Domain purchased from closeout is now GONE?

[CryptoInvestor]

Hello! I purchased a domain from GoDaddy back in December, I got it from a closeout deal for about $17 total. I just got it Brandpa approved and went to change the nameservers, and its gone! I checked the whois and found it was transfered back to another user on the 6th of this month. I emailed him but, why was he able to do this and how is this allowed?

 

[CryptoInvestor]

@CryptoInvestor Do you have an e-mail from GoDaddy regarding this name with the subject "Domain Transfer Confirmation?"

In the body, it would say this:

"Your transfer request is complete

Congratulations! We've completed the transfer request for the following domain names:

__________.com"

I know, I noted that I hadn't received that email, The FACT remains that I had the name IN my account for a week, changed nameservers, and could view all info like a regular domain.

As @Joe Styler Said, he says he sees absolutely NO record of the domain ever being in my GoDaddy account. That is MAJORLY concerning because I now I am %100 certain that there is an unknown problem, I had access and full control of this name for a week straight and they have ZERO record.... I could've sold it, it was on undeveloped ready to sell., using a sale page and everything.

I wish I could say I learned something from this, but all I did was buy buy a closeout. Now I know, when dealing with GoDaddy, take pictures of every single thing you do. An absolutely unnecessary thing to do, but when you get screwed, you wont be thought to be "mistaken" if you don't catch them red handed. Some may not believe it happened, but I KNOW it happened, therefor, that tells me there is a problem internally with GoDaddy and the staff does not know about it. Thank you everybody for your help and support, and Joe Styler for your time!

I however will without any hint of doubt be transferring all my domains out of GoDaddy and cease all further services in the future.

 

[Asfas1000]

Can you find the email that confirms change of nameservers ? I was thinking perhaps you confused this domain with another one of yours, it happens sometimes...

 

[Jv1999]

I know, I noted that I hadn't received that email, The FACT remains that I had the name IN my account for a week, changed nameservers, and could view all info like a regular domain.

As @Joe Styler Said, he says he sees absolutely NO record of the domain ever being in my GoDaddy account. That is MAJORLY concerning because I now I am %100 certain that there is an unknown problem, I had access and full control of this name for a week straight and they have ZERO record.... I could've sold it, it was on undeveloped ready to sell., using a sale page and everything.

I wish I could say I learned something from this, but all I did was buy buy a closeout. Now I know, when dealing with GoDaddy, take pictures of every single thing you do. An absolutely unnecessary thing to do, but when you get screwed, you wont be thought to be "mistaken" if you don't catch them red handed. Some may not believe it happened, but I KNOW it happened, therefor, that tells me there is a problem internally with GoDaddy and the staff does not know about it. Thank you everybody for your help and support, and Joe Styler for your time!

I however will without any hint of doubt be transferring all my domains out of GoDaddy and cease all further services in the future.

The best thing to do is take detailed accounting of all your domains. Every registrar has a problem. It's how domaining is, unfortunately.

Avoiding GD means you'll not have access to their auctions.

 

[anantj]

Expired domains automatically goes to auction etc. and finally drop.

No mate. You're making statements as facts without even fully understanding the situation... Understand the situation fully!

 

[anantj]

I was speaking hypothetically.

That's now how your comment came across as!

 

[campout]

it says it was transfered out on the 6th

OK "what" says it was transferred out on the 6th? Can you screenshot whatever it is that says this?

 

[anantj]

That's now how your comment came across as!

That's *not* how your comment came across as

 

[Ollie3000]

Can you find the email that confirms change of nameservers ? I was thinking perhaps you confused this domain with another one of yours, it happens sometimes...

I think @CryptoInvestor that if you can find the 'change of nameservers' email then you have all the proof you need.

 

[Jv1999]

I think @CryptoInvestor that if you can find the 'change of nameservers' email then you have all the proof you need.

I guess if he hasn't posted them by now. . . They never existed.

I'm honestly more worried about what happened to arca. Was his domain really part of GD's portfolio? Or was it simply anot expired domain caught up in political crosshairs. And $50 commission on a $2k sale is just. . .

 

[ben pedri]

Chances are it was never in your account and you misread something, but maybe is was and they screwed up and prematurely gave you the domain , rightfully they have at least 43 days to recover the domain ,if gd system did however gAVE you THE domain , then tOOK it back . Well that's the breaks after 45 days the fat lady sings. The other guy paid his hundred bucks and got his name back. THERES PLENTY OF OTHER *HIT OUT THERE STOP CRYING AND GO GET EM

The other guy would have felt 10 times worse losing the domain than you felt not getting it.

THE DATES CHECK OUT THE GUY WAS ENTITLED TO GET HIS URL BACK.

 

[Jv1999]

Chances are it was never in your account and you misread something, but maybe is was and they screwed up and prematurely gave you the domain , rightfully they have at least 43 days to recover the domain ,if gd system did however gAVE you THE domain , then tOOK it back . Well that's the breaks after 45 days the fat lady sings. The other guy paid his hundred bucks and got his name back. THERES PLENTY OF OTHER *HIT OUT THERE STOP CRYING AND GO GET EM

The other guy would have felt 10 times worse losing the domain than you felt not getting it.

THE DATES CHECK OUT THE GUY WAS ENTITLED TO GET HIS URL BACK.

Tbh, I saw the domain in closeouts too, but passed over it because it made no sense.

 

[Arca]

Frankly I don't care about any potential sale or sales commission. Had there been no such element involved this issue would have been no different to me.

What I find shocking is that GoDaddy mistakenly did not renew a domain they bought, which I rightfully bought via auction + paid for renewal, and they then discovered their mistake, and then stole the domain out of my account (do they steal domains on behalf of other domain owners as well, or only themselves?). Doesn't matter if a domain has been owned for 5 days or 50 days imo - once ownership has been transferred according to their own auction terms, taking a domain after that point is stealing it, and they have no right whatsoever to do so. The fact that they went ahead and did it anyway, knowing that it would look bad for this particular reason, just indicates clearly that GoDaddy doesn't care about domain ownership rights and that their own interests vastly supersedes ours as users.

This issue came about as a result of GoDaddy now being a portfolio holder (they own hundreds of thousands of domains that they sell in the aftermarket). And they run an auction house selling domains, mostly to resellers. One of their own domains accidentally expired, and against their own rules, they claimed it back. There was a clear conflict of interest here, as Godaddy has a duty to follow the rules of their auctions, but also wanted to keep the domain for their portfolio regardless of their mess up. GoDaddy's professional conduct as an auction house (and as a registrar) was clearly compromised by their secondary interest as a domain seller/portfolio holder in this situation.

 

[Shailendra Mishra]

What worries me is that you cant even explain what happened. You really only focus on calling me a liar (incredibly UNhelpful) I’ve attached the email saying it was removed from my account.

Can you show proof of changing Nameservers?
I always receive an email from Godaddy when I change Nameservers. Did you?

 

[santis]

I also have a strange story with Godaddy, 1 year ago:

I won a domain name for $85 at the auction, and in 1 day it has been removed from my account, saying that the old owner has renewed it.
So I have asked a refund for $85, and I get the refund.
Then, in 4-5 days the domain name is back again in my account

So I received a free domain name.

 

[ben pedri]

Tbh, I saw the domain in closeouts too, but passed over it because it made no sense.

Your right ,now this guy had so many plans for the name ,and was gonna spend some quality time with it and Love it like a child, Why not go for Naked Lynx .com makes more sense and open to reg

 

[Name Trader]

Frankly I don't care about any potential sale or sales commission. Had there been no such element involved this issue would have been no different to me.

What I find shocking is that GoDaddy mistakenly did not renew a domain they bought, which I rightfully bought via auction + paid for renewal, and they then discovered their mistake, and then stole the domain out of my account (do they steal domains on behalf of other domain owners as well, or only themselves?). Doesn't matter if a domain has been owned for 5 days or 50 days imo - once ownership has been transferred according to their own auction terms, taking a domain after that point is stealing it, and they have no right whatsoever to do so. The fact that they went ahead and did it anyway, knowing that it would look bad for this particular reason, just indicates clearly that GoDaddy doesn't care about domain ownership rights and that their own interests vastly supersedes ours as users.

This issue came about as a result of GoDaddy now being a portfolio holder (they own hundreds of thousands of domains that they sell in the aftermarket). And they run an auction house selling domains, mostly to resellers. One of their own domains accidentally expired, and against their own rules, they claimed it back. There was a clear conflict of interest here, as Godaddy has a duty to follow the rules of their auctions, but also wanted to keep the domain for their portfolio regardless of their mess up. GoDaddy's professional conduct as an auction house (and as a registrar) was clearly compromised by their secondary interest as a domain seller/portfolio holder in this situation.

This has been going on for years. Maybe 4 years ago I won a .co domain in their auctions. It went into my account and 2 days later they took it back. They kept it in their portfolio for years. But I guess they sold it eventually. As they no longer own it now. I asked my account manager, but only got a bland reply. No real reason. (read: They didn't tell me the truth). That was the moment I realized that your account manager is not on your side at GoDaddy. In the earlier years they would at least pretend, and usually did, stand up for your rights. Ce la vie. Now, for much more serious reasons, I have an empty account at Godaddy and no Account Manager. And I'm satisfied with that outcome

 

[Arca]

This has been going on for years. Maybe 4 years ago I won a .co domain in their auctions. It went into my account and 2 days later they took it back. They kept it in their portfolio for years. But I guess they sold it eventually. As they no longer own it now. I asked my account manager, but only got a bland reply. No real reason. (read: They didn't tell me the truth). That was the moment I realized that your account manager is not on your side at GoDaddy. In the earlier years they would at least pretend, and usually did, stand up for your rights. Ce la vie. Now, for much more serious reasons, I have an empty account at Godaddy and no Account Manager. And I'm satisfied with that outcome

At least the customer rep I talked to was upfront about them stealing the domain out of my account, even though it was now under my ownership and way too late for the former owner to "renew" and they had zero reason do to so other than them wanting ownership of the domain that was now under my ownership (as Joe shockingly noted on the previous page, they thought "it was the right thing to do").

 

[Arca]

Now, for much more serious reasons, I have an empty account at Godaddy

Care to elaborate? (what can be "much more serious" than them stealing domains from your account!?)

 

[wwwweb]

At least the customer rep I talked to was upfront about them stealing the domain out of my account, even though it was now under my ownership and way too late for the former owner to "renew" and they had zero reason do to so other than them wanting ownership of the domain that was now under my ownership (as Joe shockingly noted on the previous page, they thought "it was the right thing to do").

So what is godaddy saying, they purchased this portfolio, but it somehow expired, and went thru the drop, auction cycle, and ended up in your account? How many million of customers have faced this same dilemma, as far as we were made aware after a few days into the auction there was no way these domains could be clawed back.

These are gtld games, you bought it, paid for it, the exchange took place, you took possession of it, you own it. The fact they are now in the portfolio business, it is kind of like a landlord coming into your rental suite to borrow some sugar without permission. They have no right to enter your account, and remove an asset that has been paid, and invoiced. Maybe when they buy these portfolios, they should state that the owners have at least 60 days left on registration, or they must renew for one more year. You are going to have to go thru that TOS, as I don't think they have accounted for this scenario.

That is a truly dirty feeling when names start disappearing from your account.

 

[Arca]

So what is godaddy saying, they purchased this portfolio, but it somehow expired, and went thru the drop, auction cycle, and ended up in your account? How many million of customers have faced this same dilemma, as far as we were made aware after a few days into the auction there was no way these domains could be clawed back.

These are gtld games, you bought it, paid for it, the exchange took place, you took possession of it, you own it. The fact they are now in the portfolio business, it is kind of like a landlord coming into your rental suite to borrow some sugar without permission. They have no right to enter your account, and remove an asset that has been paid, and invoiced. Maybe when they buy these portfolios, they should state that the owners have at least 60 days left on registration, or they must renew for one more year. You are going to have to go thru that TOS, as I don't think they have accounted for this scenario.

That is a truly dirty feeling when names start disappearing from your account.

Exactly. Except they are the registrar, so they can do what they want. There was no way for them to take the name from me via established legitimate ways (i.e. when we get those emails saying our auction purchase has been cancelled and we've been refunded). That's why they took it via an account/ownership change instead. However, we normally have to tick several boxes to indicate that we agree to such an ownership change - but I never did tick any of those boxes or agree to anything, I only realized they had taken my domain when I received the confirmation email telling me the ownership change had completed!

 

[Name Trader]

Care to elaborate? (what can be "much more serious" than them stealing domains from your account!?)

It's a long story. The short version is, I incorporated. I asked my account manager how to reflect these changes in my account. I followed his advice. And for no reason at all that I could make out, they closed my account with 360 domains in it. There was no appeal and it was 100% final. After about the 5th appeal, they re-opened my account and gave me my domains back. Contrary to my statements above, my current Account Manager (not the one that gave me the advice) was in my corner the whole way. Even he thought the faceless men in gray suits were crazy. As I say. This is the very short story of the issue. I promptly transferred my 360 domains out to my preferred Registrar, and they took my account manager away (for having less than the required number of domains in my account - 300). At every appeal, which I was not allowed to make, their decision was final. My 5th appeal, I decided was going to be my last appeal. To my surprise, and welcomed, they eventually came to their senses. I really pissed them off appealing when no appeal was permitted, as all decisions by the faceless men in gray suits were final. I'd actually resigned myself to losing my account and having all my domains confiscated by GoDaddy. Expletives Deleted.

The long story I can't bear to discuss. It was way too painful.

 

[Arca]

It's a long story. The short version is, I incorporated. I asked my account manager how to reflect these changes in my account. I followed his advice. And for no reason at all that I could make out, they closed my account with 300 domains in it. There was no appeal and it was 100% final. After about the 5th appeal, they re-opened my account and gave me my domains back. Contrary to my statements above, my current Account Manager (not the one that gave me the advice) was in my corner the whole way. Even he thought the men in gray suits were crazy. As I say. This is the very short story of the issue. I promptly transferred my 300 domains out to my preferred Registrar, and they took my account manager away (for having less than the required number of domains in my account - 300). At every appeal, which I was not allowed to make, their decision was final. My 5th appeal, I decided was going to be my last appeal. To my surprise, and welcomed, they eventually came to their senses. I really pissed them off appealing when no appeal was permitted, as all decisions by the men in gray suits were final. I'd actually resigned myself to losing my account and having all my domains confiscated by GoDaddy. Expletives Deleted.

The long story I can't bear to discuss. It was way too painful.

What a nightmare. Truly horrifying.

Domains aren't just some immaterial strings of letters that GD can do as they please with. They are the livelihood of many people and ownership rights are consequently of utmost importance. Confiscating somebody's portfolio is a most serious overstep by a registrar. It can bring financial ruin to an individual. Sounds like GoDaddy did this to you for no real reason at all (other than a domain ownership change!? since when did that warrant confiscation of your entire portfolio!?). With experiences like yours, however rare they might be, it's unfathomable why anyone would keep their portfolio at GoDaddy.

 

[Name Trader]

What a nightmare. Truly horrifying. With experiences like yours, however rare they might be, it's unfathomable why anyone would keep their portfolio at GoDaddy.

So true.

 

[Jv1999]

What a nightmare. Truly horrifying.

Domains aren't just some immaterial strings of letters that GD can do as they please with. They are the livelihood of many people and ownership rights are consequently of utmost importance. Confiscating somebody's portfolio is a most serious overstep by a registrar. It can bring financial ruin to an individual. Sounds like GoDaddy did this to you for no real reason at all (other than a domain ownership change!? since when did that warrant confiscation of your entire portfolio!?). With experiences like yours, however rare they might be, it's unfathomable why anyone would keep their portfolio at GoDaddy.

I mean, if the domain was worth a lot. You could easily hire an IP lawyer to get it back. Don't be scared of GD's corporate legal team, if you're definitely in the right, then they'll want to settle for some $$$ or give you back the name. Often times it won't get to court, so your lawyer fees won't be too high -- it'll most probably go through arbitration, as GD's terms have an arbitration clause.

 

[Arca]

I mean, if the domain was worth a lot. You could easily hire an IP lawyer to get it back. Don't be scared of GD's corporate legal team, if you're definitely in the right, then they'll want to settle for some $$$ or give you back the name. Often times it won't get to court, so your lawyer fees won't be too high -- it'll most probably go through arbitration, as GD's terms have an arbitration clause.

It's certainly not worth it to chase back the domain through legal means due to the value of the domain they took (and would be a waste of time). It was an average domain in my portfolio and losing it does not have a big impact on me in that sense. But does that make it okay for GoDaddy to take it from my account when it was under my ownership? Focusing on the value of the domain is not seeing the forest for the trees imo. The value of a domain is wholly irrelevant in terms of ownership rights. It's not like it is "more okay" for GD to steal an average quality domain than it is for them to take a super premium domain. Such behavior is unacceptable regardless of the quality of the domain.