Yahoo’s domain registration offering is a gigantic rip-off sucking scam. GoDaddy gets a bad rep for plastering all of its pages with offers to receive services you don’t really need, but at least it doesn’t automatically sign you up and charge you for those services. Yahoo does worse; they’ve mastered domain bait-and-switch.

I had two domains with Yahoo–one of which I don’t even use–so I was surprised to see them charge me $34.95 for each domain for a single year’s renewal. That’s right, Yahoo charged me $70 to renew two domains, more than four times what a market-rate provider like GoDaddy would have charged. And, I wasn’t given any advance notice that I’d be charged through the nose on renewal.

The key is in noticing those notorious “details.” If you click on them, the pricing structure is clearly laid out–yes, Yahoo will screw you every way they can–they’re quite willing to tell you.

That’s right, if you sign-up for a year of a domain using their ridiculously low $1.99 initial price, the next year when they automatically renew your domain will cost you $34.95. Your total cost comes to $18.47 a year if you go with Yahoo.

Yahoo Sucks… oh yes they do…

6 Responses to “Yahoo Domains Sucks”

1. Wendy says:

   1/22/2009 at 3:21 am

   It is kind of against integrity that they didn't even send a reminder!
   all membership fee costs a lot more than u could save! thats why never sign up unless u r really committed to sth.
   on the other hand, start making good use of Yahoo domains!

   Reply
2. Soy Candles says:

   1/31/2009 at 7:59 pm

   I've always know yahoo period was kind of a ripoff. Many people think if they have a yahoo domain that they will be favored in there searches. Which doesn't happen.

   Reply
3. david coomer says:

   2/6/2009 at 6:44 pm

   funny. I Goggled Yahoo domains sucks to see if anyone else hated them and yep, turns out they suck.

   hmmm. kinda funny to think I Googled Yahoo.

   Reply
4. Ann-Kat says:

   2/9/2009 at 12:19 pm

   I remember the $1 deal they offered sometime back, so I registered 3 domains for 7 years apiece (before they fixed the “first year only” bug) and immediately (as in, after the 3 day grace period expired) moved them to my proper registrar and thereby canceled any future relationship I would have with Yahoo!.

   If anyone is also going to take Yahoo! up on one of their deals, I'd advise them to do the same.

   Sorry you got ripped off, though, Elliot. It never feels good to get cheated.

   Reply
5. Sufyan says:

   3/10/2009 at 2:55 am

   I regged a couple domain names at Yahoo! in 2005 while they were offering them for $1.99 per name. Now, I have transferred all of them to DynaDot.
   The problem is that: Although I have transferred them to DynaDot, Yahoo! have stored my card information and is charging $34.95 per name at their renewal. Isn’t a gigantic rip-off sucking scam? Yes!

   Reply
6. Yahoo for the Epic Customer Service Fail! : Urbin Report says:

   6/10/2009 at 12:21 pm

   [...] the only one noticing Yahoo’s “Bait and Switch” tactics on domain registration, Elliot C. Back is justifiably pissed off too, as is [...]

   Reply