebody.

I knew that 1and1 promotes $0.99 .com domain right now, so decided it's a good reason to take a closer look on their service. So I have selected dropped LLLLL.com, it was available, I made an order, got a success message and the following email:

Customer ID: xxxxx
Dear Mr. xxxxx,
Thank you for ordering 1&1 Instant Domain. This e-mail
confirms that we have received your order.
Please note that no product has been activated to this point. This
e-mail serves as an acknowledgement of receipt only.
What are the next steps?
We are currently checking your order. Once we have configured your
product, you will receive an additional e-mail containing useful setup
information.
If you have any questions, give us a call. Our team is happy to assist
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: 1-866-991-2631 (free of charge).
Or send an e-mail to:
support[at]1and1.com
Sincerely,
1&1 Internet Inc.
Z1SOC

I didn't read it at first and went to my control panel to check newly added domain. But multiple logins failed, I even restored a password, but it didn't help.
I decided that my product wasn't configured yet, so control panel is also not ready. I was aware that domain registration can goes with some delay.
It was pretty late and I went sleep. I didn't find any new emails from 1and1 in the morning and saw that my selected domain is still available (yeah, looks like it wasn't the best 5-letter .com choice). But I anyway have sent a letter to 1and1's support team and got the following answer:

Dear xxxxx xxxxx Customer ID: xxxxx),
Thank you for contacting us.
Please be informed that your account is not ready yet wherein it needs to be verified by our Security Team. Please contact our Security Team with this number 1-877-206-4253 and they are open 0900- 1700 EST, Mondays - Fridays to assist you. Thank you for bearing with us.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
--
Best Regards,
Carmencita Bascon
Technical Support
1&1 Internet Limited

After another one letter telling I am not going to do this phone call and asking for details on my issue:

Dear xxxxx xxxxx, (Customer ID: xxxxx)
Thank you for contacting 1&1 Internet.
In order to better serve you and the online community, 1&1 requires that all accounts are verified and have accurate contact information on file. To provide you with the best customer service we ask that you provide us with a valid form of identification. This documentation can consist of one or more of the following:
- Accounts ordered under Personal name/information:
One of the following Photo ID's issued by a government agency:
Driver's License
Passport
National ID
Immigration Visa
Military ID
- Accounts ordered under a Business name/information:
One of the above Personal Photo ID's for the listed administrative contact in your order, and one of the following:
Business Registration Documents
Articles of Incorporation
Tax Documents
Other forms of ID will be reviewed and accepted at our discretion.
Additionally, if your ID is not issued by the country where you have placed the order from, please provide proof of your current address (personal or business), such as a utility bill, etc.
This documentation is used only for account verification and is not shared by 1and1 or any related companies for any other purposes.
Please reply to this email and attach a digital image of your document(s).
Acceptable formats for the attachment include: .bmp, .gif, .png, .jpg, or .pdf.
You can also send it along with your Customer ID noted above via Fax: (610) 560 1504
Please reply to this request within the next five days, or your account cannot be activated.
If you have any questions we are also available by phone at 1 877 206 4253 (or +1 610 560 1445 internationally) between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM Eastern Time (US). Please have your Customer ID number available when you call.
1&1 has been offering high-quality Internet Services for over 20 years. For more info visit: order.1and1.com/AboutUs
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

So to summarize - I wanted buy a domain, thought all worked fine as there were no instant errors during my order, I got a 'success' screen. But instead of this my newly created accounts was locked, domain wasn't purchased and I even wasn't notified about this. Only good thing - my CC wasn't charged as far as I can see.
I am using multiple domain registrars right now, but so far 1and1 is the worst ever. It's like a black box which will either register you a new name or just leave you with nothing.