Domain Name Registrars: The Big Switch
At some point, you will have the need or the desire of transferring your domain name to a different registrar. Imagine that a domain name registrar is the same as any other business. They need to offer a reasonable price with a fair range of services, all the while providing them with a smile. Here are 5 things that you need to think about if you are planning to switch:
- The domain name you have is not registered with a registrar that is accredited by ICANN. If this is the case with you and your domain name, then you should not even worry about transferring your domain name. There is a big possibility that you have been scammed and your domain name might not actually be “yours”.
- You are not being offered by your current domain name registrar to lock your existing domain name. Similar to “real” property, there is a risk for your domain name to be stolen. You have to make sure that you are able to have them locked for your security.
- You paid a lot for the domain name renewal price. There are some domain registrars who offer relatively low prices for the new domain registrations and then significantly increase the price when the time comes to renew. Although price is not always the top reason to leave, having a renewal rate that is more than $20 annually is just not practical. It may be time to look for a new domain registrar.
- Your domain name registrar is offering a limited number of services or an unpleasant user interface to manage your domains. This may be enough reason to switch to another registrar who charges a price that is a bit higher. This is because once you acquire more and more domains, the interface that would be necessary to manage those domains would be very important. There are some registrars who could make domain management almost an impossible task.
- Your domain registrar provides bad customer service. Maybe it takes forever for your registrar to respond to issues or concerns you bring up. Maybe they have no 800 number. Maybe they do not have an email address. Maybe their support representatives do not know how to smile while providing customer service. Just like any other, there would always be some registrars who are able to provide excellent customer service and some who would provide lousy service. In some cases, the same registrar might offer good customer service one day and bad the next.
As you contemplate on transferring your domain name somewhere else, consider these points in light of the registrar you are currently with. You may ultimately decide that it is time to switch for the better.
