ING bites back at ACCC claims

Domain name reseller Internet Name Group claims that many of the complaints forming the basis of the ACCC's recent decision to take legal action against it are outdated.

In a statement issued yesterday, Internet Name Group (ING) director Mark Spektor, said that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) application for interlocutory orders from the Federal Court had taken it totally by surprise.

"Many of the complaints on which the allegations are based are not current as they referred to old marketing practices which were amended last year," Spektor said.

Spektor also said that he had not heard from the ACCC for six months, leading him to believe that it was satisfied with the how ING had addressed the issues.

ING hit the headlines last month after the ACCC announced it was taking the company to court.

The following day .au Domain Administration suspended ING's status as a provisionally-accredited registrar of .au domain names until the matter with the ACCC had been resolved.

According to the domain name reseller's statement, it has provided interim undertakings to the Federal Court and the ACCC regarding its marketing practices.

ING is hoping that a -speedy final resolution will be reached between the ACCC and ING".

An ING spokesperson was unvailable for further comment on the information contained in its statement.

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Talkback 2 comments

    If ING claim that they ceased their "advertising" practises last year, then someone has been mis-informed. So far this year, I have received 3 Domain renewal notices from ING, on domains which do not expire until 2003. I can Steve Teece -- 07/05/02

    If ING claim that they ceased their "advertising" practises last year, then someone has been mis-informed.

    So far this year, I have received 3 Domain renewal notices from ING, on domains which do not expire until 2003.

    I can easily see why other, less vigilant companies are being caught by ING's promotional activities, and fully support the ACCC in it's actions.

    Most Small Businesses don't know any better and are easily pursuaded to cough up! Domain Names are still relatively a new experiment for Small Biz that they don't realise "who is who" or rather "who do we pay" for their domain names. Anonymous -- 07/05/02

    Most Small Businesses don't know any better and are easily pursuaded to cough up! Domain Names are still relatively a new experiment for Small Biz that they don't realise "who is who" or rather "who do we pay" for their domain names.

    I have clients that phone me up (I host/develop their web sites) wanting to know whether or not the ING invoice that has been posted out should be paid (as I have informed them of the $137.50 "actual" cost-price direct from INWW). I just tell them to "CHUCK IT IN THE BIN" as I don't think small business shoiuld be paying $198 through a reseller, like ING.

    Another thing ING like to do as well, is send out an invoice for a ".com" variant of a .com.au domain name at OVER INFLATED prices by 500%. Once again, the majority of Small Businesses don't realise the difference between .com and .com.au, so they assume they are renewing their "active" domain.

    I say Go ACCC. I empathise with my clients and hate being over charged for something that is obviously a scam!

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