I've just come across this offer on Twitter (http://www.lcn.com/domain_names?utm_source=Twitter%2BAds&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=99comtwitter&pc=twlpkey) to get a .com domain for just 99p (actually £1.19 after tax). Despite being ridiculously skint right now I went for it. It happened to be the exact moment my sense of imagination decided to leave me on my own, so I ended up buying 'sjforbes.com', but without any hosting or email plans. I've never had a .com before. I feel like I'm going up in the world.
It's a great offer, so I just thought I'd mention it here in case anyone else is interested. But be warned, you have to opt-out of auto-renewal. So make sure you do that if you don't want to wake up this time next year with £10 missing from your account.
[Update] Well another catch I've just found is that you have to pay £4.95 if you want to have your personal details (address/phone number) hidden from the WHOIS database. That's a bit naughty. Is this the norm in domain management circles?
Well you have me interested, but yeah sounds like there'll be some hidden catch or later fees or something. I stick to my first supplier, 123-reg. They have removed certain 'free' features over the years, now they are optional extras - but whois optout is still free with them. Mind you their .com's are usually 20 pound a year. The whois being cheeky or not I dunno, it's one of those things that has probably been an optional extra for various companies since day 1. Might be worth checking up on whether they are legally bound to offer you whois optout or not. A case for Lionel Hutz :D
(http://dorkshelf.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/lionel-hutz.gif)
Quote from: Stupot+ on Thu 20/06/2013 20:14:21
[Update] Well another catch I've just found is that you have to pay £4.95 if you want to have your personal details (address/phone number) hidden from the WHOIS database. That's a bit naughty. Is this the norm in domain management circles?
Some make you pay, yes (some sleazy m***s, like low-cost airlines adding 20â,¬ to grand total because you chose to pay with a VISA).
In Italy I managed to find domain (.com) + whois privacy at slightly less than 8,99â,¬.
I am curious: what domains have you registered?
I had kineticdreams.co.uk and toxicsock.co.uk (both expired) through Easily. Kinetic Dreams was too long ago for me to remember, but I am pretty sure my address didn't come up in the WHOIS for ToxicSock (could be wrong about that though).
If it's a co.uk and for personal use, you can opt out of whois for free :)
Quote from: Azure on Thu 20/06/2013 21:32:29
If it's a co.uk and for personal use, you can opt out of whois for free :)
Ahhhh. I see. I guess that kind of makes sense seeing as the .com domain was originally supposed to be for commercial purposes. But people have been using .com for non-commercial purposes for years now, so I still think it's a bit naughty charging for that. But I would say that, coz I'm a tight git.
There was a company doing the same thing a few years ago. However, it quickly went bust, and everyone who had a domain permanently lost ownership of it. So don't register anything you're not willing to potentially lose (e.g. your name!)
Quote from: AGA on Thu 20/06/2013 22:51:22
There was a company doing the same thing a few years ago. However, it quickly went bust, and everyone who had a domain permanently lost ownership of it. So don't register anything you're not willing to potentially lose (e.g. your name!)
Now you tell me, hehe. Nah, to be fair I just did this on a whim. I'm not planning to create a business or brand centred on a surname that I'm probably going to change soon anyway. If they go bust within the next year then all I'll have lost is £1.19 , and if I do decide to renew it after that, I'll do a bit more research and possibly register with someone else. That's not to say I don't think LCN can be trusted.
I am starting to wish I'd chosen a more interesting domain name though :-\
Quote from: AGA on Thu 20/06/2013 22:51:22
There was a company doing the same thing a few years ago. However, it quickly went bust, and everyone who had a domain permanently lost ownership of it. So don't register anything you're not willing to potentially lose (e.g. your name!)
Wow, that's harsh. Isn't the ICANN merciful in cases like those?
I heard it is/was, but can't recall the details.