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Verisign Ordered to Stop Deceptive Renewal Notices
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..."
Contracts signed under deceptive circumstances are not and should not valid. This is why there is a clause in most contract that states 'I have read and understood this contract' or something to this effect.
I think that this is a good sign, I have always disliked any company practice that is deceptive in any manner, and I feel that it should be illegal for any company to try to deceive customers especially in a way that would hurt other business if their deception tatics work, and lets face the facts, this is targeted at your less-than-average consumer which just makes it all the more insulting and slimy.
Not really. Telephone companies call up and say "We have a better deal." It would affect them if they called up and said something like, "You're long distance subscription is up, please renew! I'll need your name, address, and other information..."
There isn't any fraud in long distance companies adds/spam (although its annoying as I'll get...), there is advertising fraud (well, borderline) in what verisign is attempting to do.
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
If Verisign is going to spend this sort of money on advertising (I don't know how many of these letters get sent out - but I got one, and only own three domain names) , why not use it to really attract customers rather than piss them off? I mean, make those advertising dollars count! I can think of many ways to add value to the domain registration service - provide limited web / ftp / mail space included in the price, combined offers for books, hardware, etc. with vendors... Sure it takes an investment to do this - but why else are people going to choose one registrar over another? Looks like domain reg. companies are basically attempting snail mail spam... It's on par with the deception in the spam messages you get from "long lost friends" or messages that appear reputable but send you to the animal whorehouses. Looks like one more item, like spam, that doesn't even make it to be read... Way to go Verisign. Will you be spamming electronically next?
Its things like this that make me think a whole overhaul of business schools and other institutions of higher learning is needed. I think things like this have always gone on, but they seem a lot more nasty and prevalent now.
All this crap probably started when Business schools starting using military strategy and Machiavellian philosopy as the ultimate way to win a war with business competition. So in the light of the "ends justify the means", now we have business practices by those who only want their company to win, and they don't care how they do it. Hence my comment about ethics. What goes around comes around, and eventually the entire business world is even more backstabbing and evil than it was before. If its taught in school that this behavior leads to this damage in the system, or the students experience it first hand, perhaps things like this would not happen any more.
All that being said, I'm glad to see that the Law in place to prevent this un-ethical behavior has been used as it was meant to, to stop this sort of unethical behavior. I'd still rather see the solution to the problem be stopping the problem before it occurs, rather than correcting the behavior after the action has been done.
-When going for broke, go for Ithaca!
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.
Verisign are attempting to get people not to renew but to transfer - that there is a one year extension to the domain's registry period is purely a function of being an TCANN accredited registry.
They're using a feature of the system to try and get customers back by deception - that stinks.
Matt Thompson - Actuality - Insert product here.
Verisign Ordered to Stop Deceptive Renewal Notices
Posted by timothy on Thursday May 16, @11:10AM
from the getting-off-way-too-easy dept.
getting off way too easy? WTF are you on? Do you even know what an injunction is? What the hell else do you expect at this point?
BilldaCat
but as with so many other things, it gets overlooked or misunderstood because it has to do with the Internet.
What are you talking about? What part of "U.S. District Court Judge Frederic N. Smalkin agreed with BulkRegister, saying that VeriSign likely engaged in deceptive behavior" didn't you understand?
Verisign broke the law. People complained. Someone sued. Verisign lost. Sounds just like any other industry to me.
I use godaddy and I love it. Its cheap, a good POS, and here is a copy of the notice.
I wanted to buy a candle holder, but the store didn't have one. So I got a cake.