The relentless barrage of web design solicitations following domain registrations
Here’s what I dealt with on Friday.
The moment you register a domain name you need to be prepared for a barrage of phone calls, emails and texts from firms trying to sell web design services.
For this reason, I now register domain names using a Google Voice number and a special email address. This covers most of the domains I hand register, and it always seemed like the perpetrators were only picking up on fresh domain registrations.
But the prior week I won a domain on NameJet that was deposited in my Network Solutions account. Despite being a transfer instead of a fresh registration, the spam began.
Here’s how one of the more interesting communications occurred. First, I got an email from “Leanna” at [email protected]:
Hi There,
Your domain registration is finished. Would you like someone to help with web design?
Our offices are based in California and we’re delivering elegant websites made in house.
We’re in association with Godaddy thats how we got your info.
Have a wonderful day.
Thank you,
Leanna
This notion of being in cahoots with GoDaddy is something a lot of firms use when sending these solicitations. Of course, it’s not true.
I decided to see where this would go. I emailed Leanna back and stated I was interested.
Instead of hearing back from Leanna, I got a message from “Sam” at DEHMedia [email protected].
His email indicated that his firm had “launched more than 1000 dynamic websites, responsive and mobile friendly” and directed me to DEHMedia.com to learn more.
The email included links to 8 sites that DEHMedia has apparently designed. One led to a Plesk default server page, but the other sites looked pretty good. The first two led to sites with a footer message saying they were designed by BlueZoo Labs. That was odd.
So I called the two phone numbers in Sam’s email signature. Neither of them picked up, and the second one stated it was a MagicJack line.
I emailed Sam back saying that I tried calling and no one picked up. He responded “I am in a meeting. Please call my boss Deborah at…”
I called Deborah.
Deborah explained that her firm has 6 web developers/designers. I brought up the initial email that mentioned GoDaddy being associated with them.
Deborah explained that GoDaddy will “shoot out to media firms that we work with” some websites that are brand fresh.
Hmm. I tried to clarify: you mean GoDaddy will tell you there’s a fresh website and you ought to contact them?
Deborah stated that GoDaddy is going to capture a modest part of the business and wants to have web developers work with their clients to build websites.
This is, of course, quite misleading. They got my information from a Whois record.
Deborah then cleared up the confusion regarding BlueZoo. She explained that DEH Media was the media part of the firm and that BlueZoo, her firm, does the development. (So Sam’s Boss works for a different firm? That’s Odd.)
At this point, I asked regarding why a Google search for DEH Media pulls up a firm in Switzerland. The domainer in Deborah came out: she explained that they bought the domain name from a prior firm. The domain helped since it has longevity and credibility.
It’s unclear to me what relationship DEH Media and BlueZoo have. Both claim to have offices in San Ramon, California. The address points to a Regus space. It’s possible that certain firms work to get warm leads from domain registrations and then pass them on to the actual web design shops once they are qualified.
Shortly following I got off the phone with Deborah I got a call from another web development firm, GoWebby. The first time you hear this name in a thick Indian accent, you’ll swear it sounds like GoDaddy.
