GoDaddy vs 1and1 - What Is Your Experience?
VERSUS
Well I just wanted to air my opinion here for what it's worth :-)
Some of you know I bought my first domain with GoDaddy for just GBP 0.99 and even wrote a blog about the specials at that time.
I have subsequently bought another 3 at very low prices.
It occurred to me that there was also 1and1 Domains as well as a whole host of other sellers of domains. So I thought I'd try 1and1 and the other attraction was that they have a referral program.
No problem, I go and choose my domain name and purchase it with a few hiccups here and there, eventually the order goes through and is processed and the money debited against my card.
Now with GoDaddy, it was a matter of 5 minutes and I switched my domain to WA Hosting, no questions asked. I was expecting the same thing with 1and1 - not a chance!
I was so upset I wrote to their support team and queried it, they decided it was best to change my password... Uh..? What does that have to do with processing an order?
So complying with their request, we change my password. No, I still didn't receive confirmation that I could log in to 1and1 to transfer my domain to WA Hosting.
Well, now I'm getting very cheery! After the 5th DAY! never mind the 5th Minute, STILL no satisfactory reply from support or the security team.
Eventually after lengthy emails back and forth and disappointment galore, I finally get an email to say they cannot honour my purchase as they don't have the necessary information to verify my purchase, and they have reversed the transaction. Huh?
Needless to say I will not deal with 1and1 Domains again.
The reason I decided to write this blog was because after having bought 4 domains in total at GoDaddy, only today did they ask for verification, and were happy to accept the identification documents I sent them.
Has anyone else had any similar interaction with 1and1? It would be good to hear your comments.
Recent Comments
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I've not used either one. My sites have been purchased with namecheap and I have no reason to switch - only about $10 for a domain, and no problems with them so ... like they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Hi Edu,
I have use them in the past and found them ok when I purchased my domain names with them.
However; when It came to moving the DNS to a new hosting I found it a problem finding my way around their system first time, because I found they did not describe their naming structure in a logical fashion of how things are done..?
Later I made this same task much faster, so job done.
I would only use them again as a last resort!
I promote Namecheap on my website, as I found them and their system easy and fast to use.
NameCheap.com are the only people I use for domains names now.
Thank you for your valuable input Westbay! We can benefit from your experience. Thanks for sharing!
Great question!
I don't think WA actually does have a domain registrar does it? So I think you mean using the DNS to connect your site at WA to the registrar?
To transfer a domain it needs to be owned for 60 days so that is why I think you are talking about the DNS connection.
I have always used Go Daddy for all my sites and for any web design clients who are new and looking for a domain. Usually takes minutes to add the host Domain Name Server info and it shows up right away.
Registrars get picky sometimes. They want you to then buy the hosting from them too but a lot of the times the servers are not fast enough especially with Shared plans and if there are more than a few sites up.
My vote is for Go Daddy!
Excellent Glodesigns thanks for the clarification. You are right WA doesn't register domains.
Oh LOL you should have seen me scrambling a few years ago to teach myself all this stuff fast, from the internet with trial and error and reading tutorials. It is a miracle I ever designed a website for any client, really and been getting paid for this without a bit of training. God was really watching out for me there. I got my interior design career "snatched away from me/postponed ; ):" cause of the economy and just "fell into" web design. Little did I know it was all for becoming an affiliate marketer. Funny how we get led down a path we are just supposed to be on.
As for the comment below, (SupportWorx) about WA registering domains I am all for it and would transfer all of mine in a minute. I like Go Daddy but the sites and emails are already here and I just LOVE how everything is so centralized at WA!!! I guess there has to be the option for those who are not yet doing Premium here on a regular basis.
@GloDesigns - thank you so much for sharing, it goes a long way and one empathizes with you. Hope you are seeing light at the end of the tunnel now. Your comments are valuable.
I placed a comment on this url in the sitecomments tool a while ago, it might be worth looking at...please know that I am not an interested party, FYI only!
http://djtrlm.com/
That sucks!
I'll be honest and say I also bought my last one from 1&1 for £0.99 having previously bought all my others from godaddy - purely based on the cost - My domain took a while to transfer, but i think it was partly down to me, though I was not keen on the sites interface.
gota say Ido prefer godaddy - quick, helpful, easy interface to work with too.
I have been hearing about namecheap a lot so think ill give them a try for when i build my niche site!
I've not had any dealings with 1 and 1 Edu and guess what...I won't now either!
Don't these companies realise that they are only as good as their reputation and it only takes a small thing to trash it?
1 and 1?
...sound more like none and none!
Thanks for letting us know Edu, let others be warned!
Mark
@Mark - I believe Alexx was trying to correct your statement '...that they are only as good as their.. word...' - However! I stand to be corrected! :-))
I guess 1and1 doesn't =2 with these people, I would go with GoDaddy biggest in the world and if you have a problem support by phone.
Take care Edu...
W
I'm so sorry to hear about your experiences. I can't say anything except that I've always been with namecheap.com and never had any problem with my purchases ever since.
Thanks for blogging. This will help other WA members decide where they will buy their domains from. Your experience is someone else's lesson learned. Hope things will get better for you, Edu.
Thanks for sharing about Namecheap too. I was looking at their prices, but they aren't as low as I've seen - however, when I did research on it, it was mentioned that in the long run Namecheap always came out tops because although they don't sell Domains cheaply, the 2nd year and onwards are much the same as the first year's price. Maybe it's something I need to consider next time I buy a domain.
Well, in most cases, we get our money's worth. We can always look at a distance ~in the long run, which is more profitable in our business?
Definitely. Once is more than enough lesson for us to learn. I've been through a lot before I came to WA. Most often than not, it's even better to learn from other people's mistakes. That's why I read a lot from the blogs, comments, and responses especially when they are similar to my own queries. These help in our decision-making as beginners in the trade.
Good outlook to have. Most times I read the terms and conditions and people are in such a hurry for me to sign the document without reading. I challenge them and ask if they've read the T & Cs to which they reply no.
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I just switched my 1&1 domain over to WA. I have gone thru them for a few years. It was not easy to figure out how to do it, and I had to change my password as well. After I figured out how to do it, the transfer went through. I had to change my password about a year ago, and I was really hard to do. A BIG pain!! I would not go with them again as well.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us Phoenix2! Good to know.