A number of years ago I began registering domains with web.com. Wow, it was wonderful. A slick interface, low prices ($8.95/yr.), and no hassle. Then Web.com was acquired by Interland – a massive internet company – and everything went downhill. Word of advice: don’t use web.com.

Web.come received an interface upgrade (err…downgrade) when it was acquired, and the interface has stumbled along ever since. Besides being painfully slow basic features are simply missing and the help consists of PDF files thrown together in a haphazard manner.

Web.com became the new public face for Interland – a hosting company – and apparently they forgot about their domain customers…unless you consider nearly trebling the price in one jump remembering. Yes, that’s right, I pay nearly $25/yr. now for a domain – crazy rates that only the most archaic domain registrars still charge (e.g. Network Solutions).

Why this rant right now? Well, at the moment I am finally attempting to get my domains out of this mire…to move them over to Bluehost. But can I find anywhere the option to generate an EPP key? No. Can I find any help to generate an EPP key? No.

Interland/Web.com – its time for a facelift. Hire one or two of those nifty web 2.0 designers and give them two or three weeks. Otherwise you might as well enter TechCrunch’s Deadpool.

UPDATE 8/22/08 – So, I submitted  a ticket requesting the EPP key for three domains I currently have registered with Web.com. The next morning I called to check in on the status. Unfortunately, their tech. representatives don’t have permission to process these EPP keys, so you have to rely upon email only support from higher level techs. I received EPP keys for two of the three domains – the third I never received. I just called back again and they are again escalating the request. Meanwhile, the two domains I have given the EPP code to Bluehost for are marked as in transfer progress. Web.com is telling me they have released the domains, but Bluehost’s CP says that the registrar still must release the domains…and notes that generally one receives a confirmation email from the losing registrar confirming this transfer should take place (that hasn’t occurred, but apparently this whole process can take seven business days – industry standard – [we'll talk about that craziness another time, but right now we are just talking about web.com]). For those who think I’m just a whiner visit this link Web.com just sent me to access my account in their most recent emails. Ohh, you get a big, fat, ugly 404 Not Found page? So do I.

UPDATE 8/24/08: My domains have transferred to Bluehost. I believe I am now completely done with Web.com.

I’m going to go read Jeff Stibel’s blog over at Harvard Business Online…See if maybe I can discuss this fiasco with him (Jeff is president of web.com).

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