this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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Domain renewal price increase from $170 to $5,600 - Do I need to start grieving? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Update 2025-04-04 Here: https://programming.dev/post/28065778

I have had a two-letter .mu domain since 2011. I went to renew it this year, and the renewal price is showing as $5,600 in my cart, but the renewal price on the registrar’s website says $170 as it had been for many years.

I have put in a ticket to get an explanation, but I fear it’s some “premium domain” bullshit from the TLD operator.

I have two weeks to figure this out. I’m really hoping I can appeal somehow. Does anyone have any experience negotiating with a TLD operator?

I tried adding it to the cart of a different registrar for transfer, and although their transfer price for this TLD is listed as $75, it’s showing $5,516.50 for the transfer price when it’s in my cart.

My site is just a fun artistic site with no ads, tracking, store, or anything. I spend $170 a year on it and don’t make any money from it.

I have tons of other domains, but it’ll hurt letting this one go. Should I give up on any hope of keeping it?

Even if I could somehow get donations to keep it alive this year, I’d just lose it next year. I don’t have thousands to spend on it each year. I’m so sad about this.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The support person from Gandi wrote:

Hello,

It's a premium domain, the premium is based on the registry: https://news.gandi.net/en/2020/05/whats-a-premium-domain-name/

The linked page does not explain how/why it would change to premium with no warning. It is really about registering a premium domain, not renewing. It does not offer any help. It's blaming the TLD operator.

On https://www.nic.mu/contact/ I see no way to click anything to actually contact them. It seems to be saying my registrar should help me with specific domain questions. I have replied to the ticket with Gandi to ask for help with launching an appeal for the price.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Is this the first renewal? Often times they offer domains and tlds at a very low first year price to get you in

EDIT: Nevermind. You've had it since 2011.

This is either gross negligence, gross incompetence or extortion.

For one. I know now to stay away from gandi. What is the tld if you don't mind me asking?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It’s seeming like incompetence. I’ve had more correspondence via my support ticket, but it’s been a lot of useless info from them before agreeing to do anything about it.

Currently, (after repeatedly asking) they’ve agreed to reach out to the TLD operator and see if I can get a grandfathered price. I’m not hopeful they’ll have an answer I like.

I keep realizing more and more ways the support response and the registrar was terrible. For example, the screenshot I included in the ticket shows just my domain name, but the link they sent said premium domains are labeled as premium. There’s no label in the screenshot. (And I’ll repeat again: the link was about registration—not renewal—of premium domains.).

And, I was not given a notification when this domain magically became premium. It was just mysteriously a new crazy price. A warning would have been even better, so I could at least do a ten-year registration at the old price. There was no communication at all about this change to my domain.

It’s probable neither Gandi nor the TLD operator give a fuck (which I suppose is extortion), and they just assume they’ll find someone willing to pay after I lose the domain, and that entity will be much more valuable than losing me as a customer.

I understand the curiosity, but I’d rather refrain from telling the domain name.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Oh I wasn't asking about the domain name. Just the tld so I know to stay away.

It does sound like incompetence at the least. But if also could be willful incompetence. Hope not. I wonder if there is some higher authority you can reach out to in the ICANN world.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

It’s a .mu domain.

You're reminding me I did have a stray thought about seeing if there’s someone to complain to higher up than my registrar and the TLD operator. If there is, I doubt they’d give me the time of day unless I had the right lawyer, and that’s not going to happen. Especially not in less than ten days.