Get yourself a FREE website – yeah right!

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Back on 5 June this year, I received a text from a friend whose website I had built. The text said:

“A friend of mine wants a website, can she ring you to discuss?”

“Of course, simply give her my number”, I texted back.

Ten minutes later my phone rang. The prospective client was ringing.

We discussed what she wanted and during the conversation I discovered that this new client already had a website set up by one of these ‘free web-site’ companies but she couldn’t remember who and didn’t have the details.

Alarm bells started to ring!

I’ve had previous experience with dealing with these so-called ‘free website’ companies. They are slow to respond and often just forget to do things.

Now, that I know is a rather generic statement to ‘tar’ all these ‘free website’ companies with the ‘same brush’ but it is my experience.

I explained this to the client and that was fine. She just wanted a new website and keep her domain.

So I found out the ‘free website’ company by checking on the ‘whois’ database.

Found their contact details and rang them.

Explained that we only wanted to point the existing domains servers to a new host. Can we do that?

“Yes, no problem. Fill out this form, it will take 5 days and cost £25”

I was gob smacked.

5 days?

You can normally change the servers on-line, instantly.

£25?

It’s normally free!

So back to client to explain the situation. She agrees.

So I go over to GoDaddy to set up the new hosting account.

The client and I complete the forms required, together and she pays the £25.

It was now 9th June.

I monitor the progress each day by ‘refreshing her site domain name’. If the servers had been changed then her site would change to some sort of ‘Go-Daddy’ site.

10th June – no change

11th June – no change

15th June – no change

I contact the ‘free website’ company.

“We have the forms – we just haven’t changed the server names yet. We’ll do it later today”

I let the client know.

Next morning, I ‘refresh’. No change.

I ring back.

“Oh, it can take up to 48 hours to go through”

“Really? Normally might take an hour or 2 but not 48!”

I let the client know.

17th June, the client sends me an email with an “EPP code” and asks “What’s this?”.

Looks like the ‘free website’ company are also transferring the domain. We didn’t want that, we only wanted the name servers to be changed.

I contact the company again.

“Ah sorry. We can’t go back. It’s all done”

“But GoDaddy are not expected to receive the domain” I say.

“You better contact them then”

Great!

I go to the GoDaddy site. Start the transfer of the domain from GoDaddy’s side.

I experience more problems, more stoppages and I make numerous more phone calls to the free website company.

Today, 24th July, SEVEN weeks later, the domain has been transferred.

Seven weeks for something that normally takes less than 5 minues effort.

Another sweeping statement from me:

Don’t use these so-called free website companies. They tie you in and make it real difficult and costly for you to move away.