Once in a while, you might get postal mail from a company with the word “domain”. The moment you receive that mail, beware its contents.
But before I explain why you should beware of what’s inside that piece of mail, let me give a rundown about why domain registrars sending such.
Some domain registrars will send postal notices, be it for an upcoming marketing campaign or to simply remind you it’s time to renew your domain name/s with them. But not all can afford to do this, especially if they’re selling domain names at a loss.
More often than not, the postal mail will be the one informing you it’s renewal time. Given the reality that email isn’t as completely reliable as it once was, it never hurts for a domain registrar to take a “belt and suspenders” approach to ensure you’re notified timely. (and they don’t want someone to claim their pants fell down, too. 
)
However, not all pieces of mail will be coming from your domain registrar. In fact, there are some companies out there who send out such but make it appear like a “renewal noticeâ€Â.
Rather, it’s not exactly a renewal notice. It’s a solicitation letter.
The purpose of such a letter is to get your attention and eventually influence you enough to pay a fee. Some say it’s time to renew your domain name but they’ll offer it cheaper, others say your domain name under this extension is available and at risk of being taken by a “cybersquatterâ€Â.
(I’ll explain what a cybersquatter is in a future post. Keep reading for now.)
The latter can be especially “enticingâ€Â. One reality is there are people out there who register variations of domain names and try to sell it to brand holders to make a profit.
But given the potential complexities of dealing with such people, sometimes it might be more practical to just buy the name from the one who’s got it. Of course, there’s no guarantee they’ll transfer it to you, anyway.
The problem is, some solicitation letters emphasize this reality so well they tend to reach into the person’s emotions. It’s a long-time, maintained belief among many marketers and copywriters that people buy on emotions and justify it with logic later.
Unfortunately for the unsuspecting consumer, this type of letter might easily “rattle†them into sending money promptly to the company who sent that notice. Then they’ll likely experience untold nightmares trying to get their money back when they finally realize the error of their ways.
So what can one do when faced with this?
Well for one thing, be smart. Do pay attention to the fine print on the envelope.
Take note who it’s from. If the listed name is from a company you’ve never heard of, then you’ve every reason to be skeptical at this point.
If you’re aware of this already and you know who your domain registrar is, just simply dump the mail on your nearest trash bin. Simple solutions work. 
However, you can also forward this to your domain registrar or your nearest government agency assigned to handle consumer complaints. One agency empowered by law to look into such matters is the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Speaking of which, the FTC clamped down on a few companies who exactly did this practice years ago. You can search through their website at www.ftc.gov and search using the keywords “domain renewalâ€Â.
A word of caution: neither the registrar nor the FTC can immediately take action against such companies engaging in such practices. It’s potentially more complex than one can imagine.
However, they will document your report and compile them. Once they notice a consistent and growing pattern, they will take action and see how far the law takes them.
But…what if it’s real?
The only time it’s possibly legitimate is if you originally obtained your domain name through a service provider who turns out to be that domain registrar’s reseller. Although resellers are normally the ones to tell you when it’s time to renew, sometimes a domain registrar will send you such if their relationship has been terminated for whatever reason.
Just do a WHOIS and note the line registrar. If it matches that of the name listed on the envelope, then that means it’s really registered with them.
If the notice has a toll-free phone number, take advantage of it. If it lists an email address, shoot an email asking as many detailed questions as possible.
Just ask and be ready to either hang up the phone, ignore their emails futher, or proceed if it turns out to be true. While at it, tell them to put your name and contact details in some kind of “do not call” list since some jurisdictions require companies to maintain such lists.
Kindly tell your loved ones and your friends to beware of getting postal notices regarding your domain name/s. Unless it’s specifically from your domain registrar, be ready to ignore them.
This is actually a reminder of what I wrote before. But because this practice is still on-going (as of this post), it pays to be aware of this and be ready for it.
[tags]domain names, warnings[/tags]
Check Out These Other Posts:
Beware Of “Misleading” Domain Name Notices
Once in a while, you might get postal mail from a company with the word “domain”. The moment you receive that mail, beware its contents.
But before I explain why you should beware of what’s inside that piece of mail, let me give a rundown about why domain registrars sending such.
Some domain registrars will send postal notices, be it for an upcoming marketing campaign or to simply remind you it’s time to renew your domain name/s with them. But not all can afford to do this, especially if they’re selling domain names at a loss.
More often than not, the postal mail will be the one informing you it’s renewal time. Given the reality that email isn’t as completely reliable as it once was, it never hurts for a domain registrar to take a “belt and suspenders” approach to ensure you’re notified timely. (and they don’t want someone to claim their pants fell down, too.
)
However, not all pieces of mail will be coming from your domain registrar. In fact, there are some companies out there who send out such but make it appear like a “renewal noticeâ€Â.
Rather, it’s not exactly a renewal notice. It’s a solicitation letter.
The purpose of such a letter is to get your attention and eventually influence you enough to pay a fee. Some say it’s time to renew your domain name but they’ll offer it cheaper, others say your domain name under this extension is available and at risk of being taken by a “cybersquatterâ€Â.
(I’ll explain what a cybersquatter is in a future post. Keep reading for now.)
The latter can be especially “enticingâ€Â. One reality is there are people out there who register variations of domain names and try to sell it to brand holders to make a profit.
But given the potential complexities of dealing with such people, sometimes it might be more practical to just buy the name from the one who’s got it. Of course, there’s no guarantee they’ll transfer it to you, anyway.
The problem is, some solicitation letters emphasize this reality so well they tend to reach into the person’s emotions. It’s a long-time, maintained belief among many marketers and copywriters that people buy on emotions and justify it with logic later.
Unfortunately for the unsuspecting consumer, this type of letter might easily “rattle†them into sending money promptly to the company who sent that notice. Then they’ll likely experience untold nightmares trying to get their money back when they finally realize the error of their ways.
So what can one do when faced with this?
Well for one thing, be smart. Do pay attention to the fine print on the envelope.
Take note who it’s from. If the listed name is from a company you’ve never heard of, then you’ve every reason to be skeptical at this point.
If you’re aware of this already and you know who your domain registrar is, just simply dump the mail on your nearest trash bin. Simple solutions work.
However, you can also forward this to your domain registrar or your nearest government agency assigned to handle consumer complaints. One agency empowered by law to look into such matters is the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Speaking of which, the FTC clamped down on a few companies who exactly did this practice years ago. You can search through their website at www.ftc.gov and search using the keywords “domain renewalâ€Â.
A word of caution: neither the registrar nor the FTC can immediately take action against such companies engaging in such practices. It’s potentially more complex than one can imagine.
However, they will document your report and compile them. Once they notice a consistent and growing pattern, they will take action and see how far the law takes them.
But…what if it’s real?
The only time it’s possibly legitimate is if you originally obtained your domain name through a service provider who turns out to be that domain registrar’s reseller. Although resellers are normally the ones to tell you when it’s time to renew, sometimes a domain registrar will send you such if their relationship has been terminated for whatever reason.
Just do a WHOIS and note the line registrar. If it matches that of the name listed on the envelope, then that means it’s really registered with them.
If the notice has a toll-free phone number, take advantage of it. If it lists an email address, shoot an email asking as many detailed questions as possible.
Just ask and be ready to either hang up the phone, ignore their emails futher, or proceed if it turns out to be true. While at it, tell them to put your name and contact details in some kind of “do not call” list since some jurisdictions require companies to maintain such lists.
Kindly tell your loved ones and your friends to beware of getting postal notices regarding your domain name/s. Unless it’s specifically from your domain registrar, be ready to ignore them.
This is actually a reminder of what I wrote before. But because this practice is still on-going (as of this post), it pays to be aware of this and be ready for it.
[tags]domain names, warnings[/tags]
Check Out These Other Posts: