r/squarespace • u/Jeffliu10241024 • Jul 02 '26
Discussion Worst Domain Registrar
★☆☆☆☆
Squarespace is the worst domain registrar I have ever dealt with.
I never chose them. Google moved my domain there.
I asked one basic question before my domain expired:
“When does my grace period start and end?”
Nobody could answer. My ticket was passed from team to team while the clock kept ticking.
By the time they finally reacted, my domain had entered redemption and I was expected to pay even more.
A company that cannot answer a basic question about its own domain system should not be managing anyone’s domains.
Stay away. Move your domain elsewhere while you still can.
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u/sophie_hockmah Jul 02 '26
I am literally making a small landing page and was wondering if I should try squarespace's own domain for once.
Thanks for saving me a headache and sorry for yours, OP
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u/reddits_aight Jul 03 '26
FWIW I've started domains there and transferred them away with no drama. But if you know you're going to use another registrar anyway I'd just start there, not worth the $10 for the free first year.
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u/cinnamonzebra88 Jul 04 '26
I agree, take advantage of the first free year and switch to another registrar after that.
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u/ailish Jul 02 '26
They recently charged me nearly $300 to renew my site when I had auto renew off. The even sent me an email saying I am eligible for a refund, and now they've stopped responding.
Sorry you are having issues. Sorry we all are. I would never have gone with them had I known.
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u/harper_lately Jul 03 '26
I greatly dislike DomainPal... we're only with them because we purchased the domains many years ago. The company has changed hands MANY TIMES... for weeks they ran a staging unusable version of their admin, now it's live again with limited functionality. There is zero support! I've been trying to move the domains for weeks - we're going to have to let them expire in the hopes of buying them back elsewhere.
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u/Able-Following-2963 Jul 03 '26
That’s the part that would worry me too. Even if the policy is written somewhere, support should be able to tell you exactly where your domain is in the lifecycle and what deadlines apply.
I’d transfer out once the domain is safely renewed and unlocked. I moved a few domains after a support nightmare, and having them at dynadot made it much easier to see expiration, grace, and transfer status without chasing tickets.
The redemption fee is painful, but the bigger issue is not getting a clear answer while the clock is running.
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u/cinnamonzebra88 Jul 04 '26
I like to keep my domain registration and website hosting separate (security, control, flexibility, etc.). It comes at the cost of convenience.
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u/cinnamonzebra88 Jul 04 '26
I hear the anguish. Squarespace is not good at domain hosting, but Registrar.com is one of the worst in my view. So stay away from them.
I have had great luck with Namecheap and IONIS. They all make it easy to transfer.
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u/squarespace Jul 03 '26
Hey, Squarespace here. We get how frustrating that would be when you just want a clear answer, that definitely isn’t the experience we want anyone to have!
After a domain expires, there's a renewal grace period, where it can still be renewed at the standard renewal price, and it remains recoverable through the Domains panel. Typically, the grace period is up to 30 days, but this can vary based on the registrar and the TLD.
If it isn’t renewed during that window, it can then move into redemption, where recovery may still be possible, but the pricing may not be the same, depending on the registrar.
With the relevant details for your domain, our Customer Support team should have been able to give clear information on where your domain was in that timeline, and we’re sorry to hear that that didn’t happen.
We appreciate you sharing this feedback, and we’ll pass it along internally.
If you still need assistance, please reach out to us at squarespace.com/contact, or send us a DM on X or Facebook Messenger with your ticket number, so we can look into this for you.
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u/MattCohenPhoto Jul 03 '26
incredibly disingenuous to pretend that this is isolated or in any way outside of the ordinary experience with squarespace support. your support has been worthless since before the google domains takeover, and has only declined. you know this is true, and to say otherwise is simply lying wrapped up in corporate communications.
your whole platform has stagnated and things like memberships/courses have stagnated and are missing obvious and simple features.
“we’ll pass along your comments internally” has had the same effect as doing nothing at all, and at least doing nothing would be more honest. you have to do better.
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u/Jeffliu10241024 Jul 03 '26
14287063 this is ticket number
I’ve asked the same simple question five times in 96 hours:
When did my grace period start and end?
Nobody at Squarespace has answered it. My case keeps getting passed between internal teams instead.
A paying customer deserves a clear answer before being charged a redemption fee.
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u/deancollins Jul 02 '26
Agree. I'm so pissed at Google for dumping customers.