Downgraded to Save Money – Afrihost's "Email Only" Solution Still Requires Me to Pay for Everything

I have been an Afrihost customer for a number of years and recently approached Afrihost because I could no longer afford my existing hosting arrangement. My objective was simple: reduce costs while keeping my email accounts active. On 1 May 2026, an Afrihost representative advised me that I could downgrade my hosting package to a Gold Email package and that I would lose the website. I followed Afrihost's instructions and completed the downgrade because I understood this to be the affordability solution available to me. The problem only became apparent afterwards. Following the downgrade, I discovered that in order to keep the very same email accounts I already had, I would still need to pay for: • The Gold Email package every month. • The annual domain renewal fee. • Any additional services associated with keeping the domain active. At one point I received conflicting information from different Afrihost representatives regarding whether my domain could be cancelled, whether the renewal could be cancelled, whether my email accounts would continue working, and what exactly I was required to pay for. One representative confirmed a cancellation request was pending. Another representative advised that cancelling the domain would cancel my email accounts. Another advised that the domain renewal could not be cancelled if I still wanted the email service. Only after repeated escalations and requests for clarification was I eventually told that the email package cannot function without the domain and that the email service effectively requires both the monthly email package fee and the annual domain renewal fee. My concern is not the technical requirement for a domain. My concern is that I approached Afrihost because I could not afford my existing arrangement and was specifically looking for a lower-cost solution. I followed the downgrade path recommended by Afrihost and only later discovered that retaining my email service still requires ongoing payment for multiple services. As a consumer, I believe it should be made abundantly clear during the downgrade process that: • The email package does not replace the domain. • The email package cannot operate without the domain. • Customers must continue paying both the email package fee and the domain renewal fee to retain their existing email addresses. If that information had been made clear from the outset, I would have been able to make a fully informed affordability decision. I acknowledge that Afrihost has since cancelled the disputed domain renewal and app**** a credit. However, the underlying issue remains unresolved: What affordability solution does Afrihost actually offer to customers who can no longer afford the combined cost of domain ownership and email hosting but still need email services? I am still awaiting a clear answer to that question. Reference Numbers: OLE-***2 AMU-***7 KVY-***1 Account Number: A***7