GoDaddy Fraud ?

[frankie_04]

IMHO what GoDaddy is doing with their 'backorder sytem' is fraud and a class action should be started.
This system is a complete joke. I placed a backorder on a GoDaddy resgistered domain June 3, 2005 that showed a pendingdelete status code.
This domain expired on March 21, 2005 and the last registrar update was June 1, 2005. which was the status update to pending delete, and since this is held for 5 days I knew the drop date would be on June 7, 2005 at 11 AM pacific time.
After speaking with a support rep before I placed the backorder, I was told that if the backorder was accepted that I would be the only person to have placed a backorder as GoDaddy only allows one backorder per domain that was currenly reg'd by GoDaddy and because of that I would grab the name when it was dropped.
(Now bear in mind that the rep never spoke about this domain had been listed in the auction listed at TDNAM and was never sold.)
So I waited the next four days for the backorder to go thru. Well to my surprise yesterday, June 7, 2005 around 2:30 pm cst I recieved an email from GoDaddy stating that the domain name backorder capture had failed. Well I did a quick whois and the name was still showing 'GoDaddy : pendingdelete'
So I called GoDaddy support back and I was told that I should not have recieved that email and I should not worry, that I was the only backorder and I will see the transfer in a day or two. And again I was told that if it was a previous reg'd name of GaDaddy and I was the only backorder that they "Guarantee" that name backorder to be filled.
Well today the whois now is showing a new registrar entry effective 06-07-2005, yes yesterday!
So I called today and raised hell, here is what I was told and found out;
They now put all expired GoDaddy domain names into an auction over at TDNAM, but they still accept the backorder on the GoDaddy site for 18.95.
If the name is sold at auction, you must wait for the mock-redemtion to expire and the high bidder gets the name if it is not redeemed.
However anyone that had placed a backorder of course gets the bad news that the name capture has failed and is out the fee/fee's.
Now the real fraud starts if the auction fails for whatever reason, IE no bids, nonpayment etc, that name then is suppose to be available for the backorder if one was placed. But if the backorder is placed after the auction fails [ after 70 days] and during the 5 day pendingdelete status, no action is taken on that backorder and the name is dropped, Unless you call in and ask for an esculation on that order. Well where is that written anywheres on the site?

Thru a bit of social engineering I was emailed their current policy on their
Domain Name Aftermarket Timeline.
I have put it up to read at http://ice.prohosting.com/dicehome/godaddy.html
check out section 1.4.2

Please post your comments/ideas on this issue,
as I think this policy is completely wrong.

thanks

 

[DJ-Sound]

godaddy's backorder defently sucks, but if it did work it they would have bidding and what not to make more money.

if its a domain that only you want to make a website with, and not 1000 other people backordering it, it works, but then so does manually registering it when the domain drops.

 

[TheBrigade]

Interesting. I placed a backorder yesterday, and it grabbed it.

Godaddy is 1/1 for me.

 

[Tippy]

GD backorders are a long shot but for the cost I feel its worth it. If it misses the name go after another one and as mentioned they have a better chance of catching low value, made-uppers vs top drops but again you could get lucky just the same.

I asked GD once if there was any benifit in catching the name using their BO system for names regged with them and their reply was no.

 

[mole]

Yeah I used GD so called backorder system and it sucks...in fact it sucks so bad it should not even be a service.

Getting a backorder converted at Godaddy is like winning the Powerball. People actually posts in these forums to proclaim they won something at Godaddy, but 99% of the time, for sucky names that you could as well hand-register.

 

[domain4u]

in the past 2 month i backordered over 100 domains all .us and .biz and .info ALL HAVE been captured, just got another 5 today! so i recommend them for the 3 extentions, NON of my names ever ended up in tdnam too! (they were NOT rubbish names too i belive on 2 of them there was even bids on pool and i still got them [Some luck eh...])

 

[airwav]

I just started using GD and won the first one I back ordered. It was a .us, but a good name. I have 10 pending right now and if I don't capture them, I can try again. I guess it depends on what ext you are going after. :imho:

 

[inspiration100]

won my tdnam name, also just received it. won my 4 backorders. Doing good here.

 

[jiggin]

so I am getting mixed signals here...it sounds like if the domain name was originally registered at godaddy.com, you should stay way from backordering that domain at godaddy.com, since if they are the registrar for that domain, they will try and auction it off to make more money...is that accurate?

So that leaves me to ask the following question:

if domains are reg'ed with other registrar's, does godaddy.com snag those names, no matter what the extension is? How do they rank at snagging them first compared to backordering on pool or other reg's that backorder domains?

Just curious since the price is right...and...if you don't get a backorder fullfilled, you can try again on another one without losing money.