‘Green, Cheap or Just Really Stupid – You Be The Judge’ – ‘E-Wealth Report’ Newsletter

Alan R. Bechtold has released the latest issue of ‘E-Wealth Report’ newsletter. This featured article is titled “Green, Cheap or Just Really Stupid – You Be The Judge”. [E-Wealth Report]

Alan Bechtold’s latest ‘E-Wealth Report’ newsletter article:

Green, Cheap or Just Really Stupid – You Be The Judge

Grab a hot mug of cocoa or warm milk – or you favorite adult beverage of choice. Then settle in. It’s STORY time!

This is a story I wish I didn’t have to write. I went through a lengthy battle with Go Daddy over their Nazi-like enforcement of the anti-spam rules. It appears Go Daddy considers ONE spam complaint enough cause to threaten freezing your URL until you PROVE you didn’t spam someone – then they want to charge you a $200+ “incident fee” because they imagined you were spamming, even if you prove they were wrong in their original determination!

Yes – even if you prove you aren’t a spammer (which I did), they then threaten to FREEZE your URL if you don’t pay their “incident fee” extortion.

Needless to say, I paid no such fee and promptly MOVED every domain I had registered with Go Daddy to 1&1.

Now I’m battling 1&1!

It seems there were two domains I purchased through a separate account with 1&1, outside of my corporate account. My tech team was trying to move those two domains into the corporate account – only to find they’ve been “frozen” due to “non-payment.”

I asked how that could be, since we were totally unaware of any amount being due on those domains. How could I OWE money on domains that I always thought you had to “pay ahead” for to begin with, I wondered aloud.

It was explained to me by 1&1 that their user agreement, which you automatically agree to when you buy a domain from them, specifies that you agree to automatic renewal and rebilling for your domains purchased through 1&1. ALL of them. Every time.

The emphasis here should be on the word AUTOMATIC. They also consider your agreement AUTOMATIC when you hit the “purchase domain” button.

I was told by David, the support supervisor I was put in touch with at 1&1, that my domains were automatically renewed in February of this year and, when they attempted to charge my card (also automatically – of course!), it didn’t go through.

Hey – I have a LOT of credit cards and use them regularly in my business. They sometimes EXPIRE. Sometimes, for security reasons, a card’s account number will be changed.

Since I had no idea I had agreed to AUTOMATIC RENEWAL of my domains with 1&1 (apparently this is in the USER AGREEMENT – I know you ALL read those dense multi-page documents thoroughly, word-by-word, before purchasing a domain name – right?), I didn’t make it a point to notify them of any changes in my credit card.

I assumed, like all the OTHER registrars I had ever used, that 1&1 would notify me to ask if I wanted to renew. At the very least, I assumed, they would notify me if there was a problem running my charge through.

Assume again, Alan!

David told me 1&1 DID contact me – twice. I was surprised – almost as surprised as I was to hear that my domains were being held hostage for “non-payment” – as I certainly didn’t recall receiving any notifications from 1&1 about this.

These were domains I WANTED. They were domains I would have happily PAID to renew, if only they had contacted me and given me a chance to do so.

I told David I never was contacted and he insisted I was – twice.

Via e-mail.

I had my tech team scour my servers – but NO such emails from 1&1 were to be found.

I asked David how I should now arrange to pay for these domains. He informed me that it was really too late – the matter had been turned over to a collection agency!

And – in a tradition apparently inspired by Go Daddy’s policies – they had tacked on a $40 fee to get the URLs “unfrozen,” since they were frozen due to a payment issue.

Now I was furious. This company had made the MINIMAL effort possible to notify me of a fee I apparently owed them for domains I wanted and, based on a claim of having sent me two emails (the most unreliable communications method on the planet today), they had now turned the matter in to a collection agency, also harming my credit rating!

I demanded that David prove those emails were ever sent and he told me that they have proof at the “headquarters” and will provide it if required. I told him I wanted connected to “headquarters” and he informed me the only way I could do that was through an email address he would provide me.

So – apparently they’re relying on the same UNRELIABLE INCOMING communications system they use to send their notices.

I explained to David how stupid it was to rely on email only as a means of communicating something as important as billing that’s owed to them … and to base any lack of response to such emails as grounds to turn someone in to a collection agency.

David told me 1&1 is a “green” company and only uses email to communicate, and that I agreed to this, as well, when I purchased the domains in question.

I pointed out that the telephone is pretty “green,” too – so that excuse doesn’t hold. They have my telephone number on the registration. They could have called when there was no response to their emails and I would have PAID GLADLY to keep the domains registered.

Instead, they chose email as their ONLY notification route, directly turning my account over to a collection agency when I didn’t respond to messages I quite honestly never received.

I host DOZENS of domains with them. This was a “bill” I had no idea I owed and was never – repeat never – properly notified that I owed. But, rather than pick up a phone and call to ask if I wanted to renew my domains (thus increasing their revenues), they turned the matter over to collections.

I’m thinking now that 1&1 must like those $40 charges for non-payment better than the $8.95 or whatever it is they get now for domain renewals.

Now my only way out of this is to live with the credit ding for now, wait for the collection agency to contact me about my bill, contest it and demand proof of what I owe AND proof that I had been contacted – IN WRITING (as the law demands).

Then demand that my credit history is cleaned up once they are unable to find verifiable proof that I was ever contacted.

I’m betting this collection agency uses more than just email to get in touch with me. Anyone want to bet they’ll use the phone AND mail if necessary?

So much for 1&1’s “green” policy.

Unless … unless … unless the collection agency also follows 1&1’s “green” policy and only attempts to reach me via email. Which would violate the spirit of the fair credit acts, if not the acts themselves.

My suggestion: MOVE AWAY from 1&1. Somewhere, somehow, there HAS to be a domain name regsitrar who CARES about its customers and isn’t just in the business of reaming everyone with hidden clauses and ridiculous “policies.”

Please comment with your favorites and don’t forget to let us know why you picked this company and what your experiences have been. We need a viable alternative.

Here’s the Web address of a blog about 1 and 1. You should post your OWN experiences there:

Check out this INDEPENDENT 1&1 Blog HERE

On another matter – I had another GREAT live Breakfast With Alan show online last night. I work hard on every episode and try to jam it with interesting, fun video clips that are thought-provoking and that teach something about marketing and business. I also provide my own views and steps – and I interact with the viewers.

You really should make every attempt to catch each live episode!

The latest episode and all past episodes are on the site for you to view, as recordings. I highly recommend that you check out this edition, which features an interview with Lori Steffen and Jeff Wark (the “Dynamic Duo of Content”) and a special presentation by copywriting legend Ted Nicholas.

See you next week!

-Alan R. Bechtold, president/CEO, BBS Press Service, Inc.

Author, Will Work for Fun: 3 Simple Steps to Turning Any Hobby or Interest Into Cash (John Wiley & Sons Books)

Co-Producer and star of The FUNdamental You!, on DVD or watch the full-length movie online: http://www.FUNdamentalYou.tv