'Scam' is a really strong word and denotes an illegal action.
While these are shady practices, they are not illegal.
And the 1-month ahead renewal is not shorting you of a month. It's preventing you from getting into a situation where your cert expires because your CC details were invalid and it took to long to replace them. It also gives you time to configure your server, etc.
They are hardly the first company to offer a different initial price than the renewal, either. I hate that tactic, and watch for it, but it's not even unethical unless they don't tell you about it.
I'm sorry I must disagree. Its not a scam in the classical sense but it is one. Its like the real-estate sites that ask for a credit card and a free trial, to cancel you must CALL between 3-4pm on a Wednesday when their lines are busy AND they promptly close doors at 4pm or you will get charged perpetually.
However GD can offer whatever they want. HOWEVER this is deceptive marketing AND I am fairly sure you can take em to courts over this.
While these are shady practices, they are not illegal.
And the 1-month ahead renewal is not shorting you of a month. It's preventing you from getting into a situation where your cert expires because your CC details were invalid and it took to long to replace them. It also gives you time to configure your server, etc.
They are hardly the first company to offer a different initial price than the renewal, either. I hate that tactic, and watch for it, but it's not even unethical unless they don't tell you about it.