What is Domain Slamming – How Can I Avoid It?
Field slamming is a term used to clarify a fraudulent activity executed by a third-party company, that is disguising themselves as the hosting provider of the field. Usually the field slammer will send an email notification to the title-holder of the field. This email will seem to be a hosting service renewal notice, but in all actuality it is really an illegal way for the sender to get you to buy something from them unknowingly. These field slammers take advantage of busy online business owners that have no clue that they are being defrauded.
Most of the time the field title-holder will simply comply with the renewal notice to keep from loosing their field name, and their online reputation that they have worked so hard for. The problem is, the company sending you the field slam has really included the agreement to hold a product from them in the fine print of the virtual online contract. Therefore, even though the solicitation of the sale is highly illegal, they feel justified because you “agreed” to a contract. Field slamming is becoming increasingly common in today’s industry, and any excellent web host should be fully aware of this risk.
Misleading Renewal Invoices
One of the most well loved ways a name is “field slammed” is through the use of a misleading service invoice. In fact, some new hosting companies will even field slam some public just t build their customer base and make a small bit of extra money using this method! The invoice appears to be from your regular hosting provider, though once you have agreed to the contract, you will automatically be switched to the new hosting service without notice! To avoid this make sure you are
Fake Field Extensions
Another way to admit an have a crack is by checking the field extension on the hosting renewal service. If your field is registered is a .com field, but the renewal invoice is for a .biz extension, then you know that this is not really your hosting provider sending you this email. If this happens to you, make sure you flag the email as spam immediately to keep them from attempting more field slams on you in the future.
Overly Aggressive Marketing
You should also keep an eye out for emails that market new services aggressively. Even if you reckon the offer is quite tempting, you should remember that any company that sends spam is not a reliable or trustworthy company to deal with. If you find their offer fascinating and you feel like you may want to use a similar service, then do yourself a favor and do a web search to find a more considerate company to deal with. Probability are, no matter what services they are offering are also offered by additional more reputable companies.
High Prices and Unusual Tactics
The fees charged by a field slammer are generally noticeably higher than regular web hosting services. Also, beware of public sending you invoices via fax, as nearly field host will send you in rank concerning your field by email only. Following the above tips can save you a lot of distress dealing with fraudulent companies in the future.
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