First it was 1and1, then it was GoDaddy, and now; it’s Netfirms!
So, here’s the deal. I wanted to register a .CA domain name for a new personal project that I hoped to start up. I was looking for a cheap registrar, and someone referred me to a company called Netfirms.
On the surface, they appeared to provide an excellent service. Though, I didn’t do any real digging on the company, as practically all registrars are identical in operation. They get domains from the same general source, and they sell them to their own clients. That’s also what I’m doing with my own hosting services, albeit at a far smaller level.
So, I went along with it. Paid for my domain, and waited patiently for my confirmation email to arrive.
Like all super important emails, the one from Netfirms went straight to my junk folder. This alone should have been a red flag, but I decided to ignore it, and followed the instructions provided like an obedient idiot.
I clicked on the confirmation link in the email, set up my password, logged into the control panel, and was greeted by a red warning box informing me of an error with my registration. It said that a Netfirms agent would contact me in 2 to 4 hours, instructing me on how to get some mystical problem resolved.
Now, being as how I was on my laptop at the time, I couldn’t very well wait 2 to 4 hours for a company to get in contact with me. Hell, my laptop itself wouldn’t even last another 30 minutes before it had to overheat. (which it ended up doing, as if on queue)
So, I turned on my main desktop computer, and attempted to log into the Netfirms customer control panel.
The first thing that crossed my mind? What the fuck, I entered my fucking password in correctly. (next thought: hamsters)
After attempting to log into their control panel three more times, I finally decided it was best to give their password reset form a go. Unfortunately, Netfirms doesn’t exactly recognize me as being a ‘customer’ of them, as absolutely none of my information is available in their database. (or so they claim)
So, I am entirely unable to get back in to their control panel. I cannot manage my account.
My only real choice is to wait, and see what happens. However, mark my words; if Netfirms doesn’t get their act together, and if they do not provide me with the service that I have legally paid for, I’m adding them to my list of “providers that should burn in hell”. (currently, that list contains 1and1 and GoDaddy)
So, why didn’t I just go ahead and register the domain using my own services? Quite simply, Netfirms was offering a 1 year registration at a lower price than my wholesale network. So, I’d end up paying more to register it with my own hosting, than I would to register it with Netfirms.
I’ll post another update as soon as I hear back from Netfirms.