names.co.uk
★★★★★ 2.0 · 61 Reviews
What is names.co.uk?
names.co.uk (formerly known as Namesco) is a leading British internet services provider that offers online solutions for SMEs and individuals. It specialises in domain name registration, web hosting, email hosting, website builders, ecommerce applications and dedicated servers. Recent additions to its product range include an online booking tool, as well as a digital compliance and accessibility solution. It is notable for offering free .co.uk and .uk domains, as well as a UK-based support team. Since 2019 names.co.uk has been the principal UK brand of team.blue, a European group of technology companies that helps entrepreneurs and established businesses achieve their online ambitions. Collectively, the group operates across 22 countries, manages over 5 million domains and has more than 3 million customers. Products and services Domain names: As a British domain registrar, names.co.uk specialises in UK-specific domain extensions, such as .co.uk, .uk and .org.uk. These are often available to register for one year free of charge on their website. It can also register any other type of domain extension, including .com, with many of them being available on multi-year billing terms. Email hosting: names.co.uk offers a number of choices for email hosting, ranging from a single mailbox for a small business, through to multi-user packages for large corporations. All of them offer unlimited email addresses and the ability to view emails either via a mail client or an online Webmail interface. Web hosting: A range of options are available for those looking to host their own website. These include WordPress (both Managed and Unmanaged), WooCommerce and WePanel, as well as options for resellers. Dedicated servers: For larger businesses or more high-end use cases, names.co.,uk also offers dedicated and VPS servers. These are all hosted in the company’s 50,000 square foot datacentre in the heart of the Thames Valley. AI website builder: Aimed primarily at sole traders and small businesses, the company’s website builder software allows the simple creation of a basic website. An AI wizard can automatically choose a suitable pre-created template based on the needs of the user. Automatic generation of written content is also available from a few simple prompts. Online booking: In 2025 names.co.uk partnered with SimplyBook.me, another team.blue brand, to offer their online booking tool. This allows service providers to easily add appointment scheduling functionality to their existing website or social channels. It also comes with a smartphone app that can be used to manage bookings, as well as receive them. Compliance & accessibility: Another recent addition, from fellow team.blue brands Iubenda and AccessiWay, includes a complete digital compliance tool. This can generate various legal policies for website owners. As well as cookie and privacy policies, it also offers an accessibility tool for disabled users, helping business owners meet their responsibilities under the European Accessibility Act.
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names.co.uk Reviews (61)
- ★★★★★13
- ★★★★★2
- ★★★★★2
- ★★★★★2
- ★★★★★42
Review Summary
Generated using AI from real user reviews
Names.co.uk receives overwhelmingly negative reviews, with serious issues around customer service, billing practices, and service reliability dominating complaints.
Users consistently report unresponsive support, with wait times exceeding an hour on phone lines and support tickets going unanswered for days or closing without resolution. Multiple reviewers describe being charged unexpectedly for auto-renewals they disabled, domain renewals on expired cards, and renewal fees that spike dramatically after initial registration. Several users highlight unfair transfer and admin fees (£10–£12 to move domains away), with complaints that these charges are not transparent upfront. Email and hosting outages appear regularly across reviews, with some users reporting service down for 12+ hours, directly costing them business.
A small cluster of five-star reviews praise individual staff members by name—particularly an account manager called Jordan—and note good long-term relationships with the company. These positive reviews stand in stark contrast to the volume of criticism and suggest experience varies sharply depending on who handles an account.
Beyond service failures, reviewers report unclear billing, mysterious charges, confiscation of contact details sold to third parties, and an outdated control panel that makes self-service difficult. The company's acquisition of legacy services (UKServers, Freeparking, Demon email) appears to have introduced fresh complaints about lost functionality and forced migrations. Several users describe the company as deliberately predatory or fraudulent.
★★★★★
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
“We have used Namesco since 2006 and I can honestly…”
We have used Namesco since 2006 and I can honestly say their service has been very good, they have always been helpful and quick to respond. Since Jordan started managing our account the services has only got better, I'd have no hesitation in recommending Namesco for any of their services.
★★★★★
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
“Namesco has also offered great support. Our account manager, Jordan…”
Namesco has also offered great support. Our account manager, Jordan has always been reliable and responded within 24 hours of any problem raised.
★★★★★
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
“Rip off merchants DO NOT USE. Charge £10 to transfer…”
Rip off merchants DO NOT USE. Charge £10 to transfer a domain WTF!!!
★★★★★
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
“Wordpress never updates because of inconsistent file permissions which only…”
Wordpress never updates because of inconsistent file permissions which only the tech team can fix. The cacheing system prevents changes from propagating - even when the cache is flushed using the control panel. PHP version is misreported. And FTP access has to be enabled every time I work on the site using a third party FTP client. The tech support is responsive to be fair, but I don't have these issues with other hosting companies.
★★★★★
Monday, May 13, 2019
“Appalling. Emailed to cancel standing order Phonedto cancel , money…”
Appalling. Emailed to cancel standing order Phonedto cancel , money still being charged from my account. Unprofessional, a bit like a set up in a boys bedroom . Full of tossers
★★★★★
Monday, March 25, 2019
“Every time I called the customer service I got different…”
Every time I called the customer service I got different answers. People were rude and unhelpful. And it's not possible to update your website through FTP if you are in Taiwan, Hong Kong or China, and they wouldn't admit it, kept saying something wrong on my end, until I tried and tested everything. AVOID the service.
★★★★★
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
“AVOID - Namesco will start your hosting at a modest…”
AVOID - Namesco will start your hosting at a modest fee then increase the payment to extortionate levels - Their customer care is Awful they will repeatedly close your "support ticket" as soon as possible , without ever resolving your concerns - Their customer service phone line is only effective in creating a huge phone bill charge for you the customer -No webchat available etc AVOID Namesco
★★★★★
Thursday, January 17, 2019
“Initially cheap to register but then extortion renewal charges.!! you…”
Initially cheap to register but then extortion renewal charges.!! you also have to pay to transfer away your domain name. Who does this? they say its an admin charge however everything nowadays is automated, changing an IPS tags and unlocking a .com should attract an admin charge. Not recommended..
★★★★★
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
“I've received the best customer care, help and service that…”
I've received the best customer care, help and service that I've ever had from an email provider.
★★★★★
Thursday, November 8, 2018
“Avoid this company at all costs. Access to my email…”
Avoid this company at all costs. Access to my email denied twice - on both occasions I made payment. Cut off twice while speaking with them now cant get through. No response by email. Now they are selling SSL as an additional service. My company is losing money because of these guys. I ve had a moonfruit website for about 10 years and initially email was included.
