Anybody with experience with Registerfly

StephanieCordray · 02-19-2007, 01:29 AM

I have a sticky situation. Am trying to help a person with some issues she's having with registerfly who lost their reseller through enom but was subsequently accredited through ICANN. What puts me in the sticky situation is that I'm a reseller myself, although not through enom. For me to intercede on her behalf would look fishy.

This person wants to transfer her domains away from registerfly but is unable to do so. Whois info on the domains list registerfly, not her. The domains are on her account with registerfly but transfers are declined as the requests go through registerfly instead of the domain name owner. She's tried. One of those domains is her sole source of income as it's her business. She has a little time before expiration but you can understand why she'd be nervous of the situation she's in.

Any suggestions from the domain name gurus in the house? At this point, the only ray of hope she has seen means paying a whopping amount of money ... $160 I believe it was.

Artoonie · 02-19-2007, 02:44 AM

will registerfly keep the domain after it is expired? if not, couldn't you just wait til it expires and buy it immediately after from somewhere else?

I'm sure you know much more about this than i, so sorry if this is completely unhelpful.

StephanieCordray · 02-19-2007, 09:15 AM

yes, they'll keep it and sell it to someone else. she's already been down that path with another domain which didn't even expire but the renewal was mangled through billing... which is why she's so frightened now... registerfly didn't try to resolve the issue then. She had to contact the person who "stole" her domain to get it back. If she hadn't had that receipt showing where she had paid for it before expiration she would have lost it completely.

DLPerry · 02-19-2007, 10:12 AM

Hi Stephanie--

What happens when the domain owner logs in to their registerfly account and tries to update the domain admin data?

I've not had experience dealing with Registerfly specifically, but I do hold an enom reseller account, and I've 'done' a few domains in my day

If you'd like to contact me off-forum with the details I'd be glad to see if I can assist.

And no - they don't have to transfer thier domain registration to me.

I'm not in the domain registration biz per se. I maintain an enom reseller account as a convenience - not a source of income.

StephanieCordray · 02-19-2007, 11:59 AM

Neither am in in the domain registration biz per se. it's mainly for our own hosting customers. She created a subaccount for me on her registerfly account and all her domains are listed there and they are unlocked but transfer is still impossible because registerfly has made their company the contact for the domains... We tried with one of them, her business name, and registerfly denied the transfer. Right now, due to some information we've found on the net, she's going through enom to see if she can regain control of her domains since they are the registrar of record... however, that $160 charge they speak of really worries me. It shouldn't cost that much for domains you already own, you know?

Heck, it shouldn't cost that much for new domains...

I also found out that the owners of Registerfly are actually another company called Unified Names, Inc. which is in some pretty heavy litigation over domain names that are supposed to belong to some rather large companies. I think it's going to be a very nerveracking time for registerfly customers for some time to come.

I wish I could do more to help her. Although I'm only barely a reseller, I'm still a reseller, so heavy involvement on my part could just make things worse. At this point all I can do is advise her of the appropriate channels. While I don't like that $160 charge for her sake, the loss of her business domain name would mean a lot more than that amount of money spent to safeguard them.

DLPerry · 02-19-2007, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephanieCordray

...She created a subaccount for me on her registerfly account and all her domains are listed there and they are unlocked but transfer is still impossible because registerfly has made their company the contact for the domains...

If she does own the domain and it is still current on registration - she should be able to make changes to the domain admin contact data through her Registerfly account - but your sub account may not have that capability.
Do you know what happens when she tries?

Quote:

We tried with one of them, her business name, and registerfly denied the transfer. Right now, due to some information we've found on the net, she's going through enom to see if she can regain control of her domains since they are the registrar of record... however, that $160 charge they speak of really worries me. It shouldn't cost that much for domains you already own, you know?

I agree. I wonder what is the $160 from enom for - have they said? I don't use my enom account very much, but I know they do charge an additional fee if the domains registration has expired, and the domain is in Redemption period.
That's not what has happened here is it?

Quote:

I also found out that the owners of Registerfly are actually another company called Unified Names, Inc. which is in some pretty heavy litigation over domain names that are supposed to belong to some rather large companies. I think it's going to be a very nerveracking time for registerfly customers for some time to come.

Yuck. It sure looks like it. It looks like the enom/Registerfly snafu has been ongoing since 02/06 (unless that's a typo)....there's an old notice on their website that says they were working on transferring domains from enom to registerfly. Did this one fall through the cracks?

Quote:

I wish I could do more to help her. Although I'm only barely a reseller, I'm still a reseller, so heavy involvement on my part could just make things worse. At this point all I can do is advise her of the appropriate channels. While I don't like that $160 charge for her sake, the loss of her business domain name would mean a lot more than that amount of money spent to safeguard them.

That is true. $160 is a small price to pay if that's the only recourse. I just don't understand how paying enom will get the domain back. Is enom the listed registrar at present, or Registerfly? I'm confused.

(so what else is new)

StephanieCordray · 02-19-2007, 02:08 PM

When you do a whois it lists enom as the registrar via registerfly which was once a reseller for enom. The big problem is that the whois info lists registerfly as registrant and they've gone a step further at this point... I'm taking out the old screenshot program it's gotten so bad... they deleted her nameservers on her domains and neither she or I can put them back... her site is essentially gone at this point because no one can access it except via her hosting company control panels... and they are still unresponsive to trouble tickets, phone calls, or emails... they've essentially stolen her domains

Yes and no, 3 of her sites were left at enom, the other 6 are still with registerfly but registerfly has all nine on their list for her account... however the account is practically worthless since she has no control of the domains... none are expired at present although one will expire on the 4th of next month unless something is done very quickly... the one she is most concerned about understandably is her business' domain name which doesn't expire until some time in July... given the circumstances it's a moot point since this stupid registrar has basically stolen her domains by taking control of them the way they have.

DLPerry · 02-19-2007, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephanieCordray

When you do a whois it lists enom as the registrar via registerfly which was once a reseller for enom. The big problem is that the whois info lists registerfly as registrant and they've gone a step further at this point... I'm taking out the old screenshot program it's gotten so bad... they deleted her nameservers on her domains and neither she or I can put them back... her site is essentially gone at this point because no one can access it except via her hosting company control panels... and they are still unresponsive to trouble tickets, phone calls, or emails... they've essentially stolen her domains

Yes and no, 3 of her sites were left at enom, the other 6 are still with registerfly but registerfly has all nine on their list for her account... however the account is practically worthless since she has no control of the domains... none are expired at present although one will expire on the 4th of next month unless something is done very quickly... the one she is most concerned about understandably is her business' domain name which doesn't expire until some time in July... given the circumstances it's a moot point since this stupid registrar has basically stolen her domains by taking control of them the way they have.

Ugh. What a mess. Just thinking out loud -- from the outside looking in, it sounds like Registryfly claims they have control of the domain, but this one at least is actually still controlled at enom - which could explain why no-one can make changes to the domain data through registerflys control panel.

It doesn't explain what enom is charging $160 for, though. If you'd like me to try and transfer the domain through my enom account I'll be happy to give it a go. If it succeeds she'll only owe me the registration extension fee (under $10 I think), and she'll get an extra year added to her registration. Of course if enom tries to charge me $160 I will not complete the transaction.

If I'm successful, I can then update her domain administration data, point to her host DNS settings, etc. I can even transfer the domain to another enom account, but I'm not sure if there's a waiting period before that can happen or not.

Failing that - I must agree with you that paying enom $160 may be her only recourse. I only hope that enom can actually secure the domain as they claim.

StephanieCordray · 02-19-2007, 04:33 PM

We tried transfers and they were always "declined". Registerfly has tied up the domains under their contacts, even if enom is the registrant of record. And no, she doesn't have whois protection set for any of them, yet, as far as a whois, she doesn't even exist although she's the one paying for the domains... which is another issue we're going to be dealing with later. Her site is back to being accessible... it took only 4 tries. Given everything that's happened to date, we have concluded her best bet is to work through enom to gain control of them again. Once that's done, she has a number of options of where she would like to transfer them or stay with enom if they prove satisfactory.

All in all, it's been a lesson; one I hope others will read and learn from.

AainaA · 02-21-2007, 03:51 AM

That's strange that RF is not allowing that - As long as her domain is unlocked meaning she's not using any of the optional svcs attached to her domain like whois privacy protection - that should be alright - if all fails - call.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephanieCordray

because registerfly has made their company the contact for the domains... We tried with one of them, her business name, and registerfly denied the transfer.

02-19-2007, 01:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
StephanieCordray Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 1,017	Anybody with experience with Registerfly I have a sticky situation. Am trying to help a person with some issues she's having with registerfly who lost their reseller through enom but was subsequently accredited through ICANN. What puts me in the sticky situation is that I'm a reseller myself, although not through enom. For me to intercede on her behalf would look fishy. This person wants to transfer her domains away from registerfly but is unable to do so. Whois info on the domains list registerfly, not her. The domains are on her account with registerfly but transfers are declined as the requests go through registerfly instead of the domain name owner. She's tried. One of those domains is her sole source of income as it's her business. She has a little time before expiration but you can understand why she'd be nervous of the situation she's in. Any suggestions from the domain name gurus in the house? At this point, the only ray of hope she has seen means paying a whopping amount of money ... $160 I believe it was.

02-19-2007, 02:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
Artoonie Silver Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 106	will registerfly keep the domain after it is expired? if not, couldn't you just wait til it expires and buy it immediately after from somewhere else? I'm sure you know much more about this than i, so sorry if this is completely unhelpful. __________________ Pricey Pixel - upload/find signatures and avatars

02-19-2007, 10:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
DLPerry Silver Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 154	Hi Stephanie-- What happens when the domain owner logs in to their registerfly account and tries to update the domain admin data? I've not had experience dealing with Registerfly specifically, but I do hold an enom reseller account, and I've 'done' a few domains in my day If you'd like to contact me off-forum with the details I'd be glad to see if I can assist. And no - they don't have to transfer thier domain registration to me. I'm not in the domain registration biz per se. I maintain an enom reseller account as a convenience - not a source of income. __________________ Best Regards --dlp dlperry.com Intuitive Website - Design + Enhancements + Software + Management + SEO

02-19-2007, 02:08 PM	#7 (permalink)
StephanieCordray Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 1,017	When you do a whois it lists enom as the registrar via registerfly which was once a reseller for enom. The big problem is that the whois info lists registerfly as registrant and they've gone a step further at this point... I'm taking out the old screenshot program it's gotten so bad... they deleted her nameservers on her domains and neither she or I can put them back... her site is essentially gone at this point because no one can access it except via her hosting company control panels... and they are still unresponsive to trouble tickets, phone calls, or emails... they've essentially stolen her domains Yes and no, 3 of her sites were left at enom, the other 6 are still with registerfly but registerfly has all nine on their list for her account... however the account is practically worthless since she has no control of the domains... none are expired at present although one will expire on the 4th of next month unless something is done very quickly... the one she is most concerned about understandably is her business' domain name which doesn't expire until some time in July... given the circumstances it's a moot point since this stupid registrar has basically stolen her domains by taking control of them the way they have. Last edited by StephanieCordray; 02-19-2007 at 02:11 PM. Reason: addition

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02-19-2007, 09:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
StephanieCordray Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 1,017	yes, they'll keep it and sell it to someone else. she's already been down that path with another domain which didn't even expire but the renewal was mangled through billing... which is why she's so frightened now... registerfly didn't try to resolve the issue then. She had to contact the person who "stole" her domain to get it back. If she hadn't had that receipt showing where she had paid for it before expiration she would have lost it completely.

02-19-2007, 11:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
StephanieCordray Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 1,017	Neither am in in the domain registration biz per se. it's mainly for our own hosting customers. She created a subaccount for me on her registerfly account and all her domains are listed there and they are unlocked but transfer is still impossible because registerfly has made their company the contact for the domains... We tried with one of them, her business name, and registerfly denied the transfer. Right now, due to some information we've found on the net, she's going through enom to see if she can regain control of her domains since they are the registrar of record... however, that $160 charge they speak of really worries me. It shouldn't cost that much for domains you already own, you know? Heck, it shouldn't cost that much for new domains... I also found out that the owners of Registerfly are actually another company called Unified Names, Inc. which is in some pretty heavy litigation over domain names that are supposed to belong to some rather large companies. I think it's going to be a very nerveracking time for registerfly customers for some time to come. I wish I could do more to help her. Although I'm only barely a reseller, I'm still a reseller, so heavy involvement on my part could just make things worse. At this point all I can do is advise her of the appropriate channels. While I don't like that $160 charge for her sake, the loss of her business domain name would mean a lot more than that amount of money spent to safeguard them.

02-19-2007, 04:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
StephanieCordray Diamond Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 1,017	We tried transfers and they were always "declined". Registerfly has tied up the domains under their contacts, even if enom is the registrant of record. And no, she doesn't have whois protection set for any of them, yet, as far as a whois, she doesn't even exist although she's the one paying for the domains... which is another issue we're going to be dealing with later. Her site is back to being accessible... it took only 4 tries. Given everything that's happened to date, we have concluded her best bet is to work through enom to gain control of them again. Once that's done, she has a number of options of where she would like to transfer them or stay with enom if they prove satisfactory. All in all, it's been a lesson; one I hope others will read and learn from.