Frequent Questions and Answers

Pre-Sale Questions

What is a domain name?
A domain name is a set of characters that will define your url, such as yourcompany.com or mydomain.net. A "top level domain" is the ending that you choose for your site name, such as .com, .net, or .org.

What is domain name registration? Can I build web site?
Domain name registration refers to your ownership of a domain name. A detailed registry keeps track of the official owners and contact persons for each domain name. This service does not include space or tools for building a web site.

How much does a domain name cost?
SiteReserve.com offers domain name registration and reservation for a total cost of $35 per year or $45 per year. The first two years of registration will be $70.00 or $90.00 depending on the type of domain you register. Sales tax may apply.

Are there any additional charges?
There are no additional charges to register your name and reserve it with SiteReserve.com. You only pay the $35 (or $45) per domain name per year that you register. The first time you order a new domain name, you must pay the total for the first two years. You will not pay further until the first 2 years of your ownership is up. You will only accrue additional costs if you decide to render additional services, such as Web Hosting.

ICANN, a government agency that regulates domain name issues, passed a set of policies that allowed several companies to provide registration services, instead of only one high-priced company. For this reason, SiteReserve is able to bring you the service for less than it has been offered in the past.

What does it mean to "reserve" a domain name/ what is "domain parking"?
Domain Reservation or Domain Parking "stores" your domain name on name servers. In order for your name to remain unavailable to other parties, it must be reserved on nameservers. While your name is reserved, you can concentrate on creating an idea for your site.

Am I required to keep my domain name with SiteReserve for an entire 2 years?
No. Your $70 fee (or $90 fee for some top level domains) covers up to 2 years of reservation under SiteReserve.com, but you can always change ownership or delete your domain name before the 2 years is over. Please note that we will not be able to refund any un-used portion of your registration fee.

Is there a separate fee for reserving my domain name with SiteReserve.com?
No. Your $35 fee covers the registration of your name, as well as the option to reserve it on our sister company's nameservers (WEBii.net / WEBXESS). You also have the option of reserving the name with another company, which may or may not incur additional fees. You must consult that provider to find out about fees for domain reservation/parking.

Why can’t I register a domain name for increments of time other than two years?
SiteReserve currently only offers 2-year registration periods for new domain registrations. After this first 2-years, you can choose to renew the domain for anywhere between 1 and 10 years.

When my domain name is up for renewal, what increments of time can I renew it for?
You can renew your domain name for increments of anywhere between 1 and 10 years (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, or 10).

What top level domain can I register my domain name with?
SiteReserve currently offers registration for .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, and .us domain names. Please note that certain restrictions apply to .biz and .us domain names.

What is the domain name registration process with SiteReserve.com?
You must fill out our online order form on our sitereserve.com web site and include valid credit card information. We do not accept orders via phone or regular mail.

What do I need to provide to register a domain name with SiteReserve.com?
You will be required to provide the Organization Contact information for the domain name, and a valid credit card.

What methods of payment does SiteReserve accept?
We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards only.

Who is the legal owner of the name?
The person named in the Organization Contact is the legal owner of the domain name.

Is it possible for another person to register my domain once I have registered it?
A universal database called SRS stores information for all of the domain names registered. SiteReserve will use this database to check the availability of your name. If you are the first to register the name, it will be reflected in this database and no one will be able to take the name.

How long will it take for everyone to access my newly register domain name?
The processing time for registration is within 24 hours. Once the period is complete, your domain name will be accessible within 72 hours.

What if the domain name I want is already taken?
SiteReserve.com can not register a name that is unavailable. To acquire the name, you must contact the current owner of the name and negotiate directly with them.

The domain name I was trying to transfer is already expired. What do I do now? Can I get a refund?
Please note that the domain owner MUST confirm emails from TWO parties, OpenSRS (SiteReserve) and the current registrar, as promptly as possible. Most registrars only allot a few days for proper confirmation. If the domain name has expired before the transfer is complete, the customer must either:

  • Renew the name with the current registrar to remove a "lock" placed by that registrar, and then send an email to SiteReserve to re-request the transfer.

    OR

  • Wait out the expiration until the domain name is available to register as new. Then, contact SiteReserve by email to request the domain name be registered. Please note that this method may allow other parties to register your domain name.

SiteReserve CANNOT register or transfer any domain name that is expired and "locked" by the current registrar. SiteReserve will NOT issue refunds for declined transfers that failed because the domain owner did not properly confirm the transfer properly

My domain name expired because I didn't confirm the transfer by email. What do I do now?
The domain name owner MUST confirm the transfer by emails from TWO parties in order for the transfer to be successful. This must be done promptly and per the instructions of the current registrar and of OpenSRS. If you delete or ignore the emails that are sent to you, we cannot be responsible for the incomplete transfer of your domain name. Please see the above question for more details and to learn how to proceed with your domain name transfer.

Do you offer discounts on multiple orders?
No, we believe in treating each customer fairly by offering a low price for all orders, big or small.

How do I transfer a domain name registered with another registration service to SiteReserve?
You must be the legal domain owner in order to transfer the domain name. Simply fill out our online order form on our sitereserve.com web site and include valid credit card information. A request will be sent from a third party to the Organization Contact (the legal owner of the name) who must confirm the transfer for it to proceed. Once the transfer is approved, the domain should be transferred within 5-7 days.

What do I do if I have a typo or misspell the domain name in my order?
As soon as you have realized your mistake, please contact SiteReserve immediately by emailing accounting@sitereserve.com. If your order has already been processed and registration is complete, then you must place a separate order to register the correct name for an additional fee. Please note that we cannot refund any charges due to typo or misspell of the domain name.

Do I get an email account with my SiteReserve.com registered domain?
No, in order to render email services, you must expand your domain account to a web hosting plan. Visit www.webii.net for details.

What is Web Hosting? Can I publish my web page and upload files to the domain name I register with SiteReserve.com?
Web Hosting is a separate service which allows you access to a server that will hold your web page files. It is basically a space to store all of your website information so that it can be seen by others on the web. You must render hosting services in addition to the registration at SiteReserve in order to perform web design and development tasks. To upgrade your account to a hosting package, refer to www.webii.net.

Does SiteReserve provide a Web Hosting Service?
SiteReserve is the sister company to Webii.net, a Web Hosting,Web Design, and Development company. If you have setup your domain name with SiteReserve.com, you can render hosting services directly from WEBii.net for web hosting services later, or you can visit WEBii.net to order domain registation and web hosting services all at once.

Are there any restrictions on who is allowed to register a .info domain name?
Currently, .info domain names are not restricted to particular types of registrants. You may register a .info domain for personal, organizational, or business use.

Are there any restrictions on who is allowed to register a .biz domain name?
Technically, .biz domain names are intended for business use only, and are not meant to be registered by an individual. If you do register a .biz domain name for personal use, you risk the possibility of losing the domain name if a legitimate business attempts to acquire it, or if a Registrar discovers you are a non-business entity.

What is .US?
.US is the official country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States within the global domain name system (DNS).

Who can register a .US domain name?
Any U.S. citizen or resident, as well as any business or organization, including federal, state, and local government with a bona fide presence in the United States can register a .US domain name.

One of the following eligibility requirements must be met:

  1. A natural person who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories or whose primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions, or
  2. Any entity or organization that is incorporated within one of the fifty (50) U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States possessions or territories or organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, or any of its possessions or territories, or
  3. An entity or organization (including federal, state, or local government of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof) that has a bona fide presence in the United States. See Section B.3.1 of the NeuStar proposal to the Department of Commerce for details concerning what constitutes a "bona fide presence."

What is the "whois" record?
The registry is a series of publically available records detailing the offical owner/administrator of each domain name. Each individual domain name's record is known as a "whois" record. When ever you make edits in your SiteReserve.com domain manager, the information you edit in the Admin, Technical, and Billing Contacts is what is reflected in the whois record.


Using Your Domain

 

Can I create or edit my "under construction" page that my domain name displays?
No. In order to display a page that you customize, you must upgrade your account to a Hosting Service. This is the only way that you will be able to create pages of your choice that are displayed on the web.

Does SiteReserve.com offer Hosting Services?
SiteReserve.com is a division of Webii.net, a Web Hosting, Web Design, and Development company. You may upgrade your account with Webii.net for and receive a $25 credit toward your setup fee. For a list of plans, visit www.webii.net.

Can I modify my domain name’s contact information?
Yes. You can edit any information within your account through SiteReserve.com’s website. Simply refer to "Manage Your Account"


Managing Your Domain

 

Can I change my password?
Yes. You can change this information in the account manager on SiteReserve.com. Simply choose "Manage your account" on the web site and proceed.

Can I change my user name?
No. You will not be able to change your user name once your user name has setup.

What are DNS servers?
DNS stands for Domain Name Server. These are the locations that your name will be reserved on before you build your site.

Which DNS servers will be used as default DNS servers when I register with SiteReserve?
The default servers will be NS1.WEBXESS.NET and NS2.WEBXESS.NET nameservers. There is no extra charge to reserve your name on these servers, however they do not offer DNS management privileges unless you also have a web hosting account with WEBii.

How do I change the DNS servers if I want my domain name to be reserved with a company other than WebXess?
On the order form, simply uncheck the default DNS server information box, and then insert the correct nameservers information in the form provided for DNS.

If you have already ordered the name and would like to change the DNS info, simply refer to "Manage My Account".

How do I transfer ownership of my domain name?
Log into "Manage Your Account" on SiteReserve.com and change the necessary contact information, based on the new owner’s information.

How do I delete my domain name?
If you no longer wish to own your domain name, you may simply ignore the renewal notice and not pay any renewal fees. If you want to take an actual website offline, please be sure to cancel the web hosting services associated with your domain name. Contact your web host (Webii.net or another provider) to modify web hosting services.

I have changed my email address and I forgot my managing password. What can I do to access my domain information?
If you need SiteReserve to disclose your password but you no longer have access to the email account we have on file for you, you may fax us the following:

On a company letterhead, the signature of the Domain Owner, the new Admin Email Address, and a copy of the front and back of a government photo ID (such as a driver’s license). Fax to: 512-241-1773.

I just signed up for a new Web Hosting account with Webii and they registered the domain name with SiteReserve. Where do I get my username and password to administer the domain?
If you signed up with a new hosting account through Webii, your new domain name will have the same username and password as the ftp information sent to you in the initial setup email. You may use this information to log into SiteReserve.com and change your domain name password or update the contact information associated with your domain. If for some reason you have misplaced the initial setup email for the hosting account, you may contact Webii to resend it to you.

Why is my domain in "locked" status?
Unfortunately, attempted theft of domain names does occur. With changes in procedures required to transfer domains into other ownership or to other providers, it can sometimes be too easy for someone you did not authorize to take control over your domain name. To protect our customers from unauthorized changes, we place domain names in a "locked" status by default. If you need to make changes, please contact us by email to request that your domain be unlocked.

How do I unlock a domain name to make new updates?
Simply write us an email to support@sitereserve.com or fax your request to 512-241-1773. Be sure to include your domain name, your full name, and a statement explaining that you need the domain unlocked. Our staff will disable the lock for you, after which point you can make modifications to your domain name record.


Billing Questions

 

Why did my credit card statement say "WebXess" instead of "SiteReserve"?
WebXess, Inc. is the founding company of SiteReserve.com. Therefore, all services rendered with SiteReserve will be billed by WebXess, Inc..

Can SiteReserve.com send me a hard copy of the invoice as well as the email invoice I received?
Yes. To request a hard-copy invoice, send an email to accounting@sitereserve.com and specify your domain name. The copy will be sent to the Billing Contact location; please keep this address updated to avoid returned mail.

I want to delete the name I registered with SiteReserve.com. Can I get a refund?
No. Once a name is registered, the owner is responsible for registration fees. The $70.00 fee you pay for each name is valid for up to two years. (Rate is $35.00 per year, or $45.00 for certain top level domains.)

What methods of payment does SiteReserve.com accept?
We accept Visa, Master Card, and American Express credit cards only.

When my domain name is up for renewal, what increments of time can I renew it for?
You may renew your domain for any period of years between 1 and 10.

Why can’t I register my name for any increments of time other than 2 years?
SiteReserve currently only allows 2 year contracts for starting registrations. There are more choices for renewal registrations, however.

What is the SiteReserve.com refund policy?
SiteReserve.com will only offer refunds for domain names that were not available for registration, and not names that were misspelled, mistyped, or otherwise by the customer. It is the customer’s responsibility to confirm / update all the contact information for their domain and to be prompt with necessary payments.

Please refer to the Customer Agreement for more details.

My domain name expired before the transfer was successful. What can I do now? Can I get a refund?
SiteReserve will NOT issue refunds for declined transfers that failed because the domain owner did not properly confirm the transfer properly. Please note that the domain owner must confirm emails from TWO parties, OpenSRS and the current registrar, as promptly as possible. Most registrars only allot a few days for proper confirmation.

If the domain name has expired before the transfer is complete, the customer must either:

  • Renew the name with the current registrar to remove a "lock" placed by that registrar, and then send an email to SiteReserve to re-request the transfer.

    OR

  • Wait out the expiration until the domain name is available to register as new. Then, contact SiteReserve by email to request the domain name be registered. Please note that this method may allow other parties to register your domain name.

SiteReserve canNOT register or transfer any domain name that is expired and "locked" by the current registrar. 

I received a letter from another Domain Registration company asking me to make a payment to renew my domain. I thought I registered my domain name with you. Did I get switched?
Many companies have recently been sending out marketing letters that appear to be invoices for domain registration services. Popular registrars such as Verisign have been practicing this type of marketing method.

We recommend that you check the whois record to verify that you registration services are currently with SiteReserve.com. Also, it is important to read the letter that you received in full, including fine print or text on the back that may explain the purpose of the letter.

If your domain name is currently registered with SiteReserve and you make payment to a company that sends you one these described letters, you might be authorizing the transfer of your domain name to another registrar. This would mean that you service would no longer be with SiteReserve.

How will I know when it is time to renew my domain name?
By default, the Billing contact person will receive an email reminder approximately 60 days prior to the domain name's expiration date. If the domain name is not yet renewed for another term, a second email reminder will be sent to this contact 30 days prior to the expiration date, and then 10 days prior to the expiration date.

If the domain name has still note been renewed, a final email reminder will be sent to all contacts for the domain name 5 days prior to its expiration.

In addition, SiteReserve may also send a hard copy invoice approximtely 60 days prior to the expiration date, to the Billing Contact address. Please keep this address updated to avoid returned mail.


Legal Questions

 

Who will legally own my domain name?
The person named under the Organization Contact is the legal owner of the name. The Administrative Contact Person is also viewed as the top authority on the domain name.

What is the policy of SiteReserve.com in regards to copyright infringement?
If SiteReserve is approached by any outside parties in regards to the possibility of a domain name that infringes on a company’s copyrights, SiteReserve.com reserves the right to delete the account in question without liability. Please refer to our copyright infringement officer on the Contact page.

I missed my renewal date and now someone has registered my name. Can I get it back?
It is the customer’s responsibility to keep updated on all payments and proper contact information. If another party registers the name while it is available, it is legally under that parties ownership and SiteReserve cannot reverse the situation.

I changed my email/mailing address and therefore did not receive my renewal notice. Now I have lost my domain name. Can SiteReserve get it back for me?
It is the customer’s responsibility to update all contact information, especially Billing Contact information. If you changed your address yet did not update this in your account information, we can not be held responsible. You are able to get the domain name back if it is still available and no one else has registered it since your account expired. In order to reacquire the name, you may simply place a new order.

Will any of my registration information be disclosed to other parties?
Please refer to our Privacy Policy and read the section that addresses non-disclosure

What is the SiteReserve.com dispute policy?
SiteReserve.com has adopted the ICANN Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy as found at
http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-policy-24oct99.htm

Can I register a .biz domain name for personal use?
Technically, .biz domain names are intended for business use only, and are not meant to be registered by an individual. If you do register a .biz domain name for personal use, you risk the possibility of losing the domain name if a legitimate business attempts to acquire it, or if a Registrar discovers that you are a non-business entity.

Who can register a .US domain name?
Any U.S. citizen or resident, as well as any business or organization, including federal, state, and local government with a bona fide presence in the United States can register a .US domain name.

One of the following eligibility requirements must be met:

  1. A natural person who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories or whose primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions, or
  2. Any entity or organization that is incorporated within one of the fifty (50) U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States possessions or territories or organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, or any of its possessions or territories, or
  3. An entity or organization (including federal, state, or local government of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof) that has a bona fide presence in the United States. See Section B.3.1 of the NeuStar proposal to the Department of Commerce for details concerning what constitutes a "bona fide presence."