123-reg saving Credit card details the F@#*ers PART 2

[bensd]

Can't remember where I read this specifically, I haven't collected any evidence myself(is that what you meant) but if you do a search you should find some info about domain registration companies doing this generally(so not just 123) and how it is a conflict of interest.

You should find articles showing that the sale of seemingly expired domain names are not being allowed to go back on the open market but the good ones are being 'skimmed' and then traded by domain registration companies possibly at auction through third parties.

The trading of these is a multi million dollar business.

It's a good way to make money for a registration company and perfectly legal as far as I can tell.

Usually a domain has a few weeks to expire even if it has not been paid for at the registration company this gives some time to the owner.

If you are made to click a button to say 'Allow the domain to expire' possibly you are giving the registration company the ability to take over that domain. If it's a good domain name it might then go to auction as soon as is possible.
I'm pretty sure that a large company has the ability to make this happen to increase their profitability.

I think you have been reading about .com domains. Might be worth taking that section down as if 123-reg see it then you could be in trouble...

 

[k300]

is it different for .coms as opposed to any others

 

[bensd]

is it different for .coms as opposed to any others

A lot of them .com registrars have an arrangement with domain auction sites so that once the domains have dropped/caught they can be sold straight away.

Nothing like this happens in the UK. I don't agree with 123reg saving card details, in fact i moved my portfolio away from them last year for different reasons however, if they see what you have put on your site it could land you in some hot water.

 

[k300]

I'll probably alter the wording then - but is it not possible for this to be done with .co.uk domains?

I now that if I was running 123 I'd probably do the same if possible, it makes good business sense especially where a lot of businesses are going down the pan like at the moment.
The potential for massive profits is enormous.

Edited to ask: who did you move to? You can send me a PM if you wish.

 

[bensd]

I'll probably alter the wording then - but is it not possible for this to be done with .co.uk domains?

I now that if I was running 123 I'd probably do the same if possible, it makes good business sense especially where a lot of businesses are going down the pan like at the moment.
The potential for massive profits is enormous.

Edited to ask: who did you move to? You can send me a PM if you wish.

I don't think this is possible with .uk names - i'm pretty sure it's against nominet's t&cs.

I moved my domains to daily.co.uk after a couple of recommendations from members here - so far they have been great!

 

[k300]

OK - thanks buddy I'll have a look, what's their policy on credit card details?

 

[bensd]

OK - thanks buddy I'll have a look, what's their policy on credit card details?

Not sure as I always make payment via paypal. The annoying thing I always found with 123-reg is that you couldn't renew domains via paypal but you could register them!

 

[k300]

OK, thanks again

 

[diablo]

From 123-reg's perspective, they would have more problems if they didn't auto-renew for their customers than by doing it and upsetting a few people who thought they would let their domains expire.

Agree with Darren. There would be hell to play if they didn't autorenew a valuable domain because your card details were missing.

 

[k300]

You have a point but I think that you are missing the bigger point, 123 send out emails at 60, 45, 30.......... day intervals to remind you that a domain name is due for renewal. The issue is that you renew and pay for the ones you want to renew and allow the others to lapse.
That is exactly what happened to me, I unticked all the boxes in the list then went through and ticked the ones that I actually needed to be renewed and went through the process of entering my card details to pay for those.
(I go through the process of checking on 123 on the first of each month for those that need renewing that month.)

What then happened is that 123 used those card details to also renew the others on the due date in that month. I had unticked the boxes for them.
I had taken an action that told them that I did not want to renew them and yet 123 went ahead and renewed them with my credit card details. On my planet that would be called unethical.
If the FSA was regulating them they would be strung up.

Your argument suggests that we should allow them to make the decisions for us because we can't be trusted to make the right ones or make the right ones on time.
Don't for a minute be naiive enough to think that they are doing it for our benefit. They are a business and will have had meetings where they discussed the most efficient way to continue to get money from their clients on renewals.
They send out multiple reminders and then if the domains are still not renewed they have terms and conditions which will allow them to use stored credit card details.
You try and remove your credit card details off their system through your user account.
If they wanted to they could easily add a button which would allow you to delete your cc details easily but they won't(unless they become regulated and are forced to).

 

[WestHamFan]

Have to agree with many of the views here. I hate leaving my credit card details on any website and much prefer to use Paypal which allows me to cancel any long term payment agreements a merchant may try to impose.

For ages I've only had expired card details on 123-reg but the constant nag screen you now get to update details every time you log on to your control panel was driving me nuts. I've now moved most of my domains except for those which are about to expire.

 

[k300]

It would be interesting to see the figures of whether this practice earns them more income, or lose more as more people get fed up with it.
I suspect that currently it is a positive for them and that they are closely monitoring it for when they need to change the policy.

 

[miked]

Curiouser and curiouser...

Just had to renew a batch of domains with 123-Reg, gloomily preparing for credit card retention. Upon getting to the screen where credit card details have to be entered, I found it said 'these will only be held for this order'. Joy! Unfortunately, upon completing the transaction I was informed that the details would be kept. Given what it said previously, I wasn't pleased. But, upon checking the 'Update Credit Card Details' screen in the control panel, I found that apparently I have no details stored.

If that's true then it's the outcome I wanted, but WTF is going on? The system seems to be all over the place. Anyone else had anything similar? Is it really the case that no records have been kept? Or have you had a different experience?

I'm puzzled...

Mike.

 

[k300]

If that's true then it's the outcome I wanted, but WTF is going on? The system seems to be all over the place.

My sentiments exactly, but then you realise that it isn't in their interests to keep us well informed.

I would be very wary, if you don't get the nagging screen asking for cc details when you go into your account, it may be likely that they do have your cc details on record, the only safe way is to either 'delete' domains that you don't want renewing or put in some cc details that are incorrect and can't be used, this is sometimes difficult as cc numbers are created by using an equation that all the numbers add up to or the sections of numbers add up to(don't ask me what the equation is I don't have it off the top of my head and it wouldn't be prudent to advertise it). We use this in our retail sites to keep bogus orders off the system.
You will get an email invoice from them if they have renewed something.

Good luck.

 

[miked]

Thanks, k300!

An update: the last day for renewal of a bunch of domains I allowed to expire at the same time as I renewed the ones I've just mentioned has passed. No renewal, and apparently no retention of card details. So it seems it *is* possible to avoid card details being kept. As to why, my best guess is that I used a debit card rather than a credit card. Or have others used debit cards and had their details retained?

Mike.