Great service from DomainsDirect.NZ

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andynz

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#242861 17-Nov-2018 14:30

Over the last few years I have found the support & service from domains4less getting worse and after they dropped some services in their new "improved service" I went looking for a new registrar.

I found DomainsDirect.nz. It is run by a local company and I have nothing but praise for their service. A trialed moving a couple of domains and Daniel was incredibly helpful even answering questions after hours within a very short time frame.

I was so happy I moved the rest of my domains from domains4less to DomainsDirect.nz and have had no problems since. They also offer great pricing on .co.nz domains at $16.50/year.

I have no ulterior motive or financial gain in writing this review other than wanting to promote and support a local company that provided fantastic service.

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#2128544 17-Nov-2018 15:58

I use Metaname (https://www.metaname.net/). Also a local biz. The very few times I've had to contact their support they've responded quickly and professionally.

Lias

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#2128878 18-Nov-2018 13:50

KiwiSurfer:

I use Metaname (https://www.metaname.net/). Also a local biz. The very few times I've had to contact their support they've responded quickly and professionally.

I've looked at Metaname a couple of times, because people around here often recommend it.. and I've got to say I just don't see the appeal. The single thing I like about them is they offer an API to script things. If you don't need API support, I personally think Metaname isn't that cheap, it's interface is uglier than something straight out of the 90's, and they don't provide mail forwarding.

I'm still with domains4less, but as with OP I'm less than enamoured with their new offering. Might have to have a look at domainsdirect.

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup. Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

mme

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#2129066 18-Nov-2018 21:52

+1 for Metaname

Looking at the DNC list (https://dnc.org.nz/registrars) I don't seem to be able to find DomainsDirect. On their site I am not finding any info if they support things like DS records (needed for DNSSEC).

Whilst yes Metaname does cost a bit more it does have all the needed Domain features such as DNSSEC. Email forwarding I would consider more for the email system you use, not really domain registrar related in my opinion.

I guess if you just need the really basic functions of a domain then DomainsDirect certainly look to be a great fit for pricing per domain.

jnimmo

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#2129068 18-Nov-2018 22:00

I was very happy with Domains4Less for probably 10+ years, but I'm not a fan of the new control panel, and no track record of the new DNS management etc. So I'll be moving all the domains I manage - so it's good to have a recommendation on where to go

networkn

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#2129071 18-Nov-2018 22:03

Why is a topic about a good review for one company, resulting in alternatives being suggested?

Lias

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#2129081 18-Nov-2018 23:23

mme:

Email forwarding I would consider more for the email system you use, not really domain registrar related in my opinion.

The whole point of having it done by the registrar is so you don't need to pay for mail hosting.

E.g. myname@mysurname.co.nz gets forwarded to my isp/hotmail/gmail whatever, mykidsname@ goes to their free email account, my otherkidsname goes to their email etc.. then a wildcard alias so that I can use companyname@ when giving any company an email address etc. I've been doing that with half a dozen domains for years and it's worked very well.

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michaelmurfy

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#2129088 18-Nov-2018 23:53

@Lias While I do get that Metaname doesn't offer mail forwarding I personally would never use such a thing. There are free providers like Zoho that offer this, for free and with additional security like SPF and DMARC - best of all you're separating the services off meaning it is likely going to be more reliable. I can honestly say you're the first person who has talked about using their domain provider for mail forwarding. I'm also not bothered with domain costs - it is a yearly thing, it isn't monthly and I personally support local. I removed your other comment because it is uncalled for and frankly untrue. I just appreciate good service and know the owners personally (they're good guys) who care about their customers.

Now, back on topic...

DomainsDirect is just a reseller for Crazy Domains by the looks. I would never, ever use a reseller for a domain name. There has been many times now when a domain reseller has gone out of business leaving a tonne of customers with a mess to clean up. They're also doing this for cheap which is a red flag for me. I've also never really heard of DomainsDirect until now. The domain register they're reselling (Crazy Domains) doesn't support DNSSEC either which I think everyone should have enabled on their domains. You can save a few dollars by going straight to Crazy Domains. I can't speak of their service however.

In otherwords, whilst they may offer good service you're really getting a no-frills experience and are dealing with some risk here too. I don't think reselling domains for cheap is sustainable in the long term.

Edit: Crazy Domains is based in Dubai. No thanks... Not even via a reseller.

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Lias

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#2129174 19-Nov-2018 09:58

michaelmurfy:

I removed your other comment because it is uncalled for and frankly untrue. I just appreciate good service and know the owners personally (they're good guys) who care about their customers.

Networkn questioned why a thread recommending one registrar was being derailed by people recommending Metaname, and my comment was a perfectly valid one. Your response just kind of reinforces that the pro Metaname brigade around here are well.. rabid fanbois..

Personally, my two cents would be you (or one of the other mods who doesn't have a conflict of interest by being friends with the owners) should remove all the pro Metaname posts.

stinger

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#2129277 19-Nov-2018 10:45

andynz:

They also offer great pricing on .co.nz domains at $16.50/year.

This rings massive alarm bells for me. The wholesale price for .nz domain names (what InternetNZ charges registrars) is $17.25 per year. ($1.25/m + GST). Charging $16.50 per year is loss making and that's before you factor in staff, building and infrastructure costs. And no doubt Crazy Domains also clip the ticket along the way too.

(Also +1 for meta ame, IPv6 Glue, DNSDEC and IDN support are excellent, and is why I have used them :) )

michaelmurfy

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#2129289 19-Nov-2018 10:55

@Lias This however isn't just me, it is many people around here. I get it you have your own views on the subject but I will not stop others from posting their recommendations also based on their own experiences. This is an open forum. This is the same with any other product / service / company. If a user has had a good experience then they will post about it, same as bad experiences. Just because many people on here have had a great experience with Metaname (or any other company) doesn't make them "rabid fanboys" as you state they are. I get no special treatment with them. This goes for any other company I recommend on here. Anyway, back on topic.

andynz

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#2129353 19-Nov-2018 11:50

Oh dear, this thread seems have got pretty heated.

Anyway, it was just a post to say what great personal service I had had from Domainsdirect and personal service is lacking in many offerings. My move was prompted after a drawn out support case with domains4less ending in them making changes I specifically asked them not to do.

From the information I have, Domainsdirect is run by one of the previous people who started domains4less, webdrive etc with over 20 years experience in the industry. Wholesale pricing on co.nz is $15+GST. They are an authorised reseller with DNC requiring you to be a reseller first. They are planning on launching their own platform with fuller features such as DNSSEC.

Not trying to argue with anyone here. Just relying the great experience I have had.

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yosha

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#2129355 19-Nov-2018 11:51

+1 for Domains Direct for any low importance domains.

Would never recommend a budget registrar for business domains in any case. Points already made above about reselling CrazyDomains

Lias

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#2129378 19-Nov-2018 12:18

michaelmurfy:

@Lias This however isn't just me, it is many people around here. I get it you have your own views on the subject but I will not stop others from posting their recommendations also based on their own experiences. This is an open forum. This is the same with any other product / service / company. If a user has had a good experience then they will post about it, same as bad experiences. Just because many people on here have had a great experience with Metaname (or any other company) doesn't make them "rabid fanboys" as you state they are. I get no special treatment with them. This goes for any other company I recommend on here. Anyway, back on topic.

I don't have anything against Metaname, I'm sure they work very well for people who only need/want the features they offer. That doesn't mean they are the best registrar for every scenario however. If this thread had been someone asking for recommendations for a registrar, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But this wasn't, it was someone saying "I've had a really good experience with DomainsDirect" and a bunch of people basically going "they suck, use Metaname". Now maybe not in your eyes, but to me that's fanboi behaviour, and there's really no need for it.

irpegg

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#2129385 19-Nov-2018 12:28

The guy who started Domainsdirect is actually the original founder of Webdrive, so he'll know what he's doing. He's probably just reselling at the moment at low rate till he gains momentum to where paying the DNC fee's to become a regsitrar pays off.

Lias

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#2129387 19-Nov-2018 12:34

timbee:

The guy who started Domainsdirect is actually the original founder of Webdrive, so he'll know what he's doing. He's probably just reselling at the moment at low rate till he gains momentum to where paying the DNC fee's to become a regsitrar pays off.

His blog about it's quite an interesting read, including how he got banned from Geekzone twice lol.

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