Domain Name Dishonesty
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Have you gotten a call or received an e-mail lately telling you that your domain name is about to expire? If so, you're not alone. I have started to receive frequent calls and e-mails from companies telling me that one or another of the domain names which I own was "in imminent danger of expiring!!".
The first time this happened, I went to Network Solutions' website to check the domain record. When I saw that the name did not expire for at least six to eight months, I was irritated, and I decided to investigate what was going on.
As it turns out, the field has now been opened up for everyone and his brother to get into the domain name registration game. Companies are springing up daily that want you to register your names through them instead of Network Solutions. Rather than compete honestly with Network Solutions, what these companies have decided to do is to panic the consumer by telling him or her that a domain name is about to expire, hoping that he or she will click on a link to renew it right then and there. What the consumer does not realize is that in most cases, the domain name they are being notified about is not in imminent danger of expiring, and a payment to the company in question will actually transfer the registration of your name to said company. In my opinion, this is dishonest at the least, and nothing short of a scam at worst. Telling consumers that their domain name is about to expire when it is not is an outright lie. My opinion is that if a company has to lie to you to get your business, can you trust anything else they tell you?
These companies are able to prey on unsuspecting consumers because the vast majority of people do not know much about domain records, and have no way of knowing whether or not the information they are being told is true. The company sounds official, and so they believe what they are told. These companies don't want you to be informed because an informed consumer, who knows that his or her domain name is not about to expire, has plenty of time to investigate the company's policies and prices rather than buying out of sheer panic. With this document I hope to make you, the reader, a more informed consumer.
Firstly, there is a way to check to see when your domain name expires. Use the following link. In the search box, enter your domain name without the "www." on the front -- for example, "yourdomain.com" (but don't enter the quotation marks) -- and then press the search button. The information that is returned is called the domain record, and you will note some date information toward the bottom. What you are looking for is the "record expires on" date.
Be aware also that Network Solutions does offer discounts for paying for more than one year at a time, just as these companies who are calling and sending the letters do. You should get a letter from Network Solutions a month or so prior to your expiration date (assuming that you are indeed registered through Network Solutions), and most likely you will get e-mail as well. You have the option of sending a check, or even paying with a credit card online. So the next time you get one of these calls or e-mails, you will know what's going on and won't have the wool pulled over your eyes.
Cynthia Brooman, President
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Last updated 24-Oct-2001.
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