Well I have read a few of the threads here bashing 1&1, and have just had my own problems with them culminating to today. If you are thinking of purchasing from 1&1 don't do it! In the fall of 2007, a friend and I where going to start a small local website. We found 1&1 which offered cheap hosting with all of the server specs that we needed. I purchased 6 months of hosting from them using my CC. Unfortunately our website did not last any longer than a few months, and by the time those 6 months where up I no longer needed the hosting. Thinking that the host would simply expire (unless I authorized another payment) I just let it go, only to see a charge for another $29.95 on my bank statement. I called them, and was sent to http://cancel.1and1.com (a URL that is suspiciously absent from their website) and followed the instructions to cancel the account. I requested that the site be canceled at the next billing date (figured I could use it as a development server or something since I had already paid for it). In January of 2008 (1/22/2008 to be exact) I received yet another charge from them! I called again explaining my situation, and said I had tried to use the online cancellation form but apparently the account was not canceled. The customer support representative requested information from me, and verified that he had personally canceled the account and that I would be receiving a full refund. I was satisfied (at the time) and rather naively forgot about the whole ordeal. Today (July 22, 2008) I received ANOTHER charge for another 6 months of hosting. Keep in mind I haven't used this account since January . . . I requested a refund for January - July (as I didn't want, nor did I use this account). I was told my name wasn't on file and therefore I couldn't cancel it. Despite the fact that I was told the account was canceled twice, and I had the credit card information, billing address, and security questions (among other things) to prove I was the owner of the account. One representative in particular even yelled at me, and basically told me I was incompetent. So I asked to speak to her supervisor. Her supervisor wasn't any more helpful and he told me: "I will not be canceling your account and I will not be giving you a refund. I'm not continuing this conversation" and hung up on me. I have filed a credit dispute with my bank, and had to change my credit card number to prevent them from charging me again. I also filed a complaint with the BBB (not surprisingly they have an 'unsatisfactory' rating there), The Federal Trades Commission, and sent a letter to the Attorney General. Now i'm waiting for my collections letter . . . as so many of you have received before. Absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. No other hosting company has ever come close to being this much of a hassle!
Whoa, looks like you had a terrible experience with these guys. I know a couple of people who use this hosting, and I've never heard of any complaints so far. One thing I will tell you is, they are vulnerable to social engineering. Expect to share your customer information with anyone who is good at conning people. I would know, a friend of mine was able to compromise many accounts over the phone.
Yea it's pretty rough. Just do a search on google for "Can't Cancel 1&1" and you'll see what i'm talking about . . . For instance: http://www.hostingcomments.com/web-hosting-reviews/1and1/reviews.html or how about: http://www.web-hosting-top.com/web-hosting/web-hosting-top.1and1.com/type/add-review I'm not the only one, there are thousands of us. I have submitted complaints to many review websites and have contacted 'The Consumerist' among others. I even have a Digg submission at: http://digg.com/tech_news/1_1_Internet_Inc_Something_must_be_done I just want a refund . . . and an apology
Sorry for what happened to you there, I've known some people who have been attracted into 1&1 easily by their big show, advertisments etc. Personally I don't think they care too much about their customers, as they have 1000s more, always better to go with a stable smaller host even if you have to pay more - they will give you the time of day.
yes, indeed they will send you a collection letter. The remedy to this issue is BBB, one single complaint will do it. Trust me, try it and provide feedback.
Yea, I submitted a complaint to the BBB already, as well as the attorney general and the federal trades commission. I also tried to cancel it again . . . this time I took dated screenshots of the final 'Cancellation complete' page and saved a copy of all emails I have received. The one and only time I shy away from my typical host, I run into his crap.