.net.au domain registration

[Tea]

For years now my redhill.net.au domain has been registered through my ISP and in turn through connect.com. Connect.com are no longer handling the .net.au namespace, so I have to change to a new registrar.

They suggest that I go to Melbourne IT www.melbourneit.com.au who are the largest company in this field in Australia - something like the Australian equivalent of Verisign, I imagine. My current registration doesn't run out for some time yet - December this year, I think. Melbourne IT charge AU$140 including tax for a two year renewal. This seems a little dear to me. On the other hand, they are a reputable company with (I gather) good service standards and I'd rather pay a little extra for the peace of mind that goes along with using a Melbourne IT rather than the worry about administrative foul-ups and lost paperwork that might apply to someone cheap and sleazy. In the scheme of things, AU$70 a year is neither here nor there, but I thought I'd pop the question and see what you guys think.

Thanks

 

[Pradeep]

Unfortunately there is no real competition in the Aus domains. If Melbourne IT is anything like Verizon I would avoid it. Verizon are a terrible registrar.

I had a really bad experience just last week. Someone else had bought a .org domain from buydomains.com. Was working fine, changed the nameservers and things were hunky dory. Then on the day I needed the site up, I found that the friggin domain was available for sale and registered to no one. I immediately repurchased via pairnic.com, and demanded an answer from the incompetent bastards at buydomains. They claimed that the accountholder had cancelled the domain name and a refund was issued. Avoid these guys like a plague. Not that I would ever have bought from them in the first place.

 

[CougTek]

How much would it cost you to register a pure and simple dot com? Currently, RedHill.com leads to http://www.sayaloha.com/ , but redhilltech.com seems free.

 

[Pradeep]

Well a .com can be registered via a US based registrar, so US$16-$19 per year.

 

[Handruin]

Domain names using .com = $8.95
http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?e=com

I use www.dotster.com, they cost me $14.95.

 

[Tea]

Hmmm .... Thanks guys. It looks as though Melbourne IT is the way to go then. It's not ridiculously expensive compared to US prices, well, not enough to worry Tannin anyway (he is a notorious spendthrift), and they are a professional, competent organisation. No point in going tio the States as it's a .au and the last thing I want to do is change my domain name after all these years.