Comments for Ripped Off Consumers http://rippedoffconsumers.org You are the customer, and the customer is always right. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:36:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Victory? by Martin Foulser http://rippedoffconsumers.org/99/1and1-incompetence-victory/#comment-57 Martin Foulser Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:36:14 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=99#comment-57 I really think there should be some better way of us banding together to make their exploits more public. Is there a facebook page or other sites dedicated to the appalling responses provided by this company? I have had a similar experience which has lasted several months. They 'upgraded' my contract without my agreement and then told me that they couldn't switch it back, and I would have to do it. Their communications are awful, freqently avoiding answering any questions. They also failed to send a copy of the notice hey claim to have sent, claim their T&Cs allow this and point to a clause that does not allow it - but most irritatingly refuse to give any response exept the constant same mantra. I really think there should be some better way of us banding together to make their exploits more public. Is there a facebook page or other sites dedicated to the appalling responses provided by this company? I have had a similar experience which has lasted several months. They ‘upgraded’ my contract without my agreement and then told me that they couldn’t switch it back, and I would have to do it. Their communications are awful, freqently avoiding answering any questions. They also failed to send a copy of the notice hey claim to have sent, claim their T&Cs allow this and point to a clause that does not allow it – but most irritatingly refuse to give any response exept the constant same mantra.

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Day 143 by RippedOffConsumers http://rippedoffconsumers.org/95/1and1-incompetence-day-143/#comment-56 RippedOffConsumers Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:33:43 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=95#comment-56 I set this site up specifically to allow people to rant about companies like this, so do not apologize. Hopefully your story will convince someone else to think long and hard before doing business with these scammers. I set this site up specifically to allow people to rant about companies like this, so do not apologize. Hopefully your story will convince someone else to think long and hard before doing business with these scammers.

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Day 143 by RippedOffConsumers http://rippedoffconsumers.org/95/1and1-incompetence-day-143/#comment-55 RippedOffConsumers Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:31:48 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=95#comment-55 I think that loud tone is the fax line. Document everything, and I mean everything, and fax it to that number. Get a confirmation. Then email it, and fax them the emails. I repeat, document everything. 1and1 is a bunch of scam artists and you have to force any action. And keep in mind that telephone calls do not create documentation for your records. They lie. I refused to call them. I made David Rubel email me everything so I had it in writing. I think that loud tone is the fax line. Document everything, and I mean everything, and fax it to that number. Get a confirmation. Then email it, and fax them the emails. I repeat, document everything. 1and1 is a bunch of scam artists and you have to force any action. And keep in mind that telephone calls do not create documentation for your records. They lie. I refused to call them. I made David Rubel email me everything so I had it in writing.

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Day 143 by Allyson Erick http://rippedoffconsumers.org/95/1and1-incompetence-day-143/#comment-54 Allyson Erick Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:50:52 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=95#comment-54 Now I am being told that I have a "late charge" of $18.98, because when I called Thursday, Friday,over the weekend, and yesterday I was told that there was no way to make payment without a credit/debit card. (I had had back surgery, and was missing my card.) When i spoke with them yesterday, being concerned that the site I HAD managed to get together for my son (it was a birthday present, but he complained that he couldn't take it over, because it was "too difficult"), I was told, "try to get [the payment] in sometime this week." No warning of late fees, etc. I am right now on hold again, having been told that they can only 'cancel' the account if I pay the past due, AND the late fee, which was put on two days ago (on a SUNDAY, when you can't pay). Just went round and round with "DJ" or "TJ." He said he would refund the $18.92, which it turns out has already been assessed on the account I didn't want to cancel. I had forgotten, in the frustration of trying to talk to the right department, about what had happened over the weekend: When I tried to pay for my "significant other" online, we tried using his debit card. We would put everything in, and then "save," and it would repeat "IMPORTANT! An error occurred. To continue, please see below for further instructions. This credit card cannot be accepted. Please check your data." So of course, we didn't continue with trying to pay the rest of the accounts. So to then get charged $18.92 because of this, just sent me ballistic. BTW, it actually HAD accepted the card and payment! So now I have two charges of $48.92 charged to my account. They tell me that they would charge it back to me in around ten days. Guess the interest is good enough for them to make a profit on it? Alsona funny thing. They would talk to me without compunction when I tried to PAY my partner's account, but now when i wanted to know how much they charged him, "We can't talk to you about this, because you are not the owner of the account." No, because of the way they had me set it up. So I am now TWO YEARS into my battle with them. I never did get it cleared up about the two free months I was supposed to be getting...... Didn't mean to take over your blog here, Brian. I guess I should transfer this to my own. Good luck! Now I am being told that I have a “late charge” of $18.98, because when I called Thursday, Friday,over the weekend, and yesterday I was told that there was no way to make payment without a credit/debit card. (I had had back surgery, and was missing my card.) When i spoke with them yesterday, being concerned that the site I HAD managed to get together for my son (it was a birthday present, but he complained that he couldn’t take it over, because it was “too difficult”), I was told, “try to get [the payment] in sometime this week.” No warning of late fees, etc.

I am right now on hold again, having been told that they can only ‘cancel’ the account if I pay the past due, AND the late fee, which was put on two days ago (on a SUNDAY, when you can’t pay).

Just went round and round with “DJ” or “TJ.” He said he would refund the $18.92, which it turns out has already been assessed on the account I didn’t want to cancel.

I had forgotten, in the frustration of trying to talk to the right department, about what had happened over the weekend: When I tried to pay for my “significant other” online, we tried using his debit card. We would put everything in, and then “save,” and it would repeat “IMPORTANT! An error occurred. To continue, please see below for further instructions. This credit card cannot be accepted. Please check your data.”

So of course, we didn’t continue with trying to pay the rest of the accounts. So to then get charged $18.92 because of this, just sent me ballistic. BTW, it actually HAD accepted the card and payment!

So now I have two charges of $48.92 charged to my account. They tell me that they would charge it back to me in around ten days. Guess the interest is good enough for them to make a profit on it? Alsona funny thing. They would talk to me without compunction when I tried to PAY my partner’s account, but now when i wanted to know how much they charged him, “We can’t talk to you about this, because you are not the owner of the account.” No, because of the way they had me set it up.

So I am now TWO YEARS into my battle with them. I never did get it cleared up about the two free months I was supposed to be getting……

Didn’t mean to take over your blog here, Brian. I guess I should transfer this to my own.

Good luck!

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Day 143 by Allyson Erick http://rippedoffconsumers.org/95/1and1-incompetence-day-143/#comment-53 Allyson Erick Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:59:36 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=95#comment-53 Just wanted to clarify: I was writing the above WHILE I WAS ON HOLD! Just wanted to clarify: I was writing the above WHILE I WAS ON HOLD!

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Day 143 by Allyson Erick http://rippedoffconsumers.org/95/1and1-incompetence-day-143/#comment-52 Allyson Erick Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:58:40 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=95#comment-52 Just thought you'd get a giggle (!) out of what is happening to me right now. After two years of being locked into the contract, I have been trying to get in touch with the billing department, which is only answered M-F, 9-5 EASTERN time. Ironically, the main reason I chose these people two years ago, was because they claimed a 24 hour telephone services. I had already made four calls trying to pay, but missing the correct time. I have been "with" them for two years, because last time year, because when attempting to order, their ordering process confused me,and I ended up with five or six different accounts. I still ended up with THREE accounts for my family, rather than three domain names. At the end of the year, when I tried to cancel, telling them that their tech support was so bad, and the service so slow, I was never able to even get my own site up. They "gave" me two "free" months for my website, to try to give me time to plow through it. Of course, when they didn't actually get it, I was also "into" my second year. I will not recount the horrors I actually went through the first year. This time, I WILL cancel. HAH! First call: I called up this morning. I followed voice prompts, choosing the one that said "for cancellation or changes, press 3." This was immediately followed by a recording telling me that they were "unable" to help me and I must do this online. Second call: I called again. 1.This time, I chose sales, where I was assured of getting someone to answer. I told them I needed to find out how much I owed. 2. I was transferred to billing. Billing told me I had to be transferred to "1 and 1 services." 3. A woman answered, told me she needed all my info again, AND my password. I was then put on hold. 4. A man answered, telling me he was tech support. I told him I was waiting for someone to tell me EXACTLY how much I owed. He told me I had been transferred to the wrong department. 5. I was then transferred to a man who then started all over again, and when I told him he was the fifth person I had been transferred to, he gave me another number to "call directly." Third Call: All this does is a very LOUD, pulsing, scratchy, claxon-like busy tone. Fourth, fifth, and six calls: I just thought I'd see if it were really a busy tone. I am going to try again. I hate this company. Just thought you’d get a giggle (!) out of what is happening to me right now.
After two years of being locked into the contract, I have been trying to get in touch with the billing department, which is only answered M-F, 9-5 EASTERN time. Ironically, the main reason I chose these people two years ago, was because they claimed a 24 hour telephone services. I had already made four calls trying to pay, but missing the correct time. I have been “with” them for two years, because last time year, because when attempting to order, their ordering process confused me,and I ended up with five or six different accounts. I still ended up with THREE accounts for my family, rather than three domain names. At the end of the year, when I tried to cancel, telling them that their tech support was so bad, and the service so slow, I was never able to even get my own site up. They “gave” me two “free” months for my website, to try to give me time to plow through it.
Of course, when they didn’t actually get it, I was also “into” my second year. I will not recount the horrors I actually went through the first year. This time, I WILL cancel. HAH!

First call: I called up this morning. I followed voice prompts, choosing the one that said “for cancellation or changes, press 3.” This was immediately followed by a recording telling me that they were “unable” to help me and I must do this online.

Second call: I called again.
1.This time, I chose sales, where I was assured of getting someone to answer. I told them I needed to find out how much I owed.
2. I was transferred to billing. Billing told me I had to be transferred to “1 and 1 services.”
3. A woman answered, told me she needed all my info again, AND my password. I was then put on hold.
4. A man answered, telling me he was tech support. I told him I was waiting for someone to tell me EXACTLY how much I owed. He told me I had been transferred to the wrong department.
5. I was then transferred to a man who then started all over again, and when I told him he was the fifth person I had been transferred to, he gave me another number to “call directly.”

Third Call: All this does is a very LOUD, pulsing, scratchy, claxon-like busy tone.
Fourth, fifth, and six calls: I just thought I’d see if it were really a busy tone.

I am going to try again. I hate this company.

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Part 8 by Gerry http://rippedoffconsumers.org/58/1and1-incompetence-part-8/#comment-17 Gerry Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:05:48 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=58#comment-17 I came across this site while searching for info that would help with a tag change that I am waiting for 1and1 to carry out. I wanted to know if anybody else had the same problems and it appears that we are not alone! I really sympathise with you as I have suffered the same ineptitude from 1and1. It is impossible to get a response from anybody within the company; nobody takes responsibility for their mistakes. This is not the first mess that 1and1 have caused me but it will hopefully be the last. I am in the process of transferring the remaining 200+ domains away from 1and1 to a new registrar. I can't cope with the hassle that their incompetence causes. In the past they have billed me incorrectly many £100's for domains that were not due renewal. Their latest screw up is their inability to change a tag for me. I have been waiting for 1 week for them to carry this out and my emails to them for an update go unanswered. Their 1st line phone support is unable to help, telling me that the case has been escalated to their back office admins but they can not provide a reason for the delay. I would not recommend 1and1 to anybody. My only advice to anybody having problems with 1and1 is once you get the problem sorted; LEAVE THEM as fast as you can! If they don’t reply to you try copying your emails to their CEO Andreas Gauger. One of these email addresses should get to him: andreas@gauger.de; andreas.gauger@1and1.co.uk; andreas.gauger@1and1.de; I came across this site while searching for info that would help with a tag change that I am waiting for 1and1 to carry out. I wanted to know if anybody else had the same problems and it appears that we are not alone! I really sympathise with you as I have suffered the same ineptitude from 1and1. It is impossible to get a response from anybody within the company; nobody takes responsibility for their mistakes. This is not the first mess that 1and1 have caused me but it will hopefully be the last. I am in the process of transferring the remaining 200+ domains away from 1and1 to a new registrar. I can’t cope with the hassle that their incompetence causes. In the past they have billed me incorrectly many £100′s for domains that were not due renewal. Their latest screw up is their inability to change a tag for me. I have been waiting for 1 week for them to carry this out and my emails to them for an update go unanswered. Their 1st line phone support is unable to help, telling me that the case has been escalated to their back office admins but they can not provide a reason for the delay. I would not recommend 1and1 to anybody. My only advice to anybody having problems with 1and1 is once you get the problem sorted; LEAVE THEM as fast as you can! If they don’t reply to you try copying your emails to their CEO Andreas Gauger. One of these email addresses should get to him: andreas@gauger.de; andreas.gauger@1and1.co.uk; andreas.gauger@1and1.de;

]]> Comment on 1and1 Incompetence, Part 1 by James Casey http://rippedoffconsumers.org/28/1and1-incompetence-part-1/#comment-7 James Casey Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:27:48 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=28#comment-7 I am a reseller at 1and1 and have been since 2004. my problem is that the president doesn't know what his tech support and billing people are doing. All my problems have not bn with the sympathetic 1st line techs its the fact that they are not empowered to fix things. In fact they seem to be so whipped that they don't dare even call a manager when requested. Tonight 2 different techs refused to get a manager on the line. That tactic is a customer service nightmare in the making. I have a problem which possibly 1000 1and 1 customers face tonight: 1and 1 has been labeled a spammer in Trend Micro Interscan Messaging System for Enterprises. That is very large customer like Comcast and other large ISPs. The result is that millions of emails have been bouncing all day because Trend Micro engineers are not working on problem due to 1) no referral from 1&1; 2) no referral from Comcast or 3) database hack at trend Micro was lazy, ineffectual, unable, untrained or any of a number of reasons. Generslly: 1and 1 does answer their phone albeit, slowly and needlessly puts you on hold and does not understand the problems when explained. I am a reseller at 1and1 and have been since 2004. my problem is that the president doesn’t know what his tech support and billing people are doing. All my problems have not bn with the sympathetic 1st line techs its the fact that they are not empowered to fix things. In fact they seem to be so whipped that they don’t dare even call a manager when requested. Tonight 2 different techs refused to get a manager on the line. That tactic is a customer service nightmare in the making.
I have a problem which possibly 1000 1and 1 customers face tonight: 1and 1 has been labeled a spammer in Trend Micro Interscan Messaging System for Enterprises. That is very large customer like Comcast and other large ISPs. The result is that millions of emails have been bouncing all day because Trend Micro engineers are not working on problem due to 1) no referral from 1&1; 2) no referral from Comcast or 3) database hack at trend Micro was lazy, ineffectual, unable, untrained or any of a number of reasons.
Generslly:
1and 1 does answer their phone albeit, slowly and needlessly puts you on hold and does not understand the problems when explained.

]]> Comment on OPEN LETTER TO ANYONE AT 1AND1 WITH COMMON SENSE by Bernardine Mollison http://rippedoffconsumers.org/74/open-letter-to-anyone-at-1and1-with-common-sense/#comment-31 Bernardine Mollison Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:38:03 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=74#comment-31 Howdy! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the outstanding work! Howdy! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the outstanding work!

]]> Comment on OPEN LETTER TO ANYONE AT 1AND1 WITH COMMON SENSE by Aurora Dantos http://rippedoffconsumers.org/74/open-letter-to-anyone-at-1and1-with-common-sense/#comment-30 Aurora Dantos Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:39:25 +0000 http://rippedoffconsumers.org/?p=74#comment-30 Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone! Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!

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