Texo Domain Registration + Personal/Private Web Server = Problems

[charlie_82]

Perhaps this is a bit of a rant but I thought I should make it known and save someone else a spot of bother down the line...

In February last year, I registered 8 domain names with Texo (mostly .co.za and some .mobi).
My brother owns a private server in the US which is great cos that means I get free web hosting.
So I contact Texo and ask them to point all 8 of my domains to my bro's server - within 20 minutes, it's done & dusted and working - what fantastic service!

This year however, things don't work so smoothly... I've registered a .co.za with Texo but I am now told that I need to register for a DNS Only account at a cost of R120 per year.

So naturally I'm a bit confused seeing as how it wasn't a problem before. I check Texo's T&C's and run through the registration process one more time to make sure I hadn't missed anything and I realise that nowhere do they tell you before-hand about needing to register for a DNS account.

When enquiring this I'm told this is the new procedure so I either get a new host or tough cookies.

Now maybe I'm being sensitive about this but surely this doesn't make for ethical business practices.
I mean if I'm just some ordinary layman, I wouldn't see any other choice but to pay for a DNS account or subscribe to a webhosting package...

I respond to tell them that I don't think this is very honest business practices and I'm very patronisingly told that I'm more than welcome to setup my own and save my R10 a month...

Not a nice way to treat your customers guys...

 

[w1z4rd]

I think what Texo is doing is fair.

With your brothers server... do you have nameservers or do you use Texo`s? Cause if you use Texo`s, R10 a month is fair for DNS hosting. The fact that you were not charged before (if you used their DNS servers) is pretty great and I would not look a gift horse in the mouth.

You probably find that last year their admin did not cater for DNS hosting and this year theyve caught up or something like that.

 

[RSkeens]

You could always consider free third party DNS and then register the domain name yourself, it's not very hard and will save you money. There should be a number of forum threads online and on this board with guides.

 

[charlie_82]

I think what Texo is doing is fair.

With your brothers server... do you have nameservers or do you use Texo`s? Cause if you use Texo`s, R10 a month is fair for DNS hosting. The fact that you were not charged before (if you used their DNS servers) is pretty great and I would not look a gift horse in the mouth.

You probably find that last year their admin did not cater for DNS hosting and this year theyve caught up or something like that.

I'm not arguing the policy at all... But don't you think that you should be advised of this before-hand?
Or perhaps not be so rude toward your customers?

I don't have any issues with their policy - but what I don't like is bad customer service. If I wanted to be patronised I'd talk to my obnoxious cousins - I certainly don't expect it from someone I'm paying for a service.

You could always consider free third party DNS and then register the domain name yourself, it's not very hard and will save you money. There should be a number of forum threads online and on this board with guides.

Thanks mate - this is what I'm doing now. I just feel that I do have a bit of technical savvy but people who don't would be shafted into paying extra charges they weren't advised of from the start.

Had I known this was Texo's policy from the beginning, I wouldn't complain. But I wouldn't have registered my domain with them either.

 

[stix]

Tend to agree with wizard. Seems legit. And your complaint stems more from lack of knowledge than anything. You could control these domains yourself with your own DNS - if you really wanted to.

 

[texo]

Hi charlie_82

I'm really sorry that you're so upset that you had to come here to blow off some steam. But please stick to the facts when doing so. You were never told to "get a new host or tough cookies".

You were, in fact, offered two choices:

1. Pay R120 per year to host the DNS for up to 20 domains, on our geographically-redundant DNS cluster
2. Let us know which nameservers your host is using, and we'll update your domain

I also offered to refund your domain registration fee, if you can find any other registrar which will allow you to use their DNS for free for a co.za domain.

I've re-read all the correspondence, and can't find anything which is rude or condescending or unfair, apart from a few of your angry reponses.

Nevertheless, I am sure that we can sort this out quickly and professionally. If you'd like to talk about it on the phone, I'll be available at 021 782 3401 for the next 2 hours.

 

[charlie_82]

I'm not here to blow off steam texo.

My issues are not with your policies but with your inability to define them when a registration takes place.
Some of the other comments here are true, and I will gladly admit that I assumed the same procedure for using a private server from last year would apply to this year. But why wouldn't I when I was not informed that these policies had changed?
Whether it's common practice or not to allow free DNS access is not really the point - what is the point is that this was allowed in the past and is now longer allowed but no mention or forewarning of this is made.

Is it not the responsibility of the service provider to ensure that customer is aware that the cost of a product includes ABC but excludes XYZ?

This is a public forum and I felt that I should share my experience should someone else work on the same assumptions I did.

I'll say again, my issue is not with your policies but your customer service.

I am currently setting up the third-party DNS - I will email you the details as soon as I have it up & running.