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ALPNAMES.COM - WARNING! WILL DELETE YOUR DOMAINS & HIKE PRICES WITHOUT NOTICE.

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As someone who has experience with almost every major registrar out there, I am very unhappy with my AlpNames.com experience. Here's why:

1. They raised their .COM renewal fees from $8.75 to $15.00 with NO warning, NO email, NO reminder or alert. A few days prior I renewed a few domains at $8.75, a couple days later I add expired domains to my cart to renew, they're all set at $15.00 each. Dozens of them.

2. They will DELETE DOMAINS from your account OR CHARGE YOU a $60 Recovery fee, a DAY BEFORE the deadline date they specified in their emails when the domain expired! For example: "You must renew domain before the 3rd or it may be unable to recover!" , Ok fine, then on the 2nd, not the 3rd, they're all deleted or a 60 recovery fee is slapped on them. And I checked time-zones, that had nothing to do with it, they were clear in all time-zones!

3. Slow responses for support. I've contacted their support regarding the price hike, then about the domains being deleted before their due time, going on 4 days still waiting for response on time-sensitive/urgent issue.

4. Lastly, Visa doesn't seem to like this company as they're always blocking payment to them. I had to call my bank several times.

I was introduced to AlpNames because of the transfer promo a couple years ago, without issues which is why I didn't transfer out, $8.75 was reasonable so I paid back the savings to them AND THEM some, renewed my domains (HUNDREDS) for 2+ years with them AFTER promo and was going to again, NOT NOW.

If you have names with AlpNames, again, they hiked .com renewals up from $8.75 to $15.00, so if you have dozens or hundreds of domains to renew and you're not looking for an unpleasant surprise during renewal time, here's your fair warning which they won't give. And they lock your domains so you can't transfer out after expiry date and they may just delete your domains or put them in grace period early. Enjoy.
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Ask them and they will export all your AUTH codes in a bulk...

Transfer lock (so-called "Theft protection") with LogicBoxes registrars can be disabled in a bulk even for expires.
 
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+ for Resellers all these functions are available via API.
Their website is not needed at all.
 
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Old news (who is not aware): AlpNames and Afilias stopped all relations...
So all Afilias TLDs are unsupported there (if no changes). Reasons are unknown.
This is really disappointing factor.
 
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The AlpNames website completely shut down.

I understand that sometimes there are problems but they must always inform the clients. Right now I do not know if they are going to return or we lost everything.

Thanks to Rob Monster from Epik we have an opportunity.

Apparently Alpnames is in receivership for the last many months.

I am still working to find an active contact from AlpNames. From what I have gathered, @AlpNames been on life support since mid-2018 when Famous Four Media went into restructuring.

The former head of sales there, Robert Posnett, left in January. I managed to connect with him earlier today so got some insight there. The site is currently completely offline so that is not looking good.

I have reached out to ICANN officials and will try to fast-track something on Tuesday in Japan during the ICANN meetings. @Sufyan Alani is also here with me.
 
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Im glad I only had 1 domain to move out of AlpNames, and I moved it out to Epik last month.

Im sorry to those that are being screwed right now.
 
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well I was able to login alpnames few hours back thorugh the alt link given above.. got all my auth codes.. unlocked names.. so I suppose even with site down through official link I can transfer names no prob now.

I guess if we can login through alt link then this means alpnames is not completely offline??
 
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Thanks for the update, @Rob Monster but wow that is indeed concerning.

Sorry to bother you while at meetings, but has a registrar ever gone out of business, and if so do ICANN have provisions for people moving out domain names that were held there? Not saying we are at that point, but with thousands of registrars it must have happened.

Bob

Edit: I found a bit at this link
https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/bulk-transfers-2017-10-06-en
 
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In case their ICANN accreditation will be cancelled - all domains will be automatically moved to another registrar by ICANN decision.
 
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has a registrar ever gone out of business, and if so do ICANN have provisions for people moving out domain names that were held there?
Yes.
Registerfly is the most famous example. Following that debacle Icann designed a procedure (bulk transfer). Since then a few other registrars have been terminated (including some little registrars owned by domainers). Estdomains was terminated due to a criminal conviction of its owner.
Registrars disappear from time to time. For example shell registrars that only exist for dropcatching. Phenix dropped a lot of them because the costs must have been unsustainable.
 
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Periodical issues with SSL certs are happening at many companies...
No... just the companies that don't keep track of renewals. How ironic that a company that would punish others for... well you get what I mean.
 
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If someone needs to login to your account, I find this address.
apal516804.myorderbox.com
Thanks!
This works for webaccess, I just logged into my Reseller account...
If your role is Customer - select Customer to log in from this address.
 
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So this ICANN bulk provides a mechanism in even the case of total shutdown the registered users could unlock and get their auth codes for transfer?
It means all domains are transferred to another registrar, selected by Icann after hearing expressions of interest.
Then the new registrar has to reach out to the registrants, set up accounts etc.

Registrars also have to submit data escrow. In the past there have been unpleasant surprises with registrars whose poor record-keeping practices resulted in unreliable or missing whois info - making it more difficult to properly reallocate domain names after bulk transfer.

The problem is when you have domains nearing expiration and you can't renew them in time.
Bottom line, if you have valuable domain names renew early and even a few years in advance.
 
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OK I am an optimist most of the time, but this does not seem to be a really good day.:xf.sick:

On the positive side, thank you so much for people like @Rob Monster, @Kate, @Jurgen Wolf and others who have the experience and are so willing to share and help us at stressful times. I truly thank you.

NPs also seems to be exploding in flames in a couple of other threads. All of us who are not moderators should be thankful we are not, and we also should thank the moderators.

To paraphrase from a famous book, most of what you need to know to be a good domainer you learn in elementary school: be kind, be truthful, work hard, have fun, help others, be happy, be creative, be responsible, play well with others, don't fight, don't break things, follow the rules, share the toys, respect that others are different, make a difference.

Bob
 
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AlpNames website is just frontend.
Backend - LogicBoxes... so you may safely log in using the mentioned address above.
+ API is available as well (for resellers).
 
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Andee Hill at ICANN confirmed that the buck stops with her on this case. For anyone not able to use the logicboxes workaround, you can send specific issues to the following:

[email protected]


@Andee Hill
 
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You may also try to call/email... to recheck if somebody replies there...

ICANN listed contact
Damon Barnard
Phone: +44.2031379682
Email: [email protected]
 
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And what registrar is shown in WHOIS for your .COMs?
Exactly AlpNames or something else?
 
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You may also try to call/email... to recheck if somebody replies there...

ICANN listed contact
Damon Barnard
Phone: +44.2031379682
Email: [email protected]

Already talked to him. He no longer works there. He interviewed with Incite.

He sent me this:

####
Hi Rob,

I've been trying to tell Kevin Murphy what I can today which, unfortunately, is not all that much.

I haven't worked with AlpNames since November and, in truth, my role for the 12 months prior to that was basically limited to local mind and management in Gibraltar, the shareholders having decided to move all day-to-day operations to London in November 2017. The majority shareholder decided to terminate my appointment as a director to save costs for AlpNames and, also, due to the fact that he wished to be more "hands on" with the day-to-day of AlpNames and that he wanted to properly relocate the business to the UK - how far those plans were progressed, if at all, are unknown to me, as I've had no correspondence with him.

I am an AlpNames customer myself, and currently don't have access to critical domain names, .. . (Section removed due to personal info)

That's about the extent of my knowledge. I'm really very saddened by what is happening, as I spent years of my life building AlpNames as a brand.

Hope all's well with Epik!

All the best,

Damon.


###

Seems sincere.
 
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I rechecked my Login history...
My last visit to AlpNames was on February'15... and it worked...
So this issue happened just recently...
 
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