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The GoDaddy Saga Continues
First time accepted submitter wbr1 writes "Domain registrar Namecheap is accusing GoDaddy of violating ICANN rules and hindering domain owners from moving their domains to another registrar. They are allegedly doing this by submitting incomplete information to the new registrar, making it difficult to process the move."
Adds user bs0d3: "Godaddy has responded to these allegations today and insist that their practice of rate limiting Whois queries is standard practice to combat Whois abuse. Furthermore, they accuse Namecheap of playing foul because they released a statement before ever contacting godaddy directly to resolve these issues."
by playing fair.
If they create artificial means so that their customers would have trouble moving away from them, that would mean more customers, more publicity, a more tech-savvy image, robustness and.. Oh wait...
I have used many registrars and Namecheap has always been the best one. Their interface is also super clean and efficient. Their prices are one of the most competitive ones, they offer free private registration, dns hosting and everything you need. And did I say their interface is super clean? You get everything done easily and quickly, without them trying to shove extra services as premium prices down to you. If you have ever tried to register domain with GoDaddy you know what I'm talking about - the whole registration process itself is pain in the ass and you need to keep unticking all those extra services they try to offer you.
With my years of experience and managing over hundred domains, I can only recommend Namecheap.
As whory as a whore can be. With all due respect and reference to the whores.
That is not something new godaddy started doing just recently. They had the habit of pulling such shit for close to a decade now. the only provider that is FAR worse, is 1&1 in all its incarnations. I had to bail out numerous clients out of their hands - both godaddy and 1&1. some, i wasnt able to bail out, and these were generally those with 1&1.
The array of problems they cause ? it ranges from what you read here, to locking your domain down, preventing you from paying for renewal and sending you to collections over $9-10 a year. Just google it.
Read radical news here
I've heard a lot of great things about Namecheap from customers and third party reviewers. I'm considering moving one of my domains there to give them a try.
I've heard a lot of bad things about GoDaddy from customers and third party reviewers. I'd never consider giving them business - however, I do use them to find if a domain I want is already registered because their domain search is faster than a lot of other sites. I also used to work for a company that purchased SSL certificates from GoDaddy. Using their website is not fun and their customer service less so.
All things considered, I'd have to believe Namecheap over GoDaddy, regardless of how hot Danica Patrick is.
When submitted this I had not looked at recent submissions and bs03d had submitted a story on the same subject, using the same title! I voted his up, but for some reason mine was accepted with additions from him.
But yeah! I got my first accepted submission on my first try. (Sarcastic self-congratulatory pack pat ensues).
I thought this was interesting for many reasons, but I can attest that incomplete information can hinder things very much. I have never worked directly with name registrations, but I used to process DNS records about 13 years ago, and it was painful when I would get an incomplete request.
Silence is a state of mime.
I seem to have a vague memory of there being another mass exodus from godaddy a few years ago. Does anyone remember what the issue was?
"Dear GoDaddy. You openly supported something that revokes our rights and would give you more power to abuse us with while others in your position openly opposed it. Fuck you. Die."
No tears from us. Go Namecheap!
So now they've broken out a bazooka.
Seriously, they piss their customers off with their handling of SOPA. After that, their plan is... technical incompetence? Mishandling of accounts? Their lousy customer service is now in the spotlight because of this, and it's going to make their problems even worse because people remember a reputation for bad service long after they've forgotten all about SOPA.
You can't fix that with more ads from a second rate race car driver.
-- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
Didn't plan on doing all this extra work during Christmas holidays. I just migrated 16 domains from GoDaddy to NameCheap. Wow I wish I knew they existed before hand. The interface is clean. NO endless checkboxes to uncheck. Thank you GoDaddy for introducing me to NameCheap. I am now GoDaddy-free and it feels really good. use SOPAsucks to get a discount. awesome.
I'd never heard of Namecheep before this debacle and I found it curious how there were so very many references to it on Slashdot and the other new site forums. It was so dominant that my cynical side was wondering if it wasn't an astroturfing campaign.
Now we have these accusations. Frankly, at first blush, it sounds like dramatization on the part of Namecheep and standard incompetence excuses from GoDaddy. But, I also notice that only Namecheep is complaining. I don't see the same complaints from Network Solutions or Register et al, so I'm again wondering if this is some form of astroturfing because I am positive that GoDaddy has not targeting Namecheep exclusively.
Godaddy limits whois queries as is their limited right to do so. However, the ability to meter queries does not apply to the transfer of domains which must be a transparent process. The problem is that Godaddy can easily transfer bulk transfer out requests but they are getting stuck by their stupid registrant query limit.
The fact that Icann let them get away with this bs for so long is ineptitude. Remove this dumbass query limit and all is well.
Please, don't compare GoDaddy to prostitutes. At least the services prostitutes offer are honest.
I am not sure all prostitutes offer honest service, but I have yet to meet one who prevented you from pulling out when you wanted!
Silence is a state of mime.
Anyone want to take bets on how long it will be until Danica's driving another car? Namecheap should offer to sponsor her.
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
"their practice of rate limiting Whois queries is Whois abuse".
There, more honest.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
Hover.com (Tucows, Inc.) officially stated that they oppose SOPA. I've been using them for over a year and they're very straight forward and cheap as well.
https://www.hover.com/help/blog/hover-opposes-sopa
just like SOPA would allow them to do... domain seizure with no trial or recourse is most certainly foul.
boycott all of these companies
I moved to Namecheap a few months ago after becoming sick and tired of GoDaddy's shitty business practices. I decided to move to Namecheap shortly before my registrations with GoDaddy expired.
Before allowing me to transfer my domains, I was informed that I had to update my Whois info to make sure that it was accurate. There was no way to *not* do this. I could not begin the transfer process until this was done. I had done it a few months prior when ICANN requires yearly updates. This was something new.
Upon being forced to update my information (none of which was actually changed), my domains were forced into "locked" status, and thus prevented from being transferred for *two* months. Despite the fact that ICANN has released numerous statements saying that this behavior is not allowed, GoDaddy enforced this policy, despite me calling and talking to ten or fifteen different individuals.
I eventually had to renew each domain with GoDaddy, wait the two months, and then attempt the transfer to Namecheap again.
GoDaddy is a shit company, and I sincerely hope that an elephant tramples Bob Parsons.
wait until you chance up against one serious issue. or even, try to cancel/move out your stuff.
Read radical news here
For anyone who doesn't believe GoDaddy is now just explicitly blocking transfers - I've tried for two days now to move a single GoDaddy domain I have (that I bought through Google) to EasyDNS and GoDaddy is just blocking the transfer (see message below). I don't know if I'm more upset with GoDaddy or Google at this point (who continues to resell GoDaddy and provides no help here). Note that the (obscured) link to GoDaddy for support below points to a page with a PIN, with no information on where the PIN is obtained. Calling GoDaddy goes into an infinite black hole on support lines.
REGISTRAR TRANSFER DENIED
Dear Registration Private,
The transfer of x from Google Apps to another registrar could not be completed for the following reason(s):
Express written objection to the transfer from the Transfer Contact. (e.g. - email, fax, paper document or other processes by which the Transfer Contact has expressly and voluntarily objected through opt-in means).
If you believe that this domain name does not fit the situation described above, go to x for assistance.
Regards,
Domain Services
Google Apps
We were using GoDaddy to host some of our corporate servers. Due to their stubbornness and inflexibility on small points we ended up losing a lot of important business email. When I tried to go up the chain of command to get the issue addressed they flatly refused to allow me to talk to anyone higher up. I made many efforts to go around them to no avail. We ended up dropping use of them. We will never do business with that company!
I think GoDaddy sucks large avian eggs on a variety of levels (morally and technically); I try hard to convince any client who comes to me with domains or hosting there to switch to something else - anything else. (I usually recommend Pairnic.com as a registrar and Pair.com for hosting, but other great options exist.)
</disclosure>
That said, I transferred a client's domain from GoDaddy just last night (to Pairnic) and the process was exceedingly quick and smooth. Since GoDaddy allows you to log in an "approve" a transfer in process, the whole thing was done in 20 minutes from start to finish. Never had one go that fast, so I have to give credit to GoDaddy where it's due here. At least in this case, they were not putting up any roadblocks.
But yes, I'm glad to be almost completely rid of them. Even if Danica is smokin' hot.
I transferred an expiring domain to Namecheap last week for reasons unrelated to GoDaddy's asshattery, but I saw a blog post (that I can no longer find, alas) pointing out something in Namecheap's TOS that bothers the hell out of me. Specifically:
You agree that Namecheap, in its sole discretion and without liability to you, may refuse to accept the registration of any domain name. Namecheap also may in its sole discretion and without liability to you delete the registration of any domain name during the first thirty (30) days after registration has taken place. Namecheap may also cancel the registration of a domain name, after thirty (30) days, if that name is being used, as determined by Namecheap in its sole discretion, in association with spam or morally objectionable activities (as well as any activities set forth in Section 4 above). Morally objectionable activities will include, but not be limited to 1) activities designed to defame, embarrass, harm, abuse, threaten, slander or harass third parties; 2) activities prohibited by the laws of the United States and/or foreign territories in which you conduct business; 3) activities designed to encourage unlawful behavior by others, such as hate crimes, terrorism and child pornography; 4) activities that are tortious, vulgar, obscene, invasive of the privacy of a third party, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable; activities designed to impersonate the identity of a third party; 5) and activities designed to harm or use unethically minors in any way.
Note the part about "Namecheap in its sole discretion" and imagine that the guy answering the "abuse@" email is having a bad day. Suppose I have a blog on a domain registered through them and I:
1) Embarrass a local politician.
2) Get AdSense revenue from a post saying that the Egyptian government sucks.
3) Say I think it's OK for someone to smoke pot, even if it's illegal where they live.
4) Say something that someone, somewhere, thinks is vulgar or obscene.
5) Make fun of Justin Bieber.
Namecheap could decide in its sole discretion that any of those is sufficient to delete my domain from the registry. Frankly, that's bullshit. I know that Namecheap is unlikely to do something so boneheaded, but I'm utterly against them having the right to yank me off the Internet just because they don't like what I've said. And although I'm talking here about Namecheap specifically, I recognize that a lot of other registrars have similar terms. Does anyone use a more freedom-respecting registrar that they would recommend?
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
Moved my 5 domains away, and except one problem with my auth codes everything was completed in less than an hour (including being reregistered under my new host) but good riddance
Oh, but conspiring with the media mafia and bought congressmen to censor the internet for profit. That's playing fair?
I hope they go bankrupt before 2012.
Question everything
>Their lousy customer service is now in the spotlight because of this, and it's going to make their problems even worse because people remember a reputation for bad service long after they've forgotten all about SOPA.
Sorry to tell you there are enough idiots out there that want to save $.50 on a domain name to keep GoDaddy afloat long enough for the rest and new comers to forget what GoDaddy did/does.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
I might as well. But NOT TODAY - why put such a strain on their services...
"When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." -- Martin Niemöller, January 6, 1946
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." --Edmund Burke
They are using GoDaddy's negative press because they know it will get them business from people who are rightfully angry with GoDaddy. It makes no difference to their level of service whatsoever if they are using GoDaddy's moronic practices to get free advertising. It does not change that Namecheap provides a good service. I don't use them but if I had to move registrars, they would be at the top of my list.
Yeah, most "stars" and "models" are 6/10s. If you hadn't noticed, the general populace is full of the mentally challenged. I've seen thousands of camwhores (you know, those ones that get naked on the Internet just for fun) that are infinitely hotter than any girl that's "known".
I respect your decision, but must ask you to think a bit about the larger picture of GoDaddy themselves.
Not only have they come out in favor of a law that allows any company to claim copyright infringement and get a whole domain blacklisted easily, but GoDaddy has also engaged in other negative customer-hostile acts such as selective DNS "blackouts", which at least in the past resulted in the entire country of China being cut off from all domains using GoDaddy DNS.
They've also been accused of not paying overtime for their employees.
Also, keep in mind that with SOPA, GoDaddy still hasn't made an attempt to have their name removed in Congress as a supporter of the bill, so their "reversal" is just a publicity stunt.
Do you really wish to reward a company that's engaged in some fairly unethical behavior and also some behavior that is targeted specifically toward getting their customers to pay them more by degrading their services unless one pays? The company has shown a pattern of making choices that favor itself at the expense of its customers. SOPA may not be in your circle of concern, but their unethical behavior certainly should be.
Still, at the end of the day it is your choice.
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlons_razor
Fine. So GoDaddy hasn't *currently* done anything that affects you or your business.
But when they do, what are you going to do?
You may find that you NO LONGER have a voice about it, because GoDaddy's new EULA specifies that they now own the domains you've paid or done something equally unethical, but now entirely legal because you let them get away with it.
If you continue to support a bunch of crooks, don't be surprised then when they steal from you. And don't complain to us either, because we'll be saying "I told you so".
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
GoDaddy supports SOPA.
All it takes is a single infringement by law to remove your domain.
Do you really wish to play russian roulette with your domains?
Furthermore, they accuse Namecheap of playing foul because they released a statement before ever contacting godaddy directly to resolve these issues.
Funny, when I put up my anti-GoDaddy site, they tried to have my server shut down (along with all my other sites) and, when that failed (my provider told them to pound sand), tried to have my domain pulled due to incomplete or incorrect contact information. When my registrar notified me (via the admin email on that domain) I informed them that they are more than welcome to write me at the address on file and/or call me at the number on file.
Namecheap is using GoDaddy's tactics, here, and GoDaddy can't take what they dish out. Ha.
Further, yes, it is common practice to rate limit public WHOIS queries. However, a WHOIS query done as part of a domain transfer is not your typical public query and there should be a separate channel through which those queries are done, which should not be rate limited. I'm not 100% on this but I believe ICANN has ruled on this, as well.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
That's why I don't trust this industry. "GoDaddy", can it be more porn? And "Namecheap", say no more!
enom has the best API.
Also they give out reseller accounts, then you can register a domain with the reseller account, create a sub account, and push the domain into the sub-account without transferring it. That way you can set up clients entirely, without impersonating them, and without an extra transfer expense.
And then if you need to give them support, you're their registrar and can change things on their behalf. And you can still get upstream support from enom if you need it.
forgot to add, he.net and linode do in fact rock.
I'll take the bait.
From a business perspective, this is officially true - I'm sure Ford thought the same thing about their Pinto and how it _could_ catch fire in a crash. [But not very often, so why bother doing much - it would cost more than it was worth. In short - "It didn't do anything for their business."]
And if your only basis for judging what is the moral best for you and your customers, and the world is "how well it does for your business" than I'm sure you're probably making the right choice.
However, I choose to run my life by other metrics than just "how well it does my business." And so for me, and others like me, I suspect that not supporting a scummy jerk who has ideals that seem to mesh quite well with yours [namely "It must do something for my business."] is more important than making a buck.
I find such people objectionable and find that continuing to support them and enable them to continue said morally questionable practices is really pretty much a bone-headed thing to do. So, while it might not help my business, I think it will probably help the planet not to support such people and take action, even if it costs me something - perhaps even a lot.
In summary, remaining true to my honor, my moral code and what I consider altruistic and reasonable behavior is far more valuable than just "...what it does for my business."
I even think you'd probably be a happier individual if you'd consider such things valuable as well. But perhaps not. I guess you'll have to decide.
-Greg
I went to purchase socks today from
http://socksappeal.com/
but its registrar,
GoDaddy
failed to associate an IP address (failed to perform DNS service)
although SocksAppeal has paid for its domain into March, 2012.
I purchased from GoDaddy's customer SocksAppeal just 5 months ago,
and now GoDaddy might (other possible reasons) cause a commercial business to fail.
I was going to post yesterday asking how long all this would take... but decided to just go ahead with my transfer and report back. 24 hours for me. No bumps.
I already had domains at GoDaddy and NameCheap and decided this was a good time to consolidate at NC. I had unlocked my GoDaddy domain a couple of weeks ago with the intention of dealing with it when I had some downtime over the holidays. I started the whole process this time yesterday. After a few notifications and accepting the transfer on both sides I got an email this afternoon that the transfer was done. Logged into my NameCheap control panel and there it is.
I still have one domain at GoDaddy but I am letting it expire anyway so no reason to transfer unless I decide to resurrect the site.