Is my domain gone forever?
June 13, 2011 1:46 AM   Subscribe

Can anyone talk me through the rules for domain expiry and backordering? My searches on AskMefi, Wikipedia and ICANN's site give lots of different answers and may be out of date. I had a domain registered with Network Solutions for over ten years and (due to email problems) didn't know it had expired until around 30 days after expiry. Then I paid the domain renewal fee, which Network Solutions accepted, but later found that they sold the domain on backorder to someone else.

It seems that the domain never went into a redemption period and Network Solutions have given me the runaround since then, passing me on to customer service people who are determined just to repeat the same thing which is that 30 days passed and so I have no right to retrieve the domain (even though they took my payment for it!)

But the domain never became available to the general public. Is it true that redemption periods don't take place if there is a backorder from someone else? Annoyingly the domain was in my name and the person who has bought the domain is a German person with a completely different name.
posted by tobyslater to Computers & Internet (4 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Have you seen Mike Davidson's post about How to Snatch an Expiring Domain? It seems to cover a lot of the how the process works.
posted by Z303 at 3:00 AM on June 13, 2011 [4 favorites]


Once you do get it back move it away from Network Solutions. You're paying extra to a registrar that will you screw in any way they can.
posted by rdr at 5:17 AM on June 13, 2011 [2 favorites]


Here's a previous and similar askme if it's helpful.
posted by samsara at 7:26 AM on June 13, 2011


I'd recommend moving to Dreamhost, both as a registrar and as a hosting service (these are the guys recommended by Mike Davidson). I've found their support to be really helpful, not patronizing, and very proactive -- even with stupid newbie issues. Everyone who uses them sings their praises (they seem to be free from the dirty tricks and stunning incompetence of many of the other registrars). They may be able to suggest a reclamation strategy for your domain. At the very least, they provide a very cost-effective hosting solution ...
posted by Susurration at 10:21 AM on June 13, 2011


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