Redemption and tricky registrar

[mayhemalex]

Hey,

Apologies if this is in the wrong section.. please move where appropriate

So I back ordered a .com domain with Snapnames back in 2009

It got 'assigned' to a rather obscure UK registrar which probably few people here have heard of.

Each year I would renew it for 1 year with Paypal and I would need to always email the registrar which was [email protected]

Because each year (I kid you not I have the emails) I would have to 'remind' them to add an extra year on..

Now why didn't I transfer it out? Because it had a 75UKP transfer out fee..

Actually I created a thread about this in 2012 or 2013 I think but it may have been on a different forum or with a different nick (I don't have multiple accounts but might have used a secondary account becaused I couldn't log in to this one..)

Now.. having to email a particular individual to follow up on my affairs there seemed a little bit strange but because it was a small registrar I didn't think too much of it..

OK so fast forward a bit.. when I got to this year I paid with CC. Thinking that because each year I did it with PP, that CC might work better. Thing is the company doesn't send out confirmations of payment and each year I had to show my Paypal receipt as proof.

So when domaintools showed this domain went into redemption on the 8th I emailed the rep again to let him know but did not get any response.. tried the form on the website, all the emails I could find etc.. a week and a bit past.. eventually I got a reply

I got a reply from 'Rob' who was extremely rude and said 'John' (not his real name) was no longer employed here and the domain hasn't been paid for so I am up redemption + renewal... 259.99 UKP... yes.. quite a sum.

Bare in mind I tried my best (with as much exposure as I could muster) to explain the instances of the past but this just made him more arrogant.

I am currently away from home and with this card I used have not setup Internet Banking.. I called home to ask my sister to check my statement for that period and it seems I was not charged for this company.. despite being A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y sure I paid and got a standard confirmation message on screen (no I didn't screen grab it, unfortunately).

Because this was an important domain I definitely would not have left it too long.

Obviously I can't pay the sum he is demanding so I am preparing for the worst.. this domain is only valuable within my local area so I don't believe there will be much competition.

Ofcourse I am worried this guy might keep it for himself or do something else to spite me.

I did some googling and this company was apparently in breach of ICANN (didn't have time to read it fully) on at least one occasion. Could they intervene? it seems unlikely.

I regret not making a fuss earlier on for the poor service and demanding $0 transfer out.

I am about 90% sure I can get this on the drop if I use a catch service (and pray it doesn't end up at this registrar again) and I doubt even a single person here would know what it means (no still not going to divulge it )

This 'Rob' guy is totally unreasonable it seems (unfortunately in the second email i did threaten bad exposure and reporting him to bureau and watchdog entities) and if I keep drawing attention to this domain his could try and sell it (would be difficult unless he knows the local market) or just keep it for himself...

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Kate]

Tricky situation. I think you should involve Snapnames and they should ditch those lousy registrars, especially when they charge expensive transfer-out fees (yes, this is allowed under icann rules...). Don't be afraid to name the registrar in question.

 

[mayhemalex]

Hey everyone,

So I reached out to Snapnames, sent them a pretty long email explaining why I thought it was fair that they intervene or assist me in reaching out to the registrar, and as predicted they want nothing to do with it (sent me a canned email) and essentially it is an issue between me and the registrar.

I thought.. what the hey I might shoot a similar email to ICANN thinking I -might- get an auto reply similar to the one I recieved from Snapnames.

Well not long later (few days actually) I got a reply advising me that I selected the wrong category but my complaint -may- have some merit and a fairly detailed response, actually.

I was pretty suprised that a huge monolith like ICANN would actually (a) reply and (b) send a reasonably personlised reply.

Maybe it was because this registrar was mentioned in the email and they have been under ICANN investigation before.

Anyway, they are still basically insisting that this is an issue between registrar and I but are willing to hear my side.

Basically my question is this. If I provide my side of the story and the evidence, this may only be for statistical purposes and the registrar may be contacted for feedback etc.

The registrar might deny everything and attempt to sell my domain or keep it for themselves as spite for me complaining to ICANN?

Should I go ahead and provide evidence to ICANN and take that risk or just try to regrab this name.

It is a domain that is relevant to my local community only (not US, UK, EU, etc) and unless there has been somebody local watching this domain for years (or someone from China or Korea who will grab just about anything) I -should- successfully get it. I just pray it doesn't land at the same registrar again.. I wonder what the odds are of that..

I would rather not mention the registrar's name (or names.. several..... yes this seemed weird too) at this time.


Anyway.. for reference here is the Snapnames response:

Dear User,

Thank you for contacting SnapNames Support. Please be advised that SnapNames is not a registrar and does not have the ability to assist with renewing or managing domains.

We are sorry to hear that you have had an issue with management of the domain in question, and we encourage you to continue to reach out to the registrar for resolution as we do not have the ability to intervene in their processes or fees for renewal.

Regards,
The SnapNames Support Team


And the ICANN response...

Dear User,

Thank you for submitting a complaint to ICANN.

Although your complaint is invalid for the complaint type selected, it may be able to be processed as a Domain Renewal/Redemption complaint. To make that determination, ICANN is requesting additional information.

According to the public Whois information, the domain name subject to your complaint appears to be in Redemption Grace Period (RGP) status. Please note that a domain name enters a 30-day RGP period if it is deleted according to the registrar’s own auto-renew and deletion policy. During RGP, the registration may be restored by the registrar at the request of the Registrant at Expiration (RAE). However, if the domain name is not restored during RGP, it will be released from the registry database and made available for registration on a first-come-first-served basis. In order to restore a domain name registration, registrars may charge fees. ICANN does not set minimum or maximum prices for registrations, renewals or restorations. Pricing decisions and registration terms are within the discretion of the contracted parties, subject to compliance with the terms of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA), Registry Agreements (RA) and ICANN’s Consensus Policies.

If you believe the registrar failed to comply with its obligations under the RAA and ICANN’s Consensus Policies, please provide ICANN the information and records listed below. However, if you wish to restore the domain name, you should work with the registrar on what options are available, as ICANN has no contractual authority or ability to restore domain names or to request registrars to waive fees.

Information and records to be provided to ICANN before 6 November 2017:

1. A detailed explanation regarding the alleged violation and supporting evidence;

2. Copies of any communications with the registrar (and reseller, if applicable) regarding this matter;

3. Any other records or information relevant to your complaint; and

4. Confirm your permission for ICANN to forward your complaint below and any attachment you may provide in your response(s) to the registrar and any other party with whom ICANNmay consult to further address your complaint.

Please send the information and records requested above via reply email (no more than 4 MB total) and do not change the email subject heading. Please provide records as attachments in .TXT, .PDF, or .DOC(X) format.

If you do not provide this information before 6 November 2017, ICANN will close your complaint.

Sincerely,

ICANN Contractual Compliance