Pissed off and had to vent….

Recently,  I said that I was now going to use this blog to chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a small business owner plus the typical promo info.

This post is venting. I am P.O’d right now. Was on Intuit and typed in our looooong name of Old Linn Run Coffee Bean Roastery to see if it was available for the .com domain name. We do own several other versions. However, it is still unavailable. Out of curiosity I searched it to find some obscure website with another language written on it as well. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Now, let me explain why we did not own it to begin with. In the beginning stages of our existence the domain name was the least of our worries. Purchasing the names and having a website were a frivolous expense. We needed other items to get our business up and running. In fact, we still are not ready to get that website going but plan to in the near future. 

Fast forward to about a year or so after we began. The word was out, our business was getting a local following etc. I was still neglect in purchasing those domain names. A website designer inquired as to how our business was going etc……a bar conversation. He asked if we had a website. Reply: not yet, we are using facebook for now and can’t justify the cost ++    

(Background info: I am a do it yourself kind of gal and I had no intention of paying him to design a website. I planned on using Intuit or GoDaddy. I might also add that I am very protective of “our baby” and do not want someone else having control over this business unless we think it will be to our advantage. As a mother with a Mother Grizzly bear attitude of “Don’t mess with my cub!!”, this attitude also transfers to OLR.)

Back to the story, about a week later I bump into the website designer and he informs me that he bought our loooong name .com domain name and that he linked it to our facebook. After hearing my angry response, I was told that I had given permission. Remember the background info?? Not a chance!!! Plus Dave was there and insisted that did not happen.  Now on first thought you would say, “That was a nice gesture linking it to our facebook page.” However, this person is infamous for this and does so in an effort to get your business as a web designer/host.  I preceded to buy up as many other versions as possible. 

When the domain was due to renew I was alerted and told that I could get it transferred if I contacted him or I would have to wait it out til it was officially available again. Now, it is not available and belongs to some strange person/company with what appears to be Thai???                                      copied part of it,  Ex: หยุดเคร่งเครียดติวคณิตศาสตร์เกี่ยวกับกระดาษคณิตศาสตร์

I am so pissed off I cannot express it!!! Now what? I’ve read about hacking and theft of websites and domain names. This is ridiculous that you have to be fearful to the point of purchasing domain names for your new business almost before you’ve done anything else. There isn't much you can do but hope that your customers find you. Fortunately,  unless you search the entire name with the .com on it the  search is routed to us…. I hope.

Anyone else have this type of bullshit happen to them?  I would love to hear from you!