GoDaddy STEALING domains from people's accounts

[NameOmnia]

So here it is.

Today I have received an email from GD saying that 3 of my numeric domains that I have bough from a NP member were cancelled and removed from my account.
Surprised I checked the whois and it turns out the are repossessed by GD.

I call the ( useless ) support and they tell me that there are problems with the previous owner's account and that if I want the domains back in my account I have to pay for their registration.

WTF?

So GoDaddy refuses to contact the previous owner and gives me 2 options

1) pay for registration
2) contact the previous owner and see what he/she can do...
WHAT????

WARNING : GoDaddy will take away any domain from your account if the previous owner/s are having issues on their accounts. They STEAL domains from the current account no matter what and if you want to have them back you have to pay for registration ( or whatsoever amount they tell you ). THEY DO NOT CARE how long the names have been in your account for and they DO NOT CARE that you have not being the registrar and they DO NOT CARE that you are not the "non paying" account holder.

GODADDY IS A FRAUD, BEWARE! GODADDY ARE THIEVES.

Transfer any domain out as soon as you can.

I would be really really pleased to hear what @Joe Styler has to say about this.
In the meantime shame on you GoDaddy

 

[Salai Domains]

Friends my credit card made a mistake. end of the history. I;ve already paid. And the domains will return to @photonmymind and @Bhanu Madala
I will ask again if Someone that I trade had same problem please pm me

 

[NameOmnia]

1. Photo pays the "unpaid" registrations fees that Salai technically didn't pay for.

2. Photo will then still have the names in her account "paid".

GD customer disservice clearly told me that once the domains were paid for ( whether by me or Salai ) they would have been placed into the original account ( Salai's in this case ) and that would have been up to him to then push them back to me.

Which is ridiculous.

If the original registrant were dishonest he would have got back his names ( + the money I have paid to buy them from him ) and the ability to do whatever he wanted with the names : selling them again..charge back again..etc.
There is a big problem with this.

No company can allow a product to remain active after a chargeback. In this case with domains, that includes whether the original account holder did the chargeback or not.

There is no doubt about it but the way the situation has been handled is at the limit of legality imo.

If I buy a car from a car dealer then sell it to someone in a month then charge back do you think that the car dealer has the authority to legally access the second buyer's garage and tow the car away? I seriously doubt it.
Because that's what GD did to me. They accessed my account without my permission, took names away because the original registrant had issues and asked me to pay a not better defined amount only to see the names placed back in the original registrant account hoping he/she would be so honest to push them back to me...
How can this be tolerated and/or legal? The least we can call it is abuse.
Car dealers are not the police and GD and the same applies for GD even if someone thinks that way.

 

[NameOmnia]

Friends my credit card made a mistake. end of the history. I;ve already paid. And the domains will return to @photonmymind and @Bhanu Madala
I will ask again if Someone that I trade had same problem please pm me

Great.
This, Salai, has never been about you but about the abusive behaviour of GD; I look forward to seeing the names back into my account asap and I will make sure that no doubt about your integrity are left once the situation is solved.
For now thanks for your cooperation.

 

[Salai Domains]

I'd like to say again Im sorry Im doing my best and Im not dishonest.
Please when domains back to you accept my apologizes @photonmymind

 

[21x20]

GD customer disservice clearly told me that once the domains were paid for ( whether by me or Salai ) they would have been placed into the original account ( Salai's in this case ) and that would have been up to him to then push them back to me.

Which is ridiculous.

If the original registrant were dishonest he would have got back his names ( + the money I have paid to buy them from him ) and the ability to do whatever he wanted with the names : selling them again..charge back again..etc.
There is a big problem with this.




There is no doubt about it but the way the situation has been handled is at the limit of legality imo.

If I buy a car from a car dealer then sell it to someone in a month then charge back do you think that the car dealer has the authority to legally access the second buyer's garage and tow the car away? I seriously doubt it.
Because that's what GD did to me. They accessed my account without my permission, took names away because the original registrant had issues and asked me to pay a not better defined amount only to see the names placed back in the original registrant account hoping he/she would be so honest to push them back to me...
How can this be tolerated and/or legal? The least we can call it is abuse.
Car dealers are not the police and GD and the same applies for GD even if someone thinks that way.

They can tow it from the street.

So then comparing your GoDaddy account to a parking garage is the stretch here.

In fact, if the car dealer owns the garage, which would be the correct comparison here with GoDaddy and your domain "garage", the car dealer is well within their rights to open the garage and take their car back.

IMHO.

 

[NameOmnia]

They can tow it from the street.

So then comparing your GoDaddy account to a parking garage is the stretch here.

In fact, if the car dealer owns the garage, which would be the correct comparison here with GoDaddy and your domain "garage", the car dealer is well within their rights to open the garage and take their car back.

IMHO.

Actually no, I own the account not GD. If GD owned the account then he would have the right to do whatever they like with it : buying names, selling them, decide what to renew...
They can't take a property from anyone without documentation, proves or police intervention; they can't just come to your place and take something because someone else didn't pay.
It is a legal process which has strict procedures and steps.

 

[whateverforsale]

No matter how it ends (and I hope and believe you will get your names back), I would file a complaint with ICANN against GD. Their actions are not right. They are in the wrong here.

 

[Salai Domains]

@photonmymind everytime that you say "didn't pay" or "dishonest" I fell bad here. Because I didn't know about the my credit card did that. I'm trying to solve. as best as I can

 

[21x20]

Actually no, I own the account not GD. If GD owned the account then he would have the right to do whatever they like with it : buying names, selling them, decide what to renew...
They can't take a property from anyone without documentation, proves or police intervention; they can't just come to your place and take something because someone else didn't pay.
It is a legal process which has strict procedures and steps.

I guess if you've read the terms and you actually "own" the GD account, then I would stand corrected.

I don't think that's actually the case, but admittedly I'm not taking the time to read the document.

 

[carob]

Similar thread here from 2013:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/domains-repossessed-by-go-daddy.806748/

Godaddy TOS
https://uk.godaddy.com/legal-agreements.aspx

10. ADDITIONAL RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

GoDaddy expressly reserves the right to deny, cancel, terminate, suspend, lock, or modify access to (or control of) any Account or Services (including the right to cancel or transfer any domain name registration) for any reason (as determined by GoDaddy in its sole and absolute discretion), including but not limited to the following: (i) to correct mistakes made by GoDaddy in offering or delivering any Services (including any domain name registration), (ii) to protect the integrity and stability of, and correct mistakes made by, any domain name registry, (iii) to assist with our fraud and abuse detection and prevention efforts, (iv) to comply with court orders against you and/or your domain name or website and applicable local, state, national and international laws, rules and regulations, (v) to comply with requests of law enforcement, including subpoena requests, (vi) to comply with any dispute resolution process, (vii) to defend any legal action or threatened legal action without consideration for whether such legal action or threatened legal action is eventually determined to be with or without merit, or (viii) to avoid any civil or criminal liability on the part of GoDaddy, its officers, directors, employees and agents, as well as GoDaddy’s affiliates, including, but not limited to, instances where you have sued or threatened to sue GoDadd

For info - not saying those TOS are good or even legal.

 

[21x20]

Similar thread here from 2013:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/domains-repossessed-by-go-daddy.806748/

Godaddy TOS
https://uk.godaddy.com/legal-agreements.aspx

Ah yes... Good to have someone who actually read the doc.

 

[maya-zir]

Hey, could happen with each one of us.
Before cry thief, next time try to open a dialogue and find out the cause.
Salai Domains is a new here, but he was and still participe in many auction as seller and as buyer.
Lets PM before acuse.

 

[NameOmnia]

@photonmymind everytime that you say "didn't pay" or "dishonest" I fell bad here. Because I didn't know about the my credit card did that. I'm trying to solve. as best as I can

Please read properly I always specify this is NOT about you.
I always state that is a general issue with GD and I have already said you are actively cooperating.

Hey, could happen with each one of us.
Before cry thief, next time try to open a dialogue and find out the cause.
Salai Domains is a new here, but he was and still participe in many auction as seller and as buyer.
Lets PM before acuse.

Please re read my posts thanks.
I have never called Salai a thief nor I said he was in male fede.
He came public on this thread while I have never mentioned the his name before he did.
Read before accuse.

 

[Salai Domains]

Please read properly I always specify this is NOT about you.
I always state that is a general issue with GD and I have already said you are actively cooperating

Let me explain... When you say, someone that not read all threads or just want to put fire at the hole thinks that.
You are very nice friend, you try to talk to me before, I respect you for you don't show my name, But I'm honest and I showed myself for 2 reasons first one I'm not dishonest or thief, the second Maybe can happen with others, or maybe this problem happen with others.
I'd like to thank you again for your time and patience

 

[maya-zir]

I saw you never told his name.
And I didnt acused you in naming him a thief.
I only told lets PM before acuse, and I meant mostly domainers who commented your post.
And you also could before post, PM to Salai and posting here the issue explain that you both had this problem with GD.
Reading your post too much of NPs did think the seller was a thief.

 

[ksusha64]

@photonmymind acted with lots of integrity and did the right thing. I am happy he told NP community of this issue. We are here to help and support each other.

 

[NameOmnia]

And you also could before post, PM to Salai and posting here the issue explain that you both had this problem with GD.

I have PMd Salai before posting and that is why I have never made his name in the thread.
He, very correctly, came out in his own thread and in this one to explain.
I haven't called him a thief and I am not responsible for what other people decide to think when they read a thread.
Also, as I said before, this is about GD not Salai.
If you want to talk about this specific case you can do so in the thread he opened as it is more appropriate; now please let's move on and stay on topic which is GD.
Thanks

 

[maya-zir]

When I began to read the first post I had the impresion the seller was a thief.
I read a few comments more and was sure some NP sold stolen domains.
I had no time to read all thread and could leave this theme going from this thread thinking "thief" when I suddenly saw Salai reply. I know him and know he is not a thief, but I could leave this thread thinking bad about the seller if it were another guy.
So, I told, lets PM before post this kind of post and posting the issue later, better indicate that the seller was OK, because not each one read all thread.

 

[NameOmnia]

I had no time to read all thread .

That's probably the issue.
Now please if you need to address this particular case do so in the thread he opened.
Thanks

 

[21x20]

I think the issue with the thread is the title that "GoDaddy STEALING domains from people's accounts" doesn't really address the issue that the name was essentially stolen FROM GoDaddy via the credit card fraud or chargeback or whatever exactly happened there.

When a domain is stolen from us, we want GoDaddy to help get it back and we don't really care if they "steal it back" from someone else's account.

But here, a domain was stolen from GoDaddy via non-payment and you're claiming they then stole it from you instead of acknowledging that you basically just bought stolen property -- knowingly or not doesn't really matter here.

It still falls back to the original seller, not GoDaddy.