Re: OT: Burned by domain name registrar for $150, suggestions?
On Friday 19 September 2003 01:25, Paul Mackinney wrote:
> My domain name registrar, Names4Ever.com, burned me be invoicing me at a
> stale email address, failing to contact me by phone or postal service,
> and canceling my domain name when I didn't renew. Now they tell me that
> to reinstate it I have to pay $150 that goes to ICANN/Network Solutions
> in order to remove it from "redemption" status. To add insult to injury,
> they made me send a check--they wouldn't accept a credit card because
> too many of their customers have been doing charge-backs on the $150
> fee.
>
> So I'm out $150 and all of my inbound email is bouncing until my domain
> name comes back on line. I'm totally PO'd, but as I understand it, my
> only other option is to wait a month or so until ICANN takes it out of
> "redemption" status and hope no one else snags my domain name. I can't
> afford to to this, I'm out of work and may already have lost job offers.
I am marveling at the $150 for a domain name. I pay less than $10 each for
mine. If the fee is a result of the domain name expiring and this is a
"special" reinstatement fee, then it seems usary to me. However, they may be
well within their rights to act like complete jerks.
>
> My questions are:
>
> 1. Do I have any recourse agains Names4Ever, other than writing them
> nasty letters? They're based in San Diego, CA, also known as APlus.Net.
If so it would probably cost you more than it was worth to pursue.
>
> 2. Once my domain is registered again, can it be transfered to a
> different registrar without a loss of service. Recommendations? I'd like
> to go with a business that thinks you should make a second attempt to
> contact someone if an email bounces.
Yes. I've done exactly this. It takes a week or two to churn through the
system. The change occured without _noticeable_ loss of service. I was
responsible for ensuring the new resgistrar's records pointed to my web
host's servers.
I use a budget registrar from whom I expect no courtesy or special treatment.
I mark the anniversaries of my domains in a paper calender (I've broken two
Palm Pilots - I'm done with those gadgets).
>
Chaulk it up to training. Training is not free (as in beer). And you shared
it.
Hope you find work soon. It sucks being between jobs involuntarily. I know.
--
Mike Mueller
324881 (08/20/2003)
Make clockwise circles with your right foot.
Now use your right hand to draw the number "6" in the air.
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