godaddy auction issue

[Keith]

Hopefully I'm posting in the correct area. If not please move this.

Yesterday I tried to access my auctions account at Godaddy and received an error message. After calling support several times and getting the run around, they finally said my account was terminated for TOS violation.

I demanded to know exactly what happened and they proceeded to tell me that my "violation" took place during an expired auction. The problem is that I didn't bid. They could give me no further explanation as to why/how an account can get terminated for an auction in which I did not participate.

They are sending this to my account executive who will review the matter on Sunday. I'm shocked to say the least. 10 years at Godaddy, oodles of auction bidding over that period, and the account is ended for no apparent reason.

Am I alone here or has anyone else heard of such a thing?

 

[johname]

I am trying to think of ways an expired auction can go bad for GD to the point they would give someone the boot. The quick list would be

1) Not paying for a wining auction
2) Shill biding participation
3) Contacting the party that owned the domain trying to get them to renew/sell off GD.


Any others?

 

[Keith]

Is there a rule that we're not allowed to do private transactions anymore? In other words, if a domain is registered at Godaddy, there platform must be used to purchase domains?

 

[Skyvisum]

They once did that to me but sent them my drivers license for an ID.They had to apologize because I just won an auction for a 4 letter domain and won.It puzzled me and name was nehd.com.Send an ID and call customer service.Shouldn't take more than 24 hrs to be resolved.

 

[johname]

"You agree not to purchase any domain name found through the Services without using the Services to complete the transaction. Should GoDaddy determine (which determination shall be made by GoDaddy in its sole and absolute discretion) that you are circumventing the Services, GoDaddy reserves the right to terminate your account and cancel all of your listings."

 

[Keith]

"You agree not to purchase any domain name found through the Services without using the Services to complete the transaction. Should GoDaddy determine (which determination shall be made by GoDaddy in its sole and absolute discretion) that you are circumventing the Services, GoDaddy reserves the right to terminate your account and cancel all of your listings."

So basically they are taking away the right of a buyer and seller to deal outside of godaddy. That seems illegal to me.

And FYI, the domain I bought was not found in their services because the expired auction was closed. Per ICANN rules, domain owners have a specified amount of time after expiration to renew their domains. The seller exercised his/her right to renew, at which time I bought. How is this a violation?

 

[johname]

It might be more of a pattern and they just decided this was the one to pull the trigger on.

Looks like if they investigate it too much they will charge you.

"GoDaddy reserves the right to charge an administration fee to cover the costs associated with investigation of a dispute"

 

[Keith]

I just find it interesting that a buyer renews, we hold a private transaction which has zero to do with godaddy, and they feel there's foul play. Even if that scenario happened everyday it's a domain owners right to renew and do with the domain as they please.

Now, if you participate in auctions and shill bid, don't pay...of course you're wrong.

 

[Kate]

The taxman always wants his cut of the deal.

 

[Name Trader]

I feel for you @Keith. I would wait for your Account Manager to chime in before you start admitting to what you have done. What you say seems reasonable until you read the 1st sentence of @johname's quote of their ToS. Where what you have done is specifically prohibited. Hence the closure. The best you can hope for is they will let you re-open your account by paying a small fee of $25 (or $50), presumably with the promise that any further violation will result in permanent closure of your account.

 

[Keith]

I feel for you @Keith. I would wait for your Account Manager to chime in before you start admitting to what you have done. What you say seems reasonable until you read the 1st sentence of @johname's quote of their ToS. Where what you have done is specifically prohibited. Hence the closure. The best you can hope for is they will let you re-open your account by paying a small fee of $25 (or $50), presumably with the promise that any further violation will result in permanent closure of your account.

Stub, you own a domain that expires. Godaddy sends to auction as usual and you decide to renew. I contact you upon renewal with an offer and we complete a deal.

How is this in violation of any TOS rules? You renewed as is your given right and I in turn contacted you with an offer to purchase. This is busines as usual. You own a domain, potential buyer makes offer, we negotiate, and a deal is done.

 

[johname]

Keith what you will ultimately have to do is decide what makes you more money. Buy domains through GD auctions and resell them. Or Look at their list and email contact the soon to be old domain owners. As you wont be able to do both now that your'e tagged by GD.

They (GD) don't want to hear logic. And they will never believe the owner renewed all on their own and then you contacted them.

 

[NameOmnia]

Stub, you own a domain that expires. Godaddy sends to auction as usual and you decide to renew. I contact you upon renewal with an offer and we complete a deal.

How is this in violation of any TOS rules? You renewed as is your given right and I in turn contacted you with an offer to purchase. This is busines as usual. You own a domain, potential buyer makes offer, we negotiate, and a deal is done.

Because if they have a proof that you saw the domain in the expired auctions and, instead of bidding on it, you contacted the seller privately to avoid going through auction you have violated their TOS.
By contacting the seller privately you ( and him ) caused to GD a loss in revenue and that's enough for them to say bye bye to you.

They are not stupid and they probably imagine that you probably offered the seller to cover renewal costs etc; they have been in the domain industry for longer than you. As someone else already said, they probably saw a pattern in your behaviour.

 

[Name Trader]

Stub, you own a domain that expires. Godaddy sends to auction as usual and you decide to renew. I contact you upon renewal with an offer and we complete a deal.

How is this in violation of any TOS rules? You renewed as is your given right and I in turn contacted you with an offer to purchase. This is busines as usual. You own a domain, potential buyer makes offer, we negotiate, and a deal is done.

So you never became aware of this domain by looking at GoDaddy Auctions? You found it thru whois enquiry and after they renewed the domain you made them an offer? You never once saw the domain for sale whilst you were ploughing through GoDaddy's Auction list? It's quite a longshot since you admit to regularly using their auctions.

 

[pjb1978]

I was wondering how you knew that xhemp.com was renewed. Now I know... I see that you are the new owner..

Hate to say it, but you 100% deserved to lose your auction account. You don't think that the shit you were pulling was just a little bit slimy? What you have been doing is stabbing your domaining friends in the back. We bid on names, win them, you contact the owner and have them renew so that you can buy directly from them. That my friend is slimy, and I look forward to your attempt at justifying this one.

This is a bit disappointing. You seemed like a stand up guy, and one of the members that I respected the most. Shame on you, brother.

 

[Keith]

So you never became aware of this domain by looking at GoDaddy Auctions? You found it thru whois enquiry and after they renewed the domain you made them an offer? You never once saw the domain for sale whilst you were ploughing through GoDaddy's Auction list? It's quite a longshot since you admit to regularly using their auctions.

I became aware of this domain via NP reported sales. The auction was over. I have every right to contact the current registrant with an offer and they are entitled to proceed how they see fit.

 

[Jasonn]

I was wondering how you knew that xhemp.com was renewed. Now I know... I see that you are the new owner..

Hate to say it, but you 100% deserved to lose your auction account. You don't think that the shit you were pulling was just a little bit slimy? What you have been doing is stabbing your domaining friends in the back. We bid on names, win them, you contact the owner and have them renew so that you can buy directly from them. That my friend is slimy, and I look forward to your attempt at justifying this one.

This is a bit disappointing. You seemed like a stand up guy, and one of the members that I respected the most. Shame on you, brother.

this is pretty commonplace on most if not all expired auction platforms. keith should not lose his account over it.

 

[Keith]

I was wondering how you knew that xhemp.com was renewed. Now I know... I see that you are the new owner..

Hate to say it, but you 100% deserved to lose your auction account. You don't think that the shit you were pulling was just a little bit slimy? What you have been doing is stabbing your domaining friends in the back. We bid on names, win them, you contact the owner and have them renew so that you can buy directly from them. That my friend is slimy, and I look forward to your attempt at justifying this one.

This is a bit disappointing. You seemed like a stand up guy, and one of the members that I respected the most. Shame on you, brother.

Of course it's a legitimate act to email public Whois with an offer. Just because the domain name expired is irrelevant. For all intents and purposes the owner has rights to renew their domain. Why is it okay for godaddy to dictate when I as a buyer can make a point of contact? The end of an auction doesn't terminate the owners right to renew per ICANN rules.

 

[Name Trader]

If you never saw this domain on GoDaddy Auctions you have a good case, if slightly implausible. You just need to convince your Account Manager of that.

 

[pjb1978]

Of course it's a legitimate act to email public Whois with an offer. Just because the domain name expired is irrelevant. For all intents and purposes the owner has rights to renew their domain. Why is it okay for godaddy to dictate when I as a buyer can make a point of contact? The end of an auction doesn't terminate the owners right to renew per ICANN rules.

The simple fact that you try to justify stabbing other domainers in the back is disappointing in itself.

Good luck with your names, and in life, Keith.