By Andy McCue, 2 December 2003 16:10
NEWS A company using "misleading" selling tactics to try and pressurise businesses into buying internet domain names has been forced to cease the practice after an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
The OFT received complaints that Swansea-based Internet Registrations Bureau Limited, trading as Euro Web Designs, was contacting firms and claiming an unnamed third party was interested in registering a domain name similar to their business name.
IRBL helpfully offered to secure the domain name but told companies that they only had a limited period of time to do so before it would be offered to the third party.
The OFT asked IRBL to provide evidence that these third parties existed but the company was unable to do so. A written undertaking has been secured from the firm and its directors Paul Dilling and Susan Ford that they will not claim to have been contacted by these third parties when selling domain names when no such interest has been expressed to them.
John Vickers, OFT chairman, said in a statement: "We will continue to crack down on advertisers who make misleading claims about their services. Businesses should be wary of domain name registration companies cold calling and putting pressure on them to purchase names in haste."
Businesses are advised to contact their usual internet service provider or domain name registration agent if they are in doubt about the reliability of any offer.
Comments
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1. Tim Mustill
About time! I had these guys on the phone about 2-3 weeks ago. I got them to call me back on my mobile and then proceeded to string them on having them check about 10 "phantom" company names, quote me for webspace and general stuff like that. After 15 minutes I couldn't keep a straight face for any longer and asked them just how big a mug they thought I was? After a bit of a rant I bathed in the glory of a complete silence their end and disconnected the (hopefully) expensive mobile call. Good riddence!
2. Duncan Pollard
It's about time this was stopped. We provide hosting and domain name registration services and have had several customers targeted by these people and other similar firms. One customer was charged £700 to his credit card before contacting us then cancelling the payment via his credit card company.
3. anonymous
This is still taking place as I received a call from this company just this morning. They stated a birmingham based business wanted to register our domain name with the .net and .biz suffixes. I obviously told them I was not interested. It doesn't sound like the run in from the OFT has made any difference?
4. Alan Essam
The Trading Standards Office is still investigating this company and others who have the same owners. I suggest that anyone, who has had a similar call, contacts them to help stop this practice.
5. anonymous
I know of two different companies who have been called in the past 3 days after being informed that they had 3 minutes to register their domain name variants before someone else did - for a mere £750 on a credit card.
6. Karen Handley
This company is still using the same tactics. I have received half a dozen phone calls in the last 15 minutes and despite me telling them that I'd read this article they still persisted in trying to sell me domain names similar to a clients domain name.