I’ve been using Netfirms as a domain registrar now for a couple years.  So far so good!  They’re cheap ($6.99 / year!) and the site is easy-to-use.

Well, actually…my only complaint is that I wish they would allow registration of .US extensions.  I’m not entirely sure but I’m guessing it’s because they’re based out of the UK and registrars must be American to offer .US extensions.

Not too long ago I had a keyword phrase that had a good monthly search / competition ratio so I decided to register the domain.  Unfortunately all the popular extensions were taken (.COM, .NET, .ORG) – even hyphenated – so I decided to go for a .US.

That lead me on the unfortunate path to GoDaddy, the self-proclaimed “World’s #1 Registrar” (no joke!).  Holy crap are they ever terrible.

Let me list the ways:

• A maze of pages before you can complete your order that attempt to trick you in a multitude of ways to pay more money for extra crap you don’t want or need
• Phone calls after you’ve bought a domain to sell you more shit (first time in my life a registrar has ever called me)
• The privacy feature IS NOT *free* (so the public can see the phone # and address associated with your domain)

Anyhoo, the moral of the story is…Netfirms good, GoDaddy terrible (regardless of how beautiful their models are).