Complaints
This profile includes complaints for IONOS, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 287 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 114 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/27/2025
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I bought a domain and website from them. I cancelled the website and got a refund. They revoked my account and now have my domain held hostage, where I can not transfer or access my domain. Considering a lawsuit but decided to try and remedy the issue this way first.
Business Response
Date: 07/04/2025
Dear Mr. ****** *****,
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
Wed like to clarify that when your account and services were cancelledas confirmed in your cancellation email and during your phone conversation with our support teamall associated access, including to your control panel and domain ownership, was also terminated as part of the agreement. This process was completed with your acknowledgment, and a refund was issued.
We have no record of any request from you to retain access to the domain or to initiate a transfer. If we had received such a request, our support team would have been happy to assist by unlocking the domains and providing the necessary authorization codes.
We understand how important domain access can be, and were always willing to work with our clients to ensure a smooth process. Weve sent an email to the address we have on file with information to help resolve this matter. Please feel free to respond to that message or contact our support team directly if further assistance is needed.
Sincerely,
******** Smith
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************Customer Answer
Date: 07/04/2025
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
****** *****Initial Complaint
Date:06/25/2025
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My name is ******* ******** I need a refund for my cancelled Contract no. ********* for my order confirmation $2.07 and $2.11 invoice and invoice number is ************ and customer id ********* please refund me both payments and send me proof when both payments is refunded etc.Customer Answer
Date: 07/02/2025
Send this to the business asking them Any update on my account balance waiver for account number ********* my name is ******* ******** was it waived yet or no and send me proof when both accounts number balance is waived and cleared and cancelled and send proof for that too etc.Business Response
Date: 07/03/2025
Dear ******* ********,
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry for any confusion regarding the recent charges and appreciate the opportunity to clarify the situation. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
Upon reviewing your account, we can confirm that the $2.07 was an authorization hold. This hold was automatically reversed once the $2.11 transaction was successfully processed for the same service. As such, only the $2.11 payment was fully captured.
We would also like to note that your concern was addressed and the refund was initiated prior to receiving your online complaint. The credit invoice associated with this transaction is already in process, and the refund for the $2.11 has been refunded to the payment method on file.
If you have any further questions or require additional documentation, please dont hesitate to reach out to our team directly here within the Executive Solutions team at ******************************* Were happy to assist.
Sincerely,
******** Smith
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************Customer Answer
Date: 07/03/2025
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: 23515445
I am rejecting this response because:So both account balance is $0 now?
Regards,
******* ********Business Response
Date: 07/04/2025
Dear ******* ********,
Thank you for your reply. The account has been terminated with a $0 balance due.
If you have any further questions, please dont hesitate to reach out to our team directly here within the Executive Solutions team at ******************************* Were happy to assist.
Sincerely,
******** Smith
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************Customer Answer
Date: 07/07/2025
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
******* ********Initial Complaint
Date:06/24/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
IONOS charges $65 without my permission to my card on file.They reassured me that my money would be refunded back in 24 hours, but it has not.I called them today, and they now say that my money will be back in 7 days.I'm not comfortable with the fact that they can access my bank card easily and without my permission.Business Response
Date: 07/01/2025
Dear ******************* ,
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, were sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate the opportunity to clarify. Our goal is always to provide transparent service, and we regret any frustration caused. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
When signing up for additional services, they are set to renew and bill per the agreed-upon terms. We want to assure you that we are actively reviewing the status of your refund to ensure it was properly submitted and is processing without issue. While it is true that some financial institutions may take up to 7 business days to reflect the funds back to your account once a refund has been initiated, were taking extra care to confirm that everything on our end was handled correctly.
We recognize how unsettling it can be to see a charge you werent expecting, and were committed to addressing this promptly. We have sent an email to the email address on file for the account with additional information. If you do not see this email, please be sure to check your spam or junk folder just in case. Alternatively you can reach out to us directly here within the Executive Solutions team at ********************************************************.
Again, we appreciate your feedback and your patience, and were committed to following through to ensure this is resolved properly.
Sincerely,
******** *****
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************Initial Complaint
Date:06/23/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On May 16, 2025, I purchased a domain through IONOS, including a website builder and email address. My payment was processed successfully. However, one hour later, I received an email stating my account was nullified for security reasons. I contacted support and spoke with ***** Oybenes, who explained the issue was due to my use of a gift card, which violated your policies. ***** reopened the account using a traditional card, and the transaction was completed.A week later, I began receiving emails claiming my account was delinquent, despite the payment. On June 20, 2025, I contacted support via chat and spoke with ******* *., who confirmed an error on IONOSs end. He applied a $12.76 credit, clearing the balance, and assured me the domain was safe until May 16, 2026. The chat transcript reads:******* *.: I just issued a credit to the account for $12.76. This will wipe away that invoice and youll have a $0.00 **********: Awesome, thank you for fixing that my domain will be safe, correct? I wont lose it?******* *.: That is correct, your domain is all safe. You are paid up in full until May 16, 2026.On June 23, 2025, I discovered ********* was offline. A representative confirmed Timothys credit but stated the back office needed to approve it. They advised me to pay $12.76 again to restore the domain within 1-3 hours, promising a refund upon review. I paid, but 24 hours later, the domain remained offline. A subsequent call revealed the domain was terminated, requiring a $90 recovery fee or a free domain as compensation.This situation is unacceptable. I paid the original invoice, was assured the domain was safe, paid again under false pretenses, & now face a $90 fee to recover my domain. I have invested tens of thousands in branding and development for *********. This is a significant professional and financial disruption.Please resolve this urgently. I reserve the right to escalate this matter if not addressed promptly.***** ******Business Response
Date: 06/27/2025
Dear ***** ******,
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
We understand how frustrating this situation must be, and we truly appreciate you reaching out. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible about our service terms, and were sorry if there was any confusion.
Upon review of the account, I am glad to be able to offer a full waiver of the $90 redemption fee of your domain ********* in recognition of the significant good faith efforts you made in contacting our support lines to rectify the original balance. Additionally, the $12.76 which did end up successfully debiting from the payment on file will also be refunded in the next 2-5 business days.
That being said, we want to make sure you have all the information you need. Weve sent you an email with more detailsplease review it and reply directly, and well be happy to assist further. Alternatively you can reach out to us directly here within the Executive Solutions team at ********************************************************.
Again, we appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our processes. If youre open to discussing this further, were here to help.
Sincerely,
******** *****
Executive ****************************************************************************************************************v-9a72a96a="" class="ml-1" style="color: rgb(108, 117, 125); font-family: Poppins, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; background-color: rgb(226, 232, 238);">
Initial Complaint
Date:06/21/2025
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Business Response
Date: 06/27/2025
Dear **** *****,
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
Upon review of the account I see that in selecting the domain ***************** that our Cart Checkout suggested several supporting products which featured either a free first month or discounted rate for the first month of those services. Once these services invoiced for their full price they would be beyond our typical 30-day Money-Back Guarantee (MBG) for new services, and thus be held to the original agreed upon term denoted in the Order and Contract Confirmation emails.
That being said, we want to make sure you have all the information you need. Weve sent you an email with more details regarding these contracts with an agreement to terminate any undesired servicesplease review it and reply directly, and well be happy to assist further. Alternatively you can reach out to us directly here within the Executive Solutions team at ********************************************************.
Again, we appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our processes. If youre open to discussing this further, were here to help.
Sincerely,
******** *****
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************
Customer Answer
Date: 06/30/2025
Initial Complaint
Date:06/21/2025
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Business Response
Date: 06/25/2025
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
Unfortunately I was unable to identify your particular account with the details provided in regards to debiting after cancellation. Please feel free to either email **************************************************************, or reply to this complaint with non-payment specific information such as Customer ID Number, account holder email address, domains registered or any contract/invoice numbers received in relation to these charge attempts. We can additionally securely review bank history statements or debit card transaction when emailing to our direct contact address.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our processes. If youre open to discussing this further, were here to help.
Sincerely,
******** Smith
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************
Initial Complaint
Date:06/20/2025
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Business Response
Date: 06/27/2025
Dear **** ******,
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
We understand how frustrating this situation must be, and we truly appreciate you reaching out. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible about our service terms, and were sorry if there was any confusion.
Firstly, we have honored your original cancellation date of March 12th, 2025 when record is made of domains being transferred away from IONOS. Within our Control Panel, domains can be individually cancelled however any associated hosting contracts are not also automatically cancelled. This additional confirmation is due to these contracts containing data related to website, email and DNS configuration that may be needed to complete a migration after said domain transfer is successful. Separate automated email confirmations will be sent in the next ***** hours including credit memos indicating the account balance to be cleared. This separately processes with our collection partner in 1-3 business days where they will be informed this is a settled account and to remove this case from their records. It should be noted we inform our collection partner specifically to not report on customer's credit history so as to negatively impact your financial health.
In regards to the unauthorized third-party order of the domain ******************, I see that it was invoiced and debited for $13.00 on August 29th and that same amount was refunded on September 2nd, 2024. Again I extend my deepest apologies if not made clear at the time but our customers' privacy and security is a top-priority. For that reason when signing in at ***************************** your payment details are masked so that only the last 4 digits of your **** card are visible along with the expiration date. That should not have been sufficient for this third-party to then order services outside of the IONOS interface. We hope that to have been your experience where no other questionable debits occurred.
In order to complete a refund of the March 12th, 2025 invoice we would need to have updated payment details to return the payment. Payment details can still be updated by signing in at ***************************** as the account completes cancellation. Once cancellation is competed, all non-required account data (such as payment details) are deleted in the following 90 days in accordance with data retention policies and guidelines.
Should you wish to discuss this further the Executive Solutions Team is available for callback from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. Alternatively you can reach out to us directly via email at ********************************************************.
Again, we appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our processes. If youre open to discussing this further, were here to help.
Sincerely,
******** *****
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************
Customer Answer
Date: 07/15/2025
Hello, please update the company's BBB Business Review, as given we have been credited/pending refund, and removed from their creditor's list (rightfully so) - it should read that we are satisfied (not dissatisfied). "Answered - the business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer remains dissatisfied."
Thank you,
**** ******
Initial Complaint
Date:06/18/2025
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Business Response
Date: 06/25/2025
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
Unfortunately I was unable to identify your particular account with the details provided in regards to subscriptions billing. Please feel free to either email ************************************* or reply to this complaint with non-payment specific information such as Customer ID Number, account holder email address, domains registered or any contract/invoice numbers received in relation to these charges. We can additionally securely review bank history statements or debit card transaction when emailing to our direct contact address.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve our processes. If youre open to discussing this further, were here to help.
Sincerely,
******** Smith
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************
Initial Complaint
Date:06/11/2025
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Business Response
Date: 06/18/2025
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and on behalf of IONOS, I am truly sorry your experience with our company has not met your expectations. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Direct feedback from the customer is an important resource as it helps us focus on the aspects of our products and services that need the most attention.
Wed like to clarify a few points regarding your concerns:
While we understand it may have felt as though additional services were sold, please rest assured that this was not the case. Instead, a downgrade was processed from your web hosting package to a domain-only service. This step was taken to ensure that you retained ownership of your domain registration while allowing the hosting services to be canceled.
Additionally, weve reviewed your account and can confirm that a refund has been processed to the payment method on file. All remaining services have now been fully terminated.
We understand that the process you describedinitiating online, receiving a code, navigating call options, and speaking with multiple representativesfelt burdensome and unclear. While some cancellations do require verbal confirmation to protect account security, your experience was far from ideal, and we are actively reviewing our procedures to ensure they are as seamless and transparent as possible.
We appreciate you acknowledging Alissas assistance in ultimately resolving the issue, and were grateful you stayed engaged throughout the process. Your concerns have been escalated internally for review, and were committed to using your feedback to drive improvements.
If you have any further questions or want to provide additional feedback please reach out to us directly here within the Executive Solutions team at ********************************************************.
Thank you again for bringing this to our attention, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
Sincerely,
******** Smith
Executive Solutions Manager
IONOS, Inc.
*************************************
Initial Complaint
Date:06/04/2025
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Business Response
Date: 06/05/2025
Hello Rafal Holding,
Thank you for taking the time to submit your feedback regarding IONOS services.
I have sent a separate message to the contact email on file with account specific detail regarding its status and actions you can take.
We regret the poor experience in following the instructions shown upon login and then receiving no response from the indicated support line. We always aim to provide a quality product and excellent support, and have forwarded this information to our ***************** Team for quality and training purposes. This team will properly address the agents handling this case and advise management for areas of improvement as any dropped or incorrectly disconnected call should be attempted to be called back.
Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced, and we thank you for bringing these issues to our attention. Please feel free to respond to the upcoming email with any further questions or concerns.
Thank you,
****
IONOS
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