Domain Name Owners: Be Aware... Be Very Aware

Domain Name Owners: Be Aware… Be Very Aware

The takeaway:

Beware of Domain Registry of America Letters

Responding in Kind to Domain Registry of America Letters

If you receive a letter from companies like Domain Registry of America, READ IT CAREFULLY. It’s not really a “renewal” but an expensive “transfer” (example below)

If you own a domain name, you really should take a couple of minutes to read this… it’ll save you time, money and a ton-o-hassle.

I received another “Domain Name Expiration Notice” a letter from: Domain Registry of America today stating that one of my domain names was about to expire. Just couldn’t help but post a quickie warning about this “service.” Hey, I love all of the opportunities this country can provide, but I also see many businesses get scammed because they don’t always read the fine print within letters sent from “service” companies sending official looking letters with a bunch of confusing text.

(like the one below click to zoom)

Click image to Zoom for Details

Even though the letter states the details… it also highlights words like “Domain Name Expiration Notice”, knowing darn well that it’s enough to get a busy business owner who doesn’t know the who, what, why, when or where information about their domain name, to sign on the dotted line and send in the money.

If you sign the letter, you’ve:

authorized the “transfer” of your the domain name to their registrar service
probably increased your cost by 4X what you should pay. (you shouldn’t pay more than $9 per year per name)
locked your domain for at least 60 days – and it can be a b*tch to get some registrars to unlock your name to transfer it back to a reasonably priced one

What to do if you get a letter like the one above?

Check who your current registrar is by visiting: https://www.dnsstuff.com/ and perform a “WHOIS” Lookup (just type in your domain name and check the results)

If Domain Name Registry of America is *not* your current registrar then throw the letter away.

Important tips to remember with your domain names:

Always have the domain registered under *your* email address (not your web guy or an employee – or THEY will own your name)
Set the domain to “auto renew” yearly or longer
If you change your email address *make sure to change that info at your registrar or risk losing your domain*
Don’t pay more than $9-$10 per year, per name
DON’T check availability for domain names at NetworkSolutions.com – they have been known to register names that folks were researching, but didn’t immediately register. (then hold it hostage for more $$)

Hope that helps take out some of the mystery of domain name registry and transfers and the scams therein.

Have any questions? Hit me! (below)

2012-03-07T11:49:19-08:00

About the Author: David Naves

With over 30 years in the Internet Industry, some of Dave's larger projects have included Ticketmaster.com, Guess.com, Citysearch.com and DisneyChannel.com, to name a few. He's passionate about getting Small Business America in to the "Big Game" of SEO and ecommerce, so he founded LocalMarketplace.com™ to do just that. Dave holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration, plays drums, is an avid fly fisherman, over-built his Automated Arduino Chicken Coop and enjoys using his general contractors license from time to time. His favorite web host is Acenet, and loves learning via Lynda.com. You can typically find him making noise out on Google+, Twitter and Facebook.

3 Comments

Lisa Armstrong August 25, 2011 at 10:58 am - Reply

Thanks, Dave. At first I thought you had opened my business mail…..same exact letter landed in my box and I was wondering what this was all about. Thank you for taking the time to alert all business owners about these type of letters in your very informative blog. Once again…..you saved me from what would have been a big mess!
Dan Kult March 6, 2012 at 5:14 am - Reply

Hello Dave,

I know this is long after your post, but I would point out that the $60 for two years of a domain name seems high, except for the fact that it includes free hosting. The total then becomes far less than the combined domain name and hosting from all other providers that I have evaluated so far, including the big names like Go-Daddy. Decision actually should be based more on up-time, service, software provided (DROA stopped providing any)and general business practices. I am still searching for a website that helps consumers with this important decision making process.
- Dave Naves March 7, 2012 at 12:08 pm - Reply
  
  Thanks for the comment, Dan.
  
  A few things… for me, I’ve spent too many years fixing this problem for small businesses who have been duped/scared into “transferring” their names under the guise of renewing them. The hosting that DRoA *now* offers (which is -absolutely awful- by the way,(uptime, options, software and especially customer service – a very important piece in the hosting puzzle) is far too little… too late. DRoA coming up with the hosting to *appear* less greedy than they are is really another slap in the ignorant faces of businesses who don’t know the difference. (specifically when they sign the tainted form, know nothing about the included hosting (let alone how to change their nameservers so that they actually use the hosting account) and end up paying 2 web hosting bills. Sorry, the hosting is just another example of DRoA’s “slickness.”
  
  And posting articles like this is exactly what my business is about… getting Small Business America into the big game and keeping them informed.
  
  Truly,
  //D