It says, "NO STRINGS ATTACHED". Only .com domains. Not sure when the offer will expire.
Free .com Domain for 1 Year from 1and1
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Just went through the process of signing up for a free .com domain.
Towards the end of the sign up they want a credit card and charge a "verification amount" of $6 to your card which "should be reversed by your financial provider" or something like that, cant remember the exact wording.
The "catch" here is similar to the cheap GoDaddy offer - it's automatically set to renew at full price after the first year. So most likely they're hoping to get lots of people to create domains they wouldn't have otherwise (just because it's free), and hoping these people will overlook or forget about the automatic renewal.
I've been stung by GoDaddy privacy costs when I've forgotten to cancel them (they're often free for the first year).
It is similar to gym subscriptions that require great effort to cancel; I would like to see laws protecting Australians from predatory subscription arrangements.
Did a quick Google of '1and1 scam' (my standard method of checking out whether something is too good to be true) and sure enough, it looks pretty bad. They appear to do this free domain thing from time to time, but you cannot simply allow the domain to expire after a year - you have to actually cancel it. And to do so, you need to send them a fax (to the US) to request the cancellation.. which they may or may not receive.
Many have reported asking multiple times to have their account cancelled, but to no avail, 1and1.com just keep charging them for domains they no longer want.
Avoid this company.
http://dancameron.org/general/1and1-scams
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=582576
http://www.knowledgesutra.com/index.php/1and1-Scam33_t71430.…thanks for pointing this out. avoids
Thanks wedge.
Well researched reason for a neg.
If they refuse to cancel your contract just threaten them with a "charge back" if they continue to charge your credit card.
The company not only has to reverse the money, but they are usually fined for doing a false amount and as such most companies when threatened with this will refund you.
Credit card companies usually always favoure the consumer unless the merchant can prove otherwise and this will be very hard for them to do.
The Fines are usually $100 US per Chargeback transaction:
dodgey..
Thanks, I'll keep this in mind next time I cancel something there.
Had bad previous run-in with 1and1 domain registering.
Registered .com domain, they took money, after a few days they wouldnt respond as to why i didnt have my domain
New Tab, godaddy, registered it, before it was complete I was able to manage it.
Took up the misplaced money 1and1 took with creditcard company or paypal, either way it got refunded.note, if ur going to godaddy, find a discount code on any revision3 show website.
Wow glad i did't bite :)
I've used them numerous times without any drama.
They are a big company, and no dodgier than any other big company, certainly better than GoDaddy. If the price is cheaper elsewhere (unlikely), all you have to do is cancel or transfer before the end of the year.
They offer free whois privacy and they're based in Europe, which is more legally secure than America.
Actually, I did have an issue once:
I needed to provision a domain ASAP, and something went wrong (can't remember) during the checkout, so I registered the domain with the host instead. Anyway, they charged me for it, I emailed them, and they refunded me. I was pleased that it was so painless — it's not what I expect from big business.
T&C states that the offer is valid till May 31st, 2010
however this line is worrying
"Full payment for the first year due upon sign up."