Enom charges for domain transfer???

[Mike]

i haven't transferred any domains in a while, so i'm a bit surprised that enom is charging me 29.95 to transfer a domain from their shitty service to godaddy.

am i missing something or have they lost their mind since i last transferred one from them to godaddy (about 2 years ago).....

 

[Dan]

Try starting the transfer from GoDaddy. I don't think eNom could charge anything for that.

 

[Mike]

i did, however, enom requires a code (EPP Key) to be supplied, this key is only obtainable through enom. to enable the transfer you have to jump through the enom hoops in which case they automatically try to tack on one year of service for 29.95 (which is insanely hight for a .com)
anyone know a way around that? through the transfer, godaddy already extends the reg. for one year ($7.20 total), why would/should i pay for $29.95 at enom? thats simply nuts!
any tips, tricks and hints are appreciated!

 

[homebuyer]

Solution

log in to your enomcentral.com account.

Click on where it reads: Registered domains.
Click on your domain name.
Click on: General Settings.
Look at: Registrar-Lock and select disable.

Wait a day. Gives whois a chance to update its records to reflect that your domain has been unlocked. If you attempt a transfer too soon after unlocking domain godaddy might still read it as locked, even though enom reads or says otherwise.

The next day, do the following:

log in to enomcentral.com
Click on where it reads: Registered domains.
Click on your domain name.
Click on: General Settings.
Copy the Authorization Info / EPP Key (maybe 16 alpha numeric characters) and put it aside.
Log in to your godaddy account and pay for a domain transfer - costs $6.95
Wait for an email from godaddy instructing you how to make the transfer. Godaddy will email you two codes, and you can enter them in your godaddy account. Godaddy will also ask you to enter the authorization code. This is the alphanumeric one you copied from your enom account.
Your total cost will be just $6.95 for the transfer. Takes a few days to completely transfer from enom to godaddy.

 

[AzN]

Weird.
I can view my EPP code simply going to my domains. overview. general settings.

 

[Mike]

I did precisely that homebuyer, yet on the way out, after putting the epp code in, enom wants to charge me 29.95 before i can finalize the acknowledgment form that this domain will be transfered. not sure what the deal is there.

 

[RJ]

I've never heard of such a thing with eNom.

You could try creating a lower priced eNom account and push the domain into it and see if it has the same restriction. http://www.namepros.com/enomsignup.php

 

[Mike]

Thanks RJ. It's new to me as well, i've transfered my last enom domain to godaddy about 2 years ago, w/o complications. I'll call their support tomorrow and find out what the deal is, i'll post the result. if what i am encountering turns out to be the new enom business model, it would be a seriously bad development from their side.

I'll try your version if the support call doesn't lead to anything.

 

[homebuyer]

What?

What do you mean "yet on the way out, after putting the epp code in,

Read:

http://www.icann.org/transfers/

http://www.icann.org/transfers/text.htm#TransferDomain

Also click on http://www.icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm and read:

Instances when the requested change of Registrar may not be denied include, but are not limited to:

Nonpayment for a pending or future registration period
No response from the Registered Name Holder or Administrative Contact.
Domain name in Registrar Lock Status, unless the Registered Name Holder is provided with the reasonable opportunity and ability to unlock the domain name prior to the Transfer Request.
Domain name registration period time constraints, other than during the first 60 days of initial registration or during the first 60 days after a registrar transfer.
General payment defaults between Registrar and business partners / affiliates in cases where the Registered Name Holder for the domain in question has paid for the registration.


To sum it up, the losing registrar cannot charge you future registrations fees as a condition to transfer your domain away from them.

Read the ICANN links carefully. Their policy stated at http://www.icann.org/transfers/ reads, in part,

"Consistent with ICANN’s obligation to promote and encourage robust competition in the domain name space, the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy aims to provide a straightforward procedure for domain name holders to transfer their names from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another should they wish to do so. The policy also provides standardized requirements for registrar handling of such transfer requests from domain name holders."

This policy would certainly not support a transfer away fee by a losing registrar.

Good luck and if you need to contact ICANN, read on:

Contact ICANN

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Marina del Rey, CA, USA

4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6601
USA

Phone: +1.310.823.9358
FAX: +1.310.823.8649

Belgium

6 Rond Point Schuman
Bt. 5
Brussels B-1040 Belgium

Phone: +32 2 234 7872
FAX: +32 2 234 7848

General Email: [email protected]

For questions and comments about the website, [email protected]
For questions concerning operations and content, [email protected]
For comments and submitting community feedback, [email protected]
For complaints about accredited registrars, go to the InterNIC website.
For questions about registrar accreditation, email [email protected]

 

[Mike]

continuation...

before i completely flip my lid here, enom throws me in a holding pattern for 25 minutes, just to cancel my call (hanging up) after 9 minutes of waiting and listening to silence. does anyone have a phone number where i can reach someone there to inquire why they want to charge me $29.95 for a .com transfer to godaddy?

i am at the point where i'm seriously pissed off, so if anyone has any help, please reply here or PM me. i'd truly appreciate it!

 

[fonzie_007]

You think Enom is bad? Just wait for GD to jerk you around. IMO, Enom is one of the three best registrars, albeit one of the more expensive ones.

 

[Mike]

i've dealt with godaddy for years now, not a single problem.
this enom BS that they are trying to pull is completely sidelining all ethics, is borderline legal and simply put, one of the many reasons why i'd rather get caught with my pants down in the middle of the superbowl than leaving a single domain with them.

 

[RJ]

gjsys, create an eNom account with the link I gave above and push the domain into your new account. I can help you get an EPP code from there.

 

[Mike]

after a few hours of chasing down enom (they finally answered the phone) they told me that they never received the transfer request. However, after a few minutes of tinkering around, and calling godaddy in between, the doors magically opened and the domain is now on the way over.
i'm left to assume:
glitch in the system?
incompetency on either registrant side...or my side?
just a typical virtual friday, 13th.?

no matter what it was, thanks for all your comments, and certainly RJ, thanks for your immediate offer to help!

(usually, i don't get annoyed like this, but this was a 3 char.com that i've been waiting for. )

 

[homebuyer]

Read my post.

The transfer fee issue is answered in my post. According to the cites in my post, a losing registrar cannot charge a transfer fee.

 

[RJ]

What day did you order the transfer at GoDaddy? In my experience it normally takes a couple days before they send the request to the losing registrar.

 

[AdoptableDomains]

Enom doesn't charge for transfers out to my knowledge. It sounds to me like you are processing a transfer IN a their retail price of one year registration. If you try processing the transfer at enom to enom, it will fail and you should get refunded or not charged. A transfer TO godaddy should be processed AT godaddy not at Enom.

I have never even heard of the ability to transfer a domain to another registrar from the old one. A transfer works like a pull from the old registrar, not a push from the old one. Generally a Push only works between accounts at one registrar.