The simple message is – stay away from these masters of domain deception.
We all seem to own domains, and it seems as though there are thousands of domain registrars out there. Domain registrars being companies we buy domains (URL’s) from.
Yesterday, I took a call from a client who received mail from Domain Registry of Canada (DROC). Look at the form below – it looks legitimate – almost governmental. To a non-technical business owner/manager it comes across as their domain is expiring and they need to renew it. The problem is, our client did not originally buy his domain from Domain Registry of Canada, it was purchased through a different registrar.
When someone actually fills this out and sends it in, it’s actually a domain transfer agreement, so your domain will be transferred from your current registrar to DROC. Not only that, but you are paying a premium to do so, anywhere from 3-5 times more than if you were to re-register with your current registrar.
From the BBB:
Based on information the BBB has obtained, consumers are receiving renewal forms from Domain Registry of Canada to renew their domain names. The issues with the renewal forms however, is that they are not renewals at all. In fact, by filling in the form and sending it in, the consumer has actually agreed to the transferring of their domain name from their current registrar to the Domain Registry of Canada. The BBB would like to remind consumers to carefully read all correspondence before filling in and submitting any forms.
On July 25 2012, the BBB requested that the company modify their mailed correspondence/advertisements to clearly indicate that the advertisement is actually a domain transfer request form, and not simply a renewal request from the consumer's current host/registrar or a form from the Canadian Government.
About the Author:
Samuel Araki is the founder of LocalTrifecta Internet Marketing. He believes SME’s need to regain control of their digital marketing - which has become a muddled landscape, filled with fast talking, budget sucking, wannabe Internet Marketing leeches. He is clear that online marketing is not an overnight process, but is a commitment to furthering an upward trending marketing channel. Follow Samuel’s musings on Twitter and Google+
