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Please note that this form is only for web host company's representatives. Responses from others will not
be posted. Customers should submit new reviews or email the original reviewer instead.
You are responding to the following review:
| Outrageous behavior by catalog.com - Review by
Dave submitted on October 2, 2002 |
| Customer's web site: N/A |
| Length of time hosted by this company: 3 months - 1 year |
| Date when last hosted by this company (as of October 2, 2002): Current customer |
| Plan used: 5 year domain with free hosting |
| Customer service rating: 1 out of 10 |
| Technical quality rating: 6 out of 10 |
| Cost rating: 1 out of 10 |
| Overall rating: 1 out of 10 |
Greetings!
Is it just me or did anyone else found catalog.com's "change of policy" outrageous?
last November I paid $250.00 for 5 years domain registration which included "FREE hosting forever" (for as long as the domain was registered-renewed). Now catalog.com announced a "policy change" that requires the users to be a "club member" for an additional $24.95 a year. While many users I assume have paid this rediculeus fee in fear of discontinued service, I am sure some of you do not agree with this and here is why you would not:
When we've registered the domains they included free hosting which legally means $0.00 no more no less! We and catalog.com have agreed to a contract which must be fulfilled in original terms. Now if you do not pay the membership fee your hosting will be discontinued even though you have not broken any part of the contract. Catalog.com can't just "introduce" an additional fee (club membership or whatever else you want to call it) for the product that you have already purchased. What if theannounced membership fee was not $24.95 but $100 or $1000?" would you still pay it?
The point is that all users should strongly complain about this and dispute the charges with their banks for this ANAUTHORIZED charge. If catalog.com discontinues the plans than we should all take them to court! I know that $24.95 is not much but look what's really happening here. Most of us have paid $35.00 a year for domain registration. is it cheap? no it's very expensive, you can register a domain for less than $8.00 a year. We did register because the product included a value in a form of hosting which made it look like a good deal. Now add the setup fee for say CGI-BIN $50.00 and CGI-BIN option $50.00 plus the "club membership" fee of $24.95 the total: $159.95 which translates into $13.33 montly fee. I am sure that catalog.com's conduct is not just outrageous but is also illegal!
Please see the FTC guidelines for use of term Free:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/free.htm
You can file a compaint against Catalog.com at (I did):
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm
If they will receive enough complaints they will investigate!
Here is the report of the Better Business Bureau regarding the Catalog.com and you will see that there have been unresolved complaints (I assume for the same reasons):
http://www.dallas.bbb.org/commonrep...compid=23004638
I would like to hear all of your thoughts regarding this and try to do something. They can't just get away with this like that!
I have obvoiusly contacted catalog.com proir to writing this, but the customer service rep was totally ignorant to my complaint, refused to put me through her supervisor and said we do not have choice but to discontinue the service. This is not an option for the service we have already paid for! she did not want to know.
Your support is appreciated.
Dave
P.S. Please participate in a poll I have setup to see what other people think about catalog.com
The online poll can be found at:
http://Bulletin.Catalog.Com//showthread.php?s=&threadid=139
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