So: what Registrar??

J. Anthonisen · #1 02-01-2006, 06:30 AM

I've been reading many reports in this Forum on abuse and malservice from certain Registrars that I were contemplating using after I discovered that one of my registrars is pretty much questionable too (will explain later).

Is it because of price? There are, quite frankly, very few complaints on registrars like Network Solutions (NetSol), Enom or Public Domain Registry (PDR, a Directi company), but then again their price levels are 35 usd, 29.95 usd and 35 usd respectively. A coincidence?

I am using NetSol for one domain only, I never had a single problem, but then again, I don't do much with the domain, it is just there. What could go wrong?

I had a very different experience with Verio; I currently have 5 domains with them, and the last was registered on 12 January, but I still haven't received my domain account details to configure the domain, and it has been 3 weeks now. After severel tickets and emails, I still have no reply as to what is going on. Verio is a reseller and charges 9.99 usd per generic domain. The whole incident and what I read here has made me question the reliability of many of the registrars operating in the market.

Below are some of the registrars I had in mind using, first the three more expensive alternative, then the registrars I would consider for they are all similar in price (from 7-19 USD per generic domain); if you care to give me your opinion ... The question is: What registrar would you use?

- NetSol
- eNom
- PDR
- Dotster.com
- DomainSite.com
- Moniker.com
- 000Domains.com
- GoDaddy.com
- RegisterFly.com

Time to recap, chaps?

J. Anthonisen · #2 02-01-2006, 08:26 AM

Please, help me out guys, I need to make a decision soon as I have sevaral domains pending. Simply put, I find the first three too expensive when you have a certain volume, so I was really looking for a mid-price, reliable registrar with decent support and good DNS propagation...

Patrick · #3 02-01-2006, 10:54 AM

eNom or GoDaddy are both affordable and provide very good technical support if you ever need it.

I personally use both, however my eNom account is a reseller account.

manatee123 · #4 02-01-2006, 11:06 AM

Among other things, we provide hosting. So we resell domain registration using Opensrs.com (Tucows). I have no complaints. You might look into whether you can register directly with them.

The other one I have used is Network Solutions, mainly because I have been in this business a long time and they were the only game in town at one time. They worked fine though my only complaint in those days was that they were a bit bureacratic to deal with for anything non routine -- though that may have changed since the mid-90's to the late 90's when I used them for my customers. :-)

You may want to search the web and Usenet groups for comments on these various registrars. You may be able to find info on people's experiences both good and bad.

steveabraham · #5 02-01-2006, 11:31 AM

I second OpenSRS, been with them for years. Never had any problems. They aren't as cheap as eNom, but in my experience are a lot more professional an outfit for trade. eNom are a bit too "retail" for my liking.

Acroplex · #6 02-01-2006, 12:02 PM

Enom (via reputable resellers), NameCheap, DomainDiscount24

I would avoid registerfly, GoDaddy, Network Solutions and several others.

J. Anthonisen · #7 02-01-2006, 12:51 PM

Thanks for the replies, really appreciate that you take the time.

Actually, after I had posted the list of names I discovered NameCheap was much praised in a recent poll here, and even if there were a few issues on other threads, I must say the replies by the NameCheap representative seemed quite sensible to me.

I don't have the volume to be an eNom reseller, so I would probably be looking for registering with one of their resellers if I "choose" them.

Any thoughts on DomainSite.com? They are an accredited ICANN registrar, but prices are surprisingly low...

Acroplex · #8 02-01-2006, 01:24 PM

NameCheap is indeed an Enom affiliate, and I would give it two thumbs up across the board; from the back end manager to their responsiveness to tech support issues.

LexTalionis · #9 02-01-2006, 06:17 PM

Fabulous is the best registrar IMO. A bit tricky at first, but no codes, specials or any of that jazz. Just straight up $6.75 coms.

J. Anthonisen · #10 02-01-2006, 06:50 PM

ok, I eventually went for Namecheap.com; registering the first domains now...

Dave Zan · #11 02-01-2006, 08:10 PM

Good luck with your choice, J. Anthonisen!

Other than a few issues, domainsite's fine. But best you go ahead with what you
are doing and spend a few extra bucks to ensure you're getting good service.

Bashar · #12 02-01-2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acroplex

Enom (via reputable resellers), NameCheap, DomainDiscount24

I would avoid registerfly, GoDaddy, Network Solutions and several others.

FYI, DomainDiscount24 is a registrar not enom reseller

J. Anthonisen · #13 02-02-2006, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davezan

Good luck with your choice, J. Anthonisen!

Many thanks for that! In fact, the whole registration with NameCheap was pretty smooth, and dns was propagated immediately.

Curiously enough, I received a reply from Verio yesterday with the account details for the domain I registered on 12 January; it was really too late for me, I'm moving...