38 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
38 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Godaddy automatically renewed my domain for 2 years... any recourse?

by Matt Ward
25 replies
I guess this is my fault. I bought a 99 cent domain name from Godaddy a year ago, and totally forgot about it. I didn't use the domain at all; it's just sitting there.

Today I got an email saying that they charged my credit card for a 2 year renewal on it.

I don't even want this domain at all. It's not a good domain, I didn't use it, and I certainly didn't want to renew it for another 2 years.

I'm not really blaming Godaddy. I surely didn't set this domain to be auto renew, but I guess this was somehow agreed to when I got the 99 cent domain. My fault?

Has this happened to anyone else? Is there any possible way I'll be able to get a refund? I'm imagining having to spend an hour on the phone, and at that rate, I might as well just eat it.

Update: I got a refund. If you have domains with GoDaddy (especially 99 cent ones) make sure you log into your account and disable auto-renew if you don't want them. If you do end up getting dinged stupidly like I did, you can just call support or email them and they'll give you a refund if you do it quickly enough (I did it within 24 hours.)
#automatically #domain #godaddy #recourse #renewed #years
  • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
    Call them up and they'll delete the domain if you have renewed it recently. I think you have 30 days.

    This has happened to me and they were quite helpful.

    ~Bill
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962755].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Eleanor
      Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

      Call them up and they'll delete the domain if you have renewed it recently. I think you have 30 days.

      This has happened to me and they were quite helpful.

      ~Bill
      Darn! Wish I'd known that when it happened to me! :rolleyes:
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962767].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Eleanor
    Hey,

    I left GoDaddy because I got so irritated with the "auto renew" feature that seems to be defaulted onto every domain you buy.

    Unfortunately, I was caught out with about 10 domains before I realised what was happening. I didn't pursue the chance of a refund, I just cancelled all auto renew features and moved to NameCheap where the settings are more flexible and easier to setup.

    I'm pretty sure that if you don't want auto renew, you have to manually go into every single domain, one by one, and edit the settings - very time consuming and frustrating. But they may have changed it since I left so can't be sure.

    Thanks
    Eleanor
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962762].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author godinu
    yes go daddy set things up for auto renewal if you aren't paying attention when you get the domain up front. you can change this to manual yourself,and yes, they will refund accidental renewals. I've gotten refunds many times over this (when i was traveling, too busy, or otherwise not aware a domain was set to auto renew).
    Signature
    You have exactly as much potential as you believe you do

    * 60+ sold! * Business method EVERYONE can implement, no expertise needed: offline perpetual profit machine (WSO)

    Simple Secret TeeSpring Cash Cow: easy enough for beginners
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962847].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author 3000
    Yeah, all you have to do is contact their customer support and they will take care of it. Just tell them you forgot to turn of the auto-renew option in your account.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962852].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author andynathan
    Their customer service is awesome. I just set up a hosting plan Godaddy and a partner asked me to switch to host gator. They refunded me without any questions.
    Signature

    Delighfully Inexpensive: The Scientific Formula For Profitable Blogging takes you step-by-step into how to create mind-blowing content that inspires your readers to learn more about your services.
    Scientific Formula For Profitable Blogging Link

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962936].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Robert T Jillie
    I think Bill is correct about calling them up getting them to delete the domain if it's a recent renewal.

    I personally got away from Godaddy.com and went with Namecheap.com because I had so many problems with Godaddy!...
    Signature
    Never Give Up, Be Confident In What You Do.

    There may be tough times, but the difficulties which you face
    will make you more determined to achieve your objectives
    and to win against all the odds.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962973].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    that happened to me, just call them up and they will remove it and refund your money, it was pretty quick too, I think I had someone on the phone and had it taken care of in well under 5 minutes
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4962981].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    Auto renew is a pain...when you turn it off and forget to renew your favourite domain.
    Signature

    - Stop Wasting Time & Money on Traffic!
    - You Can't Improve What You Don't Measure
    - Why You Should Create Separate Desktop and Mobile Google Adwords Campaigns
    Connect with me on LinkedIn
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963026].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Fraggler View Post

      Auto renew is a pain...when you turn it off and forget to renew your favourite domain.
      Hard to forget it if you have the correct email with Godaddy. They send out notifications constantly. They also have excellent refund policy if you act right away. Just give them a call and it's done.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963236].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author davezan
      Originally Posted by Fraggler View Post

      forget to renew your favourite domain.
      That was the most common complaint in my ex-registrar days, heh. And it still is
      last I checked with them and other registrars.

      Good to see your issue's resolved though, Matt. Lesson learned.
      Signature

      David

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963781].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    So you had 2 years to do something and because you forgot and didn't turn the domain off of auto-renew - you think they're the problem?

    It's your own fault.

    Don't buy domains unless you're gonna do something with them and if you decide not to use them later - turn auto-renew off.

    Simple.

    If you can't be bothered to do that within 2 years then you probably need to read some time management/effectiveness books.
    Signature

    nothing to see here.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963053].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author kimberly Aita
      It's quite likely he didn't realize it was going to auto renew. I didn't know about that when I first started but I did call and they refunded and cancelled the auto renew.

      I agree that auto renew can be a pain and it's really bad when you forget to renew the domains you do want. I try to check in every once in a while to see what's expiring etc.


      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      So you had 2 years to do something and because you forgot and didn't turn the domain off of auto-renew - you think they're the problem?

      It's your own fault.

      Don't buy domains unless you're gonna do something with them and if you decide not to use them later - turn auto-renew off.

      Simple.

      If you can't be bothered to do that within 2 years then you probably need to read some time management/effectiveness books.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963110].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Matt Ward
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      So you had 2 years to do something and because you forgot and didn't turn the domain off of auto-renew - you think they're the problem?

      It's your own fault.

      Don't buy domains unless you're gonna do something with them and if you decide not to use them later - turn auto-renew off.

      Simple.

      If you can't be bothered to do that within 2 years then you probably need to read some time management/effectiveness books.
      Hey, did you even read my post? I explicitly said that I wasn't blaming GoDaddy. I didn't have the domain for 2 years, either. Domains bought on GoDaddy are automatically set up to auto-renew. I guess this is outlined somewhere, but I did not know about it. You think I would have knowingly left auto-renew on a website that I didn't want? I don't use GoDaddy at all, and the domain was a poor choice and didn't didn't include domain privacy, so I just called it a $1 waste and thought it would expire eventually and I could forget about it.

      No need to be like that.

      Anyway, thanks for the advice. I called them up and got my refund.
      Signature
      "Keep moving forward."
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963419].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Meharis
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      So you had 2 years to do something and because you forgot and didn't turn the domain off of auto-renew - you think they're the problem?

      It's your own fault.

      Don't buy domains unless you're gonna do something with them and if you decide not to use them later - turn auto-renew off.

      Simple.

      If you can't be bothered to do that within 2 years then you probably need to read some time management/effectiveness books.
      Have you ever came across the book "How to win friends and influence people"
      by Dale Carnegie..? I suggest you to read it. If you did, please, apply it. Thank you.
      Over here, we don't need aggressiveness and/or being rhetoric.
      Meharis
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963991].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
        Originally Posted by Meharis View Post

        Have you ever came across the book "How to win friends and influence people"
        by Dale Carnegie..? I suggest you to read it. If you did, please, apply it. Thank you.
        Over here, we don't need aggressiveness and/or being rhetoric.
        Meharis
        Haha.

        I guess when you read it - sarcasm was not counted as negative?

        So you're ok to flame me for saying he should take more accountability for his business? He's already had a go at me for my response and you think kicking me while I'm down is not aggressive?

        Well maybe you should read the book yourself.

        I was happy to accept the OP's response (although it was aggressive and negative), but why YOU felt the need to jump on me too - well I guess that says more about you.

        You should look in the mirror before criticising others. Your post feels aggressive and negative to me. How did you think it would make me feel?

        Matt - glad you got your refund. I knew you'd get it if you actually asked them as you'd been advised several times by others. I just wanted to give you an accountability kick because these things happen and although you didn't realise that the domain would be set to auto-renew, it's probably in some text that you didn't bother to read when you got the domain in the first place. Apologies if I came across as being nasty, I just wanted to make sure someone had at least mentioned the role your own accountability plays in such things.

        Good luck with your efforts.

        Andy
        Signature

        nothing to see here.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4964678].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Meharis
          Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post


          Apologies if I came across as being nasty, I just wanted to make sure someone had at least mentioned the role your own accountability plays in such things.

          Good luck with your efforts.

          Andy

          Andyhenry,
          You answered according to what I was trying to convey. Thank you.

          Meharis
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4965626].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Matt Ward
          Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

          Matt - glad you got your refund. I knew you'd get it if you actually asked them as you'd been advised several times by others. I just wanted to give you an accountability kick because these things happen and although you didn't realise that the domain would be set to auto-renew, it's probably in some text that you didn't bother to read when you got the domain in the first place. Apologies if I came across as being nasty, I just wanted to make sure someone had at least mentioned the role your own accountability plays in such things.

          Good luck with your efforts.

          Andy
          Yeah, like I said, I was sure I'd probably missed something. GoDaddy is somewhat tricky with these things, but I'm not blaming them. There's a lesson learned here, anyway.
          Signature
          "Keep moving forward."
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4966345].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Azarna
            I suppose though that for every body who is miffed that they get an auto-renewal on a domain they no longer really want, there is another guy who is gutted because the domain he IS using has just been bought out from under his nose because he didn't have this feature ticked,

            I guess GoDaddy feel that the former is the lesser evil. After all, it is not unreasonable to assume that if you buy a domain you intend to use it and will want to protect it, I suppose.

            I keep a list of my domains, with their renewal dates etc, in an excel spreadsheet, I also write down renewal dates in my diary so I spot them in advance. If I no longer want one then I can easily check it and remove any auto-return in advance. Mind you, I only have a few, I suppose it is more work to manage a lot, of course.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4966983].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author James Gould
    All purchases from GoDaddy are refundable if you act quickly enough.

    Send them an email here: http://www.godaddy.com/community/con...ection=emailus

    you'll get your refund, and the domain will go back up for purchase for anybody else to buy
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963062].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Matt Ward View Post

    I guess this is my fault. I bought a 99 cent domain name from Godaddy a year ago, and totally forgot about it. I didn't use the domain at all; it's just sitting there.

    Today I got an email saying that they charged my credit card for a 2 year renewal on it.
    Just call them up and get a refund. Change your domains to manual renew if you don't want them to autorenew.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963103].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author socialhydra
    Agree. You have 3o days to cancel renewal and refund your money.
    Signature
    get followers
    buy followers
    twitter followers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4963513].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dv8domainsDotCom
    Originally Posted by Matt Ward View Post

    I guess this is my fault. I bought a 99 cent domain name from Godaddy a year ago, and totally forgot about it. I didn't use the domain at all; it's just sitting there.

    Today I got an email saying that they charged my credit card for a 2 year renewal on it.

    I don't even want this domain at all. It's not a good domain, I didn't use it, and I certainly didn't want to renew it for another 2 years.

    I'm not really blaming Godaddy. I surely didn't set this domain to be auto renew, but I guess this was somehow agreed to when I got the 99 cent domain. My fault?

    Has this happened to anyone else? Is there any possible way I'll be able to get a refund? I'm imagining having to spend an hour on the phone, and at that rate, I might as well just eat it.

    Update: I got a refund. If you have domains with GoDaddy (especially 99 cent ones) make sure you log into your account and disable auto-renew if you don't want them. If you do end up getting dinged stupidly like I did, you can just call support or email them and they'll give you a refund if you do it quickly enough (I did it within 24 hours.)
    Glad you got refund. GD is easy to work with on that, and having autoRenew ENABLED by default is definitely the lesser of 2 evils. I would rather have to call and refund a piddly 20 dollars or so, than lose an otherwise potentially valuable domain forever b/c it expired. Ultimately it is our responsibility to keep an eye on these things, but GD is typically pretty fair with refunds in our favor (speaking from personal experience). I imagine your phone call was less than an hour? (Although I'd be willing to bet they DID try to sell you something LoL)
    Signature
    Support a Warrior, Save Money!
    Rock Bottom Prices on Domains and Website Hosting
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4967212].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author moises
    Using auto renew,will the renewal start from the day it will expire or it will start on the day you renew it?Because Go daddy send me a message of renewing it 2 months before it expire .
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9139857].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Yes, I've seen a lot of Godaddy bashing on this forum.

      I've been with them for many years and have owned hundreds of domains. They have always been responsive to me and usually quick to take care of any problems.

      They do have a lot of upselling and sometimes annoying cross selling when you register a domain; however, you can easily get through the maze with a little bit of quick scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the "no thanks" button.

      I always set my domains for "manual renew - 1 year." That way, I never have to worry about continuing with a name I haven't used. The chances of losing a good domain are very slim since Godaddy contacts you multiple times about "expiring domains" before the deadline. If I don't renew in a year, it's nobody's fault but my own.

      Most of the Godaddy hate is self-inflicted. People complain because they have personally not done their part as a conscientious business owner in following instructions or working within the terms they have previously agreed to.

      Just my two cents.

      Steve
      Signature

      Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
      SteveBrowneDirect

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9139983].message }}

Trending Topics