Come October 1st, 2009, the Microsoft Office Live Small Business free domain name renewals
ride will be over. Microsoft revealed that, in just under two months, it would no longer make available free domain name renewals for Office Live Small Business customers. This move will affect all users of the service, including those who signed up between 2006 and mid-February 2008. During this period, the Redmond company was offering a free custom domain name with each sign-up with the Office Live Small Business service. These customers were promised free Web site registrations for life, which is no longer the case.
“We’ve made a policy change and will start charging customers who signed up between the above dates the annual domain name renewal fee,” the company stated. “We’ve made the decision to begin charging all customers for custom domains to standardize our pricing and bring it in line with our competitors. The domain renewal fee you are being asked to pay is the same price that all other customers are currently paying. We feel that this price is very competitive in the marketplace, especially given that Office Live Small Business will continue to provide several other free services.”
Customers who choose not to pay the annual renewal fee will not see their websites die. Microsoft has assured users that all websites will be kept active. But of course there is a key shortcoming to not renewing the registration, as the domain name will be lost. All websites without a renewed domain name will default to a website address such as http://youroldcustomdomainname.web.officelive.com.
In addition “the administration of your domain name will be transferred to Melbourne IT, who is the domain registrar for Office Live Small Business,” Microsoft informed. “All e-mail accounts on the expired domain name will be automatically removed and e-mail messages will not be saved. You always have the option of keeping your Web site active with Office Live Small Business on a free Web address such as http://youroldcustomdomainname.web.officelive.com if you don’t feel the value of the custom domain justifies the cost.”
Microsoft Office Live Small Business customers who indeed wish to renew a domain name will have to cough up no less than $14.95, which is an annual domain renewal fee. However, domain renewals will only be possible starting with 45 days in advance of the expiration date. Microsoft will provide all customers with an e-mail notice.
“Your domain expiration date will be provided in an e-mail to you. Also, you will be able to see your expiration date on your Domain Manager page in the next week or so. You will be able to view it by clicking on the Properties link in the Options column on your Domain Manager page,” the company explained. “If your domain name expires prior to October 1, 2009, you will not need to pay for it until it expires again in 2010. For example, if your domain name expires on August 29, 2009, you will have until August 29, 2010, to pay for it.”
Find us on Google+
