Domain Scam

domain_ripoff

I was cold called from a company selling 'Premium Domain' and was advised a particular domain which would suit my business had just become available after a competitor had retired and relocated. if I didn't purchase it there and then they would then sell to a competitor. I was advised this particular domain was premium as it had goo history and therefore very highly rated by google so would boost traffic to my website. I was told there would be a one off payment and then this valuable domain would be mine. There were a lot of clever selling tactics thrown in and she name dropped my website developer as if she knew of him.

I paid £360.00 on my personal credit card on behalf of the business.

The following day a receive another cold call selling some more of the wonder rare and valuable domains and alarm bells started to ring.

Ii did research on the company and come across some bad reviews hidden behind huge amounts of recent very good (most probably fake) views. I also researched domains and realised I could have purchased the same one for less then £10 a year. I called to cancel under misrepresentation but was advised as a business I had not rights. They also stressed the domain I had purchased was valuable and did have many years of good history with google. She also then told I also had to pay a yearly fee to keep the domain.
Following the call I spoke with Nominet, the registry of uk domain names and they confirmed the one I had purchased was only created the day I brought it and none of this valuable history.

I called back to cancel again she refused this information was correct ( I have had it confirmed more then once) and they are now not taking my calls.

I am trying to pursue a refund via credit card but I am not hopeful as it was for my LTD business.

Does anybody know what I can do?

MothballsWallet

This is more difficult as you're operating on business to business (B2B) rather than business to consumer (B2C) rules and what you can do depends on the contract you agreed to (have they sent you this by email or post?)

I'm not sure if paying on your personal card will help - if it was for your own use you could do a chargeback for "service not provided or as described", but B2B could be different.

I wish you luck in getting this sorted, and please don't entertain cold callers in the future - I'm sure you now know what they're like.

arcon5

Where's the scam? A pre-existing domain becomes available and they sell them on.
It's possible they registered it before selling it on with a view of cold calling relevant business' so you may not have had the option of registering it yourself anyway.

Not much you can do.

Ectophile

domain_ripoff wrote: »

Does anybody know what I can do?

Realistically, learn not to make a mistake like that again.

Never accept anything a cold-caller says at face value. As a business you don't have consumer rights in the same way that a person does - you are expected to check and agree to everything in a contract before you sign. There are no cooling off periods.

domain_ripoff

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I was sent some terms and conditions via email after I made the purchase. These only stated the domain is unrefundable. I am going to pursue my credit card to see if I can get a refund.

I am struggling to under stand how I can be completely miss sold a product but as (new) business owner I have no rights.
Lesson learnt regarding cold callers, they stressed such urgency and being distracted with 4 primary aged children at home because of half term I in-hindsight made a stupid decision
Thank you again

domain_ripoff

Sorry to clarify I was not pre existing. It was created on the day I purchased it, so had no value as the had told me many time due to being highly rated by google.

I was also told it would be a one off payment but then latter learnt else where I would need to pay a yearly renewal.

Surely there has to be some rights between business to avoid fraudulty/misrepresentation or mis selling products.

The business is my husbands and I am devastated I have wasted so much money which he works so hard but bring home very little, on a product which the opposite of what I was told.

domain_ripoff

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I was sent some terms and conditions via email after I made the purchase. These only stated the domain is unrefundable. I am going to pursue my credit card to see if I can get a refund.

I am struggling to under stand how I can be completely miss sold a product but as (new) business owner I have no rights.
Lesson learnt regarding cold callers, they stressed such urgency and being distracted with 4 primary aged children at home because of half term I in-hindsight made a stupid decision
Thank you again

Hoogle

Well as for a refund that is probably unlikely however you now own the domain, so go to godaddy, ipage fasthost etc and take out a hosting package for your website. Then transfer the doamin to that hosting company. that way when you come to renew it next year it will be £5-£20ish depending on the domain.

domain_ripoff

Hoogle, that is really helpful thank you. I am slightly concerned as when a called nominet they said the domain wasn't my name and is in fact someone else's as in an individual not of the company I purchased it from.
I wonder if I can still transfer it.

bris

It's a B2B transaction, no if's but's or maybes, you have no consumer rights and even if you did have a case the CC does not give S75 rights to business purchases.

domain_ripoff

Thank you for that Bris, that is what I was concerned about. I think possibly the next step is to get in touch with trading standards for misrepresentation.