GoDaddy and their shady “marketing” tactics
I had been holding on to a domain that I thought would be useful in the future. It’s a mid-length story, but to keep it short, it was a domain that my wife and I had the intention of using for a creative agency with her as the main point of contact.
The other day (Sept 9th), I got an email from GoDaddy (GD from now on) claiming that someone wanted to purchase my domain, and that they were forwarding that person’s message as per ICAAN regulations.
Fair enough. I didn’t even realize I still had that domain. If someone was offering money for it, then sweet, right?
Here’s the message.
OK. Wut. In the tens of thousands range? Suuuuure.. and if they had actually found my email, why are they contacting me through GD? If you search the domain on Whois, all you see is GD, because they charge you $9 to obfuscate my name for “privacy.” (Note: many other companies just do it for you for free.)
So highly suspect.
Naturally, I replied.
And here’s their answer:
Plot gets worse. (Because it involves GD, of course)
Remember how I mentioned the date of the email? Yeah, and did you check the date my domain was expiring? You don’t have to go back up, I’ll say it. It is set to expire on the 16th.
Yeah.
Exactly a week before the site expires I get an “inquiry” looking to purchase my domain.
Now I have another email that just came through reminding me to to renew.
Then I kept getting emails to renew.
Then I kept getting emails like this:
That domain has been with me for a few years, but I haven’t done anything with it, and I was frankly, on the fence, because I think it’s a cool domain, and if my wife and I ever move forward with the original idea, it’d be good to have.
But now… I don’t care. GD can have the domain that no one has shown any interest in the past 3 years minus 1 week, and they can **** off. They can sell it to that guy for $XX,XXX, sure.
Go nuts.
Everything REEKS of shady business “tactics” trying to make me want to pay to hold on to the domain.
For a different domain, a couple of years ago, GD decided to hold on to a domain for (over? about?) half a year after they couldn’t sell it back to me, so it took me almost a year of waiting for that domain to be available again, and I bought it a year later elsewhere.
I really hope anyone from GD reads this post, because I think you guys are borderline scammy with crappy business practices, and no amount of rebranding will wash that stink off your stupid cringy outdated name. I am ashamed to have even bought anything from GD, and I will make sure I never give them another dime of my money. GoDaddy can go home.
Update: So.. of course I’m adding a “conclusion” to this story since I’m publishing it in October.
I’ve heard NOTHING back from the person who sent me the “offer”, and I keep getting emails from GoDaddy asking if I’m going to renew the domain registration.
Are you surprised? I sure am not.
Note: mediatemple, managewp, and skyverge have all been previously acquired by godaddy. Watch a short video on that here. So helping those brands are the same as helping GD.
