Update: After some communications with Register.com, I was able to acquire the transfer authorization code via their live chat support.
For people who are considering Register.com, I’ve got something new. Well probably not new but I just found it out myself the hard way how Register.com is a SCAM.
Sneaky Pricing at Register.com
I registered a .com with them a couple months ago at a bargain price of $2.95 (or so) and when I learned that the renewal price for the next year was like $38 / year, I said to myself, woahh, what an idiot must had I been registering this name with them in the first place?!
For people who are new to domains, you can get a .com name at almost any other registrars at no more than $10 / year (new registration or renewal), with much better control panel and functionalities.
The next thing I found myself doing was trying to get an authorization code so I could transfer it to another registrar. It wasn’t easy — I clicked around for about 5 minutes to find the tiny link at the bottom of the page where they would allow me to retrieve the auth code and guess what. After I clicked the link, they offered me a totally different price for renewing — $10 / year:
What a douche.
And stupid.
Worst business practice ever.
Who else is offended by this moronic trick that they thought would do good to their sales?
It actually punishes loyal customers who take good faith in them in the first place yet rewards disloyal ones who are looking to get away from them.
What kind of business does that??!!
Apparently, I clicked “Continue Transfer” and requested the auth code.
Register.com Takes 7 Days to Review Your Request for an Auth Code
Turned out I couldn’t get my auth code at once. Unlike all (probably) other registrars that instantly sends you the transfer auth code upon request, Register.com sends it 7 days after request. And they only promised to review the request! They may end up NOT sending you the auth code at all at their discretion.
It was lucky of me who had found about this delay policy long before the renewal due date, otherwise I’d probably have to take one of the offers and renew another year with them should I want to keep the domain from dropping.
However, this isn’t the best part.
They declined my request for the auth code.
Yep. And this is their message addressed to me regarding my request for the auth code. Seemed I had some suspicious activity in my account and now I have to do a phone call to their customer service consultants at 1.888.734.4783 to get the auth code I need for my domain.
Dear Yang Yang,
You recently requested an auth code to transfer your “xxxxxxx.com” domain name.
Your request has been processed and at this time it has been declined due to recent suspicious activity in your account.Register.com is committed to providing the most secure and reliable domain services for our customers. We have implemented specific security measures to help prevent unauthorized transfer of domains to another registrar.
The type of suspicious activity that could have caused your request to be declined includes:
– Multiple failed attempts to login to customer’s account
– Recent changes to the account holder’s name, email address, or login ID
– Attempts to access the account over the phone without authorization
– Recent changes to the accounts password
– Domain name lock not removed
– Recent changes to billing or credit card informationTo receive your auth code, please call one of our customer service consultants at 1.888.734.4783. They will confirm you to the account and then fulfill your request.
Thank You,
Sandy Ross
EVP, Customer Service
Register.com
Lucky of me again, this one domain with them wasn’t so very big a deal to me. I think I’ll just leave it un-renewed. It was well worth $3 bucks for finding out a thug registrar this way.
Register.com is now on my blacklist for all my future domain needs.
Now to the appalling part – I’m UNABLE to turn off the auto-renewal.
Obviously, I would want to turn off the auto-renewal of my domain or at the end of the registration cycle Register.com would bill my credit card again which is the last thing I want. I would rather delete or drop the domain than to be forced to continue paying them.
There’s essentially no ‘No’ option for “Automatic SafeRenew Enabled” and the “Update” button is basically unclickable.
A credit card charge-back seems to be inevitable.
More Horror Stories with Register.com
Just Google for “Register.com Review” or “Register.com Scam” to see for yourself.
- http://www.hostingkids.com/host/register.com/
- http://www.dnforum.com/f557/register-com-scam-thread-18490.html
- http://www.webhostingstuff.com/review/Registercom.html
- http://www.whoishostingthis.com/hosting-reviews/register-com/
- http://www.ripoffreport.com/directory/register-com.aspx
- http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1163283
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how do we get your blog and my blog and others who have felt the frustration to dominate the front page of google when others search for register.com? they are the most shady people ive ever delt with!
I have had the same problem with them. They are REALLY sneaky. Last year they had a .com domain promo for 4.50 USD. I have paid with PayPal, back then. – They have never ever informed me that my two domains were about to expire or renewed. Today i have suddenly received an Email from PayPal. They took 70 US$ away from my account for two domains. Two times 35 US$ renewal!! What a scam!! The worst: since i’ve had some money on my paypal account, i cannot cancel it via my credit card. What a bummer … register.com – FUCK YOU, this is a RIP OFF !!!
I’m having the exact same problem right now, I want to transfer my domain and they would not send me my authorization code. I’ve waited 9 days and their replies are all system-generated messages that are not helpful at all. According to the robotic messages, The only way I can get the code is if I call them by phone, I live outside the U.S. and their international number is unreachable. Also, How does talking to them over the phone verify anything? They are just making lame excuses to not give the authorization code. I have access to my register.com account, Paypal account I’ve used to purchase the domain, host and the email address I’ve registered the account with and I still can’t get my code. The domain is also not that “valuable” as it’s only 7 months old. I can’t understand what they would gain from doing this to their customers. They are holding my domain hostage for no valid reason! I’ve just filed a complaint as their business practices are unethical. (reported to ICANN and BBB) For those who want to turn auto-renew off, login to your paypal account > view all transactions > choose the transaction with register.com and cancel the subscription from there. You can’t disable it from register.com’s UI, they are shady as ****! I advise everyone to avoid this company at all costs. You will be disappointed!
The comments before mine seem to be almost identical to my problem!!
I registered a domain name through Register.com in October 2012 for an advertised price of US$2.50. During the check out process they offered to keep my (registrant’s) info private for an extra US$10.00 but I did NOT check off the box to permit it. After making the credit card payment (for what I thought was only US$2.50) I printed the receipt and saw that they had still charged me US$10 for the privacy option. I called them immediately afterwards and spoke to a live agent who confirmed that it was a mistake that would be fixed within 2 days. Unfortunately, they never refunded the extra US$10 for TWO MONTHS. AroundN ovember 28, 2012, I informed my credit card company that the $10 charge is not right. In turn Register.com blocked my domain name and, while it still had the actual $2.50, demanded another US$250 (Two Hundred Fifty Dollars) to unblock my domain name.
It has been almost one month since my domain name was blocked and I have since contacted them 3 times, and each time their rep has promised to get it all resolved within 2 days, and accepted their mistake … but nothing has actually been fixed. My domain name is still blocked and they still have the US$2.50 that was supposed to be the registration charge for the entire year.
I plan to take them to small claims court this month for their breach of contract and damages caused due to their actions (all my business stationary has to be replaced as it has the email address that runs off of the domain name they continue to block). I suggest all of you do the same to this bogus company.
I can confirm all these reviews; Register.com has refused an authorization code with the same “suspicious activity” email referenced above, took 7 days to send it when I *did* finally receive it, will not allow you to click off auto-renewal, and now that I rescued *one* domain of several I *do* care about, and the whois records are adjusted correctly, I’m still waiting for them to let the domain go from their DNS servers; also they will forward Domain.com, for example, but *not* http://www.Domain.com by default. Ridiculous. I didn’t know about the outrageous renewal price scam. Now I’m frightened. There needs to be a class-action lawsuit against this (and other) registrars, which operate in lawlessness. Internic does nothing toward regulating registrars that I can see. Also report them to FTC.org, etc. There needs to be actual regulatory agencies with teeth.
Thanks for the article. I hope it was truthful, which I believe it was. Because I was set to order a domain name using their intriductory special and planned to move it soon after. Then read about your troubles in trying to do that. So I will now go elsewhere.
Thanks!
everything negative in this article could have been avoided with one 5 minute phone call… c’mon guys you’re making yourselves look inept.
I’m having exactly the same problem with Register.com right now. They charged me the next day after I turned off auto renewal. I spent almost an hour on the phone with them listening to their remarks that the company I’m trying to transfer domain to are scammers, that they would try to steal my domain and so on. Anyway, after obtaining the authorization code from them yesterday, they blocked the transfer and sent me exactly the same suspicious activity message.