One and one continues to prove it's a crap hosting provider who steals your money

For those who need a recap on 1&1 practices which directly contravene ICANN regulations it goes something like this: 1. The insist they have your valid account details on record 2. They charge you automatically in advance for packages, domain name renewal etc 3. The moment you do not want a particular domain renewed it's not sufficient to let payment lapse with them because they will take down domains you have already paid for in advance and are using 4. They will send threatening collection letters and threaten litigation Now I know all this so I cancelled a contract I had with them, moved everything to another contract still with them (but NOT FOR LONG!) and asked them to not take payment (they did) so I asked them for a refund. Bearing in mind they take your site down within ten days of non-payment, they appear to either not understand, not acknowledge or refuse to refund (or maybe all three). My latest message sent today was: "Hi. I really do not understand why I need to resort to abusive, threatening language in order to get a response that resembles rudimentary customer service. On the 20.09.08 you sent me invoice No 751XXXXXX for Contract No 15XXXXX. I emailed you through the secure form you provide online on the 13.10.08 with the following message: “Hi. I have three packages with you. Their contract numbers are: 15XXXXX, 87XXXXX, 27XXXXX.. Contract number 15XXXXX currently contains the domain xxxxxxxxxx.com. It shouldn't as this domain was transferred out of 1&1 registry almost a year ago. Please cancel this contract and issue a refund. Contract number 8776445 contains a subdomain that's never been used. Please cancel this contract also and issue a refund. The only contract that should remain is: Contract number: 27XXXXX. Please confirm that Contracts No: 15XXXXX, 87XXXXX have been canceled as requested and a refund has been issued. I look forward to hearing from you. With thanks, David” I heard from you about as much as I’d have heard if I had spoken to a brick which exemplifies the level of customer service you currently provide. You disregarded my request went ahead and took payment for packages I no longer needed and was not using. On the 27.10.08 I cancelled them myself. I then emailed you using your online form asking you to action a refund. To date I have not seen a refund. So this will also go to the file that has already been sent to the Office of Fair Trading. I do wonder what exactly it’s going to take to get a response. Do I need to get my solicitor involved? Do I have to sue you for damages, loss of time, personal stress? There comes a time when the time/cost differential no longer matters. So let’s hope this gets a response sans the usual canned garbage you habitually attach in the mistaken assumption that it shows professionalism. David" Going on their past performance I am not really holding my breath and the attention this Blog is getting is probably saving many others from suffering the same way with these guys. Running a website and working online is stressful enough without needing to get into a tangle with your hosting providers every time something like this happens. If you come across this please do two things: first never go anywhere near them. Second forward this to all your friends and relatives. 1&1 does not deserve to be in business.