28 replies to this topic

[cre8pc]

Godaddy has been losing customers for awhile and after their latest SuperBowl commercial (which thankfully I missed), even more customers are looking for a new home.

 

What companies do you recommend?  And why?

[jonbey]

I mostly use Domainmonster. Why? I like them,

 

DNS always fast. They take 2 cards, one as backup. Always send renewal reminders, even if set to auto-renew. And the other day they kindly informed me that a domain became available (I had the .co.uk but not the .com) and it is now on backorder (backordering domains is £30, no win no fee).

 

They also answer the phone and reply to mails. And they host for a reasonable price if you need a host. 

 

Who do you use?

[bobbb]

To dump your provider because of a commercial does not make sense. If I had to scrutinise every ad I see I would not buy anything any more. I think I saw it. Yuck. But that's Bob Parsons. ...and now everyone is talking about it.

 

Think I have posted this before from Forbes. http://www.forbes.co...odaddy-and-how/

The only valid reason in the article was the SOPA thing and they back tracked on it. Bob Parsons shot an elephant in Africa. I killed a pig yesterday. Had roast pork. OK, so I did not have the guts to do it myself and paid someone to do it for me.

 

Like using pretty girls to sell anything actually works today. That is so 20th century. Are people still doing that? Horrible. Disgraceful.

 

I've been on sites from other providers and everyone b*tches. They all seem to think everyone has it good except them.

 

I don't have any problems with GoDaddy or Bob. Now don' kill an endangered tiger. Then maybe I'm outta here.

 

It's part and parcel of being near the top or on top. Everyone gangs up on you because it is in. Like we are doing it Google now and did it to Microsoft and IBM in the past and are going to do it to Apple.

 

Everything jonbey mentions GD does too

Edited by bobbb, 07 February 2013 - 01:18 PM.

[jonbey]

Oh, you can also set up any number of contacts in your account, so can easily register domains for others without having to create new accounts. Ideal for web designers etc.

[jonbey]

I did not see the American supper bowl so was not aware of the Godaddy ad. For those who have not seen it, here is a (rare) unadulterated version:

 

[cre8pc]

It's interesting isn't it?   People are still talking about how some SEO conferences allowed half naked females in the exhibition halls for those companies that hired them to get people to their section.  I no longer remember the companies or what conferences but the practice still upsets a lot of people, esp. women.

 

Perhaps its women who are leaving Godaddy.  We already know there are more men the tech industry, so I wonder if Godaddy is just plain ignorant or so desperate they need sexy visuals to promote their biz.

 

Everyone chooses for a variety of reasons, including personal ethics or where they want their money used.  For example, those who only buy from local farmers and small businesses, because they want to support their local economy.  Or those in the USA who only buy from American companies.

 

Americans are a bit weird about TV anyway.  Like they demand the most incredibly stupid and mind numbing shows like reality shows, the Bachelor, game shows, zombies, blood and gore and yet when Beyonce danced at half time in a skimpy outfit, all hell broke loose from parents with kids watching the game.

 

I don't get it 

 

Added: Just saw Jonbey's upload.   eeeeuuuuu, get a room!  LOL    And talk to your kids.  Stuff like this is just so stupid.  Most parents will freak out and send the message to their kids that "kissing is bad" (brain thinks "sex is bad".) and this is not right.  Its another case of dumb advertising companies targeting people with no intelligence, integrity and class.

[bobbb]

Yuck again. I prefered last year' s who's your daddy.

 

all hell broke loose from parents with kids watching the game

Or when Michael Jackson's (Janet?) sister had a costume miscue? nudge nudge wink wink

 

Or those in the USA who only buy from American companies.

Guess they must not be buying too many things Hmmmm

Edited by bobbb, 07 February 2013 - 01:40 PM.

[DonnaFontenot]

I dislike Godaddy for a number of reasons. 

 

1. Their asinine process of shoving a thousand upsells at you during the registration process is extremely annoying. Ever been on the phone with a client and tried to talk him or her through the process of registering a domain name there? Oy! They get so confused and usually end up purchasing a bunch of services they don't need or want, even with you constantly telling them "no don't click that!"

 

2. Newbies usually host their sites at Godaddy because it seems like a good idea at the time they register their domains. And of course, Godaddy hosting is the ultimate hosting from hell. 

 

3. Various and sundry personal belief system things that matter to me.

 

I moved to Namecheap and have been very happy with them. Plain, simple, easy to understand interface. Good prices, good service. Nothing flashy or gee-whiz-wow, just good stuff.

[bobbb]

I have or feel no loyalty to GD and would dump them tomorrow if need be.

 

Agreed with point 1 but it's not like that any more. Hit continue always. I was even surprised and wrote to them.

 

point 2 "hosting is the ultimate hosting from hell" How exactly?

 

So I disagree on all points. Point 3. Well like Rupert Jee's Hello Deli owner says on Letterman "it's bidness".  After reading "How do you contribute to modern day slavery of human trafficking?" on the Christian Science Monitor – Sun, 9 Sep, 2012, I'd have to go out and do the Hara-Kiri thing.

 

I'm still with GD and have been very happy with them. Plain, simple, easy to understand interface. Good prices, good service.  I even called on the phone. Oh and they answered.

 

Oh and to answer the topic question Who Is The Best Domain Registrar? I'm sure they are not or not much different that the others.

 

Edited by bobbb, 07 February 2013 - 02:22 PM.

[tommr]

I keep my most important domains at Network Solutions.

They honor GD prices, about 10 buck a piece, ( at least for me, you might have to ask or tell them you want that price. ) and they have great customer service and they have been at it from go.

They have phone support and they send out alerts to warn me of expiring domains.

If I want they can auto renew or I can re up on the site but I usually call to be sure I get my "VIP" ( as they call it ) service.

I had to look but I have had 2 domains there for more than 14 years with absolutely no problems.

The last time I renewed a domain at GD I spent most of my time clicking the "no thanks" button.

I am moving my domains there from GD as they become due.
I view the security of my domain names over doofy commercials and shoddy service.

 

It just seems like all the nonsense is beginning to pile up as more and more people become disgusted with one or an other of the off color issues. 

 

And even if GD is geared toward men my customers are women and I have to display a seal.

I am currently looking for a new source for my secure certificates!

Edited by tommr, 07 February 2013 - 05:51 PM.

[DonnaFontenot]

bobbb, it would take all day for me to list all the reasons godaddy hosting is so bad, but at least a few of my reasons are listed at http://godaddyhostingsucks.com/ (i have no connection to that site, nor do i have any clue who wrote it, all i know is that his or her experience sums up mine pretty well). Generally, the interface is horrendous, the wait time for setting things up is ridiculous, the security has been terrible, the reps are usually completely clueless, and I've caught them in lie after lie after lie when dealing with them. 

[cre8pc]

I've gone through a few  registrars over the years.  Remember RegisterFly anyone, and the fiasco with them?  I had my own domains, including these forums, and clients who were about to be shut off and were, from our accounts.  It took me about 3 days to get my domains out of Registerfly and I moved them to GoDaddy, where everything has been ever since.

 

I think one of the main reasons I haven't moved from Godaddy is the sheer hassle of moving the domains, although now that many of my domains were sold to Jim with the sale of these forums, there's less to worry about other than clients whose sites I still maintain or friends whose domains I handle.  Godaddy is cheap and I've learned to bypass all the upsell nonsense.  

 

I'm not as attached to my own set of ethics for some reason.  So while I have no respect for the company, I've had no actual problems with them either.  Still, I'm looking to move if there is one that makes the process easy, pain free and their prices are good.

 

Check this out - 

'Hated' GoDaddy Super Bowl Ads Increase Hosting Sales 45 Percent

 

According to the company, domain registration were up 40 percent, hosting sales were up 45 percent and mobile customer jumped 35 percent.

 

The reason these ads worked is simple. They were perfectly matched to the target audience. Registering a domain and dealing with a hosting company rests, for the most part, squarely with low level IT professionals who are mostly male. Silly bathroom humor plays quite well with this audience.

 

[Ken Fisher]

I'm glad this topic came up particularly the hosting part. I need to get a new domain up and prefer to try another host. No problem with the exsiting but I'd like to spread things around a bit.

 

I looked at Network Solutions and there's an option for either a unix or windows server. I did look though the differences and of those I do not use..BUT there may be need down the road to which I'll have to hire out such as php and database stuff. I currently have a host that uses the windows server.

 

Excuse the ignorance...this stuff isn't my bag.

[bobbb]

I've read that and wonder when it was written. Creation date 14 Jul 2011 16:09:01 so it seems to be a bit out of date .

Here are the main points:

Non-intuitive hosting interface: Maybe, but then I seem to have no problem and it's changed. The message must have made it to management.

Javascript based internal ftp client: My reply -> FileZilla, WinSCP, CuteFTP, +others. Use a real tool and as he says "Of course it is offered in the name of a tool to its customers" It's a quickie.

Database and FTP account creation goes into a ‘setup’ mode: Don't remember. It's not like I do this 50 times a day.

Database username and database name are the same: Yes! So? Use a good password. This is basic. MySi!!yPassw0rdSh!*te

They require ridiculous usernames and passwords: "done in the name of security" his words. This is really important. What's the problem with that? Use 123456. Then when you get cracked you will be sobbing and dump all over Bob Parsons. Good security and ease are not compatible for now.

Support’s number one phrase “refer to programmer": "the reps are usually completely clueless" Of course they are. I find support is the same everywhere. First line especially. Read a problem, find some keywords and ship out a canned reply. NEXT. Do we really expect these first line people to be really great? Once they are, they are moved to another level and don't have to deal will noobies. Techies call them dummy users that buy the yellow books. Sorry if this sounds arrogant. You have to overwhelm them with knowledge so they pass you on to the next level.

True Story: Yes

Lies +  waste of time and money + degraded website = GoDaddy: An opinion

Session times out quickly: Yes. Great. I'm a good one for leaving my screen. Nice to know someone has my back.

The person probably wrote this in a rage after the true story. I've just been through that this week. My teeth hurt. But today? Bah, chalk up another one. NEXT. Why did I stick it out? This most important consideration above price, service, and ease. They have a French interface and my client knows YES, NO, and HOW ARE YOU?

Maybe it's because I can fix anything or thing I can so I don't see or have these problems.
 

Edited by bobbb, 07 February 2013 - 04:22 PM.

[DonnaFontenot]

As long as you're happy, bobbb, then it's all good. For me, having to create sites for clients often, or help them deal with their current hosting problems, Godaddy has been a long long nightmare. I've been with LOTS of hosting companies, and have dealt with MANY more based on helping clients on their hosting servers, and Godaddy has always been a nightmare in comparison to the rest (well maybe with the exception of 1&1 who I hate almost as much as Godaddy).

 

Regarding transferring names, Kim, I can't speak for other registrars, but the process is pretty simple to go to namecheap. Basically, on the Godaddy end, unlock the domain and request the EPP code, then go to namecheap and start the transfer process. Everything is pretty much just automatic from then on, with you having to occasionally click a link in an email to confirm things. Here's more detailed info: http://www.namecheap...in-from-godaddy

 

Ken, I've never liked Windows servers unless the platform you're using is ASP related. PHP/mysql stuff is just easier on a linux box if only because that's what the majority use out there, so when looking for help, those experts will very likely give directions based on a linux box.

[Ken Fisher]

because that's what the majority use out there

 

That's the answer I was looking for. thanks

 

unless the platform you're using is ASP related

 

Meaning the publishing platform? If that's the case...no MSFT stuff. Dreamweaver

[TheAlex]

I've used the UK-based www.34sp.com for 10 years. Why? Customer service is 365 days a year and on the rare occasions I've needed to contact them (nothing so urgent that an e-mail didn't suffice) they've been quick to respond. Unfortunately they've just ended a half-price sale on all new domain registrants.

[DonnaFontenot]

Right, Ken, the publishing platform (urls that end in .aspx, for example).

[cre8pc]

Just say NO to Microsoft servers!

 

And listen to Donna

[bobbb]

Microsoft Basher! But you are right. I would not want MS hosting either and I'm a Windows guy.

 

Just wrote to the godaddyhostingsucks.com guy on the site comment page. Invited the person to comment through me so as to remain anonymous. We will see.