Get ready for another year of Yahoo! Domains
Dear DELETED,
Thanks for using Yahoo! Domains. We’re writing to remind you that it’s time for the annual autorenewal of your service.
Your Domains plan, associated with the domain (deleted)DELETED, will renew on 07/07/2008. If your billing information is up-to-date, there’s no need to do a thing (except keep enjoying your service).
Important note: Beginning on July 1, 2008, Yahoo!’s annual domain renewal price increases to $34.95 per year.
You can verify your billing information by visiting https://billing.yahoo.com/ and clicking the Update link next to your plan. Click the gray Edit button to the right of your payment method to review your payment details.
(Please note that the billing center will not reflect the new $34.95 domain-renewal price until July 1. Until that time, you will continue to see the old renewal price next to your plan.) (my emphasis).
Have questions? Please visit our help center or contact us anytime.
Best regards,
The Yahoo! Small Business team
This is a service email related to your use of Yahoo! Small Business. To learn more about Yahoo!’s use of personal information, including the use of web beacons in HTML-based email, please read our privacy policy. Yahoo! is located at 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
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Just got this message myself – what a complete rip off!!
Jumping a price up by 300% is no way to treat long-term customers. I’m looking into alternatives…
Comment by Name Witheld — June 20, 2008 @ 6:46 pm |
I am surprised there has been so little reaction.
I have sent yahoo a bunch of emails and added comments on one of their blogs (comment was accepted then deleted) and nothing. Zero replies.
Comment by yahoobullshit — June 20, 2008 @ 9:15 pm |
I think yahoo is getting mad by increasing its price and may be they want to quit from this business. Normally these strategies are used to discourage customers.like now every one is talking to shift form yahoo.com then what does it mean???
no even very stupid businessman can do this… there is something… i have 38 domains… with yahoo…. and no i am feeling less oxygen in my room… pray for me…
Comment by QZafar — June 21, 2008 @ 1:09 pm |
Wow, didn’t know about this. I’m going to write a post on my blog about it.
Comment by domainblog — June 23, 2008 @ 6:49 pm |
Hi Domainblog – it’s unbelievable. Please spread the word.
Comment by yahoobullshit — June 23, 2008 @ 6:55 pm |
[...] some blogs are expressing dismay at the price increase, which is three and a half times what domain owners [...]
Pingback by Yahoo ups annual domain registration fees : Porn Newz - Adult Industry News, Events & Articles — June 28, 2008 @ 1:58 pm |
I just received my “eff you” today. I have 15 domains registered with Yahoo. I’m moving them elsewhere. I find it hard to believe that the margins on the domain registrations weren’t already pretty damn good for the company.
Comment by BrooklynBS — July 2, 2008 @ 7:06 pm |
This is a classic bait and switch. The kicker is there was no way to renew the domains under the old price because they only auto bill.
I am going to file a complaint with the FTC. I received a two week notice to this huge price change, and it is utter BS. Unfortunately I am stuck because I am do to renew in 17 days.
My opinion of Yahoo went right down the toilet. I will never spend money with them again…
Comment by bill — July 3, 2008 @ 3:47 am |
Yahoo is f…king crazy! what the h…ll are they thinking of ripping people off like that. Especially, we are their royal customers. And it’s so un-ethical when they still try to lure the innocent victims with their $1.99 ads.
I had 50 domains so it is totally a blow for me. They will choke me until I run out of blood and die.
I made the transfer to Godday and Enom and still the domain names still showing registered by Yahoo. If you view the status of the registration it show this.
Registry Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Registry Status: clientRenewProhibited
Registry Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Status: clientUpdateProhibited
I suspected that Yahoo intended to block us from transfering. I called so many times without answers.
Do you here know any lawyers so we can sue them? Cause if all my domains can’t be transfer and expired it will devastated me and I’m sure you’re in the same situations as me.
Anyway, I need a signature from all of you so that we can represent our cases to the judges.
Please send me an email to: fuufle@gmail.com so I contact you.
TrungNgo
Comment by Trung Ngo — July 4, 2008 @ 7:11 pm |
Trung, I have transferred some of my domains to godaddy. It was simple. Go to yahoo domain panel, make sure that the domain is unlocked, make sure that the admin email address is your address, get the domain code number from the panel and then go to godaddy and follow the transfer domains process. My domains took about 4 days to move.
By the way at godaddy make sure you select the use current nameserver option and the domain will be transferred without interruption to your site.
Good luck.
Comment by yahoobullshit — July 4, 2008 @ 8:59 pm |
not is a killing prices but looks like they would like to close this business??? I am tired of their pricing and spend more than one hour to transfer all my domain names to the new registar only for $6.95 (http://www.luckyregister.com)
Comment by Domain Names for Smart Domainers — July 11, 2008 @ 7:12 am |
It looks like many person in the same boat! I heard that Yahoo make no profit with domain business and they are looking for the way to minimize this loss by increase domain prices. Yes, it is the time to act for Yahoo domains now. I have found new registar with cheap domain transfers rates and I will start moving now!
As the increase infomation has been sent out by email from Yahoo and you see nothing about pricing increase from your Yahoo domain account so for sure, many persons (did not read the email well) will cry when they see the bill!!!
Comment by About Expired domains — July 16, 2008 @ 9:44 am |
Hit them on their own site by answering this question:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=AlL3V_2Bl0a5lGr1dHFesx_py6IX;_ylv=3?link=ask&title=Why+did+yahoo+increase+its+domain+registration+service+price+by+300%25%3F&x=51&y=7
PETITION: Sign the petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/noyahoo/petition.html
Comment by Paul — July 18, 2008 @ 2:56 am |
Thank god that I acted immediately after reading the article on http://www.silicasys.com/yahoo-domain-renewal-scam.html and transfering the domain to http://www.domains.silicasys.com. I had 11 domains with yahoo, which I had to transfer forcibly due to the increase in the price. I still have the hosting with yahoo, but will transfer it too, if there is an increase in price.
Comment by Aravind — July 19, 2008 @ 7:41 am |
I transferred my domain away from Yahoo well before the renewal date and still got charged for it at the new price!
Apparently, moving the domain from their control does not cancel your contract with them. They still act like the are the registrar and charge renewals accordingly.
The only way to stop them from charging you is to log back into your account and cancel your service manually. I’ve never heard such garbage in all my life. (as you can tell I’m pretty pissed at this).
Comment by tom — August 1, 2008 @ 9:06 am |
Anybody who gets a charge from Yahoo! should immediately request a chargeback from their credit card company. This is just ridiculous.
Comment by Julie — August 5, 2008 @ 5:24 am |
I transferred my domain to Godaddy in February 2008. I jumped through all their hoops of unlocking the domain, requesting an authorization code, etc. It successfully transferred to Godaddy, where I’ve been managing it since.
I was surpriced when I recently received a renewal notice from Yahoo for the domain. And I was shocked when I just logged into my account and saw that it’s been renewed for another year at the new price! How can they charge me a registration renewal when it’s not even registered with them?! That’s charging for a service they’re not providing. The renewal date is 10-14. Do I have any recourse?
I also have a second domain that I neglected to transfer in February. I’d like to transfer it now, but it’s also due 10-14. Does this mean it’s too late? And if so, how can that be? It doesn’t expire until 10-14. How can they force me to renew with them now? I don’t mind losing that domain, as it’s not one I use, but I don’t think I even have that option now.
I used to think quite highly of Yahoo, but after this stunt, I will avoid them at all costs.
Comment by Cindy — September 20, 2008 @ 11:24 pm |
@ Cindy,
Yeah they are tricky unfortunately. As well as transferring the domain you also have to cancel it as well at Yahoo otherwise they will bill you.
So the process is transfer – once the transfer is complete – then log in to the Yahoo control panel and cancel the particular domain account.
Comment by yahoobullshit — September 21, 2008 @ 7:09 am |
can we file a class action law suit? i just got my statement and i called yahoo to cancel. they won’t refund my money.
Comment by joe — October 31, 2008 @ 5:31 pm |
Yahoo billed me for domains 4 days after I transferred the 2 I had coming up for renewal. So I went to see what was up and found that you have to manually cancel after the transfer – just like someone else here mentioned. HOWEVER, I don’t see that in the terms of service anywhere. I’m ripped. I never would have thought to check beyond the terms of service about that. I won’t be doing any more business with them.
Comment by Deb — November 3, 2008 @ 11:57 pm |
I encountered same problem. Can you tell me how to contact Yahoo through email? Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Comment by Cheated by Yahoo — November 7, 2008 @ 6:57 am |
…class action anyone? I’m looking to issue it in Canada?
Glyn
Comment by Glyn — November 18, 2008 @ 10:20 pm |
I rarely use my Yahoo email address (since I only created it to register my domain name) so I didn’t see their remider email… and now I’m stuck with a credit card bill for a service they are not providing. What a rip off! The worst part is that we cannot seem to do nothing about it.
If anyone has a solution to this, you can email me at camps@puffnight.com
What a bunch of greedy morons!!
Comment by Daniel — November 26, 2008 @ 7:07 pm |
I was so shocked to see the bill on my credit card statement. Since I’m from Malaysia, $34.95 is equivalent to about RM125 and with this amount of money, it’s enough to buy me 3-4 domains from a local provider.
And this is not the biggest problem! When I tried to look for Yahoo! Small Business email address, there aren’t any! Once I reached to the help page, the only help I could get is by calling them on a US line. It’s definitely not International friendly. Yahoo! just can’t expect those from Asia to just pick up the phone and call them on the US number. It’s going to cost a lot! Not that their domain renewal is affordable.
Sigh.. I’m so disappointed with Yahoo! 3-4 years back, they are still ok. Now… I’m thinking of migrating even my mails to another provider.
Comment by I too was billed $34.95 — December 2, 2008 @ 2:55 am |
I just contacted my credit card company and they’re sending me chargeback forms in the mail. Yahoo charging me for for a service they don’t provide is dishonest, to put it nicely, but to then increase that charge by 350% is insufferable. I haven’t had to request a chargeback since AOL screwed me over back in 1998 (which was successful; I find banks usually side with their customers in any charge disputes).
Comment by NJC — December 3, 2008 @ 7:57 am |
Same boat. I transferred names to godaddy and then I see a charge on my credit card from yahoo months later. I called yahoo and they agreed to refund the charge and cancel my accounts. This is what I would expect from a Nigerian company with pop-up ads on a shady porn site, but not from a legit and “respected” company like Yahoo!?!
Comment by Joey — January 6, 2009 @ 2:51 pm |
I knew my renewal was coming up soon, and I had a notion to check and see the exact date. In the process, I found out about this ridiculous hike in cost. I’m hoping I can get my two domains transferred before 2/18.
Comment by Emanuel — February 9, 2009 @ 3:28 am |
Sign me up for the class-action lawsuit against these thieves. This is false and misleading advertising and deceptive trade practices, to say the least. . .
Comment by Garyr — February 18, 2009 @ 12:20 am |
Add my name to the lawsuit list. I signed up in 2006, never used the domain, and had it set to auto-renewal. I never received any renewal notices and didn’t recognize the annual charges as odd, until I received this year’s charge for $34.95. In order for Yahoo to process my payment, they had to extrapolate a new expiration date for my credit card. In other words, the card I had on file with them expired, and they had to guess what the new expiration date was in order to process the charge. This was all done without any communication to or from me. This is unethical, and criminal. I’d be happy to see them pay millions for the graft. If an enterprising lawyer is interested in taking on the case, feel free to write me at sandiegowriteno w (@) gmail.com
Comment by James — March 16, 2009 @ 6:27 pm |
I transferred my domains to downdoggy.com. $8 plus change for an extra year’s renewal. If it helps, here’s their instructions on how to switch away from Yahoo!: http://www.downdoggy.com/articles/1-general/16-yahoo-transfer.html
Check out option 1 if you are looking for the easiest way to transfer (that’s what I chose. lol)
Comment by Randall — March 25, 2009 @ 5:10 am |
I should’ve known. I used to like Yahoo and have been a customer for many years. But I have been putting in support requests with them which have been going unanswered for the past 12 months. Just recently, I have decided to transfer my domains to GoDaddy.com, and Yahoo once again ignores my emails regarding assistance with the transfers (they need to accept the transfer). Melbourne IT, which is their partner registrar (or something) wants nothing to do with the matter, they’re just a name I guess. And all fingers point back to the red Y.
Well, my domains will be down for 5 days until the transfer is done automatically – but at least GoDaddy offers more flexibility (I just hope they don’t change like Yahoo did).
Comment by CrabAndSlip — May 26, 2009 @ 11:18 pm |
[...] Update: I’m not the only one noticing Yahoo’s “Bait and Switch” tactics on domain registration, Elliot C. Back is justifiably pissed off too, as is YahooBullshit. [...]
Pingback by Yahoo for the Epic Customer Service Fail! : Urbin Report — June 10, 2009 @ 4:21 pm |