Have you received a domain name renewal letter in the mail?
If you’re in business or have a website, chances are you have received a domain name renewal letter in the mail at some stage or you will in the near future.
No matter how authentic the domain name renewal letter looks, don’t act on it!
In every case where I’ve been shown a renewal letter by a business client asking for advice, they have been companies making spurious comments to scare people into renewing the domain name with them, often giving up their rights to those domain names!
Some examples of scare tactics used in bogus domain name renewal letters
- Your domain name is about to expire! Send your cheque/money order or call us now to save your name or lose it forever
- Your domain name is in danger! Contact us now to save your domain name from being deleted!
- Your competitors are interested in your domain name! It is urgent that you contact us today regarding your domain name.
- This is an official warning about your domain name. Please contact us now to avoid legal complications
The list goes on, but you can see the general tone will be about urgency and in the worst cases, they will make suggestions about the letter being an ‘official warning’
So what do I do if I receive a letter about my domain name?
Here are some simple steps:
- Contact the person who currently looks after your website and ask them who looks after your domain name (this is your domain name registrar)
- Make a note of the registrar and keep it somewhere easily visible to anyone who accepts mail on behalf of your website.
- E-Mail or phone your registrar to find out when your domain name is actually due for renewal and add this information to the note (above)
- If you don’t have a current webmaster, feel free to use my contact form (below) and I will use my handy dandy domain name gadgets to find out who your registrar is for you.
Also if you receive an e-mail that looks similar, follow the steps above to be sure.
Contact me if you’re not sure…. I will answer ASAP:
[dekoboko]
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Hi Michael, if you have a trademark registered you can appeal the loss. You could also have legal grounds to sue, depending on your situation – I suggest getting legal advice from a lawyer specialising in IP (Intellectual Property)
You’re welcome!
P.S. I love the name 😀
Yes, they seem to think the world is their oyster – they just need to shove enough dirt in the shells and make their own ‘pearls’ – it’s a shame the naive people targeted are also usually the nicest people you would want to meet!
Certainly – just link back with credit and you may use this article. I also request that you are not charging money for people to see it 🙂