GoDaddy customer service

[Wassercrats]

My latest response from GoDaddy isn't good, is it? I don't know anymore because everything sucks. I omitted my first email asking about check payments and I omitted ads and stuff. Response (JAMES L) - 05/14/2005 11:02 PM

Thank you for contacting customer support.

Yes, you can use your checking account as a form of payment.

Please let us know if we can help you in any other way.

---------------------------------

Customer - 05/19/2005 08:49 PM

I just read in various parts of your Universal Terms of Service at
https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/legal_agreements/show_doc.asp?pageid=UTOS
that personal checks may only be used for payments of $100 or more, and
personal checks under $1,000 are subject to the same $20.00 processing fee
as wire transfers. But your "Learn more about payment options" link at
https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/prepayment/landing.asp mentions nothing about
additional fees for paying by check, and neither does your last response to
me. So, for my three domain transfers with private registration, which
subtotals $41.94, what will I be required to pay if I pay by personal check?

Also, why is each "unit price" for "private transfer services" $8.95 but the
total price is $9.84? There's no ICANN fee for the private transfer
services, so where does that extra 89 cents come from?

---------------------------------
Response (GARRETT S) - 05/19/2005 11:09 PM

Thank you for contacting customer support. Unfortunately, we cannot assist you with the information provided. Please reply and clearly state your question, along with all account information you have, including the domain name and customer number in question.

Before we can give out any information on the account, we will need to verify the last 4 digits of a credit card, PayPal Billing Agreement/Account Number, or Support PIN on the account. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to help you further upon your reply. You can also reach Customer Support by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 480-505-8877. Please let us know if we can help you in any other way.

Sincerely,

Garrett P.
GoDaddy.com
Customer Service Representative

[TVB]

What the heck are you asking them wasser? It sounds like you might be asking for directions on how to burrow a hole or something.

Try calling them. I've never waited more than a few minutes on a customer service call to them and in fact, recently transferred some domains around in about 5 minutes after doing so.

Betsy

[Wassercrats]

They have a 480 number. I looked it up and it's from some other state. I want stuff in writing anyway, or at least email. I'll probably just go through more of the ordering process, short of giving them any information that they could use to take money from me, and see if I can determine the fee for check payment on my own.

Their shopping cart report, or whatever it's called, is much harder to understand than my question.

[Wassercrats]

I responded with[===> Please enter your reply below this line <===]

I don't have a GoDaddy account yet. I'm thinking of transferring three domains to you and using your private registration service so my personal information isn't in the whois database. They're all .com domains, and the subtotal was calculated at $41.94. I just wanted to know whether you charge an extra fee for personal check payments. Actually, I'm pretty sure you do, but some of your information is misleading about that fee, and I want you to know that I noticed.

My other question was:

"Also, why is each "unit price" for "private transfer services" $8.95 but the
total price is $9.84? There's no ICANN fee for the private transfer
services, so where does that extra 89 cents come from?"

I'm talking about the prices I saw when I viewed my shopping cart, on the page that gave me my subtotal. I can't explain much better than that.

[===> Please enter your reply above this line <===]Maybe that's more clear.

...Response:Response (TIM P.) - 05/20/2005 12:56 AM

Thanks for contacting customer support. The bank you are with may possibly have additional fees, but what we list on the site for price is what is charged when using check or credit card. There are no additional charges for DBP, please send a screen shot of your shopping cart so that we can have a closer look. How to Capture a Screen Shot in Windows:

[Screen shot instructions omitted]

Please let us know if we can help you in any other way.

[Wassercrats]

And here's my reply. It really looks like GoDaddy is trying to hide their fees, and I don't like their shopping cart.I don't know what DPD is, but I know that the amount listed after I place my order is the amount I'll have to pay, and I know that's true for any method pof payment. I want to know whether you charge someone more for paying by check than when paying by credit card. Your Universal Terms of Service at
https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/legal_agreements/show_doc.asp?pageid=UTOS say you do, but everything that's not buried in long legal text is misleading, including your replies. Specifically, section 9 B of your UTOS says "Personal checks under $1,000 are subject to the same processing fees as wire transfers." Elsewhere it says what that fee is. Do you think most of your customers read the entire UTOS? I don't thinks so. Your check paying customers are likely to be unaware of the additional fee for check payment. As I said, your "Learn more about payment options" link at
https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/prepayment/landing.asp mentions nothing about
additional fees for paying by check.

As you requested, I attached a snapshot of the shopping cart to demonstrate my other problem.

I had to clear my cookies for the shopping cart to work today because I got an error message about duplicate orders, even though I never finalized my orders (I never passed the page shown in the snapshot). One of the reasons I never went further in the ordering process is to avoid such problems, but I guess I still went too far.

http://www.polisource.com/PublicMisc/GoDaddy_Shopping_Cart.gif

[Randall]

The only numbers I can make sense of are the domain transfers: 7.95 + .25 - 3.96 = 4.24 The rest of it just doesn't add up.

Randall :dunno:

[Melissa]

Barry,

I think your answer lies in the length of the term...

Note: 1.096 years (ie the remainder of the time left on the current year + 1 year)

[Wassercrats]

That answers one question, but the quantity (Qty) shouldn't be listed as 1 if the total price doesn't equal the unit price. I think I was supposed to get some free time added, so I'm not even sure if that's right, but I guess it is.

[Melissa]

Looking at the time left on the first domain (the one you indicated), the math works for me.

I don't think it was their intention to mislead you. Although, I think you're right and they could use some changes in how the information is conveyed. Possibly software limitations that they're trying to work out...who knows. I think your feedback could be helpful to them in doing so.

[Wassercrats]

The $20 hidden fee for check payment is much worse that that problem.

[Randall]

Although, I think you're right and they could use some changes in how the information is conveyed. And it still doesn't explain the $41.85 figure. Somebody over there doesn't know how to add.

Randall

[Melissa]

The total adds up for me, adding the prices in the Total Price column. :dunno:

[Wassercrats]

In adding up the totals, I think Randall and I assumed all of the ".COM domain name transfer" and all of the "Private domain name transfer" costs were equal. I multiplied each by three and added the sums together, giving me the wrong subtotal.

(the domains are currently registered with two different registrars with different due dates)

[Randall]

In adding up the totals, I think Randall and I assumed all of the ".COM domain name transfer" and all of the "Private domain name transfer" costs were equal. Ah. Blame it on Wasser's fuzzy screenshot, then.

Their site still needs work. I recall some "Huh?" moments of my own when I moved the first couple of domains over.

Randall

# Hey! I'm supposed to be the fuzzy one around here

[Wassercrats]

Response (ANTONIO P.) - 05/20/2005 04:20 PM
Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for contacting customer support. I sincerely apologize for the confusion and inconvenience that this issue has caused. 'DBP' is Domains by Proxy, our private registration services. In the screenshot that you have attached, the reason that the total amount was $9.81 versus the $8.95 price is because this is a prorated amount to match the private registration with the registration that is left on your domain. As you can see, it shows a length of 1.096 years. Since the cost is $8.95 per year, there is a prorated amount to match the domain's expiration.

We do not have any extra charges when you pay by check. However, it is possible that your bank or the check processing company may have additional fees, depending on their relationship with your bank. Otherwise, the only additional fees that may be incurred would be for wire transfers, and usually only by your bank. It holds the same function of ATM fees that could be charged by the bank to process your monetary requets. Otherwise, we do not have any additional fees involved in any of our payment methods.

Please let us know if we can help you in any other way.Section 9 B of their UTOS is way misleading when it says "Personal checks under $1,000 are subject to the same processing fees as wire transfers." I guess there's no additional charge for check payment by GoDaddy.

[Wassercrats]

Actually, I'm not sure what "However, it is possible that your bank or the check processing company may have additional fees, depending on their relationship with your bank." means. Does the fee I'd have to pay depend on who's cashing the check and where?

[Wassercrats]

Besides, if your card gets charged for something you can dispute the charge.Sounds like GoDaddy could rob me and sue me for complaining about it.

https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/legal_agreements/show_doc.asp?se=%2B&pageid=DOMAIN%5FNAMEPROXY&app%5Fhdr=&ci=1440#gd6. limitations of liability
Under no circumstances shall DBP be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special, or consequential damages for any reason whatsoever related to this agreement, your domain name registration, DBP's services...

7. indemnity
You agree to release, defend, indemnify and hold harmless DBP, its parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, shareholders, agents, directors, officers and employees and Your Registrar, from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, losses, damages or costs, including reasonable attorney's fees, arising out of or related in any way to this Agreement, the services provided hereunder by DBP, the DBP web site, Your account with DBPIf I decide to go with GoDaddy, I'll be leaving them for a registrar with a better contract once I no longer need their private registration service.

[Wassercrats]

Today's Birthdays Melissa:bday:

[Melissa]

awww, thanks :Happy:

I had just gone to the kitchen to get a piece of bday cake. :lick: (Hubby celebrated early...he gets much more excited about my birthday than I do...lol)

[Andilinks]

http://hometown.aol.com/aksutil/cakes.gif

[Wassercrats]

Finally, a liability clause I could deal with. Compare Joker's, below, with GoDaddy's from four posts ago:

https://joker.com/index.joker?mode=page&page=agreement
Liability
a. EIS AG has unlimited liability at all times for intent and gross negligence.

b. Liability for simple negligence is excluded unless it concerns the breach of essential contractual duties or collateral duties of major contractual importance (cardinal duties). In the event of the aforementioned, simply negligent breach of cardinal duties, liability is limited to the amount of the typically foreseeable damages.

c. The principles in Para. 9.b also apply in the event of tortious liability.I can't say I understand it entirely, but it makes me feel like I have SOME recourse. There's the little matter of the company being in Switzerland, but at least it sounds fair. Unenforceable fairness is better than enforc...no, I don't know about that, but it sounds more fair, doesn't it? I think I like Joker.

Also, it sounds like Joker registers domains internationally.

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=6186&cid=982208Register with joker.com. Joker is a reseller for Core. The interesting thing about Core is, if you follow the link and look at the bottom of the page, that they are based in Switzerland. The Swiss seem to be less stupid about such things than these US people are. So if they try to drag you into court over it, your domain is registered internationally.I checked this (http://corenic.org/comnetorg.htm#Switzerland) page of Core's website and I couldn't confirm that Joker is a Core reseller, but I might investigate the international registration further.

I was just reading Drafting an Enforceable Limitation of Liability [LOL] Clause (http://www.camillericlarke.com/newsletters/customer-files/29-drafting-liability-clause.htm):Estey v. McKenzie Engineering, Inc., 324 Ore. 372, 927 P2d 86, 1996. In this case, an individual contracted an engineering firm to conduct a "limited visual review" of a house he intended to purchase. The contract, a single page, four-paragraph document that specified a fee of $200, contained a one sentence LOL clause in the third paragraph, which read: "The liability of MEI (McKenzie Engineering, Inc) and the liability of its employees are limited to the Contract Sum." Following a lawsuit and appeal, the Oregon Supreme Court invalidated the LOL clause, ruling it was vague and the specified amount ($200) was too low in comparison to the actual damages ($340,000).I guess I like the decision, but was the liability clause really vague? Thats the kind of decision that results in needlessly long phrasing in contracts, such as "you may keep no dogs, cats, snakes, frogs, turtles, or any other animals in your apartment."

[sheila]

I've been hosting most of my domains with Joker ever since...

I did transfer one domain to GoDaddy for a single year term. Transferred it back to Joker just before that term expired.

I dunno. I think Joker is a good registrar. But I don't usually recommend them, since a lot of people feel very uncomfortable doing business with a company that is outside of the U.S.

[Wassercrats]

I can't access Joker.com (http://www.Joker.com) now. :blah:

[TVB]

I can't access Joker.com (http://www.joker.com/) now. :blah:

I bet they saw you coming, Wasser and blocked your IP :rasberry:

Betsy

[sheila]

Well, it is responding for me right now, fwiw....

[Wassercrats]

It was down for about 30-45 minutes.

I got to the prepaid credit card place too late, so I'll be transfering the domains tomorrow at the earliest, assuming they accept "Mastercard Network" cards.