Do I own this domain name?

March 5, 2007 9:59 AM

I renewed two domain names with Registerfly on January 28, 2006 and never received renewal notices. Their system has been so screwed up that I've had to make multiple requests for renewals. In early February I received a notice from Enom that they were no longer registering names for Registerfly and offering to transfer my names from Registerfly to Enom, an offer I accepted. The other day I signed into my Enom account and discovered that the two names had expired. One name they said I could renew now for $9.95, but the other they said would cost me $160! These were both normal .com registrations.

I contacted my account guy and he said he thought they could work something out. Then I got an email from his boss saying it would cost me $50 and I would have to email all sorts of documentation showing that I had tried to renew the domain, documentation I don't have. But, the WHOIS registry is in my name, with my contact information and says it doesn't expire until January 2008.

Before I call ENOM I'd really like to know where I stand, but I can't find anything that addresses this situation. Thanks.

posted by pkreutzer to computers & internet (6 comments total)

BTW -- you might be interested in this recent MeFi thread about Registerfly: Domain name hell.
posted by ericb at 10:32 AM on March 5, 2007

This unfortunately does not answer your question, but to jump on the "doman-name-hell" bandwagon: the fellas over at Newshutch experienced a very similar problem with Registerfly.

Even if you don't receive the documentation, could you call you cc company and ask for the authorization codes used by Registerfly to charge for the renewal? I understand that you didn't receive any documentation, but it sounds a lot like what happened to this guy here (who Registerfly DID eventually end up charging - without his knowledge - for renewal, even though they declined his renewal several times!). I'd check your cc statements again to see if there's any activity. If there is, you have proof of your attempt to renew.
posted by numinous at 10:47 AM on March 5, 2007

I know my problem stems from the dispute between Enom and Registerfly, and the unfortunate timing. And thanks for the nightmare of information in your link, ericb. Yikes.
posted by pkreutzer at 10:48 AM on March 5, 2007

You should read the forums at registerflies that's linked to in the thread ericb pointed to. You have my sympathies.
posted by rdr at 12:02 PM on March 5, 2007

That Bob Parsons bloke has posted some stuff on his blog about this. It's obviously aimed towards getting more business for GoDaddy, but there is some helpful advice there.
(Disclosure: I use GD for registering my domains and had no problems with them, I'm not posting this because of that, but because it might assist you in some way.)
posted by Webbster at 12:06 PM on March 5, 2007

I like the part about Godaddy working to make sure customers get their names after registerfly is deaccreditted, but for this one name, which doesn't show up in my Registerfly list (though all the other names transferred to enom do), I have a different question:

If it's my name and address in all three parts of the registration and they show up as such in the Whois database, which indicates that the domain is paid up into 2008, do I have legal claim to the name?

(It is possible I renewed for two years in 2006.)
posted by pkreutzer at 12:45 PM on March 5, 2007