1 and 1 Hosting Review

From all of the other user reviews I have read, the 1&1 Hosting Review was the most painful to take in.  Below are some of the reviews of 1&1 Hosting:

“They became too big for their own good

I’ve been with 1&1 for more than a decade and I hold or manage several accounts with them. Recently, I experienced customer support issue that is so taken aback, I am considering moving out. I started on MS Exchange service, after solicited by their sales rep. But they started it on one of my clients’ account, not on my main account. My client’s credit card was charged. When I contacted customer service, they said I did not cancel early enough to prevent the charge. Of course it was not possible to cancel any sooner than I did on their cancellation site. Then they said “we do not have a specific tool to cancel this feature with immediate effect and due to security purposes we do not cancel or alter customer’s accounts through email as well”. In other words, “sorry for the mistake but once we stick the charge on you, you got to pay”. I am still fighting on this transaction, but they are not giving me confidence. Why anyone will chase 10+yr customer away for just $10 charge? Unbelievable. ”

“I have now read several posts that are nearly identical to yours, differing only in the very minor details. Each complaint I read complains most vehemently about being charged for services not received and/or not being able to contact customer service (or the fact that cutomer service does not return emails and other forms of comunication) to resolve this or other issues critical to running a business. This is utterly horrifying and truly disgusting! It is also why so many people, even in this day and in which e-commerce has become so popular that it is now on the verge of overtaking traditonal brick-and mortar commerce, will not even consider purchasing anything via the Internet, let alone actually do it, and such online companies give other honest, trustworthy, and reliable online companies a bad name.

If you look carefully at 1&1′s Web site, you will notice that is has a rather striking feature–or, rather, an absence of a normally striking feature. Even when they drone on and on about how many awards and testimonials they have received, NOWHERE on their site do they display the most important seals indicating that a business engages in what are generally accepted “good” business practices from the most well established and reputable organizations that award such seals, namely such organizations such as the Better Business Bureau Online (www.bbbonline.org), the (original) Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org), Truste (www.truste.org, and Trustwave (www.trustwave.com), and a few others. Sure, they have all sorts of hosting seals, but they do not have even one of these truly important seals, and, frankly, these are really the only ones worth their “salt,” so to speak, since so many “seals” can simply be purchased from rather nonreputable (and usually dishonest) companies that often disappear overnight, very unlike the organizations I listed above.

So why are such “beacons” of trustworthiness so absent on their Web site if they are really the largest hosting company in the world and so incredibly terrific as they claim to be? Actually, I don’t really know the answer to this with unequivocal certainty, but such a lack of what online businesses universally consider to be crucial messages to their customers that these businesses are truly honest and worth the customers’ trust (i.e., these seals on their Web sites) indicates extremely strongly that 1&1 either could not obtain these seals, probably because the organizations that grant them would not award a seal to 1&1 due to their lack of confidence in 1&1 or, at least, 1&1 does not consider the seals to be of any real importance–and this alone screams that 1&1 ia not to be trusted. THUS, WE END UP WITH A SEEMINGLY UNENDING LIST OF COMPLAINTS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO YOURS ABOUT 1&1′S SUSPECT, IF NOT OUTRIGHTLY DISHONEST, BUSINESS PRACTICES!

Well, enough of my moralizing! Let me move on to how you may do more than just being able to vent at a forum like CNET (which, of course, is of infinite value to others since you let others know to avoid 1&1)and actually resolve problems with 1&1 you are facing for not only some personal satisfaction, but also in order to get 1&1 to give you the attention and services for which you have already paid them.

Yes, if you can reach anyone at all at 1&1 by telephone (otherwise, you willm unfortunately, be forced to email them or to write an actual letter, which usually packs more punch than an email), ask immediately to speak with a supervisor; do not speak with the first person who answers the phone because the main purpose of this person is to act as a gatekeeper, or screener, and to deal with the most mundane of the company’s issues, thus allowing more upper level employees free to do more important or involved tasks. Really, if you absolutely INSIST that you will not speak at length with anyone other than a supervisor other than to let the screener know the KIND of problem you have (not the actual specifics of the problem), the screener has no other choice but to pass your call on to a supervisor. Of course, get the name and identification number (most employees have such and I.D.), and write these names down along with the time and date of your call and any important specifics of the conversation. When you get ahold of the supervisor, succinctly and calmly but, nevertheless, very firmly (acting extremely angry at this point will only make the supervisor dismiss you as just another “nutcase” who call to yell at him/her and put obstacles in the way of solving your problem) describe your problem and why you are now upset about how your problem has been treated (or, actually, mistreated). Then, tell the supervisor that you are truly exasperated at how you and your problem have been dismissed by the company. Then, finally,–and here comes the punch–tell the person that you will be initiating a series of complaints if your problem is not completely resolved within 24 hours; do not budge on the time frame (unless it is really PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for them to resolve your issues/complaint IN FULL within 24 hours). Tell him/her in no uncertain terms that you have already exhausted your patience and that without fail your complaints will begin 24 hours after your conversation with the supervisor if your issue/complaint is not FULLY resolved–and be ready to keep your word and act on this if you do not receive a full resolution to your problems. Then tell the person that you will contact: the Online Fraud Complaint Center, the Better Business Bureau (both online and the traditonal BBB), the FTC, and the State Attorney General’s office in both 1&1′s state and in your own state, if you do not live within the state of residence of 1&1, to file formal complaints about 1&1′a dishonest business practices. Believe me, if the person takes you seriously (which is why you must follow through with your threat if your issue is not resolved within the time frame you delineated, usually 24-48 hours) and knows ANYTHING about ANY of the above organizations/offices, the person will know you mean business and will do his/her utmost to ensure that your needs are met. These offices, while some (especially the Attorney General’s office since the are often backlogged with cases and complaints) may take a bit of time to get around to taking action on your complaint, will put the fear of God into any Internet businessperson (and other businesspeople) because of the recourse these true institions in our culture have with regard to any business about which you have a complaint.

Well, anyway, I know that was long-winded (I haven’t slept for two days, and I get a bit unfocused with no sleep =) ), but I hope it helps. Good luck! =) ”

Wow!

What do you think? Leave your own 1&1 Hosting Review in the comments below.