Registerfly - CEO

[tldagent]

Below is an email that was forwarded to me with some of the latest information on the Registerfly Debacle. We have also added a news release on www.registerflies.com that explains a little more.

Has Enom known this all along?

"RegisterFly.com is one of the largest internet domain name registries.

They originally operated as a reseller of services from Enom.com, but in
February 2006 they received their own ICANN accreditation and became
authorized to manage and sell their own domain services. There has been
friction and difficulty between RegisterFly and Enom for well over a
year, and in the past several weeks it appears that Enom has "fired"
RegisterFly. They sent alarming emails to all the customers who had been
receiving resold services announcing that their relationship with
RegisterFly was severed and informing them how to access their
automatically transferred domain names in a new Enom.com account.

I have experienced a long and dreadful history of problems with
RegisterFly, and I am apparently not alone. In fact, some industrious
person has set up the domain "www.registerflies.com" where he has
documented numerous problems AND the failure of ICANN to act responsibly
to address a situation that is clearly not acceptable for an accredited
registry managing over two million domain names.

But the real story isn't just that people are unhappy. Last night I
called their secondary customer support number to see whether they might
be able to help with major problems that have been occurring all week
(since the main support number obviously could not.) I'm not talking
about minor stuff, but rather a situation where the customer service
reps and administrators at RegisterFly CANNOT ACCESS their own systems
at all!

The rep I spoke with told me a story about the real problem. It seems
that the partners who started the company are fighting with one another,
and one of them is trying to force out the other. The one who is being
forced out has apparently been retaliating by hacking into the registry
systems and databases and making changes that have utterly paralyzed the
company. Suddenly my recent problems start to make sense. The outsourced
customer service reps have been telling us since Monday that they would
like to help, but that they cannot access the backend panels that
control their systems. They suggest it will be working in a few hours
and ask the customer to call back then. When you call back they loop
through the same scripted routine again.

This has been going on since Monday! The company cannot control its
systems. Even worse, the support rep indicated that they fear the
alienated partner is trying to hack and destroy the domain registration
databases. It is an incredible situation. Infighting at a domain
registry jeopardizing over two million domain names and preventing
customers from even being able to make minor changes to the domains they
own."

 

[verbster]

I understand and support a cause to correct an injustice or right a wrong, so shnitzeldorf has my backing in that respect. Unfortunately, in his zeal to destroy all things Registerfly, he seems to delight in the prospect of fellow domainers being destroyed along with them...some kind of guilt by association so burn in hell logic.

A number of other domainers contributing to this thread seem to feel the same way. Why would anyone wish ill on fellow NP'ers who happen to still have some domains at RF? How does hoping they lose their domains teach RF a lesson? If people want RF to fail, help domainers get their domains moved out instead of gleefully bellowing unsympathetic "you deserve what you get" rubbish.

Taking joy in another domainer's loss, or looking at other domainers with derision because they didin't or weren't able to cut and run when "I told you so," is not something to be proud of...Buck up, folks.

 

[Dotplanners]

With a name like Schnitzeldorf, how can we lose?

That's and intelligent comment considering I've spent a lot of time, money and effort to protect the interest of the members in this community.

You cannot do anything with Registerfly at all right now. If you send them money, it goes directly in Kevin Medina's personal account. John, Glenn, Paul V., and all the rest of the Registerfly employees have no access at all and neither do you. Kevin Medina has sabotaged the entire thing. If you have names with Registerfly... I don't feel sorry for you one bit!

For all the members here at the Namepros community, you were warned long ago. Your comments about how good they were and the criticism that's come out of your mouths because of my interest in protecting the general domain name community by providing the site ( www.registerflies.com )... SHAME ON YOU!!! I don't feel a bit sorry for you at all.

As it stands, I'm in contact with both John and Glenn at Registerfly and I can tell you for sure that you have no control anymore over your domain names with Registerfly and currently, neither do they. You want your names, contact Kevin Medina. You want his contact info? Find it yourself.

If you want the actual court documents and you want to know what's going on in real time, you know where to go to find it. I've said enough about this, I'd much rather like to get back to trading and discussing domain names.

As for those of you who left your names with registerfly contrary to my warnings........... cry now. You can hear about your woes on the headline news or read about them at slashdot or cnet.

For those of you who have been supportive of my site with your comments, thank you kindly for your support and I'm truly happy that you've taken the steps to protect your names.

I've been warning my clients for three years about Registerfly after I had just one HINT of their bullshit back about... ummm... three years ago.

Just beware of any registrar that has the name of an insect, an animal, or numbers in their name.

At the upcoming Domain Roundtable 2007, I will be hosting a special session on Registrar responsibility to providing domainers with the best domain management tools, customer support, and prices. Stay tuned to our website as the agenda and schedule is posted. http://www.domainroundtable.com.

It's the year of the domainer - take advantage of it. I'm not holding back at this year's DRT, so try and take part in the multiple surveys we'll be taking in a month or so.

I feel bad for those people who stayed with registerLied.com, I mean registerfly.com, but as ol Schnitzeldorf said -- "I gave you plenty of warning".

Spritzenfoogle himself agrees.

 

[labrocca]

I understand and support a cause to correct an injustice or right a wrong, so shnitzeldorf has my backing in that respect. Unfortunately, in his zeal to destroy all things Registerfly, he seems to delight in the prospect of fellow domainers being destroyed along with them...some kind of guilt by association so burn in hell logic.

A number of other domainers contributing to this thread seem to feel the same way. Why would anyone wish ill on fellow NP'ers who happen to still have some domains at RF? How does hoping they lose their domains teach RF a lesson? If people want RF to fail, help domainers get their domains moved out instead of gleefully bellowing unsympathetic "you deserve what you get" rubbish.

Taking joy in another domainer's loss, or looking at other domainers with derision because they didin't or weren't able to cut and run when "I told you so," is not something to be proud of...Buck up, folks.

Exactly..well said.

Also for all the headaches RF has given me..I have not once lost money nor a domain. I have lost time and effort only.

 

[JMJ]

I've been warning my clients for three years about Registerfly after I had just one HINT of their bullshit back about... ummm... three years ago.

Just beware of any registrar that has the name of an insect, an animal, or numbers in their name.

At the upcoming Domain Roundtable 2007, I will be hosting a special session on Registrar responsibility to providing domainers with the best domain management tools, customer support, and prices. Stay tuned to our website as the agenda and schedule is posted. http://www.domainroundtable.com.

It's the year of the domainer - take advantage of it. I'm not holding back at this year's DRT, so try and take part in the multiple surveys we'll be taking in a month or so.

I feel bad for those people who stayed with registerLied.com, I mean registerfly.com, but as ol Schnitzeldorf said -- "I gave you plenty of warning".

Spritzenfoogle himself agrees.

Find some humor in this one if you will Stephen because it's purely amusement even if it is my own.

I've always followed the rule of never take web advice from someone who doesn't know how to create URL link in their Sig.

 

[Kate]

I understand your wanting to get your story out there. It just seemed to me there was more to the story than was being told. I'm not concerned about my names because they signed a contract and they aren't the core registry. If they can't hold up to the requirements of that contract then they lose their business. I don't lose my names they will just end up elsewhere. Grant it this would be the first of it's kind. Well one other that I'm aware of but I think they were a reseller. Even then the judge ordered the names to be managed by another party.

No it's not like that. And you should be VERY concerned with your names.
Until the company is dismantled and the domains assigned to another registrar - if that ever happens - a lot of things can happen and your domains are at risk.
The contract means nothing. Many many people have already lost their domains at regfly in spite of that contract or ICANN accreditation.

This is what is likely to happen:

• your domains are due to expire at regfly
• you try to transfer away
• for some reason you can't unlock the domains
• or the transfer fails for some reason
• support tickets go unanswered
• your domains have expired
• support tickets still unanswered or closed
• domains have entered redemption status
• your only option is now to backorder your own names
• in the meantime your sites have stopped functioning
• and of course the valuable domains will be backordered by other people too
  
  etc etc

The message that Schnitzeldorf is trying to get through is: run away from registerfly with your names while you still can. Soon it will be too late. Probably it's too late already.

Regardless of their internal problems regfly have had a buggy, lousy system that you just cannot rely on. If you cannot afford to lose your domains then regfly is not the right registrar for you.
I believe the staff themselves are overwhelmed by the buggy system and can hardly help.
It's incredibly easy to lose a domain, and when it's a valuable domain it hurts.

 

[dnb8]

not good - Registerfly ssl certyficate expired - Feb 17 2007 :O

 

[JMJ]

I went to his site and read through alot of the posts. What I read is that the majority of people let their names expire and then started having problems. Now anyone who had a name expire pre Jan 2007 most likely had their name in the old enom system. Because they got accredited in Jan 2006 which is when their sh*t hit the fan.

I don't know this for sure but I'm guessing and it's probably a very good guess that eNom wasn't very happy to see a million or whatever names go so in turn they most likely weren't very helpful in that process. You could even go as far as to assume that when a name expired in the old enom system something beyond their control happened? This makes more sense to me than anything.

I just don't buy them spending a load of dough getting accredited just a year ago only to drive their business into the ground since then. As far as the 95% of others on the forum there are just making claims with no explaination whatsoever. It reminded me of those WHT posters..

 

[JBebbington]

I have 16 names with RF, and I can't wait until ICANN takes control and gets all the domains out of their system and into a more reliable registrar. I don't have the cash to transfer anything out at the moment.

I can see the remains of RegisterFly, in the next year, either a) Being Bought out and turned around, like Demand Media and eNom, or b) Caving in and ICANN having to take control and get the names out.

 

[Kate]

I know a few people that I would qualify as domain-savvy who lost domains at regfly.
Not because they let their domains expire or wait until the last minute to transfer away but just because of their buggy scripts and the lack (absence) of support.
For simple issues like domains missing in your account support is OK. If you ask for more complicated things, even in plain English you won't get anything if it's beyond them.
Regfly should have fixed their issues before going full steam ahead with ICANN accreditation. All their problems predate their move to fully-fledged registrar anyway.
As for business falling to the ground that's unfortunate but it's also a logical consequence. You can't get away with lousy service and failure to deliver, forever.
Many promising businesses fail every year just because of soured partnerships.

I have 16 names with RF, and I can't wait until ICANN takes control and gets all the domains out of their system and into a more reliable registrar. I don't have the cash to transfer anything out at the moment.

I'm sorry but read my post above. I doubt this will happen. If ICANN ever steps in it will be too late. My prediction is that ICANN won't be your savior. At least try to transfer away the most valuable names. Otherwise your domains might well simply die at regfly.

 

[verbster]

Where is ICANN while this is going on? RF's security certificate has expired, and it looks like they are in melt-down mode.

If anyone truly is "hacking" the RF system and sabotaging it, that's more than an internal pissing match; when it intentionally interferes with the contracted deliverable services and goods that customers have paid for, that's criminal. I don't understand why it's not being treated as such.

 

[TT]

I have been anxiously awaiting the day that the FLYSWATTER comes down on registerfly... And it may have taken 4 years but this is sweet justice.

Dont get me wrong friends it saddens me to see fellow domainers losing names and having all the issues surrounding their names. But 4 years ago registerfly cost our company alot of money and only after spending 10's of thousands of dollars and having the New Jersey State police and F.B.I. and R.C.M.P get involved were we able to retrieve our domains and these names were all high dollar names. The legal reps at ENOM were able to somewhat help and the reps at verisign and CIRA were the ones that were able to do what needed to be done.

I personally have zero use for registerfly I have said it before I hope that you all can recover some of your names if not all of them, I know what a hassle it can be and how costly.

Heres hoping next year we see all the players at registerfly either flipping burgers or better yet fearing their next shower with bubba and the boys.

 

[night707]

The Real Scam

since a while ICANN and registerfly's backend registrar Verisign know about the fact, that countless domain owners have no more control over their property and that registerfly is violating all laws and regulations.

Both organizations will hopefully get swamped soon with lawsuits and compensation claims.

All affected domain owners should better build positions fast and demand instant action from both of them and demand immediate activities. Both are liable because they HAVE enabled registerfly to do such damages. In fact they are PARTNERS beause ICANN and Verisign are making money and profits from their deal with registerfly.

Best to send both of them a fax and hold them liable for any losses and damages.

 

[JMJ]

I've seen and been involved with a lot worse accredited registrars and I would bet that most of us that have been around for any time have. Hell a number of them don't even have a website. This wouldn't be the first time I've been in the middle of a complete mess of a registrar. The first was my first domain/site and it involved Network Solutions via CIHost. It's been so long I forgot CIHost's name. As much as I wanted to see them go down unfortunately they are still around. Talk about a mess. I don't even want to go there... In quick summary I lucked out and got into the middle of two of the worst customer service nightmares I've ever been in the middle of at the start. I never had any control over my name whatsoever from day 1. 6 months after it expired I got my name back via eNom's help. That was after I gave in paid Network Solutions for another year even though they were suppose to have let it drop 6 months earlier.

Some of the people on that board are also making claims that regfly stole domains. None of them gave any explanation or any domains to check it out but again my guess would be that they went into redemption. Mabey even expired and the culprit there wasn't registerfly. It was eNom. To this very day eNom has names still registered that I let drop over a year ago. I think we're going to find when this all comes out in the wash that there's a lot more to this story than whats being told. I just checked one of the names that I let drop via registerfly that was in the old eNom reseller and it's registered under whois privacy at eNom similar to the name that I let drop via eNom who actually kept it in my name up until recently putting it under whois privacy.

Mabey it is a good thing that this has all come about. It may make ICANN finally wake up and earn their $.25. They have been asleep at the wheel since the start. It's unfortunate for them that they might have to cancel a meeting/vacation and actually do some work.

 

[Kate]

Some of the people on that board are also making claims that regfly stole domains. None of them gave any explanation or any domains to check it out but again my guess would be that they went into redemption. Mabey even expired and the culprit there wasn't registerfly. It was eNom.

Actually I have noticed a bug with registerfly whereby whois info reverts to their default profile, so the owner is not getting renewal notices etc (you should never rely on registrar reminders but a lot of people still do).
I don't think it's on purpose but yet another glitch.

 

[night707]

$0,25

Good point! Makes ICANN Execs even more liable for all damages. We will sue them personaly for further enabling registerfly to do damage to domain owners.

For that the ICANN and verisign should lose all of their rights and business instantly beause they haven proven since a while now, that they are not able to ensure regular domain ownership rights.

They can not even control a single little reseller that has turned CRIMINAL minded. Is there no more Police, lawyers and law in the US ... ICANN and Verisign should send registerfly the FBI and ensure business owners of their competence, if any ? This way they simply support criminals with inactivity.

Both are in and can be hold liable absolutely big time and personal because domain owners pay them.

 

[tldagent]

There is some breaking news available on www.registerflies.com

 

[night707]

too Easy

ENOM, VerIsign and ICANN services seem to require a deeper analysis. How can their structure allow a potential criminal to disturb a huge amount of domains.

How come, that these 3 capacities are not able to come up with a decent and solid structure strong enough to secure a bunch of domains.

Their concept and response is as poor as customer service at registerfly.

apart from that. registerflies is doing a good job.

hopefully )

respect mr. schnitzler!!!

 

[Electric-Shadow]

I understand and support a cause to correct an injustice or right a wrong, so shnitzeldorf has my backing in that respect. Unfortunately, in his zeal to destroy all things Registerfly, he seems to delight in the prospect of fellow domainers being destroyed along with them...some kind of guilt by association so burn in hell logic.

A number of other domainers contributing to this thread seem to feel the same way. Why would anyone wish ill on fellow NP'ers who happen to still have some domains at RF? How does hoping they lose their domains teach RF a lesson? If people want RF to fail, help domainers get their domains moved out instead of gleefully bellowing unsympathetic "you deserve what you get" rubbish.

Taking joy in another domainer's loss, or looking at other domainers with derision because they didin't or weren't able to cut and run when "I told you so," is not something to be proud of...Buck up, folks.

I completely agree, i personallylove registerfly and have no shame in admiting that, i've had absoloutly no problems, at least none worth crying about since the day i first regd a domain with them.

If their has been any problems they were promptly sorted and i couldnt ask for anything less.

Saying it will teach whoever buys names at RF a lesson is uterlly pointless as it will accomplish nothing other than further fueling anger. I don't care what anyone else says about RF i'm more than happy with them and have no complaints.

 

[TT]

There is some breaking news available on www.registerflies.com

I am assuming that this is your website, I have read your most recent Breaking News... And it sounds to me that after all you have said in the past regarding RF has turned you into a RF do gooder because of one phone call you were privy to.

These guys are not rock stars and dont be fooled by their nice words they say to you, They are part of the problem. Remember your only reporting on one side..... Give your head a shake if your going to be reporting on these details at least provide information from both sides.

Naturally they are going to put all the blame squarely on Kevins shoulders because he is not talking to the media. I too can contact a lawyer and have some fancy documents drawn up.... Still theres no court order.

I would love to see the court orders stating that these 2 can gain control of the server and data. All the techs in the world wont be able to assertain the needed info from these servers if Kevin has it locked down as they are making you believe.

I think the conversation they had with you was another PR stunt and you fell for it.. Did you ask for their autographs during the discussion??

I bet they even told you after they get this whole mess cleared up that you could all get together for dinner and drinks...

After today I really dont give a sh*t what happens with RF but apparently you should with all the money you have lost with them..... And a phone call makes everything better... These guys will tell you whatever you wanted to hear because you and your site were burying them....

Whats next in this saga? Anna Nicole is still alive..... and working @ RF

 

[labrocca]

There is some breaking news available on www.registerflies.com

That's actually very interesting read. The rumors about the evil Kevin have been circulating for a couple weeks now. Personally I think there is some truth to it but they might just be making him the fall guy for all this. I would like to hear what Kevin has to say. Yeah..he might have sabotaged some things but the probs at RF have been ongoing for quite some time and I really don't understand how it's all 1 guys fault.