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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..."

5 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

  3. 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. :)

  4. 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.

  5. 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