Problem: Domain Name Registration Companies attempt to get you to switch your domain to them, but your domain ends up expiring because they can’t take it over with out your help.
We get these letters in the mail all the time with companies trying to trick us into registering our domain names through them instead of with the company we currently use. This is technically not a scam, because they are trying to just get you to switch to them. However we consider it a scam because they’re charging four times what most people charge for domain name registration and on top of that, you won’t even be getting what you pay them for because it takes a lot more work than just sending them money to make the domain name go into their system! Their main goal is pushing the urgency and taking advantage of the fact that you probably don’t know where you registered your domain name so you will think that it’s with them. They’re basically banking on you not knowing where your domain is registered, but not wanting to lose your domain name, you frantically send them the money and never follow up until it’s too late.
They prey on uncertain, overloaded, overwhelmed, “too busy to dedicate the time to it” small business owners.
Here’s the real problem though, you’re going to send them the money and put the very important task of renewing your domain name out of your mind and considering it done. When in reality, you haven’t renewed your domain name because all they did is take your money, they haven’t actually renewed your domain name because they don’t have access to do so. That has to be done through the company that it’s currently registered through. This is very frustrating for us because we have to help clean up the mess of you losing your domain name and having to pay at minimum $95 to get it back because it’s in a status that’s called “pending deletion”. And at worst, paying thousands of dollars to these companies that register expired domain names just to turn around and resell it back to the original owner who let it expire on accident.
Here’s what the letter looks like…
Notice the pricing! Godaddy and us both charge between $20 and $30 and they’re charging $45 but most of the scam letters we are seeing now are charging around $85! Now this is just one of many companies that do this, but this is the one that’s most active and it’s the one we see probably four out of five times we get these letters. Also you will get emails with the same message and the same urgency.
What’s the solution?
It’s very simple, just give us a call and ask us where your domain is registered. We are happy to help you renew it! That’s what were here for… to help you through these technical things related to your website! Most of our customers are either registered through GoDaddy or the registered through us. Either way, we can help you renew your domain name with a simple phone call, but at the very least we can tell you who your real registrar is! (888) 987-7771
