Tell HN: Moniker increased the price of .tc domains from $28 to $140

#1

Post by tinyProton » Thu, Jan 16, 2014, 2:25 PM UTC

I've a couple of '.tc' domains bought through Moniker. Up until very recently the price for '.tc' domains were only $28. They increased the price of this domains from $28 to $140 without sending any notice. The domain was configured for auto-renewing, and I just got charged for $140.

I've nothing but bad experiences with Moniker for the last three years. One of my domains didn't get renewed and was about to get deleted, even though that they charged me and sent me a renewing confirmation. They later tried to charge me extra fees in order to retrieve my domain, despite the fact that it was their problem!

Just wanted to let you know about my experience. My advice is to be aware if you're a customer, and stay away if you're not.

Re: Tell HN: Moniker increased the price of .tc domains from $28 to $140

#2

Post by smartwater » Thu, Jan 16, 2014, 5:08 PM UTC

> They increased the price of this domains from $28 to $140 without sending any notice. The domain was configured for auto-renewing, and I just got charged for $140.

That is most definitely a violation of their merchant agreement. Probably some consumer protection laws too.

Re: Tell HN: Moniker increased the price of .tc domains from $28 to $140

#3

Post by dangrossman » Thu, Jan 16, 2014, 7:22 PM UTC

The company that operates the .TC registry raised the price to $119; that's what registrars like Moniker pay. Notification of the change would've been appropriate, but as far as the charge goes, it's either fulfill your renewal as agreed at the new price, or let your domain expire. If you had known about the price increase from the registry, would you still have renewed the domain?

Re: Tell HN: Moniker increased the price of .tc domains from $28 to $140

#4

Post by dangrossman » Thu, Jan 16, 2014, 7:28 PM UTC

smartwater wrote: post #2

> They increased the price of this domains from $28 to $140 without sending any notice. The domain was configured for auto-renewing, and I just got charged for $140. That is most definitely a violation of their merchant agreement. Probably some consumer protection laws too.

You can make neither of those definitive statements without reviewing the contract terms he agreed to during the purchase and creation of the auto-renew subscription. It is entirely possible to authorize recurring charges even if prices may change.