Hiya,

I'm an amateur webdesigner. One of my friends I set a site up for with Netfuse.co.uk has had a bill from Nominet for £94; the domain has been registered for 2 yrs now (it's a .co.uk), and is 'free' with the hosting. The normal yearly fee is £15.22 so this bill is a bit of a shock. I emailed Netfuse three days ago for an explanation but (gnashing of teeth) they haven't replied, and they don't have a phone contact.

I would be really grateful if someone would explain this to me.

Cheers,
Iva

The Nominet fee is for a domain that is expired and gives you a last chance to pick it up if your host hasn't renewed it

FYI Nominet handel all .co.uk/org.uk registrations

Rus

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Why would Netfuse let the account expire without warning my client?

Is it not normal for a host to continue renewing your hosting and billing you for it?

The previous reply is only partly correct.

First of all, what you received from Nominet is not a "bill" but a pro forma. And if you look at it carefully you will see that it recommends that you contact your registrar in the first instance. I think (but it's a while since I've last seen one of these pro formas) that it even tells you that renewing through your registrar is likely to be cheaper.

Secondly, a pro forma is not a "last chance"!

.uk domains can be renewed, without any adverse consequences whatsoever, for up to 30 days after their expiry date (after that they get suspended, but stay registered for a further 60 days). It is not at all uncommong for registrars to renew domains in the 30 day grace period, especially if the renewal date is near the end of the month (as going into the next month will give them another 30 days credit...). Unfortunately Nominet, in their wisdom, are sending out these pro formas about five days after the renewal date, which means that pro formas will often arrive with the registrant after the registrar has sent the "renew" command. I believe this is all going to change soon - about time too, as these pro formas are causing SO much confusion!

To find out whether or not your domain has been renewed do a Whois check. If it says "Renewal request being processed" then your domain has been renewed. If it says "Renewal required" then it hasn't and you should contact your registrar. As I said, you have 30 days from the expiry date before anything happens.

GBP 94 (80 + VAT) is the fee Nominet charges for direct registrations. Registrars pay GBP 5 plus VAT in return for a GBP 400 joining fee and an annual membership fee of GBP 100.