The Horror of DORA

Have you ever received a letter from DORA (Domain Registry of America)? A lot of my clients have, informing them of their ‘pending domain registration renewals.’ Luckily, I maintain a close relationship with my clients and they have asked me about the letter before sending money to these rip-off artists.

Unfortunately, not so many are that lucky. Over the years, DORA has duped a lot of clients of registrar companies out of considerable amounts of money. And the saddest part is, the way they do it is not considered illegal. Years ago, this was not the case though.

For some time, DORA had fraudulently misled recipients of their letters stating that they were affiliated with the registrar that they were currently using. Or they would state that they are offering them a better price than they are already paying.

DORA uses various WHOIS databases to acquire information to send their letters out to unsuspecting companies and individuals. How could something like this be possible, you may ask? It’s really quite simple. It has mainly to do with ignorance and failed communication between registrar companies / web designers and their clients.

There have been countless complaints filed against DORA over the years. Even the Federal Trade Commission banned DORA from continuing their misleading activities and ordered them to pay compensation for the clients they had misled. Here’s an important article to check out: http://www.whoisfinder.com/news/200401/canadian-domain-slammer.html

The best way to avoid something like this from happening to you is to be in constant contact with your registrar and or web designer, unless they are one in the same. Maintain good communication and ask them questions. If they are unwilling or unable to answer your questions, it might be wise to look elsewhere for your domain registration needs.
My services for renewing a domain costs my clients only $15 per year. DORA often charges in excess of $30 per year. Sometimes they offer a discount if you register two or three years with them, and when you see that discount you almost want to jump at the chance to ‘save some money.’ This is where they get you. Even with their discounts, they are still charging more than what I would.

Of course there are companies out there that can charge as little as $6 per year to register a domain, but once you register your domain with them, you typically become just another account number to that company. My clients are all treated with highest regards and are normally on a first name basis.

I am a great believer in excellent customer service at all times; which is why I am writing this. Hopefully it reaches you before you make the mistake of allowing this company to take advantage of you.

Here are some additional resources to assist you in protecting yourself against DORA.

Federal Trade Ccommission Posting

Alternate names they have used:

Registration Services Incorporated, Domain Registry Services, Registration Services Incorporated, Domain Registry of Europe, Yellowbusiness.ca, Internet Registry of Canada, Domain Registry of Canada and Domain Registry of Australia.

Websites they have used:

droa.com, droa.net, droa.org, droa.biz, droc.ca, droe.com, droe.info, droe.biz

J D Web Designs