Ever get one of these notices? In almost every case, if these arrive by mail, you can shred them. Your domain registrar will email you, not contact you by mail. If you aren’t sure, you can check your registrar by going to ICANN WHOIS and looking it up at https://whois.icann.org/en.
Your domain renewal will:
• Be from your registrar or web host.
• Be a reasonable amount and very close to the amount you paid last year.
• Arrive a couple of times before the domain expires, start about six months out
Your domain renewal will NOT:
• Be 10x the cost it was last year
• Arrive from a company you’ve not done business before
• Ask for your credit card number on a form
Mary Fisher Design got one for a single year renewal in the mail. The cost was $228.00 per year, more than 10x what we pay now and told us our renewal date was in April when it was really in June.
Falling for one of these domain name renewal scams can really cost you. Expect to pay them for at least three years before you can get your domain moved back. The actual cost of moving it back could be over a thousand dollars when you include the cost of someone to help you transfer the domain.
Your domain name is very valuable to your business; make sure you protect it. Make sure your name is listed in the Registrant field of your domain record and that your email and address are correct. An incorrect email address is difficult to fix if you no longer have access to the email. If the domain is owned by the business, make sure the WHOIS information contains the correct business name and address. They should both match your business license or professional license. Make sure that only the principles in the business have access to the domain account. If someone needs access, give them access, then change the password. It is easy to transfer domains, and a disgruntled employee has stolen domains for businesses that we work with. They were never recovered.
This small bit of preventive maintenance can save you a considerable amount of trouble. If you have questions about your domain, we are happy to answer them.
Marv Conn
Fisher Design
904-419-3248
