Complaint / Review
One & One Internet
Won't allow me to cancel my unused domain

I have used a domain with 1 and 1 for a few years. Last spring, I tried to cancel my domain, as I no longer needed it. I was told I could no longer cancel for the year.in all of this confusion, my fees got sent to collection, so I ended up paying for another year (which I didn't need) as well as the inflated collection fees.

Now, this year, I got notice that my account was due again. When I got the email, I promptly called 1&1, and spoke with a member of their staff. I explained that I no longer needed the domain, and they very courteously told me they would cancel it immedietly, as well as cancel my bill.

I got an email from 1&1 on Friday, March 6, confirming my account has been cancelled, effective March 6. March 9, I get a declined payment email. I called 1&1 and told them my account had been cancelled. They said they couldn't do anything about it, that I had to pay for another year. Then I got an email, stating that "you set your
domain to expire at the end of its current billing period, not immediately. Since the domain has already renewed the cancellation has been set for after this year in 2010."

When I tried to dispute this with the billing department, I was told it was out of their hands. I asked who could help me, and I was told to email "[email protected]". I did this twice, and never got a response.

I can't get anyone at 1 and 1 to hear me, or at least make me feel like they are trying to work with me.

So, now I am paying for yet another year of unneeded service. Both years I was told it was too late to cancel. Both years I told them to cancel my service. I now believe they are tricking me into paying year after year, and wonder how I can ever get out of a contract with them with this dizzying way of doing business.

I was told in 2008 that I am paying ahead for my service, but once it goes to collection there is no way to cancel. So this year, hoping to avoid that mistake, I called and spoke to someone directly and got a confirmed cancellation. Now they are telling me they will again send me to collection if I don't pay for YET ANOTHER year.