Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Domain Names : www.domainrenewal-online.com - they got me!

[VentureMaker]

Hello,

Do you know the subj? I mean, the company www.domainrenewal-online.com

Listen what they do. They GOT me and my clients. They send this kind of letters:

--- --- ---

domain renewal

It is time to renew your domain name www.???.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
Your domain name www.???.com will expire within 90 days.
You may renew your domain automatically with Domain Renewal. Click on the
link in this
e-mail to renew the domain for another year. You should renew your domain as
soon as
possible in order for it to continue to be registered in your name.

Click here if you wish to renew your domain
--------> http://www.domainrenewalonline.com/for.php?d=???.com

As soon as we have received your payment, you will receive a confirmation
that your domain
has been renewed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
Services and information about Domain Renewal
Domain Renewal maintains domain addresses, and registers and consults
companies in
relation to Internet domain ownership. We inform businesses about which
domains are
registered, and remind them if a domain is due to expire, or when it is time
to renew a domain.
If you want Domain Renewal to extend the domain for you, we ask you to click
on the link in
this e-mail. If you do not wish to use your domain after the due date for
renewal, you may
disregard this e-mail. When Domain Renewal extends your domain no
information will be
changed in the "Whois" information section. The domain will be extended for
1 year. You will
therefore continue with your current supplier. You may also request your
Internet Service
Provider to renew the domain for you. If you have any further questions
please do not hesitate
to contact our customer service centre by sending an e-mail to
support@domainrenewalonline.com
domain renewal
Click here to unsubscribe

--- --- ---

They find domains that are about to expire and send such emails to contact email.
I'm lucky that I have set contact email of all domains of my client to my own email, but other people can be caught by this dirty trick and go pay them!

[rolypoly]

I receive similar email but not from them. Definitely not going to renew with them. Probably a fraud / scam. Avoid .

[VentureMaker]

The worst thing here, that they don't do anything illegal...
But I don't understand this way of doing business - legal trick.

[rubah]

I've been getting those letters for several years now, it seems like. They cost more than what I pay to renew my domains so I just ignored them.

One time my dad got a letter from a firm offering to design and host his website for something like a lot of money. He was actually considering whether it was worth it until I told him it was not. His business is local and he has all he can stand anyways.

[mtgm]

I've received similar emails on many occasions. They go straight to the trash can.

[qwan]

What i dont understand is how can they ask me to renew a domain with them when I have registered the domain with godaddy.com(or namecheap I think).
I have yet to know why and how will godaddy.com or namecheap allow this renewal to happen.
can anyone shed light on this
Thank you

[LazerDKA]

Domain Registration of America does the same thing, only they send snailmail letters. It's basically a marketing ploy to get people to pay them to retain a domain name that's coming up for renewal. It's legal, but many people end up paying twice for a domain name because their own domain registration company will inform them closer to the renewal date. The "outside" company is just trying to get people to switch to them, to boost sales.

It'd be like a cell phone company calling you when your contract is up and offering you a new phone or more features with contract "renewal", but through them instead of through your current provider. Many website owners who aren't very internet or tech savvy may fall for such a ploy, but any educated webmaster/domain owner should know better, or at least contact their current registrar before sending in a payment.

[ecenica]

Ask your domain registrar if they offer 'Privacy Protection' when registering/renewing your domain. This prevents your personal details from appearing on the public domain records (whois) and limits your chances of receiving letters/emails trying to trick you in to registering.

As to how/why godaddy let the transfer take place. I can only suggest contacting their support directly.

[qwan]

I am sure this is not legal. If someone sues and I think the domain registrars should then it can be proved that these companies are misleading us.
I have read the mail there is no mention of tranfers, neither there is anything on their website. They are just offering to renew our domains through email. This emails is made to appear as if they are the registrar. I am going to send these emails to my registrar and ask them what is happening. I am sure all major (honest) registrars can ban these fraud companies. In the sense whenever they get a tranfer order from these companies, they should contact their client and tell them that they will be charge more and that they are actually being tranferred to another registrar.

ecenica makes me wonder too, when it comes to godaddy we know that they were involved in a scam where if you searched for a domain that has expired(which was registered with them) it would come not available and some dummy domain kiting/grabbing company would register it for 5 days.(they exploit the options where they return the domain back for .25$) I stumbled upon this as I had installed a namecheap search on google. and I have posted on this. So if godaddy is accepting this transfer, i am sure they are invovled and are getting a share or it may be their company itself.
Very strangely i have never got a renewal email for the particular domain which i got this "fraud" email for. I am suprised because godaddy.com always sends a 90 day reminder.

[mrzippy]

We all know it's a scam and that if you send them money, they will actually initiate a transfer and not a renewal.

This is obvious, to us.

But to a "non technical" person, it is very easy to get suckered into this trap.

It is legal, because the term "renewal" is very broad and can mean just about anything. Also, the fine print and TOS for these type of companies will actually explain what is happening and that by sending them money you actually agree to transfer your domain and "renew" it with them. Of course, nobody reads that stuff...

It is a legal business practice, but I think it is definately unethical. It is no better or worse then advertising "unlimited" web hosting.