I have had a two-letter .mu domain since 2011. I went to renew it this year, and the renewal price is showing as $5,600 in my cart, but the renewal price on the registrar’s website says $170 as it had been for many years.
I have put in a ticket to get an explanation, but I fear it’s some “premium domain” bullshit from the TLD operator.
I have two weeks to figure this out. I’m really hoping I can appeal somehow. Does anyone have any experience negotiating with a TLD operator?
I tried adding it to the cart of a different registrar for transfer, and although their transfer price for this TLD is listed as $75, it’s showing $5,516.50 for the transfer price when it’s in my cart.
My site is just a fun artistic site with no ads, tracking, store, or anything. I spend $170 a year on it and don’t make any money from it.
I have tons of other domains, but it’ll hurt letting this one go. Should I give up on any hope of keeping it?
Even if I could somehow get donations to keep it alive this year, I’d just lose it next year. I don’t have thousands to spend on it each year. I’m so sad about this.
Minor update:
I found a page that says “…ICANN does not accredit registrars or set registration policies for ccTLDs. For details about ccTLD registration policies, you should contact the designated country code manager.”
https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/faqs-2014-01-21-enAnd better contact info for the TLD operator. https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/mu.html
Sounds scammy. Are you able to open a support ticket? Get some answers. Stop doing business with them for sure.
The support person from Gandi wrote:
Hello,
It’s a premium domain, the premium is based on the registry: https://news.gandi.net/en/2020/05/whats-a-premium-domain-name/
The linked page does not explain how/why it would change to premium with no warning. It is really about registering a premium domain, not renewing. It does not offer any help. It’s blaming the TLD operator.
On https://www.nic.mu/contact/ I see no way to click anything to actually contact them. It seems to be saying my registrar should help me with specific domain questions. I have replied to the ticket with Gandi to ask for help with launching an appeal for the price.
Is this the first renewal? Often times they offer domains and tlds at a very low first year price to get you in
EDIT: Nevermind. You’ve had it since 2011.
This is either gross negligence, gross incompetence or extortion.
For one. I know now to stay away from gandi. What is the tld if you don’t mind me asking?
It’s seeming like incompetence. I’ve had more correspondence via my support ticket, but it’s been a lot of useless info from them before agreeing to do anything about it.
Currently, (after repeatedly asking) they’ve agreed to reach out to the TLD operator and see if I can get a grandfathered price. I’m not hopeful they’ll have an answer I like.
I keep realizing more and more ways the support response and the registrar was terrible. For example, the screenshot I included in the ticket shows just my domain name, but the link they sent said premium domains are labeled as premium. There’s no label in the screenshot. (And I’ll repeat again: the link was about registration—not renewal—of premium domains.).
And, I was not given a notification when this domain magically became premium. It was just mysteriously a new crazy price. A warning would have been even better, so I could at least do a ten-year registration at the old price. There was no communication at all about this change to my domain.
It’s probable neither Gandi nor the TLD operator give a fuck (which I suppose is extortion), and they just assume they’ll find someone willing to pay after I lose the domain, and that entity will be much more valuable than losing me as a customer.
I understand the curiosity, but I’d rather refrain from telling the domain name.
Oh I wasn’t asking about the domain name. Just the tld so I know to stay away.
It does sound like incompetence at the least. But if also could be willful incompetence. Hope not. I wonder if there is some higher authority you can reach out to in the ICANN world.
It’s a
.mudomain.You’re reminding me I did have a stray thought about seeing if there’s someone to complain to higher up than my registrar and the TLD operator. If there is, I doubt they’d give me the time of day unless I had the right lawyer, and that’s not going to happen. Especially not in less than ten days.
Try a transfer to another domain broker. Godaddy etc. Are scum and try shit like this. Find a reasonably priced, not too niche broker. Look at the nic site for the resellers the recommend.
I wrote above that I already tried that, and it only saves $85.
Can you transfer it to another domain host which you’ve pre- selected for price or are they there only TLD host? I guess you’re close to the expiry so that may not be possible.
Sometimes the central commissioning registry (can’t think of ther correct name) sells to the public? What are their prices? Is the TLD shutting down? I think my countries stupidity is causing a TLD to shut down so there is some price gouging going on.
Have I completely misread your question?
I wrote above that I tried a transfer, but it doesn’t seem to fix anything.
It seems like Gandi is pointing their finger at the TLD operator https://www.nic.mu/ as the source of the blame. It’s such bullshit if there’s no appeals process. I have two more domains with Gandi, and I’ll definitely be moving them since their help with this issue is insulting. The length of the registration and the 32x price increase in one year should have warranted a lot more care.
It’s so fucked up that there aren’t rules about this. Any TLD operator can just essentially pull the plug on a domain whenever it wants.
Sorry. It’s right there. I don’t know how I missed it.
No worries. It was a good suggestion.
You’re only saying that because you made it first! Haha!
Have a great evening/night.
You have other domains. Someone else has offered at least that much money to the TLD for the domain. Unfortunately you’ll have to monetize that domain you love or let it go to the market. Donain names are real estate. If someone sees you have a lot of traffic they’ll raise the price.
Put a banner up notifying folks of whatever new domain you point your site to over the next few weeks.
Good luck to you
Is that even legal?
I mean if you own a real estate, it doesn’t cost more just because the plot of land becomes popular. You can sell it for more, sure.
I don’t get how your registrar can suddenly boot you out from under a domain just because someone else is interested in it that has money.
Shouldn’t that person or company have to offer you money to buy that domain?
If the domain name is already classed as premium domain at the time of first-purchase, given the registrant has been informed, the registrar can change the renewal price to as much as they require. If it was a standard-rate domain at the time of first-purchase, even if the domain get reclassified as premium, the renewal price has to be the standard-rate.
Thank you so much for this! I hope it also applies to ccTLDs and not just gTLDs. I will be updating my support ticket with Gandi by sending them this link.
Without knowing the domain name, we don’t know what the original classification was.
Well, it’s had the standard renewal rate since 2011.
I’m not even sure if there were any “premium domains” back then, and I doubt there were any on the
.muTLD.
