Having complained for years over the lack of competition in the domain registration business, many would-be Net entrepreneurs are discovering the hard way that competition and choices alone do not guarantee better service or greater accountability. Many of the recent problems are minor and can be traced simply to the heavy demand for domain names sparked by speculators hoping to sell coveted names for a tidy profit. But domain name buyers like Bond have also found themselves vulnerable thanks to policies that seemingly protect domain name registrars at the expense of consumers. The service agreements are broad, and address situations such as access delays, access interruptions and processing of applications. That leaves consumers with little recourse.
Consumers have very little protection.
Getting a domain name is one of the first steps in establishing an online identity. It has been estimated that global domain name registrations will rise to 140 million names by the end of 2003 from about 11 million registered through the end of September 1999. The business of registering domain names was opened to competition only nine months ago. With more companies interested in getting into the domain name business, obtaining accreditation does not appear difficult. Since its launch last month, the company has registered 4,600 names, said Tony Keyes, who will take over as executive director in February.