Network Solutions - CAUTION!

2 replies
This is a cautionary message about Network Solutions.

I'm the volunteer webmaster for a non-profit organization.

The domain for their site was using Network Solutions as the registrar and I wanted to transfer it to NameCheap.

Short story: AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Longer story: Sometime back in November I began the process of transferring this domain.

When I first logged-in to Network Solutions, the first thing that struck me was just how non-intuitive their interface is. It's got a corporate feel to it and is anything but user friendly. There is no real coherent flow between the products you have with them - which includes both domain registration and hosting.

Some time prior to that I managed to figure out how to point the DNS to a different host for the domain in question.

But the transfer process - well, that was a flippin' nightmare.

I won't give you a blow by blow, but here's the essence of the hassles I came up against:

They do their level best to prevent you from transferring domains away from them. ANY change to your account automatically puts a lock on any domain transfers for weeks. To bypass that, you have to call them and insist they remove the lock so you can proceed. And on top of all the roadblocks they purposely put in your way, check this out.

They were trying to charge my client $75.82 to renew her dot org domain for two years! And to add insult to injury, they were charging her another $29.98 for two years of "web forwarding", whatever that is (it's not explained in the least).

So, after they suspended her account for non-payment of their highway robbery fees, today she called them.

She had to talk to three people - two peons and one supervisor - to get the lock taken off her account and a domain transfer code.

And that was only after she threatened to contact the BBB to complain about these predators.

Network Solutions is a Web.com company. Web.com also owns the following companies: Register.com, 1ShoppingCart, Web.com Search Agency, Leads.com, Renovation Experts, LogoYes, Name Secure, Solid Cactus, Name Bargain, 1SCStores, PowerYourName, according to their website footer.

The only one of these I've heard of is 1ShoppingCart and I don't think that company is much in favor anymore, either. I don't know for sure, though I'm sure there is at least one review of them on this forum.

Anyway, I think I'll give ALL of Web.com's companies a wide berth from this day forward.

And, at the very least, I STRONGLY suggest you stay well away from Network Solutions.

That is, unless you're a masochist. Caveat Emptor.

Russ
#caution #network #network solutions #solutions
  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
    Banned
    Yep, I avoid them (Network Solutions and Register.com) like the plague. High costs and slow on the transfer....no doubt about that. I've been registering domains since 1996 and other than a couple of fifty cent domains I've purchased (and then transferred away) I have refused to do business with either of them for the past 15 or so years.

    Regards.
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  • Profile picture of the author sprucehill
    I just logged in here to post a warning about Network Solutions, and found your thread. Stay far, far away from this company!

    I purchased 2 $.50 domains on Jan. 23 & 24. Then today I got a notice from Paypal that 2 automatic payments had been made to Network Solutions for $4.99 each. I had never authorized any automatic payments of any kind to them, and had never received any notice from Paypal that automatic payments had been created.

    First of all, I canceled the automatic payments, which showed as 2 separate ones. Then I logged in to my Network Solutions account, and found that my account showed the initial payments of $.50 for each domain, then below that "monthly" payments of $4.99 each (which it did NOT show even several days after purchase because I logged in to my account about a week later).

    Fortunately, I had not yet done anything with the domains. If I had built sites on them and then found I was being charged an outrageous monthly fee, I would be madder than a wet hen. As it is, I am pretty mad anyway. Good grief! Charging $4.99 a month for a domain, plus the $.50, that's $55.39 a year for one domain. Talk about highway robbery!

    I put in a support ticket telling them to cancel the domains and refund all my money, or I will file a dispute with Paypal. Nowhere in the initial transactions was there any indication that I was going to be billed monthly, and nowhere was that indicated in my account a week later. Plus, I have the original emails from them with my transaction information regarding the $.50 domain purchases, and they very clearly show "Future Charges: $0.00" and "Recurring Charges: $0.00".

    This is just about the most sleazy, dishonest and deceptive company I have ever seen.
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