I have yet to hear a convincing argument on why planning for the edge case, which is usually a minor headache at worst, is worth it in the long run.
We can all say "it's better to have it and not need it," but some judgement should be used when it comes to the amount of calories burned just to sustain an inflated sense of contingency.
>I have yet to hear a convincing argument on why planning for the edge case, which is usually a minor headache at worst, is worth it in the long run.
In this case, the cost of "planning for the edge case" is close to zero. In fact, you may well find a reputable registrar who charges less than your hosting provider. I currently have two domain names registered with my hosting provider out of sheer laziness, and the rest registered with Namecheap. The registrations at Namecheap are cheaper (by an amount which is significant percentage-wise but insignificant in real terms).
Probably because that headache is so incredibly minor as to be not much harder than checking your email in the morning. Unlock domain, get key from old reg, start transfer on new reg, enter key, wait a few hours. All of this is automated.
The damage that can be done to a business based on DNS shenanigans is large, and you would be well advised to take every reasonable precaution. Switching to a provider that doesn't have a conflict of interest is a no brainer.
My first web hosting company ran away with my domain and I never got it back until it expired [0]. They ran away with 40,000 customers' domains. I had to learn how domains expired and catch it. I am thankful I guess, because I got involved with domain catching and made a fair bit of money from buying expired domains. But I don't wish those months of downtime and uncertainty on anyone because the hosting company went under or did something malicious. That isn't to say that registrars are immune either (RegisterFly is an example). But at least that is only 1 layer in many cases, you and the registrar. In that example, ICANN intervened and GoDaddy took over their accounts if I recall correctly. Many web hosting companies have reseller agreements, so you are stuck in between the hosting company and registrar. That can complicate things. Some even put domains in their own name rather than yours.
We can all say "it's better to have it and not need it," but some judgement should be used when it comes to the amount of calories burned just to sustain an inflated sense of contingency.