GoDaddy Closed Account - Repossessed 15 domains

[mramirshaikh]

I have been contacting Godaddy since many days and nothing is happening, I am not even getting any response anymore, support agents were helpless as they always said that the concerned department only works via email.


So this is what happened exactly,

1. On Friday 25-06-2021 12:19 AM , I got an email from Godaddy that on of my domain is serving some malicious content and I have 24 hours to remove that content, otherwise my domain will be suspended. They didn't provide any details of that content, instead just mentioned my homepage.
   
   
   
2. After around 13 hours, I contact Godaddy live chat, the agent checked my site and confirm that my site is clean and nothing will happen, he asked me to email hostsec(at)godady.com, which I did.
   
   
3. While I was sending them an email, I got another email from Godaddy that my domain is now suspended (NOTE THAT IT WAS JUST 13 HOURS, I WAS NOT EVEN PROVIDED COMPLETE 24 HOURS), I asked the agent about it and he asked me to email hostsec(at)godaddy.com and they will add my domain again in my account.
   
   
4. In response to my email, I got a response from GoDaddy that I have violated some TOS, and the domain is now permanently suspended.
   
   
5. After that I replied to them and asked for a reason as I was sure that there was nothing wrong with my website, I also got it checked from my hosting provider, but in response, Godaddy said that they can't explain and I have to read TOS.
   
   
6. After that I had many chats with support agents and calls as well but they were helpless as they said that the concerned department only works via email and only that department can explain the reason, all of them asked me to email hostsec(at)godaddy.com, I did several emails and with each email, a new incident ID gets created, but I never got a reply
   Following are the incident IDs created, I was emailing them whenever I had a chat with the agent and they all suggest emailing hostsec(at)godaddy.com with details.
   45151090
   45155445
   45158064
   45163408
   
   
7. Though I never got any response for the above incidents, on 30-06-2021, I got an email from Godaddy that another of my domains has been suspended as its serving malicious content, again they didn't provide any details.
   
   
8. Along with that suspension, I got a reply on my incident id 45158064, but the response was not anything about the domain, instead, they said that my account is now permanently closed, and this is how I lost all my domains.

 

[Dean Moore]

Why is this happening by duplicating the content of the original post like I posted it. I don't do this. I hit reply to say something about the post above if I did something wrong please advise me someone. Thanks

 

[Dean Moore]

Wow I have my domains with Godaddy and have recently experienced something that cause me problem but been with them for ten years plus with very few incidents. I am sorry you went through that I believe in integrity and ethics in the work place and business and generally shut down anything I have with people who are not that way. That is a shame it happened to you, sorry to hear that happened.

 

[silentg]

Try contacting @Joe Styler and see if he can help you out.
https://twitter.com/jjstyler

 

[mramirshaikh]

Wow I have my domains with Godaddy and have recently experienced something that cause me problem but been with them for ten years plus with very few incidents. I am sorry you went through that I believe in integrity and ethics in the work place and business and generally shut down anything I have with people who are not that way. That is a shame it happened to you, sorry to hear that happened.

I have been a Godaddy customer for many years, I own a web design agency and that account of mine also had many domains that I purchased for my clients.

Now my clients are chasing me and I have no answer for them, still hoping if @Joe Styler can help me with this, I have heard good things about him.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Anyone knows if @Joe Styler is still there for GoDaddy customer ?

 

[theinvestor]

Why not pick up the phone and call them?

 

[mramirshaikh]

Why not pick up the phone and call them?

I've called them many times but the agents are helpless saying the concerned department only works via email. And I am not getting any response via email.

 

[noneisnone]

hope you get this resolved soon worst thing when you get the email us treatment when you call lol
had that happen to me at google ads before just an endless loop

@Paul Nicks @Joe Styler

 

[mramirshaikh]

hope you get this resolved soon worst thing when you get the email us treatment when you call lol
had that happen to me at google ads before just an endless loop

@Paul Nicks @Joe Styler

I am losing hope now, no one is responding to emails. Joe did replied me on linked in, informing me the department only works via email but I guess their email is one-way only, whatever you ask them they rarely reply and even when they do, its just a status report about what they have done with your products, that's it.

 

[anf]

That's strange, godaddy usually doesn't do business like that. Anyway, you can always file ICANN complaint.

 

[mramirshaikh]

I've already done that, but ICANN is also helpless, I got a response that if a domain is deleted or transferred due to a violation of the registrar's TOS, they can't do anything about it.

So now, I've lost all my domains and I still don't know what I did wrong and as usual, not getting any response from the provided email address.

 

[anf]

I got a response that if a domain is deleted or transferred due to a violation of the registrar's TOS,

But you did not violate their TOS if I understand correctly.

After around 13 hours, I contact Godaddy live chat, the agent checked my site and confirm that my site is clean and nothing will happen, he asked me to email hostsec(at)godady.com, which I did.

So, if you got screenshot(transcript) of the chat, I would sent it to ICANN. I think this is sufficient proof.

 

[anf]

Anyway, this kind of behaviour from godaddy is quite disturbing. Another good reason to move all domains away from them. I would strongly suggest Epik.

 

[mramirshaikh]

Anyway, this kind of behaviour from godaddy is quite disturbing. Another good reason to move all domains away from them. I would strongly suggest Epik.

I wish I could transfer domains , but unfortunately Godaddy repossessed all of them and locked my account.

 

[mramirshaikh]

I

But you did not violate their TOS if I understand correctly.

So, if you got screenshot(transcript) of the chat, I would sent it to ICANN. I think this is sufficient proof.

I've sent them everything, chat transcript, emails etc everything but they can't help as Godaddy said them that the customer violated our TOS , now ICANN is suggesting the only option I have is to file a law suit if I didn't do anything against their TOS.

 

[mramirshaikh]

UPDATE:

My account also had domains that I purchased for my clients, one of them is now threatening me of law suit, as his business was solely dependent on his website.

I am gonna be in big trouble if he go ahead and filed a case, is there anyone who can help me with this ? Or knows someone from Godaddy who can at least get the other domains released from Godaddy.

 

[anf]

I would ask @jberryhill advice. Try PM him so he would get email notification.

To be honest I'm a littlle bit surprised by this thread: I So far I had only good experience with godaddy, and
lack of communication from godaddy is quite astonishing.
@Joe Styler, what is going on?

 

[branding]

What's the status of your domains when you do a whois lookup? I understand you don't use GD for hosting?

Ask them to provide the Auth codes which they should not deny, then transfer the domains to another registrar asap.

 

[Joe Styler]

I am looking into it and making sure the correct department is aware of it.

 

[mramirshaikh]

What's the status of your domains when you do a whois lookup? I understand you don't use GD for hosting?

Ask them to provide the Auth codes which they should not deny, then transfer the domains to another registrar asap.

When I am checking my website on Whois, its saying "Repossessed by Go Daddy".

And I am ready to transfer the website to another registrar, but the problem is there is no one I can reach. Joe is the only person who is at least giving a reply otherwise whenever I call Godaddy support they only say that they are forwarding my case and I will get a response with 24 hours, but nothing happens.

And some agents ask me to email hostsec(at)godaddy.com but they even bother replying to me anymore.

My clients also reaching Godaddy but they also get the same response that the department only works via email and they can only tell why they closed the account.

I have all the proofs that the Godaddy agent himself checked my site and confirmed that it's all clean but the concerned department doesn't even have the courtesy to at least let me know what I did wrong. And even if I did something wrong, how can they repossess my other domains?

 

[mramirshaikh]

https://www.whois.com/whois/youdancecayman.com

Here is one of the domains of my clients, its expiring in 2022 but Godaddy repossessed it, even for the sake of argument, if I agree to Godaddy that there was something wrong with one of my domains, what justifications do they have to repossess all the other 14 domains.

No one from Godaddy has a reply to this question, and the only thing they have is since I made a mistake by choosing them as registrars, so now all I have to do is suffer because they have all the rights to do whatever they want with domains purchased from them and destroy anyone's business.

 

[uswebdev]

https://www.whois.com/whois/youdancecayman.com
what justifications do they have to repossess all the other 14 domains.

Did you change your payment method, credit card number or account information in the last few months?

 

[noneisnone]

@mramirshaikh give joe some time and keep us up to date hope it gets resolved

 

[branding]

Thanks for the info. Judging by that domain they have no business repossessing your domains solely based on the fact your website may be compromised.

If there are other factors in play (TM ?) they should follow standard procedure. Unless there are payment issues on your account I can't think of anything that might justify taking over your domains and not allowing you any access to them. If they don't come up with any info that makes sense I'd file an ICANN complaint.

But before that, give Joe some time to look into it. If they're in the wrong he'll make it right.