Grrrrrr, deceptive marketers make me mad!
I have two domains registered in my name that are due for renewal in June. Just today I received a "Domain Name Expiration Notice" from some outfit called Domain Registry of America (no linky for them). Their letter - that looks very much like a bill - says that "as a courtesy" their letting me know the domains will have to be renewed in 5 months, and "now is the time to transfer and renew your names from your current Registrar to the Domain Registry of America*". They make it sound so scary: "Failure to renew your domain name by the expiration date may result in a loss of your online identity . . . ". And what do they offer? Domain registration at more than double the price I'm paying now. (Their web site claims the "standard" price for domain registration is $70 per year - what a crock of *bleep*) No thanks.
I can see how they probably get a lot of business - people see what looks like a bill and pay it for fear of losing their domain. By the time they realize what has happened, it's too late, the domain is transfered. After a bit of googling, I found that in 2003 the FTC barred Domain Registry of America (which is actually a Canadian company) from "Misleading Consumers in Marketing of Internet Domain Name Services. I'm not sure if that means they used to use even more deceptive tactics, of if they just continued on with business as usual.
I feel much better now.
* I really really hate deceptive marketers that use the American flag as their logo. Ew.
Tags: Domain Registry of America
I have two domains registered in my name that are due for renewal in June. Just today I received a "Domain Name Expiration Notice" from some outfit called Domain Registry of America (no linky for them). Their letter - that looks very much like a bill - says that "as a courtesy" their letting me know the domains will have to be renewed in 5 months, and "now is the time to transfer and renew your names from your current Registrar to the Domain Registry of America*". They make it sound so scary: "Failure to renew your domain name by the expiration date may result in a loss of your online identity . . . ". And what do they offer? Domain registration at more than double the price I'm paying now. (Their web site claims the "standard" price for domain registration is $70 per year - what a crock of *bleep*) No thanks.
I can see how they probably get a lot of business - people see what looks like a bill and pay it for fear of losing their domain. By the time they realize what has happened, it's too late, the domain is transfered. After a bit of googling, I found that in 2003 the FTC barred Domain Registry of America (which is actually a Canadian company) from "Misleading Consumers in Marketing of Internet Domain Name Services. I'm not sure if that means they used to use even more deceptive tactics, of if they just continued on with business as usual.
I feel much better now.
* I really really hate deceptive marketers that use the American flag as their logo. Ew.
Tags: Domain Registry of America
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