question .town domain renewal scam? Apparently "premium" now!

[Fragie]

Hey, sorry guys not a reseller, just have a personal problem with a private domain name so hopeing I can get some advice from you guys here with better knowledge.

Years ago I registered a .town domain name, a personal one for myself. It is simply my surename and nothing more, it was cool to have my own name as a domain and use for emails etc.

However suddenly last year (not known to me) the domain renewed @ $150 dollars!!! Apparently they have deemed my specific domain name a 'premium' domain and for that reason will bill me the same again.

I was shocked so this year I wanted to transfer to another provider however for the last three days I've been trying to find a host who will charge me the normal rate as EVERYONE has jumped on the bandwagon and is calling such a useless name "PREMIUM!"

All the advice I can get is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Fragie]

Does anyone know of a provider who will transfer the domain at a low cost rate?

Thanks fellas

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

Only registrar from tld-list that shows .town is porkbun.com. Try em or drop the cool premo name imo. Or pay the real scalpers their due

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

@Epik.com has .town
if anyone nose about this, it would be @Rob Monster

 

[Rob Monster]

@Fragie - Happy to investigate the case for you. Reasonable for you to be grandfathered with your original pricing that you were quoted. However, before crying foul, let's look into it. You can PM me the domain name and I will tell you the registrar cost for registration and renewals. If you did not drop the domain, it would be pretty dodgy if the domain was re-priced as a premium name if it was GA before. However, let's investigate it and see what is up.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

It is beyond incredible that a leader of a registrar company follows NPs and in cases like this and so many more is so helpful in a myriad of ways, both with information and direct individual help. Hats off to you Rob, (@Rob Monster) and thank you on behalf of us all!

 

[Rob Monster]

Dear Bob --

It is my pleasure.

The domain industry is operating at a tremendously important time. In September, I felt called to come back to running Epik full-time believing that it was God's will for my life to help keep all voices online, including voices that are increasingly in the minority. The Gab.com incident happened less than 6 weeks later. You might even recall that it was on NamePros that the issue was brought to my attention. In other words, this community is a tremendous resource to the industry. I count many of you as friends and while I am the CEO of a company, and have built a few enterprises over the years, the Lord gave me a servant's heart.

Also, my hats off to all of you who are playing some role in making sure that all voices are heard, and that all of humanity has access to the information through which they can make informed choices. Here in the US we take these freedoms for granted but I am very sure that these freedoms are perilously at risk. The Chinese model for the Internet is the model that central planners are keen to deploy everywhere. I might be wrong about that one, but based on what I saw happen with Gab last month, my concerns were validated. Gab.com is not nearly as hateful as some purport. It is free speech, and some people abuse it.

My advice to all for the coming time:

Wise as Serpents
Harmless as Doves
Treasures in Heaven

And if that makes sense to you, then you are my Brother already.

Regards,
Rob Monster
CEO
Epik.com