Problem
Domain slamming, similar to "slamming" in long-distance
marketing is when a company attempts to make you switch services unknowingly.
How? In Domain Slamming, you will receive a letter or email from a company
telling you how much you must pay them so that your domain name doesn't expire.
It may or may not say "this is not a bill" but has the appearance nonetheless,
so if you do not read it carefully, you will send them money, which initiates a
transfer of your domain from whomever is handling it to their company.
The problem is simple. These companies target owners of
domain names to get them to switch services (fair enough), but owners or
administrators may know little about the details of the Internet part of their
business or organization. They assume it is a bill that must be paid, not
realizing they are already paying something else. They may not even know
what a domain name is, and take for granted it is something they just need to do
because they don't want to be bothered with technical details.
Ignorance or inattentiveness? Either way, huge numbers
of people are switching services my mistake, which can create a mess and lost
money.
Legislation
Deceptive marketing is covered under existing laws, and the
FTC in particular handles many disputes. Lawsuits can be filed, especially
if fees are not returned after a "mistaken" transfer.
Getting Even
You can file complaints about slamming by notifying the
following organizations:
