GoDaddy Problem

[Pepper199]

You'll love this! I have had a domain with Go Daddy for years along with mail boxes. My web site is registered through 2011. Today I noticed my business web site was taken down. I called to find out why. They told me that a charge for $2.99 was made to my credit card in Jan. (I was unaware) and rejected by the bank. (This credit card was defunct) They said originally the charge was made and then the bank demanded the money back. Again, I was unaware. So, they decided to take my site down without informing me. What kind of idiots are running Go Daddy? My domain is paid through 2011. What was this $2.99 for? I've yet to be informed. Now, I have to get my lawyer involved.

 

[Fork]

Getting a lawyer involved over a few bucks? Doesn't make much sense.

GoDaddy isn't very well known for their hosting anyway. You're much better off going with a company like HostGator or Site5 (or similar) that specializes in hosting and has a good history. I've used both HostGator and Site5 in the past and I always had good experiences with their customer support.

 

[snowbird]

It sounds like the $2.99 may have been for your hosting services. The domain registration is a yearly fee and hosting is monthly.

As for getting a lawyer involved, that might not be such a wise idea since im sure the lawyer fees would cost much more than what your trying to gain out of this. I am sure godaddy's terms of service would cover themselves for any downtime you may have experienced in this situation.

I would also suggest looking in your godaddy account at past orders and receipts to see if you may have bought something with a recurring monthly charge of $2.99. Maybe you ordered something that you forgot about or are unaware of. You need to be more careful when placing orders to make sure you know what you are signing up for.

 

[Pepper199]

I may consider taking my site off GoDaddy with this stupidity on their part. How do I go about putting my site up with another provider? Don't I have to get GoDaddy to release my domain name? This is turning into an episode where I won't recommend GoDaddy.com to ANYONE. Still trying to find out what the $2.99 charge was for. Some idiot needed bus money!

 

[snowbird]

Like I said, login to your godaddy account and bring up your recent purchase history. Godaddy keeps a record of all your receipts in your account available for viewing at any time. You probably signed up for something and forgot about it or are unaware that you did signup for it. You should try to pay more attention with placing orders to prevent this from occuring in the future. It is not normal for godaddy to be charging you for services you didn't order.

You can transfer your domain to a new registrar very easily. All you do is unlock your domain and pay for a transfer at your new registrar. Then you will get an email asking you to confirm the transfer is legit. If your domain is a new registration, you will need to wait at least 60 days from the date of registration before you can transfer it.

 

[JGK]

How do I go about putting my site up with another provider? Don't I have to get GoDaddy to release my domain name?

If you're talking about a new host, then you don't need to move the domain name, just set up new DNS records in your domain control area.

If you're talking about moving the domain name itself, then yes, you'd need to transfer it (but not drop it). That isn't free though.

Have you done what was recommended by snowbird and look through your previous orders to see whether you've purchased anything that may have a recurring $2.99 cost?

It happens. I've been charged for things that I didn't recognize (not talking about GoDaddy in particular here), and upon further review, it almost always ends up being something that I forgot about.

Also, snowbird is right about the terms:

If for any reason Go Daddy is unable to charge Your Payment Method for the full amount owed Go Daddy for the Services provided, or if Go Daddy is charged a penalty for any fee it previously charged to Your Payment Method, You agree that Go Daddy may pursue all available remedies in order to obtain payment. If You pay by credit card and if for any reason Go Daddy is unable to charge Your credit card with the full amount of the Services provided, or if Go Daddy is charged back for any fee it previously charged to the credit card You provided, You agree that Go Daddy may pursue all available remedies in order to obtain payment. You agree that among the remedies Go Daddy may pursue in order to effect payment, shall include but will not be limited to, immediate cancellation without notice to You of any domain names or Services registered or renewed on Your behalf.

 

[Pepper199]

More on this....at this time, the worst part about this I can't get anyone with authority to return my calls. The customer service of Go Daddy SUCKS! The $2.99 was a mistake and they have sent me emails, but no phone call from SOMEONE WITH AUTHORITY. This company IS NOT customer oriented. Everyone should be aware if using their services!

 

[shaw_shark]

Seems to me the OP has a domain issue, not a hosting one.

But I agree GoDaddy should have been more pro, and EVEN MORE, the OP should have been more careful

 

[Miyavi]

It feels like your are ignoring everyone's advice, Pepper.

 

[Dave_Z]

The $2.99 was a mistake and they have sent me emails, but no phone call from SOMEONE WITH AUTHORITY.

It's nice if someone from the business calls back. But it's really their choice to
call out or not, just as its your choice whether to do continue doing business
with them or not.

If you really hate them for what happened, then simply sign-up for hosting at
any place and eventually either change your domain's nameservers to that of
your host or even transfer your domain to another registrar. The same things
could happen with practically any provider you use, though, especially if your
form of billing (e.g. credit card) isn't updated periodically.

One could demand Go Daddy to be more "pro-consumer", just as Go Daddy or
any business can demand customers to be more "pro-active" in their account
standings. It then depends who's in a "stronger" position, and it sure sucks to
be on the so-called "weaker" one.

Anyway, do what you feel like, Pepper. But if you don't want this sort of thing
to happen again, stay on top of your billing and what-not as well.