Please lend your advise!

[Fireproofgfx]

So I have a client who is located in Australia who is having me make him two websites. One for his Coffee Distributing company and another for his own coffee brand. He signed up through Hostmonster for both websites but unfortunately Hostmonster cannot offer Yourname.com.au domains.

So my question is, since he already has the host set up where should I direct him for purchasing the 2 .com.au Domains? ( I know I can do a google search and find someone but I wanted to hear who you guys and gals would prefer.)

Once I he purchases the Domains I will then move the nameservers over to Hostmonster and everything should be hunky dory lol.. Thanks for any advice you can share. I didn't see this coming, usually my experience with Hostmonster is buy the host and domain together and I have never had any problems with them. So now I need to tell my client he also needs to buy the domains.

Thanks ahead of time for your help!

[bleau canon]

Crazy Domains is In Australia. http://www.crazydomains.com.au/
Have no clue how they are in the long run though.

[Fireproofgfx]

alright, thank you for that link. I will look into them right now. I went ahead and try researching this last night and came away with http://www.ziphosting.com.au/ which sounded good. So I will compare the two. Thank You!

[TheGAME1264]

You want my advice? My advice is screw you.

Seriously, why does the host have to offer domains? Leave domains to the registrar. Do not, do not, do not use a hosting company as a registrar. If they suck and you have to cancel, hosting companies have been known to hold domain names hostage and force customers to stay with them.

Keep the two separate.

As far as a registrar is concerned, I'm going to make the unpopular suggestion and say GoDaddy. Their hosting isn't very good overall, but as a registrar (which is their major game), they're fine.

[Fireproofgfx]

Sorry to make you mad Game lmao, but I don't want to get screwed :P I only know what I am familiar with and that is I have used Hostmonster for over 6 years and have set up 5 different clients with them and never had an issue. Albeit, I never knew they couldn't handle providing an AU domain, which is a lesson I have learned from this situation.

I also learn because of your comment that I should purchase separate host and domain so what you said can happen won't in the future. Which I will take your advice on this and move forward and try to implement this process when possible.

[shovenose]

This thread is so wrong in so many ways.
1. Hostmonster sucks
2. GoDaddy sucks
3. CrazyDomains sucks
4. I don't sell .com.au so don't say I'm spamming
5a. I don't see thegame's problem with registering a domain with your host, of course if you go with something bad like Hostmonster then yes it's a disaster. (7 days in, a friend is still waiting on 2 domains to transfer from Hostmonster to ResellerClub)
5b. In answer to why a hosting provider offers registration? You're kidding me right? People want the ease of having everything with one company, so support will be easier, bill management will be easier, and the host can make a few cents more per hosting account if the client buys a domain too.

[Fireproofgfx]

so ziphosting is OK? lol..

[shovenose]

I don't know anything about Ziphosting but what about http://reselldot.com/domain-registra...tion-price.php they seem to sell them for $16.99 which is a bit high but I think it includes domain privacy and dns for free... maybe check them out?
Ziphosting doesn't seem too bad either though, but they charge too much for domain privacy...
I really don't know a good source for .com.au

[TheGAME1264]

This thread is so wrong in so many ways.

Eeeeeeeeeeasy there, fella. Rein in the anger.

1. Hostmonster sucks

No opinion. Never used them.

2. GoDaddy sucks

As a host, they're subpar (their stupid SMTP cap is annoying, among other things). Of course, there's always a reseller like WZ that may be able to get around that... I don't know. I'd check with him just because he would have a vested interest in not steering you wrong.

As a registrar, they're fine. I don't like that they charge for domain privacy...I don't think anyone should charge for what registrars such as Sibername offer for free. But there are ways to give yourself privacy without having to pay for it (e.g. use an email that doesn't affect you if it's spammed, get a decent anti-spam filter, use a different mailing address, etc).

3. CrazyDomains sucks

4. I don't sell .com.au so don't say I'm spamming

Again, though, you are a host yourself. No one said it was spamming. It just looks bad when you trash the competition, especially when you don't back it up. I've told you this before, but you don't seem to get it.

5a. I don't see thegame's problem with registering a domain with your host, of course if you go with something bad like Hostmonster then yes it's a disaster. (7 days in, a friend is still waiting on 2 domains to transfer from Hostmonster to ResellerClub)

You just answered your own question. You register, the host goes south on you, you're stuck.

5b. In answer to why a hosting provider offers registration? You're kidding me right? People want the ease of having everything with one company, so support will be easier, bill management will be easier, and the host can make a few cents more per hosting account if the client buys a domain too.

Support isn't easier when the registrar is the host. What if the host/registrar sucks? Then it's harder and you're trapped. Not worth the "convenience".

So 5b is negated by your own answer to 5a.

[Webzarus]

This is the same discussion that is hashed out time and time again, and will never have a clear answer.

Why ?

Because it either comes down to people stating personal preference ( perhaps with some background , perhaps some statements made without all the facts )... Either way and every way, no matter what someone says, there WILL be someone that doesn't agree 100%.

Registrars ( not reseller registrars ), are a little more likely to be in business in the long run because they are required to pay $$$$ big bucks to ICANN to secure their standing as a registrar.

Almost every registrar offers hosting as a "add on" to their offerings as it is a lucrative money maker as long as they provide decent service and support.

And everyone's needs are different. Some people feel the need to call / email support for every little issue, everytime something happens or they can't figure out their control panel. Me personally, I've only had to email my provider 2 times in the past 5 years, for a DNS record lock that I couldnt clear myself.

If you are new to hosting and have problems reading and following instructions or don't know the terminology, you may want to go with one of the larger hosting companies that have support. I'm gonna to out on a limb and say anyone that doesn't publish a telephone number or only offer "email support", you wanna steer clear... Yeah, you can fire off an email in a few seconds, but that doesn't meant you'll get a response any faster.

I went through numerous hosting companies over the years, and I did tons of research, i still used some packages, but most of my clients are on my servers, for those that want turn key, I put them on my reseller plan, those that need or want to manage their own stuff but express an interest or already have a hosting package, I usually work with them, unless their hosting keeps their site from being seen by search engines.

BTW... If you want to know if someone is an actual registrar, ICANN publishes a list of all accredited registrars on their site every 3 months. If someone you're thinking about using is not on the list, then they are probably a reseller and not a registrar.

As for the debate of having domain and hosting on the same company ? There have been instances where someone that registered a domain held it hostage when the buyer wanted to move, but they were 1. Either not registrars OR 2. Within the 30 days of registration or 30 days of renewal OR 3. They got the domain name for free or extremely discounted but also signed a TOS saying they would keep it there for a certain time period because of the special pricing.

More times than not when someone complains about a registrar holding onto their domain name it's #3...

Personally not worried about keeping them the same, not with all the other crap that's out there.