Our Dearest Microsoft Has Done It Again

Microsoft Office Live (MSOL) is a set of Internet-based services designed for consumers and small businesses interested in creating a website or storing and sharing documents online. [...more on Wikipedia]

Yeah, it is awesome that a big, trusted and well-known company like Microsoft hosts, renews and manages your own top-level domain (TLD) yet all of a sudden, Microsoft has done it again! Out of nowhere, they took a big step forward for a better marketing strategy that will leave their customers severely affected. Well, I, personally don’t have the right to curse them or something since I got my own “TLD” “.COM” domain for free. Couple of years back I was working as a Technical Support Representative for MSOL and I was given a token account, which means I can register any .com domain that I want and my dear Microsoft will do the rest. I am really thankful for that since registering a .com .net or .org domains would need a lot of patience and money. Aside from the fact that I got my domain for free, let me share some of the goodies that they offer for their premium subscribers like me:

• 100 email accounts (youremail@yourdomain.com) each with a whopping 10GB of storage
• easy-to-use website design and management tools
• business applications
• aside from the TLD that you will get (yourdomain.com) you will also get a free fourth level domain like this (yourname.Web.officelive.com)
• security and maintenance at its finest

These are just some of the services that MSOL offers to their subscribers and that’s what most of us would expect from a monster company like Microsoft. They’ve been there for ages. They know what users need, they know when to do it, and how to do it. But since they are “still” a company, a financial institution, they also need money to keep up the pace. And that’s when I received this shocking email from them.

Dear ***,

We appreciate that you have chosen Microsoft Office Live Small Business to help your organization create a professional online presence.

We wanted to inform you of a policy change to your domain service. As of October 1, 2009, we will no longer offer free domain name renewals. When your custom domain, ***.com, comes up for renewal, you will need to pay the annual renewal fee of $14.95 by your expiration date of 7/31/2009.

This is really great! If I got it for free, then I should set it free. Haha! Well, at least I’m not that depressed. I think the best move that most subscribers would do is to transfer their domains to another competitive host. Another thing that they mentioned on the email:

There is nothing for you to do at this time, but note that you will need to pay the annual renewal fee when you receive your domain renewal notice approximately 45 days before your domain expiration date. If you choose not to pay the renewal fee, your domain name will automatically expire and all associated e-mail addresses will be discontinued. Your Web site will remain active, but will be available at a Web address such as http://yourname.web.officelive.com.

I might be exhibiting some mixed emotions drama here but I would just like to emphasize that changes are inevitable.  Companies across the world undergo all sorts of changes everyday, whether it is a loss or a gain, it doesn’t matter. But they forgot the most important part of what service literally means. To give service is to treat the customer as the top level priority. Without users, subscribers, readers, and customers, no company will reach its pedestal today. We are the company’s main asset yet they are taking us for granted. On the other hand, us, customers, don’t know anything about how a company operates, but in a general idea, we do know that they also exist for the purpose of making money.

So now, looking at both sides, companies rely on customers to feed their financial needs, while customers rely on the company’s quality service. It is a mutual yet uber relationship that governs the entirety of a simple law called give and take. Remember, I’m not here to curse Microsoft nor to explain their side, I’m here to enlighten up single-minded individuals. My post might be interpreted as user-sided due to the fact that I myself is a user, but if a company will post the same content as what us, users are doing, would it still mean the same? I mean, if a company complains about their customers, would they still sound professional, or trusted? No, right? And that alone is the reason why it is our role, and their role,  to look at both sides of the coin.

Read more about the domain renewal policy change of MSOL

“I think I need a shower.” (I’m talkin’ nonsense again)