I have been waiting for nearly 48 hours for the service to be canceled and my cpanel restored. I am losing days on my hosting contract because of this outrageous cancellation policy. I have now reported IONOS to the FTC for violating federal law. The cancellation process is so hard that it is an obvious move to trap customers into a faulty ecosystem. I absolutely regret dealing with this company, and I am still trying to keep my hosting and domain because moving it all elsewhere is very difficult as well.Read below for a more detailed explanation of the violations of United States federal law.
It is now apparent to me that IONOS deliberately violates the Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act (ROSCA) by trapping consumers in a digital dark pattern. Despite signing up for a month-to-month websitenow service entirely online, there is absolutely no mechanism to cancel the service through their digital interface. This forced telephonic cancellation is an illegal artificial barrier designed to artificially inflate their retention metrics. I have officially filed Federal Trade Commission Report number 198188424 to document this deceptive consumer entrapment.
The hypocrisy of their customer service is staggering when contrasted with their internal communications. Solutions Manager Dave Ramsay proactively reached out via email regarding a previous review, claiming, "We always strive to provide the best possible service to our customers, and your feedback is our most-valued resource in this effort." He explicitly acknowledged my intention to transition back to a WordPress site and promised, "I can ensure your domain is with the one plan you intend on keeping and have the other cancel and refund." Yet, when I replied directly to this supposedly "most-valued" feedback channel to execute the cancellation within their recognized "original 30-day money back guarantee," I was met with complete silence. It has been well over 24 hours and still not a word.
Their correspondence further boasts that "The Executive Solutions team is available Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Standard Time," but they simply ignore direct replies to their own outreach.
Forced back into their trap, I called their support line only to be told it takes twenty-four hours to escalate a cancellation request and that I would supposedly receive a callback. Because I am trapped in this pending cancellation purgatory, I remain completely locked out of my main cPanel and cannot install my WordPress site, hijacking valuable time from my hosting plan. IONOS will take your money online instantly, but they will stonewall, ignore communications, and violate federal statutes when you attempt to leave.
I never leave bad reviews for companies but this one deserves as many as possible. And yes this is my second review in two days because this is a newly arisen issue following yesterdays debacle.
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