[flagged]
Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
11–20 of 63 posts
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe this is extremely unexpected behavior for an "auto-renew" feature. If I'm told that I will be autorenwing something in 7 days and am told about a price, that price changing within those 7 days feels like something the consumer should be protected against!
How?! Hover is just a proxy between the customer and the real TLD owner. It could very well be that the TLD system saw that the domain was about to expire and decided to jack up the price then. Maybe Hover could've bought the domain themselves when close to the expiration date to secure the lower price, but then if the customer decides to let the domain go it would be they holding out the bag.
Let's say you grab a can of Coke in the grocery store, shelf sticker says 49c. When you pass on the cash register, it clearly shows $5k in the cashier's monitor, and the point of sales screen, so you're charged $5k.
Ooops, says the grocery store: Coca-cola raised the prices, not me.
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#13Thankfully a chargeback is possible here. While a chargeback is almost always "possible" it can be dangerous if the company you are charging-back is the only provider of a service. I'd be wary about doing a chargeback on the Google/Amazon's of the world but Hover? There are many other registrars out there if you are willing to transfer and for $3K I'd be transfering my domains and then filing a chargeback.
BUT, before you do that, threaten a chargeback. That might unstick their support or get your case bumped up the chain. If they still refuse then transfer and chargeback.
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#14[flagged]
If you think it was any different in 90s you are mistaken.
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#15[flagged]
[flagged]
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
How?! Hover is just a proxy between the customer and the real TLD owner. It could very well be that the TLD system saw that the domain was about to expire and decided to jack up the price then. Maybe Hover could've bought the domain themselves when close to the expiration date to secure the lower price, but then if the customer decides to let the domain go it would be they holding out the bag.
The issue isn't that the price changed. The issue is that they auto charged after the price was quoted lower. If the registrar had said, "hey the price just got jacked way up, do you still want to buy this?" There would be no issue. But because they said the price was x and not 100x, but then charged 100x, there is a real problem.
I agree but they did send two emails with the 100x price once it changed.
It would be nice to get an email specifically about the price change not just the auto renew but that's hardly a rug pull.
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#17As others said I think a chargeback is the way to go. I had a much smaller scale version of this happen where hover wanted to change $70 to renew a domain that Cloudflare would charge $30 for
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#18[flagged]
> another co-opts the established trademark for its own purpose
That's a funny way of referring to a parody.
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds more like the risk is on Hover then and not on the customer. If you advertise 38 dollars to me for a product you source from someone else and that the producer suddenly charges 100x the price you can’t just charge me that price because “that’s the price”. You’re making money as a middleman, you accept the risk of a middleman.
The domain renewal cost in their dashboard is notably right back to $38 too!
Maybe .sexy TLD owner decided that "onlyfans" is a "premium" domain, with special pricing.
And registrar isn't aware of premium domain pricing (at least for that TLD).
Re: Ask HN: My domain registrar rug-pulled me for $3000 [fixed]
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe this is extremely unexpected behavior for an "auto-renew" feature. If I'm told that I will be autorenwing something in 7 days and am told about a price, that price changing within those 7 days feels like something the consumer should be protected against!
How?! Hover is just a proxy between the customer and the real TLD owner. It could very well be that the TLD system saw that the domain was about to expire and decided to jack up the price then. Maybe Hover could've bought the domain themselves when close to the expiration date to secure the lower price, but then if the customer decides to let the domain go it would be they holding out the bag.
The registrar is not "just a proxy". They are the merchant of record, they bear the financial and legal responsibility.