Satisfied? Well maybe I am and maybe I'm not.

The BBQ Pit
1

Scene: THespos is typing away at his computer. The phone rings. It’s a customer service person from Register.com.

Customer Service Person: Mr. Hespos, I’m calling to talk about your domain, disclaimers.org. It’s been renewed under our SafeRenew program. I just wanted to call you to see if you were satisfied with the service.

THespos: You renewed my domain?

CSP: Yes, sir. We sent you an e-mail to tell you that we’ve charged your credit card for renewing your domain. Are you satisfied with the SafeRenew service?

THespos: What e-mail address do you have for me?

CSP: I don’t have that information, sir.

THespos: Well, the address might be a dead address.

CSP: I don’t have that information, sir. Are you satisfied with the service?

THespos: I don’t know if I’m satisfied with the service. It looks like you charged my credit card without permission.

CSP: It’s in the contract, sir. You’re enrolled in SafeRenew.

THespos: Yeah, okay.

CSP: Are you satisfied with the service?

THespos: Does it sound like I’m satisfied with the service? You can’t even tell me what e-mail address you have on file for me. Can you call me back with that information?

CSP: I most certainly will, sir. <click>

Okay, maybe I signed something I shouldn’t have. Maybe I didn’t read the fine print. But the direct mail I’ve been getting non-stop from the various domain registrars seems to imply that they need my permission before they just go ahead and charge my credit card for renewal of a domain. So why all the fucking direct mail, encouraging me to renew this domain, when in the end they were just going to charge my fucking credit card anyway?

Or does the possibility exist that I’ve been inadvertently “opted in” to a service that I never asked for? Is this another one of those things where a website changes its permission policies such that customers have to opt out before being charged for services they don’t want? What the fuck?

Anyone know anything about this “SafeRenew” nonsense and how it works?

2

It sounds like a service to prevent your domain from being stolen the day it expires. Sounds like a useful service, but it should be made clear whether or not you get it when you sign up, and if you are charged for it.

3

My current Hotmail address used to belong to someone else, and for a long while I got all the “remember to renew your domain name” emails, and they all kept mentioning that they would, of course, renew it automatically with a similar program to what you’re talking about. I was worried because the poor person whose domain this really was probably hadn’t heard a peep out of them. The domain, of course, was registered but not developed, so I had no way of finding out contact information for the real owner, but I did contact the registration company, although I knew full well that for all they knew I was someone playing a malicious prank. I hope it at least prompted them to contact the owner of the domain by alternate means and find a new email address for him or her. I blocked the address the mails were coming from soon after because they sent sooo many and I had done all I could, so for all I know they’re still emailing me about it now.

4

Stay away from Yahoo! (such an appropriate name) auctions - I ended up being charged for something of which I knew nothing.

Without so much as bidding, let alone listing…