ItsYourDomain Responds
When ItsYourDomain deleted my domain and made me pay a huge ransom to get it back, it took several days of emails to get a resolution.
Excerpted below is Ted Cucci’s reply:
Richard, I have tried to explain to you numerous times how the whole domain thing works. You purchased your domain through an affiliate who resells our product. You were not deceived. You opted to email us with your problem not the affiliate. Actually I should have referred you to them instead of talking with you since they received a commission and are the responsible party for your support. The safeguard conditions have been in place for over two years and were not just implemented at Christmas as you say. The 45 day grace period you mention is not from ICANN but rather the Public Interest Registry or PIR and it is not free. They charge for it just like redemptions. Regardless of where the blame lies I would be happy to help you and do not want you to feel like a “poor sucker”. For that I will split the 100.00 fee with you. I have refunded your card 50.00 for good will between us. It should post to your account within 3 days. Responding to you at 11:40 PM CST should show IYD’s level of commitment for customer service.
I accepted the offer. I still do not buy the fact that they sent any warning emails at all. For example, I have another domain that is about to expire within two weeks. How do I know this? Another registrar, AWRegistry, sent me an email this morning to the same email address that ItsYourDomain supposedly used. So, apparently THEIR process works.
Notice the holes in his final arguments: “I have tried to explain to you numerous times how the whole domain thing works. You purchased your domain through an affiliate who resells our product… Actually I should have referred you to them instead of talking with you since they received a commission and are the responsible party for your support.” When did he ever mention the affiliate in the process? Why does the affiliate earning a commission make them the responsible party? If I buy a suit at Nordstrom’s Department Store and the suit is defective, it is not the fault or responsibility of the salesperson who sold it to me and subsequently earned a commission. It is Nordstrom’s who is responsible. And if it costs them something to correct it? So be it! That’s the price of doing business.
“The safeguard conditions have been in place for over two years and were not just implemented at Christmas as you say.” They TOOK EFFECT for ME during the Christmas holiday, which is unfair in itself. Supposedly they removed the domain on December 27 for five days before deleting it. In my book that puts it right in the middle of the holidays. I just happened to try to go to my site on the sixth or seventh day, depending on whether or not December 27th is included, to find that it was gone. I registered with ItsYourDomain two and a half years ago, at which time the policy was NOT in effect.
“The 45 day grace period you mention is not from ICANN.” According to ICANN it is. I can’t argue with them, as they control every process of domain registration worldwide.
Why does something like this have to exercise brinkmanship, my finger poised on the button that would release the story to dozens of websites, before the companies in the wrong begin to see reason? Turn the tables on them for a moment: ICANN charges ItsYourDomain approximately $6,500 each year as an accreditation fee. Given the same ratio of domain redemption fee to domain registration fee, ICANN could charge registrars a mythical “accreditation redemption fee” of $43,478 to those registrars who didn’t receive notice of their imminent expiration.
I think they’d complain just as loudly about that as I did.
Sounds like this is over, right? Not quite…
Having a good start to the new year, are we?
ItsYourDomain Innerwise Inc and its affiliate DomainstNext made every attempt to stop transfering away my domain names. The main company and its reseller implemented a new policy after I have registered my domain names with them starting about 2+ years ago. Now every transfer is denied and takes lots of man-hours and phone calls from organizations attorney’s to make them comply. Obviously not all of the organizations I handle their domain names have or can afford to represent their interests. I am willing to join a class action law suit against the above company and reseller. Thank you. Arpad
Itsyourdomain.com is, and has been, holding ‘hostage’ four of my domains for the past 2+ years now. They refuse to allow any transfers whatsoever with no valid reason given. I have had dozens and dozens of transfer requests denied. I’m so far beyond frustrated that I’ve entered a whole new realm of irritation at having to waste my precious time pursuing this unethical company. I’d be willing to become part of any class-action lawsuit there is. In a heartbeat.
Since the story continues on other pages, I’m closing out this page for comments. If you have anything to add, finished reading the rest of the saga, and then add your comments at the end. Thanks!