What Happens When You Don’t Renew Your Domain Name

Imagine running a successful business that people trust and rely on. Your customers know you, love your products, and easily find you online. Your website is your digital storefront, where everything happens. This was the reality for a business in Kigali called TegaFresh.rw, which delivered fresh fruits and vegetables right to people’s doors. Customers appreciated how simple it was to order online, and business was booming.
But then, one morning, something unexpected happened. TegaFresh’s website was inaccessible. Customers started calling, wondering why they couldn’t place orders. Emails bounced back, and no new orders came through. The team at TegaFresh was confused. They checked everything they could, but couldn’t figure out what went wrong. After some investigation, they discovered the cause: their domain name Tegafresh.rw had expired.
You might be asking yourself, what does that really mean? Think of your domain name renewal like car insurance: if you don’t renew it, you can’t use it as it requires timely renewal to keep your business visible online.
When a domain name reaches its expiration date, it doesn’t go offline immediately. Instead, it enters a 30-day grace period during which the owner receives reminders and can renew the domain without any additional fees. If the client does not renew the domain within the above mentioned period, the domain enters a second 15-day period ‘redemption’ where the website and emails stop working. The owner can still recover the domain by paying RWF 1,500 on top of the normal renewal fee of RWF 15,000. If no action is taken, the domain moves into a final 30-day pending delete period. At this stage, the domain can only be recovered if the client sends a request through their Domain Provider (Registrar) to restore the service (RWF 1,500), additional to the renewal fees (RWF 15,000). If the domain is not renewed by the end of this final stage, it is permanently deleted and becomes publicly available for registration.
TegaFresh missed the chance to renew their domain on time. As a result, all the hard work they had put into building their online presence was lost, and a competitor took over their brand name. They lost their clients’ trust and credibility, which led to financial losses and ultimately forced them to close their business, just because they forgot to renew their domain name on time.
While there are legal mechanisms to try and recover a domain name, the process is not simple. Filing a case can cost up to $1,500 and may take at least three (3) months to resolve. That is time and money that small businesses cannot afford to lose, especially when the issue could have been avoided with a timely renewal.
To avoid this, here’s what you can do:
– You can set up auto-renewal with your domain provider (registrar) to have your domain automatically renewed every year, without needing to take any action. Additionally, you can renew your domain name service for up to 10 years.
– Keep your contact details up-to-date so you don’t miss important renewal reminders.
– Pay attention to renewal emails from your domain provider to ensure you don’t overlook anything.

Protect your digital identity and ensure you’re in control of your online presence. Don’t let a small mistake, like forgetting to renew your domain name service harm your business.