advice Domain in trouble

[Sye]

Hello,

Two of my domain in trouble, LCN do auto renewal of my both domain for 2 years , i told them to cancel it, as i will renew for 1 year, they cancelled it and now domain are in redumption period.
domain will expire on 23 march 2019, but showing redumption period. i am stuck . both domains are not working. dont know what to do now

thanks

 

[xynames]

ask for chargeback on auto renewal.

He didn’t cancel the order he apparently initiated a credit card chargeback. A chargeback costs the registrar average $25. per chargeback order. As a merchant, get too many chargebacks and it may jeopardize your entire standing with your credit card processor. If I were the registrar, and this client did indeed initiate a chargeback, especially over just a single extra year’s renewal fees on two domains, I’d kick this guy off my service and close his account.

If he did a chargeback this is the “more to the story” that we weren’t getting.

 

[NYJimbo]

A lot of companies do the early renewal in case your card is no good, they can tell you before the actual expiration date.

I'll bet in their TOS it says something about auto-renewal is cancelled after the fact, they cancel your domain.

If so, thats a terrible practice as you do have time remaining on your registration.

However, I am sure they have done this many times before so expect them to fight you so you pay redemption fees.

 

[MapleDots]

He didn’t cancel the order he apparently initiated a credit card chargeback. A chargeback costs the registrar average $25. per chargeback order. As a merchant, get too many chargebacks and it may jeopardize your entire standing with your credit card processor. If I were the registrar, and this client did indeed initiate a chargeback, especially over just a single extra year’s renewal fees on two domains, I’d kick this guy off my service and close his account.

If he did a chargeback this is the “more to the story” that we weren’t getting.

A chargeback should be a last resort.
I have policy to charge clients a $250 processing fee for a chargeback. It says expressly in my TOS that before you initiate a chargeback you should email to allow us to rectify the situation first.

In is unfortunate how many clients want to cancel a service or return a product and their way of doing it is with a chargeback as opposed to opening dialogue with the business.

Some of my clients were shocked when I cancelled their account unless they paid $250 to continue doing business. Goes to show how little the public actually knows about charge backs and the expenses incurred by the business owner.

 

[dntaps]

I agree with xynames. There is likely more to the story. Chargeback being one of the issues, LCN have no other option, but to try and get back their money.

LCN send emails before they auto renew. I got emails & straight away changed from auto renew to renew manually & they did not charge my payment card.

I got email with the subject "Your Domains will automatically renew in x days" so was able to disable auto renew in advance.

==

See LCN terms => https://www.lcn.com/terms

Auto-renewals.
We operate a default auto-renew policy on all of our services purchased on a billing cycle of a year or longer designed to ensure continuity of service. You can opt out from auto-renew and manage your auto-renew settings via the Account Control Panel. All services automatically renewed shall be for the same period as their initial or renewal term. These periods are configurable for most services in the Account Control Panel. If you have auto-renew activated for services, you will be sent notification of auto-renewal 23 days prior to service expiry by email to the then current email address specified in your default account. Such notification will set out an indicative new price for the service (the actual price will be as set out on our pricing page at the date payment is taken) and your option to opt out from auto renewal. We shall charge the credit or debit cards held in your account for auto-renew 21 days prior to the service expiry. In the event the payment fails, we will notify you via email to the then current email address specified in your default account. It will be your responsibility to make alternative payment arrangements for the renewal of services. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid up-to-date credit or debit card details assigned to your account to use the auto-renew facility. You agree that you are solely responsible for ensuring that the services are renewed and we shall have no liability to you or any third party in connection with the renewal, including, but not limited to, any failure in the renewal process.

 

[MadAboutDomains]

@Sye Did you do a credit card charge back?

 

[Sye]

No, i did not request for charge back, they charge from my credit card, and now they are saying they have refunded the amount, if they say that refund will cost obviously i will say to keep renewed my domain do not bear this cost if there is.

 

[xynames]

There’s a communication barrier here unfortunately - the facts as reported don’t add up.

 

[EbookLover]

This whole story/thread gives me a headache.

 

[Sye]

i tried alot, looks like LCN cant help in this case as their reply always same:

I'm afraid there isn't a way of just renewing the domain now that it is in redemption, you can however restore the domain from redemption within the account here - https://www.lcn.com/my_account/renewals

 

[MadAboutDomains]

Sye if you believe that you have geniunely been wronged, you should file a complaint to ICANN. I would detail the precise turn of events so that it cannot be confused (like in this thread ) and send it to them via one of their forms, this one looks appropriate https://forms.icann.org/en/resources/compliance/complaints/registrars/standards-complaint-form

Do it sooner rather than later to avoid losing your domains.

 

[Name Trader]

Hello,

Two of my domain in trouble, LCN do auto renewal of my both domain for 2 years , i told them to cancel it, as i will renew for 1 year, they cancelled it and now domain are in redumption period.
domain will expire on 23 march 2019, but showing redumption period. i am stuck . both domains are not working. dont know what to do now

thanks

I can see what (I think) has happened here. Your instruction was to cancel "it". LCN have taken this to mean to cancel the domains. Which they have done. What you meant was to cancel the 2 year renewal. These are 2 completely separate and different scenarios. IMHO, you should go back to LCN and explain to them that you were not asking them to cancel the domains. You were only asking them to cancel the 2 yr renewal. They have rendered your domains inoperable by these actions. IMHO, they should render your domains back to you, as just registered expiry on March 23rd this year, FREE OF CHARGE. If they refuse to do that. Then your only course of action, assuming these are important domains, is to pay for them to be reinstated, and transfer them to a better, more customer friendly registrar. And shout about LCN's actions they have taken from the rooftops. Their solution to wait for them to drop IS NOT AN OPTION, because, the domains will almost certainly be gobbled up by one drop-catcher or another.

I personally, would transfer all of my domains out of LCN immediately. If they don't comply.

 

[Name Trader]

But I do agree with @xynames. You got into all this trouble by asking for a refund for the 2 year renewals for 2 domains. Which they have given you. What is that 2x$10=$20 max (net)? (After renewing for 1 more year). I would have just have accepted the additional years and be done with it. Now. Potentially. It's going to cost you maybe upwards of $150 to fix this mess. And you have to go find another registrar, to transfer all your domains to. Unintended consequences.

I don't see that this cancellation of renewals should be related to cancelling the domains though. They were properly registered until 23rd March. They should return the domains to you in that state. IMHO. So that you can renew them for just 1 year.

You should also let this sad story be a lesson to you about being aware of your registrars renewal policies. For me personally. None of my domains are on auto renewal. It's the first thing I turn off on a new domain. Some do have more than 1 year before they expire, though. I like to be the one in control of when payments for renewals are made. We all have to manage our cash flows.

 

[Domains - Wanted]

Sye if you believe that you have geniunely been wronged, you should file a complaint to ICANN. I would detail the precise turn of events so that it cannot be confused (like in this thread ) and send it to them via one of their forms, this one looks appropriate https://forms.icann.org/en/resources/compliance/complaints/registrars/standards-complaint-form

This is not the right form. This form is only for reporting registrar standards irregularities, e.g. lack of Abuse email contact to report abuse to the registrar, etc. What you want is a form to report / complain about a registrar's abuse against a registrant, assuming you are sure that such a complaint is warranted here.

Like most people, I rarely bother to read the amall print, registrars' TOC and the like. However, prior to complaining to ICANN, I would suggest dissecting LCN's TOS as regards terms of their moving domains into Redemption. From my experience, this is usually 30 days past expiry date, but there may be other provisions. As far as I know, ICANN policies give registrars a lot of leeway as regards placing domains in redemption.

Seems like the 2 domains were paid for and renewed for 2 years, until 2021, hence the new expiry date in the CP. It was a done deal, assumedly based on your settings for said 2 domains in their CP. I am surprised that LCN refunded you at all... sure looks like a chargeback to me!

 

[EbookLover]

Now. Potentially. It's going to cost you maybe upwards of $150 to fix this mess.

Not only that, but if I remember correctly, one of these domains is actually the domain of one of his clients. What a mess.

 

[MadAboutDomains]

This is not the right form. This form is only for reporting registrar standards irregularities, e.g. lack of Abuse email contact to report abuse to the registrar, etc. What you want is a form to report / complain about a registrar's abuse against a registrant, assuming you are sure that such a complaint is warranted here.

Thanks. Please post the correct form in response?

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I presume the reason why it was renewed for two years is because the TOS say that it will be auto renewed for same period as original registration. While this is somewhat rare with domain registration, it is very common in hosting services. I get a good deal with 3 yr plan. It automatically renews at 3 yr unless I disable or change it.

I went through the LCN procedures with respect to domains auto renew (see here for example). I think by waiting until auto-renew had happened, rather than changing period before as they indicate clearly how to do in their support document I linked above, the choice in the company view was to do nothing or cancel the renewal, which they did.

While sympathetic to the situation you are in, it seems to me that the company has followed their clearly stated terms. If it was me I would ask mercy and see if they will reinstate the 2 yr or as others have suggested move the domains to a new registrar if that is an option at regular fees still. I hope it works out for you.

Bob

 

[Jv1999]

But I do agree with @xynames. You got into all this trouble by asking for a refund for the 2 year renewals for 2 domains. Which they have given you. What is that 2x$10=$20 max (net)? (After renewing for 1 more year). I would have just have accepted the additional years and be done with it. Now. Potentially. It's going to cost you maybe upwards of $150 to fix this mess. And you have to go find another registrar, to transfer all your domains to. Unintended consequences.

I don't see that this cancellation of renewals should be related to cancelling the domains though. They were properly registered until 23rd March. They should return the domains to you in that state. IMHO. So that you can renew them for just 1 year.

You should also let this sad story be a lesson to you about being aware of your registrars renewal policies. For me personally. None of my domains are on auto renewal. It's the first thing I turn off on a new domain. Some do have more than 1 year before they expire, though. I like to be the one in control of when payments for renewals are made. We all have to manage our cash flows.

I don't know why you seem to be chiding him? They autorenewed for 2 years, not 1. No registrar does this lol, at least none I've ever heard of?

it's natural that he'd cancel autorenew... But what makes no sense is that they cancelled his domains too .

In no way is this OP's fault. He wanted to renew manually and even told them. Their response was to accept the TWO YEAR RENEWAL or have his domains cancelled even before the expiry!! What sort of options are these??

 

[Name Trader]

I don't know why you seem to be chiding him? They autorenewed for 2 years, not 1. No registrar does this lol, at least none I've ever heard of?

it's natural that he'd cancel autorenew... But what makes no sense is that they cancelled his domains too .

In no way is this OP's fault. He wanted to renew manually and even told them. Their response was to accept the TWO YEAR RENEWAL or have his domains cancelled even before the expiry!! What sort of options are these??

I'm not chiding him. It's a small slap on the risk. He's trying to save $20 now, but he has put his domains at risk, which might cost him above $150 to recover his domains, if LCN don't play ball. You obviously have not read my previous post(s) which clearly state that, IMHO, LCN should restore his domains to him free of charge. Although, I have not read LCN's TOS, like @Bob Hawkes, has done in depth, who came to the conclusion, that LCN, are within their rights, to cancel the domains for non-payment of the automatic renewal fees. Which seems overly harsh to me. But if that is what their TOS says, then @Sye, is going to be on the hook to pay whatever LCN is asking to restore the domains, and transfer away, if they are not locked. Meaning, if they are locked, he will have to pay 1 year renewal fees, on top of whatever LCN is going to charge to restore the domains, and then wait another 45 days after expiry date, to transfer them to another registrar. Which means he will have paid for 2 years of renewals anyhow, plus whatever LCN charge to restore the domains. It's beginning not to sound like such a great deal to have objected to the original 2 year renewals

For me the takeout here is, read and understand the TOS, to which you are expected operate under.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I think it's true that most of the registrars most of us use don't have it, but its not unheard of. One of the Canadian registrars who have good rates when you register for 5 years have similar, it renews for 5 yr unless you change it.

In this case it took me less than a minute on LCN website to find a clear explanation of how to turn off auto renew and to change term, and I had never used their website before.

I feel badly for the poster but given how unclear some of description on this thread was I am not that surprised that after it was already renewed they interpreted that he wanted that renewal cancelled. I hope it works out but we need to be fair in expectations from companies also.

Bob

 

[Jv1999]

I think it's true that most of the registrars most of us use don't have it, but its not unheard of. One of the Canadian registrars who have good rates when you register for 5 years have similar, it renews for 5 yr unless you change it.

In this case it took me less than a minute on LCN website to find a clear explanation of how to turn off auto renew and to change term, and I had never used their website before.

I feel badly for the poster but given how unclear some of description on this thread was I am not that surprised that after it was already renewed they interpreted that he wanted that renewal cancelled. I hope it works out but we need to be fair in expectations from companies also.

Bob

Lol. Fair with company expectations . Does the tos really say they'll cancel a domain if you cancel autorenew? That's like if my Netflix was set to autorenew, and then I cancel the next premature renewal, and they cancel my sub mid-month.

I really don't think LCN's tos would be that sinister.

I'm actually also appalled so many ppl think this is a "Fair business practice" and OP should have expected it.

The fair thing to do is to refund the renewals, then let the domains naturally enter expiration and then Grace and redemption,