There are number of places you can register a domain name. 1and1 is another registrar and a web hosting company that a lot of customers use. 1and1 is a giant company just like GoDaddy. They offer web hosting, but a lot of people are surprised to hear that they are one of the largest registrars, too. You have probably seen them in magazines or advertised online. In previous articles on tbwhs.com I have compared NameCheap and GoDaddy to see which one was actually cheaper for purchasing domain names.
If you’re completely new to purchasing a domain name I would suggest that you read this article first. Typically, webmasters like to register their domain names with the same company that they purchase their web hosting with. I prefer to purchase my domain names through NameCheap and then host them with InMotion. Often times you get a free domain for a year or sometimes for the life of your account, if you choose them as your web hosting provider. You do get a free domain name whenever you sign up with 1and1’s web hosting plans, which I do like.
However, I don’t recommend 1and1 for web hosting because of the negative feedback I have gotten on them over the years. I did want to check them out for registering domain names. Maybe, I will find them to be a good solution for registering domain names, though. In this article you will learn if it’s worth it or not to register a domain name with 1and1.
Different Domain Extensions
1and1 does offer a plethora of different domain names to purchase. There are 650+ domain extensions that you can buy! I can say they do offer more than most registrars. Certainly, your going to be able to find something that you want for your website with 1and1.
Private Domains
You can always make your domain names private with 1and1. The first year you buy your domain you do get privacy protection. However, after the first year it is no longer free. It will cost $2.99/year.
Prices
As an example I am going to use .com domain names. They offer .com domain names for $.99 for the first year. The price does go up to $14.99 each year after that. This is one of the same tactics that GoDaddy uses. The price does go up to the exact same price as GoDaddy charges.
Transfers
There is a 7 step process in order to transfer your domain names away from 1and1. They do state on their website that it can take 5 days to transfer a domain name. This is a lot longer than other companies. Then, it will take another 24 to 48 hours to propagate over. Overall, your looking at about 5-9 days for a simple transfer.
Debt Collections
1and1 is quick to send your account to the debt collectors. This is a huge complaint that a lot of webmasters have been moaning and groaning about for years. See this thread on WebHostingTalk.com about 1and1 billing practices. If you don’t pay your bill, or more commonly your credit card expiration expires and you fail to recognize this it will be sent to collections. This will add a bill of $18.95 in order to unlock your account.
DNS Changes
Most registrars make it easy to change your DNS settings. However, with 1and1 it’s a hassle. Meaning, there are a lot of unnecessary steps that you need to go through in order to change your DNS. For instance, if you have a domain name you bought through another company and want to point it to 1and1 servers it feels like 1and1 would just prefer you transfer the domain name to them. Remember it will take 5-9 days for the transfer if you choose to move it.
Most registrars allow you to login and cut and paste your DNS settings. Not with 1and1 though. You have to follow a 8 step process.
Upsells
You really have to make sure your paying attention when you purchase products or services with 1and1. One thing that I don’t like about 1and1 is they will try to upsell any and everything to you. Simply, trying to register a domain name could actually end up costing you more with introductory offers that will cost you substantially more later on down the road.
They will cold call you and try to upsell you different products and services, too.
Final Verdict
Overall, 1and1 for a registrar falls short for a number of different reasons. They complicate the simple process of pointing your DNS, try to upsell you various products, raise prices drastically, have billing issues, etc. Yes, they are very successful with advertising and have become one of the most well known companies in the registrar and web hosting industry, but they are a company I don’t recommend.
You could save money and a lot of hassles later on down the road by avoiding 1and1 altogether. I would highly recommend you purchase your domain names with NameCheap, though. They are much easier to work with, cheaper, and the customer support is far superior.
TBWHS.com is hosted by GreenGeeks
Yep sending your account to collections is something that 1and1 loves to do. Have you seen all the complaints on the BBB about collections? It’s insane that they know they have a problem with this but don’t do anything to resolve it. I guess I am just another number that 1and1 doesn’t care about! Going to pay my bill because my card expired and they sent it to collections, though. Then I am migrating away from them for good!
You’re certainly not the only one that has been sent to collections by 1and1. I would guess that they have sent thousands of people to collections. I checked with the BBB and looks like they have 560 complaints against them. 312 of those complaints are about billing/collections issues which kind of makes you wonder about them.
https://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/internet-web-hosting/1-1-internet-inc-in-chesterbrook-pa-1040770/
For instance, if I had a domain name that I didn’t want I would probably just let it expire. But, what if 1and1 sent it to collections? When I have to pay a bill that I didn’t even want? I could really see how this would outrage a lot of people.
Surely, 1and1 is going to do something about this problem that has been going on for years.
1and1 really is a hassle to work with. When you change your DNS you have to email them? Why can’t they get with the times? It doesn’t take 5 days to change your DNS with 1and1; it takes 12!
Never is fun when I have a client that uses them!
Yes, it doesn’t make sense to work with them if they are more time consuming for a simple task like changing your DNS. 12 days is entire too long for a simple DNS change!
Maybe you should start charging your clients and extra 15% when they use 1and1. I have done that in the past with customers who used host or registrars that are difficult to deal with.
Everything is done at a snails pace with 1and1. If you order a domain name you won’t actually get to use it for about a week. I had to send them four emails just to make sure I could start developing a website on a domain I bought from them.
I am not a fan of their backend settings for changing their DNS; it’s very clusterd and not very user friendly at all. They should really reconsider redoing it because it’s so hard to find whatever your looking for.
But, transferring away from 1and1 is the worst part. You think it takes awhile to get a domain name. Well, it’s a whole new ball game when you transfer a domain name away from them. It has taken as long as two weeks to do a simple transfer in the past!
All and all, it’s no fun working with 1and1. Domain names are no exception! I try to stay away from them, but sometimes clients are already using them 🙁
Thanks for the comment and it does look like a lot of webmasters are complaining about the lack of urgency with 1and1.
I don’t really like their UI either. It should be really simple like NameCheap. There shouldn’t be as many steps to make a simple DNS change. GoDaddy is another UI that I am not a fan of either.
I can relate about the 4 emails. I had to send them 3 of them when I wrote this article because I had questions about domain privacy and transfers. They answered my first question about site transfers but didn’t even acknowledge my question about private domain names. Finally, after 3 emails I learned that private registration is free with all domains you purchase from 1and1.
Long story short; the communication with 1and1 could be much better.
Thanks for laying it out the way it really is with 1and1. They should write in bigger letters that the price for a domain name goes up 14X for the next year. I am sure a lot of people are surprised to see it when they are charged for it the next year.
I will no longer buy domain names with 1and1. I have hosted with them over the years and it wasn’t a very fun experience.
thanks for sharing. Yep, seems to be a popular thing to do; start you out cheap and then raise the price.
Hey Garen,
I’ve heard some good things about 1&1 as some of the cheapest domain registrars, but well, as the saying goes, you don’t get the best with cheap. My domain registrar of choice is also NameCheap, great service and some of the fastest live chat support I’ve come across.
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Anh
Yeah, this is a classic example of cheapest not always being the best. Lots of people use 1and1 for domain names and they really do make the simple process of changing your DNS hard. I have learned this first hand. It once took me 10 days to do a simple DNS change!
NameCheap is much better. The price is better, but the support is like night and day, compared to 1and1. NameCheap handles issues quickly. 1and1 makes little problems nightmares.
Hey Garen,
This is an informative article about domain names and web hosting for newbies like myself. As I read your feedback about 1and1 company, you made me remember my own experience with them and, to make it short, it wasn’t such a good experience. It was a couple of months ago and since then I moved away. You did great job exposing their practices.
ZED
Glad you moved away and stopped using them. Fewer hassles in our lives are always a pro.
Everything just seems to be a hassle with 1and1 with domain names. Following a 7 step process just to change a DNS is ridiculous. I am actually in the process of testing them out for web hosting which also seems to be a hassle. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on what I find out when hosting with them.
1and1 sounds like a nasty hosting company using unethical methods. I would steer clear of such a place. Web hosting nowadays are available with a lot of options nowadays. Godaddy is one of them. I also use NameCheap which is pretty good. I have never heard of a hosting company sending my information to a debt collection company though. What’s so hard about giving your good old customer a grace period to fix your credit card information? You can always contact your customer to remind them that their credit card has a problem instead of sending their information to a third party. Thanks for telling me this. Now I know that some hosting companies are not even worth trying.
I agree sending your account to collections isn’t a good way to increase your brand’s loyalty. It leaves a bad taste in people’s mouth, too. 1and1 should seriously reconsider this practice. I know I have forgotten to upgrade my credit card on file a couple of times. No hosting company has ever sent me to collections for it.
Thanks for the 1and1 domain review. I have heard of them and thought about working with them. After reading your article I am not so sure that I will do that now. I don’t like the idea of long delays of 5-6 days when something should take at most 24 hours. Also I am not keen on the idea that if my credit card lapses it could go to collections.
Marc
A lot of webmasters are learning this the hard way. If you are a web designer and have a client bearing down on you, I could see how this would get very frustrating.
Glad I found this. I signed up to try their cloud VPS a few days ago and all I have gotten is an email stating that I will get my customer number and details when the account has been setup.
It’s been just over 48 hours now and I haven’t gotten anything, not even a phone call.
I have used various server and VPS companies over the last two decades from EVi, A2, MC and HostGator and have never had to wait this long.
What’s really strange is that a toll free number is the only support choice without a customer number. Odd that they don’t have pre-sales chat.
I did reply to the only email I got from them and have gotten a ticket number but again you need a customer number to login to the ticket system.
I wrote them this morning and said that if the account has not been created by the 18th (today is the 17th) that they can cancel it.
Oh and Namecheap has always been the best registrar I have used. I left godaddy in 2002 when the locked a domain and wanted $199 to u lock it. I had an affiliate program and they had gotten a spam complaint. Even through the emails had not been sent from my server, my domain was locked because it was in the email with the affiliates personal link.
I also was at donainsatcost.ca for .ca domains before Namecheap offered then and domansatcost change that you had to auto renew through them and they would process the renewal over a month before it was due. If you shut off auto renew, they would not allow you to renew the domain manually. Never had an issue with Namecheap at all.