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DHS International Payment FAQ

Payment Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find a list of the common questions relating to DHS International Payments/Renewals and the answers

Why isn't this service free?
It costs money to maintain servers and Internet connections. In the beginning we supported the service ourselves and with the help of advertising revenue. When advertising stopped being an income for us we were forced to introduce a user pays system. The fees currently do not cover all the costs but do bring it all down to a level which is bearable for us. The principles of DHS International do not get paid any wages or make any money out of providing the services. They work in their spare time. They all have other jobs that support them.

What happens if I don't pay or contribute after the 30 day free period on account creation?
Sometime after the free 30 day period we will deactivate the account and then after a further period of at least a week we will delete the account. The time allowed after the free 30 days will vary depending on how busy we are.

What are the fees or requested contribution?
A standard account will have 4 hostnames allowed. We request $5.00 USD for a standard account. Some of the legacy accounts and extended accounts have higher hostname limits. During the free 30 day period, only 1 hostname may be created. On payment we extend the limit to 4. Users may request more by making a payment, letting us know their user ID and stating how many more hostnames they wish. Additional hostnames may be purchased at $2.50 USD each. Payments may be made through the Contribution Page

Why are you charging more in 2003 than you did in 2002?
Costs go up and we wish to ensure we will remain to provide the service for many years to come. There was also a marked drop off in the expected numbers that were willing to pay. The less users we have, the more expensive it is for those remaining. We are slowly building the numbers back up and in future years it may be possible to lower the per user pricing. Keep in mind, not all expenses are even covered with the current fees. There are substantial costs born by the principals of the company in providing these services that are not being recovered. Pricing is reviewed frequently and if we can lower the cost to users we will. We started out as a free service and the founding principles remain a part of our culture. One of the reasons we are not strict dealing with the free account period.

I paid by cheque or money order last year, why can't I this year?
We lost the majority of the monies expected from the cheques and money orders collected last year. Unfortunately the banks charge large fees and are difficult to deal with. A lot of the cheques were never presented as it would have cost more than the face value of the cheques, we live and learn. We can no longer accept any International cheques or money orders. Only cheques drawn against Australian banks in Australian dollars or money orders issued from an Australian Post Office are accepted now. Sorry. Other payment options are available at the Contribution Page

Why do you use PayPal?
PayPal provides us with banking services that can not be equaled by a local institution. They accept credit card payments from a wide variety of sources and their charges are reasonable. They have provided a good service to us in the past and we haven't had any major problems with them.

Can I pay with cash?
Some users have sent us cash in the past, the address is on the Contribution Page. This is illegal in some locations. We don't mind being sent samples of other currencies and will usually accept it in leu of payment if the face value is equivalent. You can also make a purchase through our CafePress store in leu of payment, the details are on the above page.

Why don't you accept e-gold and other payment methods anymore?
We found it was more trouble than it was worth. We felt it was better to only have a few payment options that were fairly generic rather than wasting resources trying to maintain a wide range of different payment services. It was too easy for the money to be wasted and not put back into the services like we wanted it to go.

Why is the renewal date I get different to the creation date?
Renewal notices were sent out starting the 31 August 2003. These were for accounts created more than 365 days previously. When users make a payment we send back an email stating the renewal was recorded and advising of a new renewal date. The renewal dates given are derived from the creation date as a rule but in a lot of cases will be a different month. All renewals currently are dated after the 1 July 2004. If we used the creation dates solely, a lot of users would have renewal dates that come up again in a few months. This way, all users will get close to a full 12 months or more before their next renewal. Future renewals will be solely based on the renewal date issued this year on these older legacy accounts. The new users that registered after we went user pays will have renewal dates the same as their creation dates. If you feel your renewal date is unfair you may contact us through the form at the Mail Page and we will review it. As with any issue, we are always willing to discuss and review our decisions to give users a fair hearing.

I sent a payment (or request for help) 2 days ago and I haven't heard from you, why not?
Unfortunately we all have fulltime jobs and maintain DHS International in our spare time, what there is of it. This means we sometimes fall behind handling mail. If you give us a bit of time we will get back to you. We always try to have a 1-3 day turn around but sometimes it will blow out to a week. Please be patient. If you haven't heard back from us after 7 days, please contact us again.

How long are you going to stay in business?
We intend to be around for a long time. We have been doing this for more years than we care to recall. DHS International has been running for close to 5 years now and before that both Matthew Enger and Darryl Lynch were with Monolith. We are well established, financially secure through the backing of the principles and if users continue to support us, willing to put the extra money and effort required into the service to keep it going indefinately. We feel we can only grow bigger and better from now on.

What about my private information, am I going to get spammed or is it going to be sold off to others?
You may read our privacy statement at the About US page. DHS International doesn't spam anyone and is proactive in the fight against spam. We will never sell your information off to anyone and all reasonable efforts are used to maintain the security of users private information. We will share your information with authorities on request within the guidelines of Australian Law however. Although we have no intentions of selling the DHS International company we do reserve the right to pass on user information relevant to the companies operation in the event the company is ever sold. We will normally only ever email users once a year with renewal notices so you will not be spammed by us.