Uregister.com.au - Mail out contains inaccurate information

Posted by on 4 March 2003

auDA has become aware that an organisation calling itself URegister.com.au (URegister) is sending to domain nameregistrants solicitations for business that contain incorrect and possibly misleading information.

The letter, headed “Commercial Domain Protection Advice”, is both inaccurate in parts and also breaches the .au Domain Name Suppliers' Code Of Practice.

Registrants should be aware that URegister’s letter is a solicitation for business and NOT a renewal notice. Registrants are under no obligation to respond and may choose to renew through their current registrar or reseller

URegister cannot renew a domain name until 90 days before it is due to expire and registrants should be WARY of paying URegister for renewal at an earlier time.

Registrants who are unsure when their domain name is due to expire should contact their existing registrar to check the expiry date.

URegister is NOT an auDA Accredited Registrar and so, renewal of the domain name through URegister may require registrants into transfer their name to another registrar.

The letter states that URegister "has allied with an accredited registrar …….". auDA has confirmed that URegister is not an Appointed Reseller of any auDA Accredited Registrar.

Protecting yourself

Registrants should be aware that only auDA Accredited Registrars and their appointed resellers are bound to abide by the Code of Practice and auDA’s published policies. Registrants should be wary of dealing with organisations that are not Accredited Registrars or their appointed resellers. A list of Accredited Registrars and appointed resellers is available on the auDA web site.

Pricing

Since the introduction of competition, consumers now have a range of price and service offerings to choose from. auDA strongly encourages registrants to compare prices charged by Accredited Registrars and their appointed resellers.

If you believe you have been misled or deceived into renewing your domain name licence to your disadvantage, then you should contact the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC is responsible for administering the Trade Practices Act 1974, which contains prohibitions against certain types of misleading or deceptive conduct. Contact details are available on the ACCC web site.