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Verisign Ordered to Stop Deceptive Renewal Notices

Posted by timothy on from the getting-off-way-too-easy dept.

Ummagumma writes: "CNN is running a story on how the courts have ordered Verisign to stop their deceptive 'renewal notices' to other registrars' customers. I've gotten a couple of these, and was smart enough to figure out what's going on, but this is a dirty practice, of borderline legality. Let's hope they get smacked down hard for this one..."

9 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Only Bulkregister Clients by Xaje · · Score: 2, Informative

    Unfortunately this injunction seems to be only applicable to Bulkregister's clients. Does anyone know of other registrars who are currently taking similar action?

    1. Re:Only Bulkregister Clients by eyegor · · Score: 2, Informative

      Go Daddy warned us all recently warning of Verisigns heavy-handed attempts.

      I believe they're going after Verisign as well.

      --

      Don't anthropomorphize computers, they don't like it.
  2. Re:Contracts and deception by Surak · · Score: 3, Informative

    Actually, even without that, contract law requires a 'meeting of the minds.' There must be a mutual understanding about the contract. Without that, any contract, signed or not, is null and void. IANAL.

    --
    My journal has hot /. gossip.
  3. Re:Just like the telephone companies by Mark+Pitman · · Score: 2, Informative
    According to the FCC website, slamming is prohibited by FCC rules already.
    "Slamming," or switching a consumer's telephone carrier without his or her knowledge or consent, is prohibited by the FCC's rules. The Commission enforces these rules by investigating individual complaints and patterns of slamming practices and punishes those who slam.
    So, I don't think this has any impact on slamming.
  4. See for yourself. by nobodyman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Pardon the whoring, but Go Daddy has posted a copy of the notice that Verisign sent out. It does seem fairly shady.

  5. It feels so good to break away from Verisign by twfry · · Score: 3, Informative
    I had my domain registered with Verisign for about 4 years and in that time I learned what a crappy company they are. I would get bills from them without warning for around $4 for ramdom "services" which I never signed up for. Worst of all it was impossible to get someone on the phone to correct problems. No joke, twice I've been on hold with them for 1+ hours only to be disconnected.

    The final straw for me was when I received a mailing from them advertising discount renewal rates. The only thing was that they were bogus. After spending lots of time on their website and email customer service, I releaized it wasn't going to happen.

    So I switched to directnic. They're cheap, and the FAQ pages do an excelent job of explaining the domain transfew process which was a concern. So some other place out and get Verisign off of you back too. :)

  6. I got one of these yesterday by Elkman · · Score: 5, Informative
    I got a "renewal" notice yesterday for two domains I have registered through register.com. I knew it was deceptive, but here's the interesting part: They apparently cross-referenced the name and address on those domains to the name and address of a domain I do have registered through VeriSign, and printed on the address: "Domain Administrator: (name of the organization registered through VeriSign)". However, the domains listed on the form were the ones I have registered through register.com.

    So, in other words, this little "renewal" notice made it appear like it was time for me to renew the domain registered through VeriSign, even though I really would have been transfering two other domains instead.

    VeriSign is evil and deserves to die. Apparently, their product can't compete on its own merits any more; they have to resort to deception to sell it.

  7. Re:deceptive 'renewal notices' by bigfatlamer · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yes but PC Magazine doesn't email you to tell you that your Computer Shopper subscription is almost up and that you should renew to "a magazine" through them.

    True but what I've been getting lately are "bills" for magazines that I haven't subsribed to from a billing company that services accounts for magazines I actually do subscribe to.

    In other words, in addition to the bill for my subscription to MacWorld recently I received what appeared to be a bill for a subscription to Time an one to Sports Illustrated. On closer inspection, they were just solicitations but they were almost identical to the legit bill that arrived in the same envelope.
    --

    --
    There's one thing computing teaches you, and that's that there's no point to remembering everything.
    --Doug Copland
  8. If you got one of these... by D_Nebuchadnezzar · · Score: 5, Informative
    What Verisign did was fraud... Fraud, Fraud, Fraud! They sent out "Domain Name Renewal Notices" -- a bill, and it can be infered that it is expected for you to pay.

    Take 5 minutes, right now, and fill out complaint forms on the following websites:
    1. BBB.org
    2. FTC
    3. USPS Post Master [usps.com]
    Tell these agencies what you received. Send a message to Verisign that we will not put up with this bull crap