You may want to read my experience with domain purchased from eblogger if you are considering registering your domain for personal usage such as blogging or especially for your business.
I have never imagined how my life would become if one day my blog no longer exist until I was near losing it.
Reminders to renew my domain was sent via email by Google team since a couple of months ago. Standing instruction was made many years ago since when I first started blogging for the annual renewal of my domain name janeschwan.com. I started blogging with .blogspot.com with simple intention to improve my very poor english. I came from a chinese speaking background, therefore, english was an alien language to me. It took me many years of hard work to be able to speak, listen and write like how I am writing this to you today. Not perfect yet, but this is not what we are going to discuss in detail today. Traffic to my blog increased unexpectedly after some time. This has given me more confident in writing. So, on 14th April of a year I have decided to get my domain name registered at USD10/annum.
I am not sure if it was a rightful decision. Continue reading if you wish to know more about how registering a domain name can affect you.
As briefly mentioned, I authorised Google to make payment for my annual domain renewal automatically with my mother's credit card because I did not have a credit card back then. FYI, I got my first credit card at a bank at the age of late 26 when I started working for a bank. I know right majority of you out there gets your first credit card early, either via parents, boyfriend or not long after your rewarding employment. Well again, this is also not why this article was written. So one day, which was a couple of months ago, Google sent me an email saying that my mum's credit card was "expired" requesting for a new credit card details. I then deleted my mum's credit card details and keyed in mine thinking that payment will be automatically credited from my credit card.
Let me paint you a clearer picture of how payment for eblogger domain registration works before I proceed. One needs to sign in to Google Admin Console to key in your credit card details on the billing column for payment. If you don't already know, Google Admin Console is a place where you can monitor your account with Google.
I thought payment has been automatically credited from my credit card. Not long after I have keyed in my own credit card details, I received repeat reminder from Google telling me that no payment was being made and my domain name will be released for sale upon expiry. Link to the Google Admin Console was given but I could not sign in. Every sign in leads me back to the sign in page. I tried changing my password again and again the same thing happened again and again. I immediately searched for Google support team's contact but their website was much worse than a bank's or a telco's operator! One click links to another and it took me round and round to finally reached their Google support team.
I wrote to them regarding the issues I faced and seek for their advice but to no avail. As my domain's expiration date approaches, I became very emotional reminiscing every moments I have recorded in my blog. They will all dissipate in less than half a month time.
As I was about to give up, the inner me whispered a one last attempt. So I clicked on Google Support page insouciantly allowing it to lead me from one page to another. In the end of everything I clicked I reached Google for Work Support page. There was a form to be filled in for creation of tickets. Holding no high hope for return emails nor responses, I gambled a chance.
In less than 3 days time, I received an email from Google for Work Support. I then replied stating my concern like what I have done to other members of the Google Support team.
SMS came in not long after my email reply to Google informing of several missed call from a foreign number followed by an incoming call. I answered.
It was Wilson Lopes calling from Google for Work Support.
It took Wilson a while over the phone to figure out what has gone wrong with my account. He guided me one step a time via my screen. Yes, you heard it right, over my screen without his presence. I granted permission for him to view my screen from his side far from the State without enabling him control over the activities on my screen.
His first attempt to help solve what I was facing failed. Every sign in to the admin console led me back to the sign in page. Strange. He told me that he needed help from the specialist as what I was facing was beyond his knowledge to solve and he promised to returned my call once he got me a solution.
I put down the phone with disappointment.
An hour later, Wilson called again. I was really surprised because I thought I was being brushed off in his first phone call to me. He came back prepared with a set of solution. He guided me thru the processes and we found out that I have keyed in the wrong user account and password. With his patience and guidance I have successfully retrieved my username! But still, I could not sign in to my account as the same thing happened again. Wilson couldn't figure out what was wrong so he promised to call back again.
This time, I was ready to lose my blog and all the memories I penned down in there, forever.
This afternoon at about 3pm, Wilson called again. This time, he came back prepared with another set of solution. He guided me step by step thru a very complicated process that no lay person could understand and my login attempt became a success!
I thanked Wilson in delight and he promised assistance if I were to face any issues regarding my domain again in the future.
Moral of the story is, it isn't expensive to purchase a domain but it would cost you all you have put in your blog if you cease paying annual renewal fees. Your domain will not goes back to .blogspot.com but instead, disappear permanently upon expiry! It is an irreversible process so think twice before you place your order. I am not sure about other host but with eblogger, it is a one way traffic without option for u-turn.
You might want to ask why didn't I contact our local Google team support? I have tried calling Google Malaysia but was told that our local support team do not provide technical support. I personally think that accessibility to Google Support Team was not easy.
I have never imagined how my life would become if one day my blog no longer exist until I was near losing it.
Reminders to renew my domain was sent via email by Google team since a couple of months ago. Standing instruction was made many years ago since when I first started blogging for the annual renewal of my domain name janeschwan.com. I started blogging with .blogspot.com with simple intention to improve my very poor english. I came from a chinese speaking background, therefore, english was an alien language to me. It took me many years of hard work to be able to speak, listen and write like how I am writing this to you today. Not perfect yet, but this is not what we are going to discuss in detail today. Traffic to my blog increased unexpectedly after some time. This has given me more confident in writing. So, on 14th April of a year I have decided to get my domain name registered at USD10/annum.
I am not sure if it was a rightful decision. Continue reading if you wish to know more about how registering a domain name can affect you.
As briefly mentioned, I authorised Google to make payment for my annual domain renewal automatically with my mother's credit card because I did not have a credit card back then. FYI, I got my first credit card at a bank at the age of late 26 when I started working for a bank. I know right majority of you out there gets your first credit card early, either via parents, boyfriend or not long after your rewarding employment. Well again, this is also not why this article was written. So one day, which was a couple of months ago, Google sent me an email saying that my mum's credit card was "expired" requesting for a new credit card details. I then deleted my mum's credit card details and keyed in mine thinking that payment will be automatically credited from my credit card.
Let me paint you a clearer picture of how payment for eblogger domain registration works before I proceed. One needs to sign in to Google Admin Console to key in your credit card details on the billing column for payment. If you don't already know, Google Admin Console is a place where you can monitor your account with Google.
I thought payment has been automatically credited from my credit card. Not long after I have keyed in my own credit card details, I received repeat reminder from Google telling me that no payment was being made and my domain name will be released for sale upon expiry. Link to the Google Admin Console was given but I could not sign in. Every sign in leads me back to the sign in page. I tried changing my password again and again the same thing happened again and again. I immediately searched for Google support team's contact but their website was much worse than a bank's or a telco's operator! One click links to another and it took me round and round to finally reached their Google support team.
I wrote to them regarding the issues I faced and seek for their advice but to no avail. As my domain's expiration date approaches, I became very emotional reminiscing every moments I have recorded in my blog. They will all dissipate in less than half a month time.
As I was about to give up, the inner me whispered a one last attempt. So I clicked on Google Support page insouciantly allowing it to lead me from one page to another. In the end of everything I clicked I reached Google for Work Support page. There was a form to be filled in for creation of tickets. Holding no high hope for return emails nor responses, I gambled a chance.
In less than 3 days time, I received an email from Google for Work Support. I then replied stating my concern like what I have done to other members of the Google Support team.
SMS came in not long after my email reply to Google informing of several missed call from a foreign number followed by an incoming call. I answered.
It was Wilson Lopes calling from Google for Work Support.
It took Wilson a while over the phone to figure out what has gone wrong with my account. He guided me one step a time via my screen. Yes, you heard it right, over my screen without his presence. I granted permission for him to view my screen from his side far from the State without enabling him control over the activities on my screen.
His first attempt to help solve what I was facing failed. Every sign in to the admin console led me back to the sign in page. Strange. He told me that he needed help from the specialist as what I was facing was beyond his knowledge to solve and he promised to returned my call once he got me a solution.
I put down the phone with disappointment.
An hour later, Wilson called again. I was really surprised because I thought I was being brushed off in his first phone call to me. He came back prepared with a set of solution. He guided me thru the processes and we found out that I have keyed in the wrong user account and password. With his patience and guidance I have successfully retrieved my username! But still, I could not sign in to my account as the same thing happened again. Wilson couldn't figure out what was wrong so he promised to call back again.
This time, I was ready to lose my blog and all the memories I penned down in there, forever.
This afternoon at about 3pm, Wilson called again. This time, he came back prepared with another set of solution. He guided me step by step thru a very complicated process that no lay person could understand and my login attempt became a success!
I thanked Wilson in delight and he promised assistance if I were to face any issues regarding my domain again in the future.
Moral of the story is, it isn't expensive to purchase a domain but it would cost you all you have put in your blog if you cease paying annual renewal fees. Your domain will not goes back to .blogspot.com but instead, disappear permanently upon expiry! It is an irreversible process so think twice before you place your order. I am not sure about other host but with eblogger, it is a one way traffic without option for u-turn.
You might want to ask why didn't I contact our local Google team support? I have tried calling Google Malaysia but was told that our local support team do not provide technical support. I personally think that accessibility to Google Support Team was not easy.
