The Sin of Omission!
By: Profitstation News and Offers
How many times have you been bitten by a company that is very selective in choosing what they tell you or more importantly what they DO NOT tell you in the contract or sales agreement? I was bitten myself quite a lot in the early days but not that much lately. Probably because I am much more suspicious than I used to be.
Be careful, dishonest companies are still out there flourishing. When challenged, they will tell you that they are NOT dishonest because what you THOUGHT you were buying was simply NOT specified in the contract. I was talking to a friend today and she told me of a very well known Internet company that sells hosting, design, and related services. A friend of hers purchased one of the properties that were for sale and after a year or so, wished to take his property and move to a different hosting company. Much to his surprise, this company told him that he did not actually OWN the domain. Sure, he could move the web site and files anywhere he wished, but the domain name ownership REMAINED with the company! What good are web site designs and files that were made based on a domain name that would not go with you? Clearly that means that the customer has to walk away from a year of hard work and have nothing to show for it. The only other choice is to knuckle under to this unscrupulous company and keep paying them.
Frankly, I did not believe this story so I was determined to check it out for myself. When I looked at their order form to see what a customer was buying I saw a lengthy list of features that took up about half of the page. It certainly looked impressive and I can only imagine what a new business owner on the Internet was thinking: WOW! However as I read down the list, I was astonished to learn that the customer was NOT, in fact, buying the domain name itself! In other words, they were buying design and hosting service for a particular property and the right to USE that property on the Internet, for a specified period, but they did actually OWN the domain name. This is business suicide!
A new domain is like a seedling. It is fragile and very small. With time, attention, and resources it can flourish. YOUR time and energy must be brought to bear to make it work. Over time and with the right attention it will shoot roots down and grow strong and sturdy. The more years that you take care of it, the deeper the roots grow. After a few years of hard work you have a strong young tree with a wide network of roots. On the Internet these roots are really links. You can see just how well rooted a domain is by going to any search engine and typing in the domain name. The number of web pages (other than the domain itself) represents the domain name popularity; it represents the roots of that domain since those links bring in traffic to the heart of the domain. The longer that you remain in business, the sturdier the network becomes. You can probably sense that this is EXACTLY why an Internet business often appreciates over time if it is nurtured properly.
The fact that this particular customer was paying for an Internet presence and not really the domain itself was probably not understood by him when he ordered. The company, in my opinion, relied on the fact that most people read through the contract that they were to enter into, but are really reading WHAT IS PRINTED and not necessarily thinking about what is NOT PRINTED there. And most small business owners cannot afford to hire an Internet savvy attorney to think of these things for them. Is it dishonest? I am not an attorney so I do not really know. When you buy a car and the steering wheel is not listed on the contract do you still own the steering wheel? Certainly. Most people would presume that you would own the domain name when you purchase a unique domain name Internet presence. Since a reasonable person would assume that you WOULD own the domain name, I believe that it is the company’s responsibility to put an exclusionary note on that page indicating CLEARLY what is NOT included in the fee. If you purchased a physical business in a strip mall, you can be sure that the ownership of the physical location would be carefully spelled out just as clearly as the inventory and other physical things of value. Is it a lease, or is it free and clear?
Is this practice unethical or unscrupulous? Yes, in my opinion. But I am familiar with the modus operandi of this particular company and this is exactly in keeping with their reputation and prior practice.
So, this poor customer, after a year of work, desired to move his company to a different hosting company and could not unless he decided to pay the company again. This person refused on principal and lost his entire business and is now forced to start from scratch.
Guess what? That domain was up for sale again within a few days. I think that it is pretty clear that customer business success is very low on the priorities of this hosting company. They can re-sell the same domain MULTIPLE times. It is a win-win for them. Either they end up with renewals or they end up with a ready to move in business presence that can go right back on the market. Do they care one dot about the success of their clients? They profess to, but I think that you can come to your own conclusions.
The moral of this sad tale? Bounce EVERY decision you make on the Internet off of a trusted agent. The person selling you the product or service is NOT a trusted agent. They are a sales rep who stands to profit by guiding you into a decision that benefits THEM. It may or may not benefit you. Keep that in mind. You need to find a mentor or guide who can help you make the important decisions in your Internet business and who is willing to provide that counsel without compensation (to a point). Successful Internet Marketing is all about relationships. The companies that build trusted relationships will prosper with repeat sales, residual commissions, and back end profits. The companies that profit in the short term through an initial sale but then offer lousy service and support will suffer with high attrition and will be forced to never stop selling. Try not to be a victim of the sin of omission! As always, as a loyal reader of ProfitStation News and Offers, I provide free consultation service and stand ready to offer you an opinion. Who knows, I may be able to save you a buck or two.
---------- Article by Mark D. Petersen-Overton, Mark is webmaster of http://www.profitstation.com and http://www.profitstation-isp.com Mark is also the manager and Marketing Director of Your Lotto Site at http://www.yourlottosite.com and assists his wife, Lotte with their free Lotto at http://www.all-prizes.com
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