Like many owners of domain names I used a search engine to find a helpful person or company to register the domain names for me, the easier they made it the more domain names I bought, some were not really suitable No Problem I am a big boy if I waste $7.00 on a name that does not suit my marketing plan that is my fault.

I learned it was better to buy the top level domains in .com and .net because I was not a speculator I needed the domains to be as unhindered as possible especially as the web got more crowded.

Unlike many owners of Domain Names who depend on the parties they have registered their domains with to contact them about pending renewals by email I actually watch the renewal dates to ensure the fees are paid in full and on time.

Many Registrars and Resellers will send as many as four notices of pending renewals, the first at 90 days, second at 60 days, third at 30 days and the final notice can be as close as the day of the renewal.

Such practices or variants of the above can only be described as the actions of Responsible Service Providers and they should not only be commended for such actions they should be supported by giving them our business.

If you miss your Domain Name Renewal Date even by a few minutes after midnight be prepared to hand over what can be a lot of money to redeem your domain name, there are no rules as to how much you can be charged, I am open to correction but as far as I know the ICANN Registrar spends around 18 cents (US) to secure your domain and keep it available for you to redeem within a reasonable time, the charges can be as much as $100.00.

Some service providers offer the Registrant (you and me) a professional easy to use control panel, some allow auto renew using your credit card (make sure you update this feature when you get a new card).

I discovered I was not receiving my usual renewal notices for a group of domain names among them ecosolarheating.com so I tried contacting my service provider who was not contactable by email or telephone calls.

It transpired that despite the very impressive web site I was dealing with a "One Man Business" who had developed serious health problems.

What Could I do?

See Never Use a Reseller