Complaint Review: 1and1 Internet

I was a customer of 1&1 for six years.  I paid for several domains, including a church.  When the church domain came up for renewal this year they requested a registrar transfer.  They requested the transfer which 1and1 completed on 06 June 2013.  The invoice for $19.99 three year renewal  was dated 06 June 2013.  As the transfer completed on June 05 I thought nothing more of the matter.   Fortunately the credit card account I had on file with 1and1 expired earlier. 

On June 17, 2013 I received a suspension notice for my other domains.  Attached to the notice was an invoice for my primary domain in the amount of $9.95 due in May and a line item for $19.99 for the transferred domain with a billing date of 17 June 2013 and a due date of 18 June 2013.

I called one and one to dioscuss the matter.  A woman pulled the account and stated that the billing was not correct and that the domain had renewed on 06 June 2013 so I was therefore owed $19.99.  I pointed out that the domain had transferred by that time and that they were billing me for a service that they did not provide now or at the time of billing.  I asked her what I would get for $19.99 and she told me I would get nothing.  I pointed out that this was theft.  She told me that I should send an email to billing@1and1.com as they were the highest billing authority (here I thought the IRS was the highest billing authority).  I asked that she issue a credit which she refused.  I then stated that I would place the billing records as well as our conversation on the internet.  She became agitated and yelled that if I was recording her call she would transfer me.  End of call.

Next I sent a complaint to billing@1and1.com.  I noted my years as a customer and stated that I did not dispute the $9.95 but that the attached invoice clearly showed the $19.95 due on 18 June 2013, some 13 days after they trasferred the domain.  As a matter of fairness they should have simply issued a credit and resumed normal service on my personal domain.  Within 24 hours the declined in email.

This is a small amount.  The customer relationship was longstanding and I offerred to pay for what I would receive.  The behaviour of one and one is unethical as best and plainly stupid at worst.  This is a firm which abuses customers and uses it's provider service to extort money for services they admit they cannot serve. 

I shall be filing a fraud complaint with the Pennsylvania Attoprney General as well as the U.S. Attorney's Office.  I encourage you to file a criminal complaint against 1and1.com if they are attempting to defraud you.  This is not a billing error.  This is a legitimate business that resorts to extortion and fraud as an income source.

DISHONEST. CRIMINAL. INTERNET FRAUD & EXTORTION AS A BUSINESS MODEL.