One of the basic but most important expenses for your website is your web host. The web host stores the files that run your website, and runs them when they're accessed. Usually hosts also provides some additional services, like email and domain settings.Your choice of hosts is important - you need reliability, so your website can always be accessed, you need tech support when there's problems, and you need the right amount of space for your money.
1and1.com has great prices and the worst customer service I've dealt with of any host I've worked with.
The first thing I do when I need help is check out the FAQs. The 1and1 FAQs essentially make up a glossary. No useful information to help resolve problems, just information to let you know that "Website Address" refers to your website address, or you can click on "Set up FTP users" to set up FTP users.
They now have a toll-free number you can call, I've had to call it twice. Both times I was on hold for a long time to be told, "We'll have to send a message over to another department and we can e-mail you if and when we hear back. We have no idea how many days it will take for this to be fixed."
Recently 1and1 migrated from PHP 4 to PHP 5, which is great - except that they also changed some fundamental PHP permission settings and never told their customers they would do this.
I've never had a site on 1and1 go offline, so if you just need online filespace, say, to do backups, I recommend 1and1. For a live website, go somewhere else.
I thought they were called 1on1 or 1n1, or one and one, 1 to 1, 1&1 -anyway it was a prettty confusing name to remember when my friend first told me about them.
I like 1and1. I found them to be super cheap (which is important for a newbie like me.) I don't know how they can make a profit with such cheap prices.
I expect some delay if I need to call support, if only because they are such a freeking huge company.
What I really like is the free domain (ands domain privacy) which you get with the hosting plans. Plus, as you mentioned, their FAQs are not too bad either.
Overall, I could recommend them. I was thinking of joining their affiliate program, but I am too busy trying to build my site, so I guess I'll do that later.
I think it's fair to call the company "1and1" since their domain is "1and1.com".
I agree - like crap from a dollar store, domains and hosting at 1and1 are cheap.
How they keep their costs down? They provide lousy customer service support.
The FAQs are completely useless.
If your website is very basic, or you don't care if you lose everything or don't get what you pay for, I recommend 1and1.
I use 1and1, and have rarely experienced problems. But if your website breaks because of something your host does - is your website important enough to you that you'd want help? If so, then avoid 1and1, or just use it as a backup site.
On another note, I'll be calling 1and1 for the 3rd time in as many weeks trying to get something I paid for a month ago - and they still haven't enabled.
1and1 is by far the worst hosting company on the internet. I'm sorry but they are HUGE scammers. If you are still using them and are happy, well, good for you but wait until you try to cancel. They will auto-renew your domains without asking you. And if the payment doesn't go through they will forward to a collection agency. Do a search for 1and1 hosting review. Other than a few paid bloggers hired to give good reviews, the overwhelming majority of customers or calling them criminals.
You're absolutely right. As this original post from years ago stares, the support is awful. Additionally, cancellation requests are confirmed, but then months later they send an account to a collection agency to collect on bonus charges. I think I've had this fine to me 3 times by 1&1, all the times for amounts I didn't owe. I have cancelled all services with the company and will not work with them in the future.