I've been using 123-Reg for a few years now and never really had any issues with them, but I have read a fair amount of negative comments here (possibly justified). So I thought I'd redress the balance by posting my (surprisingly ) positive experience with them.

123-Reg, like so many online businesses, offer to store your credit card details, which I never do. I prefer to type them in each time; I think it's more secure and I get to choose which card I want to use. Today, 123-Reg very kindly renewed a domain that I did not want renewed by using the credit card details they have stored in my account. Nowhere in their control panel does it state I have stored credit card details, nowhere can I view my stored credit card details and nowhere in their renewal reminders does it say that they will auto-renew the domain using my stored card details. So I just ignored the reminders as it states in the emails:

If you do not cancel your domain names and you do not have valid credit card details in your control panel, then your domain name will expire

So I was a little surprised to see £50 of renewal in my inbox this morning. Not only that, but I had no idea which card they had taken funds from. Aware that my chances of resolving this issue was nil, I phoned them up on their 50p a minute line to see what I could do. The phone was answered in about 30 seconds and within 3 minutes, the renewal had been cancelled and the funds refunded to my card. Needless to say, I was both surprised and pleased with the outcome.

So good for them, I feel a bit better about having some of my domains with them now :)

I no trust company that renews domains by themselves. I like to check and do myself

i wouldnt count on 123-reg

search google for 123-reg and see how many problems they have had recently.
they are terrible.. INHO

as for renewing domains, keep a close eye on them
ive seen them renew domains i havnt got,
ive seen them NOT renew domains ive had.

I agree. I've used them in the past and can always vouch for them. Thumbs up

Yes, they are good when it comes to taking your money, but their technical support is virtually non-existent, even in case of a serious problem. A couple of months ago they disabled my email forwarding without warning when I changed the name servers away from them (keeping their mail server MX records), and I never got a reply to my emails in this matter. In other previous matters it always took up to a couple of weeks for a (usually inappropriate or insufficient) reply to an enquiry. It seems that they want to force people with this to use their 50p/min 0900 phone support (and even this is, as far as I have heard from other people, often not manned).
I have been transferring my domains away from them since the beginning of the year. The first two transfers went OK, but the third a few days ago failed because their automated system apparently messed up the Tag transfer request to Nominet. I need them to manually repeat the transfer request (the option has disappeared now from my control panel), but my emails have not been answered so far, so I reckon I have to request this in writing (I am not prepared to ring their premium rate phone number).

Thomas

If you don't use their nameservers how do you expect them to provide you with email services?

If you don't use their nameservers how do you expect them to provide you with email services?
Because free email forwarding is part of the domain package I bought, and the Terms and Conditions do not mention that this only holds if I use their name servers. Technically, it should be irrelevant where the name servers are. The only thing of importance should be the MX records for the mail servers. So you can change the name servers away, and then point the MX records from there back to them, which is what I did. Actually, the name servers have never been with them, but previously I used mail forwarding over my old webhost; my new webhost (nearlyfreespeech.net) offers no email hosting (and forwarding only for a charge), so I thought I use the free forwarding of my domain registrar (123-reg). This worked actually for a couple of weeks before they simply disabled it without warning, which I noticed only weeks later, and which presumably led to several emails being lost.

It appears that many registrars won't allow email forwarding if one doesn't use their name servers, but after some research I found some where it isn't a problem (e.g. Godaddy (or resellers like fxdomains) or 1and1.co.uk). I am now in the process of transferring my domains to them. They have a better support than 123-reg anyway. At least you get responses when you email them and they don't have a premium rate support line.

Thomas

Because free email forwarding is part of the domain package I bought, and the Terms and Conditions do not mention that this only holds if I use their name servers. Technically, it should be irrelevant where the name servers are. The only thing of importance should be the MX records for the mail servers. So you can change the name servers away, and then point the MX records from there back to them, which is what I did. Actually, the name servers have never been with them, but previously I used mail forwarding over my old webhost; my new webhost (nearlyfreespeech.net) offers no email hosting (and forwarding only for a charge), so I thought I use the free forwarding of my domain registrar (123-reg). This worked actually for a couple of weeks before they simply disabled it without warning, which I noticed only weeks later, and which presumably led to several emails being lost.

It appears that many registrars won't allow email forwarding if one doesn't use their name servers, but after some research I found some where it isn't a problem (e.g. Godaddy (or resellers like fxdomains) or 1and1.co.uk). I am now in the process of transferring my domains to them. They have a better support than 123-reg anyway. At least you get responses when you email them and they don't have a premium rate support line.

Thomas
Its called common sense! technically of course :gthumb: