GoDaddy Shenanigans! Corrupt And Unethical Auction Practice.

[Compassion]

So....Apparently this can happen....

I won an expired auction for a domain, paid for it, then this morning get a refund.

After reviewing the whois I see the domain is registered at Dynadot!?!

Apparently the previous owner was able to retrieve the domain from redemption through Godaddy and transfer to dynadot AFTER the auction ended and AFTER I paid for it.

Or..it is possible that they successfully used an auth code and sent it directly to Dynadot and bypassed redemption.

Only the man behind the godaddy curtain knows for sure what happened.

Has anyone else encountered shenanigans similar to this? (Godaddy auctioning expired domains (possibly from different registrars), then allowing the domain to be redeemed after the fact or allowing it to be directly transferred out?

Any advice where to go from here?

 

[Compassion]

Still on the phone with Godaddy rep...

Apparently the domain may have been redeemed TODAY and transferred to DYNADOT today and the whois shows Dynadot as of today May 15.

Was this person able to auth code the domain out to dynadot even if the domain was in redemption and had been auctioned and had been paid for?

 

[forge]

This isn't shenanigans, it is specifically within GoDaddy's TOS for expired auctions. Extensive discussion on this topic can be found in the GoDaddy Auctions thread here on NP. It is disappointing nonetheless.

 

[Ms Domainer]

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The former owner can, within 45 days after expiration, (1) renew the domain at an $80.00 premium or (2) transfer the domain out by paying reg fee to another registrar.

It sucks big time, but this is what you have agreed to when you signed up for GD auctions.

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[equity78]

Here is what Paul Nicks said to our very own Ms.Domainer in the comments of an interview I did with him.

Ms Domainer, re: the 42/45 day question:
Good question and one that I sincerely hope I can clarify. First, I’ll underscore a point I made in the interview, we created the system to give our registrants the ability to keep or redeem their name as long as possible. With that as the backdrop, hopefully the following explanation will make more sense.
For many TLDs we are given a grace period of up to 45 days after expiration to decide whether to keep or drop a domain. On the 25th day after expiration, after three attempts to contact the registrant, we put our expiring inventory onto the Go Daddy Auctions platform to see if any of our other customers are interested in acquiring them. During the entire time a domain is at auction the current registrant is able to redeem that domain, albeit for a fee.
On the 42nd day we will cancel the domain name if no other customer has expressed an interest in it via either the auction system or a Go Daddy backorder. If, however, a customer has expressed an interest via either of these platforms we will move the domain to their account on day 43. Since the domain is still in the Go Daddy ecosystem we do allow, in rare circumstances, the original registrant to get the domain back via our redemption system up until day 45 which signifies the end of the grace period.
Our help documentation (http://support.godaddy.com/help/art...s-for-handling-expired-domain-names?locale=en) specifies day 42 for deletion because our registrants need to understand that if they do not redeem prior to that date they could lose their domain forever. However, we will continue to err on the side of the registrant when it comes to the edge cases where a domain owner calls asking whether they can get their domain back after day 42.
I hope that helps ease any confusion around this topic.
-Paul

http://tldinvestors.com/2012/08/quick-chat-with-paul-nicks-go-daddy-aftermarket.html

 

[Ms Domainer]

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This is a good reminder; although domains are typically awarded on day 42 after expiration, it's a good idea to wait until day 46 to start working on the domain (advertising it, developing logos, setting up sites, bragging about it, etc.).

You don't want the former owner sniffing out your grand plans and then having second thoughts.

Even then, in very rare circumstances, the domain can still be removed from your account and re-awarded to the former registrant. I think Go Daddy has something like 30 days after the domain lands in your account. Obviously, Go Daddy has to weigh the consequences of such actions, but it has happened to one of our members with the domain IslamWeekly or IslamDaily (I can't remember which one, but if you do a search, you will find the thread). In short, if the original registrant whines loud enough, Go Daddy may acquiesce, even after day 46.

This isn't unique to Go Daddy; I believe that 30-day rule applies at Namejet and possibly Snapnames.

So if you do business in the field, this is the ugly reality.

It's Wild West all the way.

*

 

[SearchEngineZ]

In an ideal world the auction ends the moment the original owner loses all their rights to it.

 

[forge]

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So if you do business in the field, this is the ugly reality.

It's Wild West all the way.

*

That's just a GoDaddy reseller. :D

 

[Dave_Z]

In an ideal world the auction ends the moment the original owner loses all their rights to it.

Alas, he he, all of us live in the real world where some things defy explanation – or expectation.

 

[ecalc]

Speaking of godaddy and dynadot, godaddy has been auctioning the domain name dynadot.com for over 36 hours.

https://auctions.godaddy.com/trpItemListing.aspx?miid=135822852

 

[NameOmnia]

Yes I saw that and I thought it was just crazy!!!!!!

 

[Dave_Z]

The dynadot.com auction is gone now.