Author Login | Submit Articles | Popular Articles | RSS Feeds | Links | Sitemap
Search:
Loading...

Home | Internet


Scam Alert: Some Companies Are Charging Up To $2,000 Just To Register A Domain Name!

By: Douglas Miller

I didn't believe this either, but... I've gotten a number of letters from companies who say they will "only" charge $1,000 to register our domain name! Unfortunately, some innocent people have accepted this ridiculous offer.

Clearly, this is a complete rip-off. And we've received even more offers to register domain names for "just" $300!

OK. So what should it cost to register a domain name? The short answer is that it should cost you between $15 and $75 (plus a fee to InterNIC - see below). Anything more is a rip-off.

Here's why: There are two types of fees to register a domain name:

A fee to InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center -- the group in charge of assigning domain names) and

A fee to the company doing the domain name registration for you.

1. InterNIC is in charge of registering domain names. Until September of this year (1995), there was no charge from InterNIC to register domain names. Therefore, if you knew how to fill out the appropriate form and submit it to InterNIC, you could register a domain name for free.

Prior to the registration fees from InterNIC, some people registered huge numbers of domain names. For example, there were individuals who tried to register the names of as many major corporations as they could, so they could later sell these domain names to these companies (when the companies realized that "their" domain names were not available).

On September 14, 1995, InterNIC announced that the fee for all new domain name registrations would be $100, which would include two years of registration. So, all new domain name registrations now cost a minimum of $100, the fee to InterNIC. (Update: The fee for Web Addresses registered on or after April 1, 1998, is US$70.00. New registrations are in effect for a two-year period.)

The fee for annual renewals (for both new and existing domains) is $50. Therefore, all domain names that were registered prior to September 14, 1995 (when the $100 registration fee was initiated) will owe an annual renewal fee of $50 on the anniversary of their initial registration. (Update: All domain names re-registered on or after April 1, 1998, are assessed a US$35.00 re-registration fee.)

On the Web: For more information, the Web address for InterNIC Registration Services is http://rs.internic.net/rs-internic.html. (Update: Network Solutions now handles the registration services: http://www.networksolutions.com/ )

2. Many people hire their ISP (Internet Service Provider) or a consultant to register their domain names for them.

The process of registering a domain name almost always involves these five steps:

Selecting a domain name to register
Finding out if this domain name is currently available
Selecting an ISP who will host the domain
Filling out the appropriate form to request the domain name (done by you or the ISP)
Submitting this form to InterNIC (done by the ISP).
A Useful Tip: It is now possible to use the Web to find out whether or not the domain name you'd like to register is available using WhoIs. This is a LOT more convenient than alternative ways to find out whether or not a domain name is available. But remember, the name may be assigned to someone else between when your application is submitted and when it is reviewed by InterNIC.

On the Web: Look at example information along with the instructions that are included as part of the Domain Name Registration Agreement to request a new domain name. Filling out and submitting the form is not difficult (however, it does require knowing what you're doing).

A reasonable fee to pay to have your ISP (or a consultant) fill out and submit this form for you is between $15 and $75. Our ISP charges us $30 and does an excellent job. Paying much more for this is unnecessary.

This means that you will pay a total of $115 to $175 (including the $100 to InterNIC) to register your domain name. (at the time of original publication)

Note: This scam is about consultants who charge $2000 for ONLY registering a domain name. If your ISP starts talking about fees of $2000, they are probably giving you more domain services than you need. (The service most of you will want from your ISP is sometimes called a "domain alias," and can be implemented for the prices we mentioned.)

Tip: Don't worry if you're not the technical or administrative contact (Questions 4 and 5 on the form) -- that's OK. Just be sure that Questions 3a to 3f are filled in with your company's name and info. That way, you'll own the domain name, not your ISP or consultant.


Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

I didn't believe this either, but

About the Author:
Douglas Miller is a retired fire service captain, now making a living working from home. His company Hundred-Fold-Life is not just a name but also a belief. To learn how to find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.ClixGo.com

Tags:

Please Rate this Article

Comments

Share This Article - Quick and Easy Using This Button:
Add to Onlywire

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Internet Articles Via RSS!

  • How to Make Web Pages Using Professional Design Templates By: Mohammad Sarfaraz Khan - Everyone is going online nowadays. You would be surprised at how numerous people are establishing their own Web pages to express opinions, promote causes or simply be present online. You may be tempted to have your own Web site as well. However, one common and significant problem would be how to do it. Creating your own Web site is a tedious task to do. You would be surprised at how much investment you would have to make for the initiative. You need to know so much more about putting up Web sites and would have to acquire the skill in dealing with the technical aspects of the activity. Overall, too much time would be demanded by the effort.
    Tags: internet, professional design templates, professional design templates services, professional graphic design
  • Finding an Appropriate Professional E-commerce Design For Your Online Site By: Mohammad Sarfaraz Khan - Owning and maintaining a Website designed for revenue and income generation is not an easy task. You may be aware of this especially if you are actually owning and operating one. That is the main reason why a professional e-commerce design is most useful. If you are aiming to establish an online site that would set your goals and your aims for the Website, you should start the endeavor by investing into a professional e-commerce design. What is a professional e-commerce design? To begin with, a professional e-commerce design is a set of templates that is used by Website owners and developers when they are putting up an online initiative.
    Tags: internet, professional e-commerce design, professional e-commerce design services, professional e-commerce
  • Lead-Acid VRLA Batteries, How They Tick And How To Battery Test Them By: Elliott Turner - The valve regulated lead acid battery is a rechargeable battery just like any other lead-acid battery. The difference is the valve regulated lead acid battery does not water added. Instead it is based on the absorbed glass mat technology with calcium grids. The batteries offer a high rated performance and has an increase life expectancy. The technology used has enabled them to take action to the demands and requirements of the market. They have developed batteries like the trickle cycle, which is a long life type of battery and to improving charging capabilities in order for the batteries to be charged in 1 to 2 hours.
    Tags: internet, battery tester, battery analyzer, testing batteries
  • Making Use Of The World Virtual Market-Internet By: johntanyishin - The world is getting smaller in a way that everybody is now interacting with one another online. This creates lots of opportunities that you couldn't have imagine ten years ago. It seems like the internet has evolved into a one-stop shopping mart. You could find almost anything that you want online and make a purchase of it. Of course, there are certain limitations as well such as physical products. But in terms of information, the internet has provided lots of knowledge from various fields of experts. People start selling their items on ebay, creating many other auctions or community sites as well. People simple gather and exchange information, goods and services online.
    Tags: internet, internet marketing, online business, home business
  • Start Making Money Online: Adsense By: Matthew Bredel - The Google Adsense program is the perfect starter money making idea for someone trying test the waters of making money online. There are ads available in just about any category in any niche and this is probably the most widely used ad program online that allows just about anyone to make money through commission on advertising. The presence of so many categories and topics is what makes this program really work for anybody. Contextual advertising can enable you to make money from the very first day you start on the program and you don’t even need a website to be able to do it as you can utilize a free online blog and start showing ads. How Does Google Adsense Work?
    Tags: internet, google adsense, google adwords, make money with adsense, perry marshall
  • The Importance of Link Directories By: Isabelle Lucas - For all those who are involved in the world of web and are interested in surfing the net, remembering all of the important links or site names or if you want to access a specific set of websites for research purpose, can get very complicated. For Net users with such nature, a link directory is a hidden treasure from the world of web to make your life simpler. A link directory is an online version of a telephone directory which is in a sorted order and it has a search engine so that you get your requirements fulfilled without any delay, it stores a huge collection of web links which cater to every user's need that too just a click away.
    Tags: internet, the importance of link directories, link directory, link building
  • Utropicmedia Offers Colocation Server Hosting & Dedicated Server Hosting By: Marcus Johnson - Utropicmedia Global Solutions offers a wide range of internet solutions to its clients. Some of the services that they offer include managed web hosting, managed dedicated servers, corporate colocation, small business hosting and e-commerce hosting. Managed Web Hosting The company is a top provider of web hosting services to corporate clients who require complex solutions or individual clients with basic requirements. Small and medium sized enterprises are taking advantage of the company’s flexible and high performance web hosting services and its affordable packages.
    Tags: internet, managed, dedicated, hosting, ecommerce, colocation, business hosting
  • Search Engine Optimization - Eureka For Your Business By: Amaan Goyal - You have a business. You want to market your business or service globally or locally. To reach your customers you create a website. After some time you realize, nobody besides you knows about your product or service though you have a great website. You are at your wits end as you know you have a great product or service but it is not making you money and you have no clues as to what you need to do to make it work for you. Does the above scenario sound familiar to you? Your Business is unable to create a footprint on the internet real estate? Are you at crossroads trying to brainstorm what your next stop should be?
    Tags: internet, search engine optimization, website promotion, seo, seo services, web designing, website designing
  • Alternatives to guilt by association By: Mike Scantlebury - Suppose I was to tell you that the Police broke my door down the other day. They hauled me out of my bed and demanded to know if I was familiar with a man called Stephen Moon. I thought about it. Yes, that name sounded familiar. I thought about it some more, and realised that they were talking about a young man I was at school with. My memory was a little hazy because I hadn't seem him since then. We were in Grammar School for seven years together and he was in several of my classes. However, since I left school I haven't clapped eyes on him, which means, in plain speech, that I haven't seen him since 1968.
    Tags: internet, internet, book, author, novel, story, computer
  • Web Design Best Practices For Professional Services By: Jeff Beale - If you are planning to run a business, you should consider designing a website. A website is really helpful as an advertising and marketing instrument. Think of it as an extra staff member that handles sales, administration, marketing and accounting. It provides answer to specific questions about the business 24 hours a day and also provides customer service any time of the day even if your business is close. Furthermore, website is considered to be the gateway to the expansion of any business.
    Tags: internet, marketing, online marketing, business marketing, web design, seo, sem

Copyright 2007 - 2008 MJE Sales, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Proud member of the ArticleCkr Search Network Search Network!
BigFreeArticles.com is free for both publishers and authors to use and is supported entirely from advertising revenue.
Use of our service is protected by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.