Epik, We have a problem. Domain removed from account without permission.

[bmugford]

I am sure as many of you are aware I have had issues with Epik in the past, but decided to give them a chance when I saw a domain I wanted on Name Liquidate.

I purchased the domain PianoMoving.com on 7/20. It was transferred into my account then.
This was the only domain in my account.

It was in my WHOIS information.
I updated the nameservers.

When I just checked it is magically no longer in my account.
The nameservers were changed.
I received zero contact about the domain being moved.

I have all the receipts -

1.) The purchase/renewal from Epik.
2.) The Paypal charge.
3.) Email of when the domain was moved into my account @ Epik.
4.) Email when the nameservers were updated in early August @ Epik.

I don't see any indication that the domain was removed from my account.
On top of zero communication, there also appears to be nothing under "Outgoing Pushes" or "Task History".

I sent a DM to @Rob Monster about this earlier this morning, but have not received a response yet.

I was just notified I received a refund. I don't want a refund.

I want the domain I won, that was in my account, which I had full control over.
It was removed from my account without permission or even notification.

I do not find this acceptable in any way.

@Epik.com, you have some explaining to do.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

Yep. No email. Nothing. Now it's listed on their marketplace. I had my email on that domain as well...I'm hoping to hear from then asap....else I'd have to call my attorney next week...

So, then it seems like this is not an isolated issue.

Removing a domain without authorization is bad enough, but when it happens without notification or explanation it makes it far worse.

I hope it gets resolved, but I would be extremely uncomfortable holding valuable domains at a registrar where this can happen.

Brad

 

[tonyk2000]

No email. Nothing. Now it's listed on their marketplace. I had my email on that domain as well

Very hard to say anything at this time. If your email was on this domain, and if you used it also as epik account email (hope you didn't!), then epik system might send you an email which was undelivered. Was it expired domain? Epik tends to remove such domains pretty fast, and tries to sell them. 8K purchase - did you buy it on or via Epik or simply trusted Epik enough to transfer a valuable domain to them? Dates and other relevant info?

 

[tonyk2000]

In any case, something is changing @ epik and I am wondering what is really happening. At the same time - new CEO, folks complaining about not being paid for their Epik sales in other NP thread, pianomoving case is 19 pages already, and now this...

 

[Sam1234]

Epik is EASILY the shadiest registrar I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. I'm trying to transfer out some domains right now but the "Transfer out" option is grayed out. I contacted support via chat and they are giving me all kinds of runaround and offering to reduce their insane renewal prices, but refusing to address the obvious elephant in the room -- the unexplained disabling of my ability to transfer out. I asked for a complete list of auth codes and they are taking a very long time. Very upsetting that I'm stuck dealing with Epik on a Sunday morning.

Very sad situation the domain world is in right now, with nobody policing these criminally shady registrars. I hear they recently got a new CEO or something. I highly doubt he can do anything to keep Epik from going under in the next few years, with the mass exodus that is surely coming.

 

[tonyk2000]

the "Transfer out" option is grayed out

Registrars must provide the Registered Name Holder with the unique "AuthInfo" code and remove the "ClientTransferProhibited" within five (5) calendar days of the Registered Name Holder's initial request if the Registrar does not provide facilities for the Registered Name Holder to generate and manage their own unique "AuthInfo" code and to remove the "ClientTransferProhibited" status

Source: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/transfer-policy-2016-06-01-en

Grayed out option means that Epik does not currently provide mentioned "facilities" for your domain(s). So, you may now send them a formal (traceable) request, by email, and save the email as a reference. After 5 days - just submit a complaint to ICANN: https://www.icann.org/compliance/complaint

 

[bmugford]

Epik is EASILY the shadiest registrar I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. I'm trying to transfer out some domains right now but the "Transfer out" option is grayed out. I contacted support via chat and they are giving me all kinds of runaround and offering to reduce their insane renewal prices, but totally refusing to address the obvious elephant in the room -- the unexplained disabling of my ability to transfer out. I asked for a complete list of auth codes and they are taking a very long time. Very upsetting that I'm stuck dealing with Epik on a Sunday morning.

Very sad situation the domain world is in right now, with nobody policing these criminally shady registrars. I hear they recently got a new CEO or something. I highly doubt he can do anything to keep Epik from going under in the next few years, with the mass exodus that is surely coming.

So much for that "legendary" customer service they advertise.

Brad

 

[Sam1234]

In the end they gave me the list, password protected as I asked, and they seem to have re-enabled my transfer out links (played it off like it was a temporary issue that resolved itself, but I'm a bit skeptical).

 

[tonyk2000]

it was a temporary issue that resolved itself

maybe it was Namepros magic...

 

[Sam1234]

may it was Namepros magic...

I did mention the name

 

[carob]

In any case, something is changing @ epik and I am wondering what is really happening. At the same time - new CEO, folks complaining about not being paid for their Epik sales in other NP thread, pianomoving case is 19 pages already, and now this...

Let's not forget there was a giant hack at Epik preceded by years of vulnerability - https://www.namepros.com/threads/epik-had-a-major-breach.1252094/ and Epik probably still is the swiss cheese of domains.

Who can say hackers are not running, or ruining, the show there now?

Why is Rob Monster exiting as CEO? Is that to not go down with a sinking ship?

 

[alistair80]

Update:
I received the domain back into my account really early this morning.
We had reached out to @Rob Monster and he personally took care of it.

@bmugford I hope you can email Rob, and get your situation sorted out. It's both scary and inconvenient when premium domains are missing from your account. I think we can all agree that we love our prized domains, and there's an element of trust and integrity involved when we do business with others.

 

[HotKey]

Update:
I received the domain back into my account really early this morning.
We had reached out to @Rob Monster and he personally took care of it.

@bmugford I hope you can email Rob, and get your situation sorted out. It's both scary and inconvenient when premium domains are missing from your account. I think we can all agree that we love our prized domains, and there's an element of trust and integrity involved when we do business with others.

Probably a different situation (context), but glad you got your domain back so quick. Resolutions don't always have to be a mess, unfortunately Mugford's situation seems a bit more complicated.

Domain sold via Escrow.
Seller forgets to renew during Escrow process.
Domain ends up expiring and ends up at a liquidation platform.
Mugford buys domain, legitimately owns domain.
Escrow sale completes.
Domain gets removed from legitimate owner's account to fulfill escrow service.
Mugford gets burned.

 

[bmugford]

Update:
I received the domain back into my account really early this morning.
We had reached out to @Rob Monster and he personally took care of it.

@bmugford I hope you can email Rob, and get your situation sorted out. It's both scary and inconvenient when premium domains are missing from your account. I think we can all agree that we love our prized domains, and there's an element of trust and integrity involved when we do business with others.

Why was the domain removed from your account in the first place?

When domains just start being removed without notification until the owner notices, that is obviously a major issue.

If you own a portfolio of any size it would be very easy to not even notice a domain missing.

I have owned thousands of domains and dealt with probably close to 100 registrars. Any time a domain has left my account at any other registrar I have received notice. I have never seen this issue at any other registrar.

Brad

 

[kor]

Couldn't follow up the process closely but I just wonder if there's any update from ICANN.

 

[DomainNature]

Couldn't follow up the process closely but I just wonder if there's any update from ICANN.

The ICANN support from my experience is slow like a snail and their replies are like of some robots.

 

[Future Sensors]

 

[bmugford]

Couldn't follow up the process closely but I just wonder if there's any update from ICANN.

Nope. I don't expect to hear anything for quite some time.
I will update the thread when I do.

Brad

 

[ramkumaritrvs]

This is very bad.

A couple of years ago, I received 1000+ domains to my Epik account. Then I contact their support and informed them about it. Then they will move all the domains to another account.

While moving out of your account there is no email notification received. This is where the Epik loophole is.

If someone internally pushed to the wrong account then there is no notification to the loser account.

Day by day Epik reputation is getting worse than GoDaddy.

Hope they will fix it.

 

[Domainstore]

Ever since Epik.com purchased their own domain forum they dont really come here anymore... might be better to go to their forum

What is the address or URL of the Epik-forum ? I didn't know theres is one. PLease PM me somebody with the URL.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Steven McEvoy]

What is the address or URL of the Epik-forum ? I didn't know theres is one. PLease PM me somebody with the URL.
Thanks in advance.

Namepros doesn’t allow it to be linked here, they’re scared.

Google dnf domain forum

 

[DN Playbook]

What is the address or URL of the Epik-forum ? I didn't know theres is one. PLease PM me somebody with the URL.
Thanks in advance.

It's that forum that used to be popular. It is not that active today. My oh my, you would think that epik would be right on top of this here, but it's crickets. Either they don't give a F***k or they don't have a clue.

Namepros doesn’t allow it to be linked here, they’re scared.

Google dnf domain forum

I can see why Np would not want competing forums to be promoted on their forum. It is common sense. But in any case, that forum has very minimum activity. Likely mostly from their own outsourced staff.

 

[Steven McEvoy]

It's that forum that used to be popular. It is not that active today. My oh my, you would think that epik would be right on top of this here, but it's crickets. Either they don't give a F***k or they don't have a clue.


I can see why Np would not want competing forums to be promoted on their forum. It is common sense. But in any case, that forum has very minimum activity. Likely mostly from their own outsourced staff.

There is a difference from someone posting to promote a forum on Np(which i would agree would be a no no) then people just talking about it and being able to post the words in a post... Np is huge on preventing you from typing certain things which to me is not right.

Im sure Epik just purchased it just to say they have one, to me they have no plans to try and build a competitor to Np or any other domain forum, more of just having a community for Epik.com (If i was in their shoes that's why I would buy one.)

 

[DN Playbook]

There is a difference from someone posting to promote a forum on Np(which i would agree would be a no no) then people just talking about it and being able to post the words in a post... Np is huge on preventing you from typing certain things which to me is not right.

Im sure Epik just purchased it just to say they have one, to me they have no plans to try and build a competitor to Np or any other domain forum, more of just having a community for Epik.com (If i was in their shoes that's why I would buy one.)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can post words posted on that forum. You can share posted thoughts/ideas/etc. But you cannot post links. Np does not want to give link juice to a competing forum.

 

[Steven McEvoy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can post words posted on that forum. You can share posted thoughts/ideas/etc. But you cannot post links. Np does not want to give link juice to a competing forum.

They recently change it to where you can post abbreviation dnf however you can not post d..n..forum.. or itll will automatically display dnf.

 

[bmugford]

What is the address or URL of the Epik-forum ? I didn't know theres is one. PLease PM me somebody with the URL.
Thanks in advance.

You are not really missing much. It is a pretty dead forum with hardly any activity.
It used to be very active back in the day, like a decade ago.

Brad