Don't use Network Solutions

I've owned various domain names for a long time and one of the first companies around at the time was Network Solutions.  They were a solid registrar at the beginning, but they are really bad now.  I'm writing this article in case you are like me, and just got complacent, didn't look at your bills, or just haven't had the time to switch to something else.

The problems for me really started a few years ago when I started my own company. I started buying a lot of domain names and the setup process was awful.  With every domain name you buy from them you are automatically opted in to services you don't need through very aggressive marketing  during the checkout process.  You might think I'm nitpicking here, but it ended up being more than just marketing.   Over the years I've been billed hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for services that I opted out of at checkout only to find them on my bill.  Maybe this is a mistake, but when it happens so many times it feels like when Fox News "accidentally" puts a D next to a republican who got in trouble or is saying something they don't like.  Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend, more than that is policy.

It feels like the same thing at Network Solutions.  Technically it could all just be a mistake and bad service, but when it happens so often it makes you wonder.

Take a look at these screenshots when I just logged into my account there.  I don't get taken to my account management page.  I get more marketing with greyed out buttons.  

Now check out the actual domain buying process and all of the crap they put in your way.

If the above isn't enough to drive you away from Network Solutions, they have also been known to break a lot of things not using their services.  I ran into this a couple of years ago.  I had been using G-Suite for mail servers and Network Solutions changed my MX records without any authorization to point to their crappy mail service.  I called them and got it sorted out after who knows how much lost mail, but no apology or explanation was given even though I explicitly asked for one several times.  

The final straw though was trying to sell and transfer a domain name.  The process was absolutely awful and resulted in hours on the phone with customer support.  I had finally had enough, and started wondering what the hell was keeping me with this company.  I started looking around, and I think I found a good registrar at Hover.   They only do domain services and domain add-ons that will cost you money at Network Solutions like private registration and forwarding are just part of the service.   If you are looking for a registrar, or are on Network Solutions like me, take a few minutes and look around. It may save you a lot of time and money in the long run.