GoDaddy vs NameCheap Customer Service Round 2 August 29, 2009
Posted by Andrew Wee in : Internet Marketing, domain names , trackbackWithin 48 hours of having posted “Frak GoDaddy: How to Win Enemies and Irritate People“, GoDaddy rep, GoDaddy Guy, who vigilantly monitors and responds to blogs and social media has posted a response to the points I raised. But is that enough to clarify and remedy the issues I faced?
I appreciate any company who’s taking efforts to monitor their brand on the busy social web landscape and craft replies explaining the situation. Obviously, customers like myself may not be aware of everything that takes place behind the scene.
As a customer, have I felt I have been taken care of?
GoDaddyGuy says:
We understand that domain names are unique and can therefore be highly valuable to our customers. To prevent customers from unintentionally losing a domain name, we reach out by email several times, starting 90 days before and continuing past expiration.
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Obviously, if I have been receiving email reminders that my domain is expiring and I don’t do anything about it. Then I whine and complain after the fact, I’ve obviously no case.
Here’s a screencapture of GoDaddy emails I’ve received:
Since 15 May 2009, I’ve received 21 emails from GoDaddy, announcing “Last Minute Deals”, “Spring Closeouts” and “Mid-Year Blowouts”. While it has been tempting to get a “closeout” or “blowout” before the [sarcasm]supply of domains runs out[/sarcasm], I’m hard-pressed to find out “email outreach several times” before and after my domain has expired.
I took the effort to read the emails back to July (before I had to give up on reading all this wonderful promotional email…), but nary a reference to expiring domains could I find.
GoDaddy guy’s other point:
Finally, we provide the registrant some time to take care of his or her account by allowing a 19 day grace period to renew without penalty.
I logged into my account about a week after it expired, well within the “19 day grace period” to renew without penalty, and was slapped with the ridiculous $80 registry recovery fee. Grace period? What grace period.
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Just in case you think I’m unnecessarily bashing on GoDaddy, consider its illustrious competitor, Namecheap.
Here’s a list of emails they’ve sent me:
As far as I’m aware, about 80% of Namecheap emails are relevant to the task of maintaining and renewing my domains. Sure there’re promotional emails, but not enough to make me dread an incoming email like GoDaddy has so expertly been able to do.
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Giving GoDaddy the benefit of the doubt, I logged into my domain panel to check on my domain which expired 11th August. By GoDaddy’s reasoning, my 19-day grace period should end on the 30th?
No dice. I’m within the “grace period” and still have to pay $90 for a 1-year renewal.
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Bottomline: Although GoDaddy Guy’s talk seems customer-focused, I’m having difficulty seeing it mirrored in actual policies. It’s vaporware in my books.
Although I wouldn’t go as far as to say “GoDaddy Sucks” or “GoDaddy Scam”, in the context of a GoDaddy review, the fact is that GoDaddy’s customer service could certainly do more justice to its customers.
NameCheap FTW!
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Hi Andrew,
I pulled all of my domains from Go Daddy and moved to Host Gator. Much better service and I get the CPanel off the bat. Not so with Go Daddy. You have to purchase a certain package to get it.
I’m going through a similar issue with NameCheap. Their fee for their grace period, which they call redemption period, is $200… more than twice that of GoDaddy’s $90. In all fairness, it’s nice to see NameCheap manages their renewal notices a heck of a lot better, but sometimes these emails get lost… especially with Optonline, my cable/internet provider, which doesn’t provide customers with the option to check inside any spam filter. You just don’t know what you’re not getting, that they might filtering out. We’re at the mercy of temperamental glitches.
I do think for something as important, and vital to one’s business today, that if a domain name is about to lapse for failure of payment, they should be sending red flares, a couple of phone calls, email you ten times a day… until you cry ‘uncle’ and say it’s ok, let it go!
These domain name registration sites now make an enormous amount of money, a domain name isn’t like a magazine subscription, your entire business might rely on it. People are busy, and they forget… they shouldn’t be penalized for it, especially since it doesn’t really cost anything to a domain name company to just let a domain name lay idle for a few months, before turning around and putting it up for auction.
Domain name registration companies should not be run like a pawn shop!!!
@RemyC
Weird to hear you talk about a registry redemption fee with regards to namecheap.
I renewed my expired namecheap domain abt 1 week after it expired without any penalty, and i applied a coupon code too.
Maybe you should look at: http://namecheap.simplekb.com/kb.show?show=article&articleid=241&categoryid=35
If it’s outside their 27 day grade period, I guess you’re sharkbait for any registrar.
Even for the clients they warn of expirations, you almost have to wonder if their spam blizzard is really intended to get you to start ignoring their messages — so they can sell your domain out from under you (or, at minimum, ding you for massive charges.)
I don’t think they’re intending to “distract” you because a domain renewal is still revenue for them.
It’s just that the temptation to overly upsell you on other stuff might cloud their original business intent.
Thank you for blogging about your experience with both GoDaddy and NameCheap. I write NameCheap’s emails, and we only send emails to announce new things, such as contests, offerings, and coupons.
Our affiliate program will be launched very very soon. We’ll announce it via Facebook, Twitter, newsletter, and on our site. If you have any questions about this or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or someone on our staff.
Hi Michelle,
I’d say that 90% of your emails have been relevant, appropriate and sent at the right time interval. I’m probably more typical of the namecheap customer who wants a simple registration interface, the ability to make prompt payment and changes to the settings and not be bothered till it’s time to renew or get more domains.
On the affiliate program: great! I noticed that there were threads as early as 2005/2006 in the namecheap forum asking one. Over Twitter I’d asked last year and was told it’s being looked at by management. Looking forward to the program launch!
Andrew,
Yes I know there is a month period where you can re-activate. My point is that even then, it should not cost more that a year’s registration to re-active a domain name even after a month. The grace period should be a lot longer. It boils down to unfair practices, opportunistic and dishonest.
In fact domain names should probably be held by domain name registration companies for a period of one year before they can be resold, without the express authorization of the previous owner. Why is there a need for such a quick turn around time, unless it’s to entrap people?
Notice how Michelle Greer didn’t even address the issue! I’ve had three of their people already stick the terms of agreement under my nose. My contention is with their terms of agreement, they don’t seem to get it. They’re playing dumb.
$200 feels like being robbed at gunpoint!
Rem
I think the GoDaddy customer service is pretty good. I’ve never had an issue with them. I try to stay away from NameCheap :p
Care to explain why you feel that way in either/both situations?