auDA issues Consumer Alert

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 16 August 2006 13:00

Your IT - Home IT

The .au Australian domain administrator, auDA, has issued a Consumer Alert today stating that it has become aware that a company called Domains Australia Pty Ltd is sending letters to some domain name registrants offering to arrange registration of the net.au equivalent of the registrants’ com.au domain name for $225.

The letter is headed ‘DOMAIN NAME AVAILABLE’ and some versions of it offer a free MP3 player with each registration.

auDA states that it has received numerous complaints which indicate that;

1.  despite the net.au name being paid for, it is NOT being registered and

2.  registrants are NOT receiving the ‘free’ MP3 player.

Based on the complaints received auDA is concerned that the letters may mislead people into believing that they are renewing their existing com.au domain name when in fact they are purchasing a new net.au name.

auDA warns that consumers should be aware that $225 for a net.au domain name is significantly higher than prices charged by auDA accredited registrars and their resellers. 

Domains Australia Pty Ltd is NOT an auDA accredited registrar nor is it a reseller of an auDA accredited registrar.

auDA has advised that consumers who have paid Domains Australia Pty Ltd and whose domain name has not been registered or who haven’t received the ‘free’ MP3 player may wish to lodge a formal complaint. They should contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) either by lodging an electronic complaint at http://www.accc.gov.au/ or by faxing it to their Canberra office on (02) 6243 1199. Alternatively consumers may wish to contact their State-based fair trading or consumer affairs office.