Wild West Domains

[barefoottech]

I like a lot of other NamePros Members have a WWD reseller site

I have been talking with WWD about my concerns and would like some additonal feedback from other WWD Resellers on the following
1/ Service
a/ Customer
i/ How can be improved
ii/ How can the actual Reseller be involved in support more.


b/ Reseller
i/ How can be Improved
ii/ Can resellers do some support themselves

2/ Wild West Domains Turnkey sites
a/ Look and Feel
i/ What can be added to make look more modern
b/ Functions
i/ What can be added
ii/ What needs changing
c/ Features
i/ What is needed
ii/ What needs changing
iii/ Should Customer be able to transfer to another WWD site more easily
d/ Additions
i/ Should other Links/Modules be able to be added
ii/ Should Affiliate links be able to be added
iii/ Should Ads (Google,Yahoo) be able to be added to the default Parking pages
3/ Feedback from Godaddy/ WWD
a/ On Customers
Should Customer concerns/Sales/refunds be relayed to Reseller
b/ Reseller site Stats
What additional / different reports be available for the reseller
i/ Email
ii/ Phone
iii/ Other


These and any other issues from RESELLERS and Customers
please pm me

One big issue I am raising is the issue of transfers between WWD sites
and the related issue of non-reuse of Logon names

ADDENDUM:-
This is not going to support at WWD or Godaddy to be ignored & disregarded
This is in response to a phone call from someone very high in Godaddy itself

 

[RJ]

I've been a WWD reseller for 2½ years (www.registermate.com). I don't actively promote my WWD site anymore nor recommend the reseller program, but it will stay active so long as I have customers that still use it.

My main problem with the program are the stats and reports. How many domains are registered under my reseller account? I have no clue, and no idea how to find out either. How many domains are up for renewal soon? Who knows. The only history available is for the last 61 days.

 

[barefoottech]

Thanks ,RJ
This exactly the type of Info I am after. Someone high up in the Godaddy Group
has said to me "everyone complains about the WWD sites and setup,but no-one ever gives us feedback".
Apparantly it is a characteristic of Americans (Mainly Americans have WWD Sites) not to complain direct to the source of any problem , but to compain everwhere else.

Well I gave Godaddy some feedback ,I sent a scathing email & got a 45min phone call in return instantly. That was when this exercise commenced.


So anymore WWD resellers or Customers with feedback
I need anyone with suggestions,improvements, ideas to post here or PM

 

[BlazeDomains]

My main concern is why we can't offer the same products as godaddy so we can be compettiive they were offering a lite version of one product on their site for like 3.95 plus the 1.99 made registered names for like $6 we did not have that same product to sell or promote.

 

[RJ]

That's true, it's hard to be competative as a "GoDaddy reseller" when people can go direct to GoDaddy and get a better price.

 

[IAmAllanShore]

Also when you not only get a better price at GoDaddy, but folks are more willing to buy domains registered at GoDaddy as there is no need for a new account at some small reseller whose name you'll have to remember come renewal/sale time, AND whose renewal price will be more of a known quantity.

Adsense ads on the page would be nearly impossible (Unfortunately) as the ads would inevitably be competitors' ads... Can't filter out enough of them. They could pay resellers for the parking revenue generated from domains registered through the reseller... and maybe offer generic ads that could be placed on your reseller on a pay-per-performance model....

Just my current .02

-Allan

 

[wildbest]

First of all, BIG Hello to everyone! :hi:

I've registered with NP only because of that thread :hehe:

...
Apparantly it is a characteristic of Americans (Mainly Americans have WWD Sites) not to complain direct to the source of any problem , but to compain everwhere else...

This is not true!
I have placed many complaints and suggestions to WWD. The management at WWD know very well what should be changed but they are not allowed by GoDaddy. This is the truth!

 

[barefoottech]

First of all, BIG Hello to everyone! :hi:
I've registered with NP only because of that thread :hehe:
This is not true!
I have placed many complaints and suggestions to WWD. The management at WWD know very well what should be changed but they are not allowed by GoDaddy. This is the truth!

Yes , Welcome to NamePros
I said most don't complain ,not all. Plus this is not for lower WWD management ,but for someone who is very high in Godaddy management chain.

 

[wildbest]

Can not agree! In fact, doing that research is a time-waster. This is my personal opinion though, otherwise I'd support your enthusiasm!
WWD are bombarded with complaints and suggestions 24/7 a week. The fact that GD management is pretending they have no feedback makes me feel very uneasy. This means, my worst suspicion comes to be true. This is the lame excuse for the unofficial policy applied! GoDaddy resellers have fulfilled their task to cheaply market GD services. Now GD is a household name (remember the TV commercials) and resellers are not needed anymore, they are burden. By various direct and indirect means GD is intercepting resellers customers. What are they particularly interested in are reseller's corporate accounts. 70% of our transfer away requests are to GD and 10% are to BlueRazor! Promotions at GoDaddy roll to WWD with days and weeks delays. There are big delays also as far as product updates are concerned. What is even more confusing is WWD is beginning to apply the same tactics to sub-resellers that are under our super reseller account! And what to say about price differentials? Just one example:

It is beyond my understanding - same product, same service, same support (Dedicated Server - Economy Plan):
- $109 per month is the lowest possible price if purchased form a WWD reseller store - regular account
- $91.48 per month is the price if purchased from WWD Pro Reseller discounted account - $179/yr license fee needed
- $71.20 per month is the price if purchased from GoDaddy.com - regular account
- $67.20 per month is the price if purchased from BlueRazor.com - $9.95/yr membership fee needed
It is 40% price difference between best possible WWD reseller and BlueRazor.com plans!

Frankly, I do not see a single reason for a customer to stay with a WWD reseller and not migrate their business to DG or BlueRazor!

 

[muchacho]

My main concerns are reports, and more competitive prices.

 

[wildbest]

I have seen today that they have lowered buy prices for dedicated server plans. It took me 2 months of struggle and finally posting to that forum, which may certainly be a coincidence. Anyway, it may be a good sign. Lets hope now that they will fix the abuse email issue soon. The default abuse email address is [email protected] for reseller customers. Guess who is responding to all WWD reseller customers there? GoDaddy.com, of course!

Reports are not really a serious issue. The fundamental issue is that GoDaddy is competing with their own resellers. And with sites like BlueRazor.com, WWD resellers have no chance whatsoever.

 

[nRnF]

Reports are not really a serious issue. The fundamental issue is that GoDaddy is competing with their own resellers. And with sites like BlueRazor.com, WWD resellers have no chance whatsoever.

You got the point, and it is getting worser each day ;(

I am a WWD reseller since they stated their program years ago, and fortunately
I have a solid customer base wich gives ma a advantage position in front of those
"internal GD/WWD" competitions, as I stay with the initial conditions.
Fresh resellers are in the eye of the hurricane if they arent master marketeers.
I am still not convinced on their latest move in Juli this year establishing the new reseller plans.
(Therefore I refund my commission for basic or pro account purchases to any new reseller
that opens a account through my superreseller store - PM if interested)

It is funny, everytime I call WWD they ask for your account ID, you hear some typeing and then I hear:
"Whow you got lots of customers, how can I help you"
LOL seems the avarage reseller shows up with arround 50 customers - patetic !

But bottom line is, and here are my wishes for your list:
1) Ability to disable the "ad avalance" is missing (ad promoted services aren't selling anyway)
2) More custom features (several designs) more space for custom HTML is urgently needed to differ from other resellers (the API is no alternative).
3) Report query of active services (domains, hosting, etc..) is essential for planning.
4) Possibility to use your own domain by DNS settings, and not that SEO unfriendly, customer confusing, frames or secureserver URLs.

I agree with "wildbest" on the suggestions issue.
I wrote during the last years several times extensive improovement suggestions to GD/WWD, but nothing except hot air ;(

Barefoottech this is IMPORTANT:
I always hear, that is is not good that customers can't push within WWD/GD accounts.
OMG if this would be possible you would loose eaven more customers !
PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST THIS FEATURE NEVER, OR I PERSONALLY WILL 8-X YOU !
Note WWD is no reseller account for traders, it's a web service shop for wide public and the man next door.
Use Enom for your domain trading addictions and constant push orgys

They could pay resellers for the parking revenue generated from domains registered through the reseller... and maybe offer generic ads that could be placed on your reseller on a pay-per-performance model....-Allan

Nice 2 cents Allan

I maybe would ad also the service integration with TDNAM as next christmas wish

 

[wildbest]

...They could pay resellers for the parking revenue generated from domains registered through the reseller... and maybe offer generic ads that could be placed on your reseller on a pay-per-performance model...

No, that would be a mistake. Unless, ads are an add-on to what a free parked page looks like now! A plain, ads-only free parked page would be a mistake.

...1) Ability to disable the "ad avalance" is missing (ad promoted services aren't selling anyway)

I do not understand that. Where is the "ad avalanche" feature?

...4) Possibility to use your own domain by DNS settings, and not that SEO unfriendly, customer confusing, frames or secureserver URLs.

Yep, this is the personal domain solution - like ENOM's PDQ.

...Barefoottech this is IMPORTANT:
I always hear, that is is not good that customers can't push within WWD/GD accounts.
OMG if this would be possible you would loose eaven more customers !
PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST THIS FEATURE NEVER, OR I PERSONALLY WILL 8-X YOU !
Note WWD is no reseller account for traders, it's a web service shop for wide public and the man next door.
Use Enom for your domain trading addictions and constant push orgys

I second nRnF. Every WWD reseller should behave like a stand alone entity.

 

[nRnF]

I do not understand that. Where is the "ad avalanche" feature?

LOL, unfortunately it is no feature, it is a pain in the butt.

I mean the overhelming ads that run throughout the registration process advertizing other WWD services.

If it would be a feature it could be turned off, but unfortunately it isnt

 

[barefoottech]

Yes the Ad avalanche should have a setup
similiar to the Product list , where you can tick those you want to display .
Anyhow thanks to all those who contributed .
I have no delusions that we can make major or even minor changes.
But I was requested by someone very high in Godaddy's management to make my submission.

 

[wildbest]

I thought every customer can click on the "I am experienced user" button and skip all the ads or they can simply click on the "Shopping Cart" link at the bottom and go straight to check out. But I still think the ad avalanche is good for the reseller and it is also good for the not so experienced customers.

I would like to ask you if anybody of you guys is using the affiliate program tool?

Also, what do you think about selling payquake merchant accounts? Does anybody get residual income from payquake? I have seen a lot of reseller complaints that payquake is a complete joke and they do everything to avoid paying residual income to WWD resellers! It is very unusual why WWD resellers are offered to resell only payquake merchant accounts, while in the same time GoDaddy is selling mainly (or only) Innovative Merchant Solutions accounts. What do you think is the reason for that split?

 

[sharktech]

So why don't we form a domain coop and go direct to the source?

After reading the complaints here it seems the only way to proceed is a direct registry solution. I looked at it and its not that bad to do. Figuring roughly 20k to setup. If we got 20-40 people into it cost per person is pretty cheap. The monthly expenses probably would be about 10k with tech support operators, dedicated colo space{ I have a pretty large cage in One Wilshire now, 21 racks} in a couple locations. And at least a few Linux/BSD gurus.

Sharktech