If you're weary of domain name price hikes, you'll this one by 1and1.com, regarding the ".name" extension, to be pretty sneaky.You see, with 1and1, you can't register your name for —let's say— the next 10 years (at today's rate), you're forced to renew the names you hold there every year, at that years' rate.
Most people probably saw it coming since they held competitive prices for a while but still, the price bump that's just been announced shows that their strategy was to lock in customers with lower fees and then, pretty much out of the blue, just jack the prices up when they domain has been developed and is in use.
Other businesses have done it before but still, from a customer standpoint, it feels like a ripoff.Keep in mind that the "cost" for ".name" domains hasn't changed so this latest hike is 100% driven by
1and1's hunt for more profits.
Here's part of the message that ".name" domain name holders received, from 1and1...
Customer ID: ----------
Contract ID: --------
Dear -------- ----------,
This is a friendly reminder about the forthcoming automatic domain renewal for the listed domains in your 1&1 package ----------. The domains listed below are due to expire in 39 days on ------ -- 2009.
------.name
---------.name
Please be advised that as of June 2nd, 2009 the fees for .name domain name registrations will be increased from $8.99 to $12.99 per year. This price increase will take effect as of your next billing cycle.
No action is necessary on your part - as part of our service, domain renewal is automatic, so that your 1&1 hosting services will be able to continue uninterrupted.
However, please make sure that your payment details are correct and up-to-date in the 1&1 Control Panel, to ensure a smooth renewal.
Log in to the 1&1 Control Panel with your customer ID and password at https://admin.1and1.com/xml/config/ChangeCCDataPrep
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our expert Support Team.
Sincerely,
Your 1&1 Internet Team
www.1and1.com
Pretty slick, right?They just bumped the price of ".name" domain names by
3$ per year. Just like that!
And customers can either pay up, transfer the name elsewhere or cancel their name. Most people will just pay up but still, it shows that 1and1.com was a bargain at first but over time, the prices will not be that attractive, anymore.
1and1 has a lot going for them. It's somewhat sad to see them hike prices up, like this.
Oh! Well, life goes on...
e-Marketing
