[Ritho]

George is one of our favorite editors around here, but I am going to have to very respectfully disagree with him. Sorry George.

One BIG warning about 1and1.com I used them for several years in the USA. I had no problems with them for a long time and they are very cheap. Then I started having problems. I had registered a older artist friend's domain name through them and set up his site on my hosting space since I had more than I needed. Then he up and died So when the time came I cancelled the domain name. They auto renewed it anyway. My emails went unanswered, and I started checking around. It was happening to hundreds of people in the States. Different management than in Germany or something. If you are in the States, check with the Better Business Bureau, they have the worst grade you can get -- a solid F. In the last 36 months they have had 847 complaints leveled against them. http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?na...040770#Ratings

I started looking into moving to a new provider, and that is when I started thinking I had sold my soul to the devil. I found out to cancel my service with them, I had to find a hidden web page (no link on their main site) then send them a cancellation request by email, then also fax them a conformation in one day that I really indeed wanted to cancel. Then the fax got ignored or lost. Then I had to do it all over again. Then when the time came they still auto renewed my service for a year, or at least they tried. I had cancelled that credit card. They turned me over to a collect agency.

About that time hundreds of users started seeking a class action lawsuit against them for exactly the same type practices. I don't know what became of that, but I finally got away from their iron grip. But I never did get my domain name from them. They denied or ignored my requests and the requests of my new host to turn it over. They wanted $3500 to release it to me. NO Kidding. Over the years the price to buy it has dropped too $109, but I won't give them a dime. Perhaps their practices have changed since I was with them, but that is a lot to live down.

Anyway you might want to read all the fine print in their license agreement, because you are practically signing in blood if you go with them.

Here are the juiciest parts. Especially note the parts in red.

21.1 .......You consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in such courts and you waive any challenge to personal jurisdiction or venue in such courts. You further agree that 1&1 shall be entitled to collect its attorneys' fees, costs and other expenses in the event that 1&1 acts to enforce this arbitration and forum selection clause, regardless of whether 1&1 prevails in the underlying action.......

21.4

In addition to the foregoing, YOU HEREBY AGREE THAT AS A PART OF THE CONSIDERATION FOR THIS AGREEMENT, YOU WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY FOR ANY DISPUTE ARISING BETWEEN YOU AND 1&1 THAT IS IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT, and that such waiver shall be enforceable up to and including the day that trial is to start, and even if the arbitration provisions of this paragraph are waived.

21.5

Neither you nor 1&1 may be a representative of other potential claimants or a class of potential claimants in any dispute concerning or relating to this Agreement, nor may two or more individuals' disputes be consolidated or otherwise determined in one proceeding. YOU AND 1&1 ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS SECTION 21.5 WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO PARTICIPATION AS A PLAINTIFF OR AS A CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS ACTION

In a nut shell. You can't fight us over anything we do to you. Even if you do we will rake you over the coals and even if you win we will leave you with $1000's of dollars of our over paid attorney's fees.

I rest my case!