When you do a GoDaddy domain search for a new GoDaddy domain, GoDaddy is currently offering a “Buy a new domain, get the first year for a penny with a 2 year registration” promotion. Only, at least for some people, when you register that new GoDaddy domain for two years and then go to check out, that first year is actually being charged at full price, with no way to reduce the charge to a penny.
And when their feet are held to the fire about it, GoDaddy agents trot out a scripted reply that is, as we in the biz say, BS. So be very careful when you are checking out when purchasing a new GoDaddy domain, and double check the prices if you think that you are getting two years for the price of one year plus a penny.
We should note here that even the fine print leads one to believe that there are no ‘gotchas’, there is no mention of restrictions (geographic or otherwise) or anything else which would lead one to believe that if they register a new domain through GoDaddy for two years that they wouldn’t get the first year for one cent.
Sometimes it’s best to let actual events tell the story, so below is the actual transcript of a conversation between a GoDaddy customer service agent and a customer trying to take advantage of the offer. This customer noted to us also that first they tried to chat with a GoDaddy CS agent through their chat system, which never responded; after an hour they gave up. Then they tried GoDaddy’s ‘chat by text message’ system, and there they were responded to within a few minutes, but then the agent ghosted them, then a new agent came on, left them hanging, and then finally responded as below. Here’s the transcript.
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Is GoDaddy’s ‘Register a GoDaddy Domain for 2 Years and Get the 1st Year for .01’ a Scam?
Customer: I am a long time customer with many domains, and I am registering 7 new domains..I have them in my cart…for each one I got a message “domain is .01 for the first year with a 2 year registration”…but in the cart, it is showing full price for 2 year registration for each one. I did go to the next step (payment) thinking maybe it would take the amount off each one (they should be $12 each – 11.99 + .01 for two years), but it is still showing $30.98 for each one (I have not actually submitted payment, of course)
GoDaddy: Which domains are you registering?
Customer: [gives list of domains, deleted here for sake of privacy]
GoDaddy: Thank you, Let me add all domain to cart
Customer: They are already in my cart
GoDaddy: Yes you are right I was confirming the product
Customer: Thank you! What do you need me to do?
GoDaddy: Could you please share screenshot where it says .01 for 1 year
Customer: [Customer screenshots and provides offer, they also provided the same screenshots to us, which are the screenshots in this article] It was like that for each of the new domains (I can’t show it for those because they are already in my cart, but the exact same offer showed for each new domain). You can do it yourself if you go to your website as a customer and search for any new domain. And there were no restrictions, let me know if you want me to screenshot what it says when you open the “?”
GoDaddy: Thank you for details, i am Checking the same with backend team.
Customer: (waits)
GoDaddy: [has been idle for ages and then spews the following all at once, clearly pasting in something that they had copied from somewhere] Thank you so much for waiting, I have checked that for your cart the price is changes because price change is something which is totally browser-related or your region related. Like in some regions. the discounts don’t work, or in some cases, the browsers show the prices automatically at their end. This is not something that is controlled by us. Plus, if a code is already used on a same account, or with same network service or with same card, then the system will automatically decline it and show you the original price. We provide customers with the best prices when they first start with their business, be it domain or a website builder plan or any product. So whichever price is shown at the cart is the final price. however I have added the additional discount to your cart and now it will cost you $26.95 for 2 year with privacy and policy apart from this For checking all the deals that’s available for our customers, you can see here: https://www.theinternetpatrol.com/brick-wall/
Customer: I don’t want privacy and policy. I explicitly reject privacy. And now only ONE domain is in my cart!!! Where are the other 6??? Nevermind, I will deal with this myself.
— End of transcript —
Our source tells us that because they needed the domains, they ended up registering them for just one year, as there was no way to actually get that ‘first year for one cent two-year deal’. They also explained that the only reason they didn’t go to another registrar at that point was because, as they explained in the transcript to the GoDaddy agent, they were a long-time customer of GoDaddy, with many domains at GoDaddy, but this may have pushed them to move to another registrar.
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They just did it to me, too. So, after i put the domain in my cart that also showed a penny for one year, I wanted a second domain and the same price showed up, one penny. I click the back button and all of sudden the price went up to $3.99. Did it again, and the price was $11.99. It went up twice before I could buy it. So, i went on a private browser and selected the same domain name, and wouldn’t you know it, the price once again was a penny.
I dont know why I even bother with them. They lost all my email last year from a business account. Anyone who needs an email for their business can get one from Microsoft for $4.32/month and not have to go through godaddy
same here, they’re full of it! I am looking for an attorney to take class action case, who is with me?