[hughesdan]

Was start date of the renewal term synced to the end date of the expiring term? If so it doesn't sound so shady to me. It seems logical that they would notify you and confirm your desire for a renewal prior to the end of the previous term rather than wait until the absolute last moment, especially with something like an SSL cert.

I'm not saying GoDaddy isn't shady. And they certainly are aggressive with their auto-renew policies. Heck how do you think they afford Superbowl ads and Danica Patrick at the prices they charge :) But the experience you described doesn't sound like a scam to me.