Helmut, thanks for your input. That's why I posted this thread, because I did not know if they are virtually unknown. I was posting to see if anyone has done business with them.
The advantage to using an unknown registrar is cost. (I know this because I have already gotten quotes).
What are the risks to using an "unproven" registrar? What can go wrong?
well, perhaps the following...
1). A terrible audit experience,
2). A non-value-added audit experience,
3). A difficult relationship with a Korean based registrar (significant differences in culture),
4). Customers asking..."who the heck is this?"
Now, I am not saying using a US based registrar will guarantee no issues, but it is certainly less of a variable.
Also, I strive to help my clients (auditong and consulting) understand a few items:
1). Audit Day requirements are supposed to be the same worldwide. So, if you get quotes with different audit days quoted, something is not right. Someone is making an error somewhere. If that is not reconciled, you could jeopardize the validity of your certificate.
2). If the audit days are the same, but the audit day rate is different....think about why. There can't be too much of a range in the rates. The registrar has to make a certain amount of money to operate and stay in business. The auditor has to make a decent living to justify living in hotels all the time. If either of these are significantly different, I would want to wonder why. As an auditor, I make a decent living, but am not rich. If I have decent auditor skills, and were underpaid, there are easily a bunch of other registrars that would snap me up.
3). Most importantly, are you looking at the cost of the audit, or the return you receive from the audit. A good auditor will help you identify areas of improvement that can save you many times their fees in improvements and identifying potential problems.
I do wish you the best success, but have done many audits cleaning up the mess from a previous registrar.
Just a few thoughts, but do you want to hire the cheapest auditor/registrar, the cheapest lawyer and the cheapest surgeon...? Are a few hundred dollars worth it?
Best wishes....