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SAV (sav.com) Domains Theft? BE CAREFUL

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yb1313

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I have been in the domain world for some time now, and have come across registrars that offer fantastic services and value, and some that were less convenient. But nothing was as bad as SAV, which took unacceptable and likely unlawful actions that I’ll explain here in order to warn others and do a favor to the domaining community.

In short, my close colleague bought a handful of domains at SAV recently because they had a discount for a certain TLD; he then put them on SAV’s auction place, but their system did not allow modifying or removing the listings which were priced by default at $1, and when the auction ended they just took hold of the domains and he lost them. Here's a more detailed explanation of the series of events that happened - you judge whether their actions and system are fair:
1. My colleague bought and then listed the domains for auction at SAV. He attempted to increase the minimum default price of 1$ to a higher price, but their system would not allow that. As well as that, SAV did not send any verification email that the domains were listed for auction or any updates about it.
2. Seeing that they do not allow changing the price, and since there were zero bids, he attempted to remove them from the auction marketplace, but SAV’s system would not allow that either! A misleading system message just stated "Please take the appropriate actions and submit the bulk request again" (No legitimate auction place would do that)
3. As soon as that "auction" ended, upon logging into his account he discovered that the auctioned domains were not in his account anymore as they should have been, instead SAV transferred them away from it. Again, no bids came and no bidding email or activity appeared absolutely anywhere, but all of the listed domains were removed. SAV transferred them away, possibly by someone there in order to re-sell them. After emailing their support, they just claimed that the domains were sold at the auction.
4. These domains cannot have been legally sold - no bids were made, no notification was received at any point for a bidding, we followed it. All signs indicated that SAV simply moved them to an account that may be associated with them, as 10 minutes later these domains pointed at a sales landing page on some website (screenshots here, removed domain url as to not let them enjoy exposure), while the transfer was supposed to be prohibited.
5. Further clear proof that no bidding was made and no one actually purchased them can be found at SAV’s own terms of service which state that the minimum bid amount is $1 (in addition to the listed price), so it's technically impossible that someone bought them legally because they were “bought” at $1 each instead of $2, which would be the next minimum increment. Just see their auctions marketplace for a live proof, or the photo here.
6. SAV did not provide the buyers’ details, even upon request, as respected companies such as DAN for example do. Need more technical proof that no one could have possibly bid on the domains? They’re supposed to take a 4% commission, while these domains shown in the sales page as netting an exact $1 profit each (without commission). Included is the screenshot proof.
7. SAV's response? Not denying anything, but saying they can do “nothing” about domains that are not in the account (what?? Of course they’re not in the account now, you removed them). About five minutes after their reply, the domains' nameservers were officially moved to a new sales page. That was too obvious.
8. Another proof that no one bought these domains and that SAV (supposedly) stole them: According to their policy, "Expired Auction Domains registered at Sav include a free 1 year renewal” – but that is not the case as these domains' expiration periods did not change. They breached their own terms.

Obviously this is an exploitation of their power against their own customers (and this is not the only time it happened according to other reviews detailing sketchy experiences there). They go again standard ICANN procedures, and clearly against standard ethics. It’s easy for them to manipulate and control their own interface and unfortunately they have chosen to do it time and again.
My colleague's domains where quite valuable. But this theft will not go in vain, it will educate and warn others, and we have chosen to expose them here (instead of taking the legal path, lucky for them); they would have to provide some very good explanations on what happened for us to ever consider them again.
 
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Thanks for updating the correct forum.
And for the willingness to give it proper attention.
 
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they are.full of bugs...with too many never getting fixed

that's why they are bad.

as for.yer issue...maybe last seconds.bid? what does whois say? i had no auctions but my names just randomly gone from panel..5 separate occasions.

so with sav..if u aren't regularly checking yer number names in panel isn't going down...then u may be asking for trouble..
 
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they are.full of bugs...with too many never getting fixed

that's why they are bad.

as for.yer issue...maybe last seconds.bid? what does whois say? i had no auctions but my names just randomly gone from panel..5 separate occasions.

so with sav..if u aren't regularly checking yer number names in panel isn't going down...then u may be asking for trouble..


@alcy
No doubt their system has lots of bugs, and more than that, apparently.
As explained in the above thread (points 3 through 8), these could not have been bids of any sort.

Did you mean that some of your domain names randomly disappeared from SAV's panel? If so, then there's clearly a pattern here. Sorry to hear that it happened to you as well brother.
 
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yes names I transfered there..not that i.regged there..

I had to make ticket..got them. back

but one thing that should.never happen on registrar is yer names disappear. so if u do not daily keep track total.number names does not go down..and u do not act quick like me..then god knows what will become of yer names
later..

I deal with 15 registrars
..never did a.name just disappear.. that is the one bug u dont wanna have..or fix fast
..yet..it happened to.me 5 times...and to others too

as for yer case... not sure...to me they are about bugs that dont get fixed..more than cheating etc..
 
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Same here, my domain alievi.com was sold for mere $3 although I listed it for $3,499. I was not even notified that there was a bid. I just received the email that it was sold for $3.
 
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Same here, my domain alievi.com was sold for mere $3 although I listed it for $3,499. I was not even notified that there was a bid. I just received the email that it was sold for $3.

how can someone place bid and or win a name for 3 if its.listed 3500? I mean is that like a bug or something?
 
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Same here, my domain alievi.com was sold for mere $3 although I listed it for $3,499. I was not even notified that there was a bid. I just received the email that it was sold for $3.

That's insane. Your domain is definitely worth more than what SAV took it for after changing the price!

They mustn't be allowed to do that, where is ICANN and all the relevant domain regulators? They gotta wake up
 
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I have yet to enter any problem at sav that wasn't either my fault of error. Or if their fault was resolved perfectly each time. Just my experience.
 
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I have yet to enter any problem at sav that wasn't either my fault of error. Or if their fault was resolved perfectly each time. Just my experience.

welcome to the tiny exclusive club of people who never saw or experienced a.bug at sav. it is very elite club.
 
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no , i def am in that club with ya : ) . I had some weird stuff happen for sure, they have many bugs.

but all were resolved in a great professional manner for me.


welcome to the tiny exclusive club of people who never saw or experienced a.bug at sav. it is very elite club.
 
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no , i def am in that club with ya : ) . I had some weird stuff happen for sure, they have many bugs.

but all were resolved in a great professional manner for me.

its one thing to.have bugs.and fix em..and another not to fix em

I have seen same.issues over and over...so no.fix.. u cannot allow that if u wanna be taken seriously as registrar
 
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That's insane. Your domain is definitely worth more than what SAV took it for after changing the price!

They mustn't be allowed to do that, where is ICANN and all the relevant domain regulators? They gotta wake up

It could have been "partly" my fault. The List Domain button is on the same box with Start Auction button. I might have clicked the latter button, and didn't check afterwards.
 
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Is this you or your friend as you have said “ we” multiple times? If your friends domains were so valuable why did he put them at auction which surely will bring in very little? How did he not notice all the SAV auctions start at $1.00 before he listed?

SAV is a hot mess and I don’t know how many people have to get burned or complain before people stop using them. Do due diligence on this forum before any purchases—they have a SAV thread loaded with complaints.

That being said, your friend placed them at auction. Nobody forced him. So he is partly to blame right there.
 
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Same here, my domain alievi.com was sold for mere $3 although I listed it for $3,499.
:xf.eek:
It could have been "partly" my fault. The List Domain button is on the same box with Start Auction button. I might have clicked the latter button, and didn't check afterwards.
:xf.grin::xf.grin:


@Nick R

Can add a alert message, when any person domain live auction; and can add a remove option if any fault click ( auction )
 
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I have been in the domain world for some time now, and have come across registrars that offer fantastic services and value, and some that were less convenient. But nothing was as bad as SAV, which took unacceptable and likely unlawful actions that I’ll explain here in order to warn others and do a favor to the domaining community.

In short, my close colleague bought a handful of domains at SAV recently because they had a discount for a certain TLD; he then put them on SAV’s auction place, but their system did not allow modifying or removing the listings which were priced by default at $1, and when the auction ended they just took hold of the domains and he lost them. Here's a more detailed explanation of the series of events that happened - you judge whether their actions and system are fair:
1. My colleague bought and then listed the domains for auction at SAV. He attempted to increase the minimum default price of 1$ to a higher price, but their system would not allow that. As well as that, SAV did not send any verification email that the domains were listed for auction or any updates about it.
2. Seeing that they do not allow changing the price, and since there were zero bids, he attempted to remove them from the auction marketplace, but SAV’s system would not allow that either! A misleading system message just stated "Please take the appropriate actions and submit the bulk request again" (No legitimate auction place would do that)
3. As soon as that "auction" ended, upon logging into his account he discovered that the auctioned domains were not in his account anymore as they should have been, instead SAV transferred them away from it. Again, no bids came and no bidding email or activity appeared absolutely anywhere, but all of the listed domains were removed. SAV transferred them away, possibly by someone there in order to re-sell them. After emailing their support, they just claimed that the domains were sold at the auction.
4. These domains cannot have been legally sold - no bids were made, no notification was received at any point for a bidding, we followed it. All signs indicated that SAV simply moved them to an account that may be associated with them, as 10 minutes later these domains pointed at a sales landing page on some website (screenshots here, removed domain url as to not let them enjoy exposure), while the transfer was supposed to be prohibited.
5. Further clear proof that no bidding was made and no one actually purchased them can be found at SAV’s own terms of service which state that the minimum bid amount is $1 (in addition to the listed price), so it's technically impossible that someone bought them legally because they were “bought” at $1 each instead of $2, which would be the next minimum increment. Just see their auctions marketplace for a live proof, or the photo here.
6. SAV did not provide the buyers’ details, even upon request, as respected companies such as DAN for example do. Need more technical proof that no one could have possibly bid on the domains? They’re supposed to take a 4% commission, while these domains shown in the sales page as netting an exact $1 profit each (without commission). Included is the screenshot proof.
7. SAV's response? Not denying anything, but saying they can do “nothing” about domains that are not in the account (what?? Of course they’re not in the account now, you removed them). About five minutes after their reply, the domains' nameservers were officially moved to a new sales page. That was too obvious.
8. Another proof that no one bought these domains and that SAV (supposedly) stole them: According to their policy, "Expired Auction Domains registered at Sav include a free 1 year renewal” – but that is not the case as these domains' expiration periods did not change. They breached their own terms.

Obviously this is an exploitation of their power against their own customers (and this is not the only time it happened according to other reviews detailing sketchy experiences there). They go again standard ICANN procedures, and clearly against standard ethics. It’s easy for them to manipulate and control their own interface and unfortunately they have chosen to do it time and again.
My colleague's domains where quite valuable. But this theft will not go in vain, it will educate and warn others, and we have chosen to expose them here (instead of taking the legal path, lucky for them); they would have to provide some very good explanations on what happened for us to ever consider them again.
My experience, sav a good registrar's. Cheap pricing, fast check out, one click live domain ( after market ), only 4% commission etc....

Some problems here's, not live support and some technical issues, but not theft.
If u contact support, definitely they solved issue.
 
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My experience, sav a good registrar's. Cheap pricing, fast check out, one click live domain ( after market ), only 4% commission etc....

Some problems here's, not live support and some technical issues, but not theft.
If u contact support, definitely they solved issue.
I think there are some areas of sav that need to be improved, as a seller, when the auction is over, I can not immediately receive my payment, pending payment need 5 days to be Available Balance,but some registrar transfer out to sav needs 5 to 7 days, then 7 plus 5 equals 12 days,and then apply for withdrawal,it need to wait up to week,not counting the auction time,we need to wait more than half a month to get the payment!it is not fair to seller!
it said 4% commission,but the seller need to pay payment fees,depent on the payment,paypal is 2%.
and i transfered out the domain from sav last week,but i don't get email notice!nothing,i think it is not safe for the owner,and it need to take 5-7 days,cannot be transferred quickly!thanks
 
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Is this you or your friend as you have said “ we” multiple times? If your friends domains were so valuable why did he put them at auction which surely will bring in very little? How did he not notice all the SAV auctions start at $1.00 before he listed?

SAV is a hot mess and I don’t know how many people have to get burned or complain before people stop using them. Do due diligence on this forum before any purchases—they have a SAV thread loaded with complaints.

That being said, your friend placed them at auction. Nobody forced him. So he is partly to blame right there.

My work colleague and I (I said we twice throughout the entire thread) followed the auction closely; he didn't choose the $1 price it was the default put by SAV after domain submission, and as explained SAV's terrible system would not allow changing price or removing the domains from auction even if there are no bids (unheard of), so you get stuck with a domain valued at xxx but priced and one dollar with nothing to do about it.
I'm not sure why you think auctions are not a place to sell valuable domains, have you looked at GoDaddy Auctions recently?
But I'm glad you acknowledged that SAV is a mess. Because if we blame people merely for trusting and using companies' services then we will never deal with their wrongdoings and they'll get away with anything...

My experience, sav a good registrar's. Cheap pricing, fast check out, one click live domain ( after market ), only 4% commission etc....

Some problems here's, not live support and some technical issues, but not theft.
If u contact support, definitely they solved issue.

Great for you. To be honest, up until that incident, we never had issues with SAV either, in fact I personally purchased two semi-premium domains from their aftermarket landing/sale pages it all worked fine. But then this shocking auctions incident came, and it is unforgivable, just like any other theft would be. Yes, we contacted them about it but they chose to deny and ignore.

I think there are some areas of sav that need to be improved, as a seller, when the auction is over, I can not immediately receive my payment, pending payment need 5 days to be Available Balance,but some registrar transfer out to sav needs 5 to 7 days, then 7 plus 5 equals 12 days,and then apply for withdrawal,it need to wait up to week,not counting the auction time,we need to wait more than half a month to get the payment!it is not fair to seller!
it said 4% commission,but the seller need to pay payment fees,depent on the payment,paypal is 2%.
and i transfered out the domain from sav last week,but i don't get email notice!nothing,i think it is not safe for the owner,and it need to take 5-7 days,cannot be transferred quickly!thanks

Yeah, that sounds very inconvenient... As a seller as well, I would never recommend using SAV's auctions or landing pages, even if the domain is registered with them, use DAN for landing and Afternic to get exposure and listed on the major registrars (unless you want to develop your own site!)
 
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Hello All,

@yb1313 Let me apologize for the confusing experience with Sav and provide some additional details. All Sav Customer Auctions start at $1 (or $1 + the transfer in cost) and can not be cancelled once started. Before any auction is started we require the seller to check this box:

Screen-Shot-2021-08-09-at-11-09-36-AM.png


None of our auctions have the ability set a min price or reserve price. When an auction completes and the domain is at Sav, it is instantly pushed to the buyers account making a great experience for the bidder. We do not share the buyers details with the seller or publish them publicly.

The screenshot referenced does redact the domain but if you want to DM me the domains I would be happy to verify personally that a legit bidder did bid on the auction and complete the purchase.

I do understand the frustration in selling a domain for less than intended. We are always trying to make this process more clear and it's obvious that there is more we can do moving forward to clarify how it work before an auction is started.
 
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@Nick R So that big screenshot of "I agree to your terms" serves to disguise any of SAV's illegal actions? There is no excuse to what SAV did. You conveniently ignored most points I raised above, regarding the impossible purchase amounts and auction process, which even violate your company's own auction policy. Mistakes indeed happen; I will DM you the domain names, and will be sure to update here if the issue is resolved for everyone to know.
 
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I'm not familiar with Sav, but holy moly there are a lot of less-than-positive posts about them.
 
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Pls,how can I change the nameserver of my domain
 
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@yb1313 Thank you for DMing me the domains. After looking at each auction, I can confirm that a verified independent bidder did bid on, and won, all of these auctions. There was nothing illegal or remotely different than all Customer auctions on Sav. We made improvements to make this disclaimer even more clear in the last week and still highly recommend using Fixed Price listings if there is a minimum price someone is looking to sell a domain name for.
 
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