Hi there, I have several registered domain names, one of which is a co.uk extension and is quite important to me. However, I initially didn't realise that my hosting company, who I bought the names from, automatically charged you for hosting package renewals. My hosting ran out and they tried charging my card but by this time I had been issued a new one so they didn't get paid. They have temporarily refused me access to my entire management panel until I pay the outstanding amount which has now come to over 70 quid. I've also received letters from their debt collection agency but refuse to pay because I do not have access to my account and they have not provided me with any new hosting account anyway ! They're trying to force me to pay for something I don't want and sending me debt collection letters for something they have not given to me in the first place !!! I don't take kindly to this kind of business practice and decided I'd rather pay for hosting elsewhere, but they are refusing me access to transfer my domain names, until I pay the amount outstanding. They say I have to abide by their ToS & I am therefore liable to pay for a hosting account that I didn't cancel a renewal for, even though I didn't ask for the renewal ! That's kinda backwards and the typical sort of trick that money grubbing businesses run ! I will not even consider paying them and would happily see them in court. However, in the meantime, they are cybersquatting my domain name, which is also a trademark. Is this lawful ? I am the registrant for the domain names and therefore own them until they expire don't I ? If anybody knows anything at all about the laws regarding automatic renewals & domain name hijacking in these circumstances, it would be very helpful. Thanks. Sorry if it's a bit long and beating round the bush !
you can setup your domain/hosting to be renewed automatically or manually. if auto renewal is selected, then your host will continue to renew your domain/hosting packages. if you no longer wish to stay with your current host/register, you need to transfer your domain to another register and/or host. if your domain and hosting is still with your hosting company and auto renew is selected, then they are entitled to to get paid for the service they are providing you whether or not you are using their service. looks like you should have transferred the domain ahead of time before your contract with current register/host ran out. if your domain is important to you, then work something out with your hosting company, get your domain back, transfer, and then ask for credit for the hosting that you are not using (but only after you have transferred your domain). if your host refuse to give you credit for the hosting at that time, file dispute with your credit card. when you buy a domain/hosting package, its important to select a good one to avoid this kind of issue.
Pretty much anything you agreed to in the TOS when you signed up is legal. This is why so many places offer cheap or free registration when you sign up for hosting. If the domain is important to you, pay the money, learn the lesson and always keep your domains and hosting at different places in the future. Sorry man. I know this advice sucks but that is the way it is.
Sultan, I didn't set it on auto-renew, they did, and didn't make it obvious that's the way it was, till it was too late, and then of course, why would I want to pay them for any services that I didn't expressly ask for ? Colby, maybe you're right, but I'm sure that there may be more to it. Their Terms of Service are longer than the street I live in. Who sits and reads through all that bollox ? Their ToS were unreasonable, therefore in a court of law I'm not sure it would cover them. Good advice from you both, I shall in future keep my domains and hosting seperate and I shall be looking into paying up, then transferring and then cancelling my order. Thankyou both for your help I'm off to make a plan
make another domain account and push all your domains to that account but operate hosting account from this existing one thats why you should not take hosting and domain in same company
The cost is not worth the problems it can cause. I would pay for hosting move domain names and let hosting run out or cancel it 1 day before it does.