GODADDY WARNING: Lying and stealing expired domains

[DanSanchez]

Godaddy has gone downhill faster than most registrars in recent history, their methods for domain retention and profit are no longer based on the value they can add to a customer, but in simple deception.

Instead of providing authorization codes for expired domains (1-30 days post expiration.) They actively block the authorization codes from ever reaching the registered contact email. In my naive attempts at manually requesting 40 authorization codes, I spent most of the morning going to each domain and requesting one at a time. Nothing ever arrived, it was frustrating, but I discovered their methods of domain retention involve blocking authorization codes by default.

Meaning, any domain that goes into expiration is "no longer eligible for transfer." This is something I clarified with support staff, clearly they are trained to tell this to customers in order to avoid transfer losses. Even though it is completely against their written policy on expired domains. (Source)

After over an hour and a half with support staff, the authorization codes started rolling in. How did I get them to do it? I found a domain's authorization code that was already in REDEMPTION, post 30 days expiration, and transferred it away by unlocking it inside the "expired domains" menu, under "Domains." I had let this domain expire on purpose, it wasn't great so I didn't want to renew it. But I had to prove to them that I knew they were lying in order to block transfers out.

Here are some of the conflicting details I received...

Tldr: #boycottgodaddy.

I'll be happy to help anyone with domains stuck at Godady, I have successfully initiated transfers on all domains.

 

[Hootsifer]

I think it's hit and miss with this company - I think they have a loyal set of backers and a loyal set of detractors (because they've done something misleading or wrong). So it's split, but in my case, so far "knock on wood" they've been generally good.

 

[anantj]

@ OP: Try exporting your domain list and include the auth code... then initiate transfers
I can confirm that the support staff is definitely incorrect (or lying) as I transfered expired domains literally earlier today (transfer complete after expedited approval)

 

[DanSanchez]

@ OP: Try exporting your domain list and include the auth code... then initiate transfers
I can confirm that the support staff is definitely incorrect (or lying) as I transfered expired domains literally earlier today (transfer complete after expedited approval)

Agreed, the sad part is most godaddy customers are not aware of their actual policy and they choose to renew instead of transfer. Including people that had domains stolen via their TDNAM scheme which removes domains at 30 days to satisfy auctions that never should have started in the first place. The blockchain disaster from December is just one of the examples of how this policy and active operations harm customers to make profit for Godaddy shareholders.

 

[Mary Muse]

The blockchain disaster from December is just one of the examples of how this policy and active operations harm customers to make profit for Godaddy shareholders.

Hey, @DanSanchez -- care to elaborate on this a bit? Honestly, just curious...

Cheers!

 

[wwwweb]

Hey, @DanSanchez -- care to elaborate on this a bit? Honestly, just curious...

Cheers!

I wonder if that is where the lady dropped hundreds of her blockchain domains, and the family missed the recovery window by a few days?

 

[Mary Muse]

I wonder if that is where the lady dropped hundreds of her blockchain domains, and the family missed the recovery window by a few days?

No kidding? I saw there was a frenzy from some dropped blockchain names, but nothing more..

 

[DanSanchez]

Hey, @DanSanchez -- care to elaborate on this a bit? Honestly, just curious...

Cheers!

Like wwwweb said, a lady actually passed away and godaddy auctioned off all her domains after 30 days of expiration instead of sending them to redemption period. Her son tried to recover them and he was unable to recover most of them resulting in over $100k worth of wholesale inventory loss to her son. Their policies are criminal, no doubt.

 

[DotComWriters]

I will never use GoDaddy ever again after they burned me on some high-value domains several years ago. Trying to reach out to their customer support team is like talking to a brick wall.

 

[kam]

In fact, every registrar had their owned expired-domamin auction system did the same thing now. I had a similar experience to you


I still remember that in the old day, most of the registrars knew they took an unfair advantage over their existing customers by put their domains on auction and make a profit. Therefore, they let the domain owner to renew or transfer out the domain within the registry expired grace period to demonstrate they had provided a fair chance for their customers to transfer out or renew.

But now they no longer feel guilty to took an unfair advantage over their existing customers. Most of them had shorten the expired grace period and they'll telling you it's their company policy




***********************************
Let's talk about a little bit about legal.

Protecting the weak party has been one of the cornerstones of the development of contract law over the past century.

When a customer come to an agreement with a vendor or service provider, they have Inequality of bargaining power. The customer always had 'no say' to the term and condition. When bargaining power is persistently unequal, the concept of inequality of bargaining power serves as a justification for the implication of mandatory terms into contracts by law, or the non-enforcement of a contract by the courts. The consequence is the unreasonable term and condition can be voidable.

Details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inequality_of_bargaining_power

When the registrar run a expired domain auction business, they are taking an advantage over their customer and therefore the term and condition can be voidable. In order to avoid this from happening, the registrar had to demonstrated they are carry out their business through due diligence and in a reasonable manner.

They have to minimize the conflict of interests with the original registrant in order to demonstrated they are carry out their business through due diligence.

Therefore, the registrar will choose to use some standard deadline which is not controlled by them, in order to showed they are bona fide to deemed their customer no longer want their domain.

The registrar are likely use the registry full grace period as a deadline. It's because it involved an addition restore fee set by another parties (The registry). If the customer didn't renew it within the full grace period, the registrar has a reasonable ground to believed the customer are unlikely to renew it, it's because they had to pay an extra fee to the registry.
***********************************

More info in my old post: https://www.namepros.com/threads/dont-buy-icelandic-tv-until-the-problem-solved.1000670/

 

[bsdomains]

yes, it happened to me yesterday one of my recently expired domain(auto renew period) not shown in the list, then i can find the domain in different list (Recover Expired Domains) when press the renew it adds addtional 80+ usd to cart totally $116 but my domain in not in redemption period. but when the domain was expired i request AUTH code/ unlocked the domain and found that code in email and immediately transfer out the domain without any addtional cost.

My opinion is take your domain authcode and unlock (even not safe) it once expired. now request auth code for all domains in GD and unlocked all auto renew status domains.

 

[D Haynes]

Don't let your domains expire. Problem solved.

 

[DanSanchez]

Don't let your domains expire. Problem solved.

Sure that would solve the issue, but also not lying to customers about their domain ownership post-expiration is helpful. The bulk of the domains in question expired 2 days ago, it's not like I waited last minute.

 

[bsdomains]

just checking another domain still the same(auto renew period), going to transfer out another domain

.ORG Domain Renewal :$19.99
Redemption Fee - .ORG $80.00
Private Domain Registration Renewal: $9.99 1 year
Subtotal $109.98
$18.80
---------------------
Total $128.78

 

[D Haynes]

Sure that would solve the issue, but also not lying to customers about their domain ownership post-expiration is helpful. The bulk of the domains in question expired 2 days ago, it's not like I waited last minute.

Nope, sounds like you waited two days past last minute lol.

I hear what your saying though. If a company says they will do something they should stick to their word or if there is an industry specific rule/guideline it should be adhered to. I understand it's a trust thing.

I just don't understand why people let their names expire. Nobody has ever given a good reason for it. Every issue someone has is about expired domains. Makes no sense when it's completely avoidable.

 

[bsdomains]

@DanSanchez Have you renewed the domain?

 

[DanSanchez]

I just don't understand why people let their names expire. Nobody has ever given a good reason for it. Every issue someone has is about expired domains. Makes no sense when it's completely avoidable.

Having thousands of domains under management translates to more determining factors than just "renewing domains before expiration." Additionally, I stopped using Godaddy as my main registrar two years ago for similar schemes.

 

[DanSanchez]

@DanSanchez Have you renewed the domain?

I'm in the process of transferring all domains now, boycotting Godaddy. Still having issues with receiving some of the non-expired domain auth codes.

 

[johnn]

Use spreadsheet and add the conditional formatting in the expire date column. If anything that will expire in ten days it will turn to a different color.
I have thousand names two and this help a lot.

 

[alcy]

I just use an online google sheet for all domains.. so I can access it from anywhere.. versus harddrive excel sheet.. and I sort it all by expiry days.. this way I see oldest expiry domains on top.. very helpful indeed.

as for yoru codes issues.. here is what I learned:

for some odd reason, when I go to my expired section and click SEND CODE once only.. I get it maybe 50% of time! but if I click same domain SEND CODE 2 or 3 times.. I get it fast and 100% of time. but I always get them. up to 30 days expired. then you can forget it. unless there is no bid on auctions and yuou pay redemption fee. cheers.