Registrar Shenanigans
Hi Everyone...
We're kicking off a little research project on domain registrar shenanigans and would like to hear your horror stories. This project was inspired by a hellish series of support problems with JumpDomain experienced by a colleague of ours.
First, JumpDomain wouldn't transfer a block of .com, .net, .org domains to another registrar, simply sat on them until they finally expired and slipped into the nightmarish Redemption period. Supposedly, the Registry releases transferred names in 5-7 days if the losing registrar does not acknowledge the transfer to the gaining registrar. But that didn't happen. The Registry didn't release the names. During this purgatory period, the domains were suddenly and mysteriously placed in Registrar-Lock status, which meant they couldn't be transferred. The JumpDomain web interface hasn't been updated since the Bronze Age, so the registrant had no way to unlock these mysteriously-locked domains.
And that's not all…
The Verisign records suddenly reflected that these names were registered to eNom (JumpDomain's parent), and listed eNom as billing, technical and administrative contacts. Which meant that the real registrant couldn't transfer them until the records are updated. And of course, JumpDomain didn't bother to respond to repeated e-mails on any of the aforementioned issues. Neither did it's parent, eNom. Neither did Verisign, who maintains the registry of .com and .net names. This stuff has dragged on for months! It's really beyond belief. Rampant negligence. Or unscrupulousness. Or both. Is it an attempt on JumpDomain's part to extort redemption fees and force the guy to renew with them? Or worse, be forced into buying back his own names at some exorbitant aftermarket price?
This poor guy filed repeated complaints with ICANN's Dispute Resolution, which apparently accomplishes nothing, since their only responsibility seems to be merely bouncing complaints back to the very (unresponsive) registrar that you're complaining about to begin with. Lotta good that did. All these transgressions are, of course blantant violations of ICANN registrar policies, not to mention an infringement upon individual intellectual property rights.
More and more, we're hearing these stories... registrants denied access to names they legally own, and a negligent, lumbering government bureaucracy that doesn't enforce its own policies. It seems that registrars are allowed to do whatever they damn well please these days, until it reaches the point where you have no choice but to pursue a legal remedy in court.
Sorry for the long post! (Believe it or not, this was the abridged version.)
Anybody else got domain horror stories? Not sure what we can accomplish with this yet, but anyway, let's hear 'em…
VincentP
Moderator
Web Entrepreneur Advisory
3 comments:
I just lost a domain because Enom.com didn't notify me, the administrative contact, of an impending expiration. Now they're trying to sell the domain back to me through Afternic, their evil twin, for a minimum "offer" of $200. Screw 'em. I've read of the same thing happening to others with Enom. How does one go about getting one of these domains back?
Mark...
I'm not sure if registrars are actually required to notify you of expiration. Here's the link to ICANN's Registrar Dispute policies. http://www.icann.org/udrp/.
I'd for sure file a complaint with ICANN, though. Maybe if enough of them pile up, ICANN will actually do something.
If the domain isn't worth much to you, you could always wait and see if it's released back into the stream in a few weeks, then register it new. We did a four-part feature on our site that lays out the drop-catch biz, if you didn't see it. Maybe there's something useful in those articles. Good luck...
VincentP
Moderator
Web Entrepreneur Advisory
Hey there, I have my own Jump Domain horror story. They charged me for a domain renewal, then let it lapse into the redemption period, THEN let that period lapse. Finally, after watching MY OWN domain like a hawk, I snatched it up with a reputable registrar the moment it expired. I have no idea how to get a refund from them, however.
If anyone know how to do this, I would be more than happy to lead efforts to disqualify their registrar status with ICANN. Ideas?
Jesse.
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