.uk Today, I died a little inside

[jdab]

Why you ask?

Well, as I'm sure you're all aware, the .uk domain opened up to the public today.

I was just browsing my registrar, and noticed the big heading so thought I'd take a punt and see if any were available.

First, I typed in jd.uk, and it said Available!. As you can guess, I was pretty chuffed. So I thought to myself, what else may be available? I typed in News.uk - guess what? Available! I couldn't believe my luck! I also searched for blog.uk, and that too was Available!. I proceeded to checkout and it came to a grand total of $22.74 - I felt I'd just hit the jackpot.

Proceeded to checkout, made the payment and all went through - my smile was from ear to ear and I was bragging to everyone in the office. The page took a little longer to load up than normal, and it got me worried. However, the receipt confirmation popped up and declared my spend. At this point I'm geeking out and going a little nuts. Then the page refreshed. FAILED FAILED FAILED. ALL THREE OF THEM!

So it turns out, I completely noobed out and forgot that the domains were reserved for the owners of the .co.uk/.org.uk versions. Then I slumped away into the corner of the office and wept.

So how was your day?

 

[mhdoc]

The rule for some folks I know is that if a problem can be solved by writing a check, even if you couldn't write that check today, it isn't really a problem.

 

[buyselldoms]

Who was the registrar?

I had a similar experience with .ME however there was no similar reservation scheme and it took days for the registrar to admit they hadn't registered the domain for me despite saying they had. They are the biggest apparently.

 

[jdab]

Who was the registrar?

I had a similar experience with .ME however there was no similar reservation scheme and it took days for the registrar to admit they hadn't registered the domain for me despite saying they had. They are the biggest apparently.

Namecheap.

 

[FPForum]

Might as well ask for your money back now, lol...I think they have what, 3 years or something to claim the .uk version?

But, to answer your initial question, my day has been just fine thank you

 

[buyselldoms]

I wasn't aware you could register a two digit domain name through a registrar - sounds like a big blunder on namecheap's part.

 

[jdab]

Might as well ask for your money back now, lol...I think they have what, 3 years or something to claim the .uk version?

But, to answer your initial question, my day has been just fine thank you

They gave me an automatic refund straight after And I believe it's until 2019 or something ridiculous like that.

I wasn't aware you could register a two digit domain name through a registrar - sounds like a big blunder on namecheap's part.

Well I previously registered a 2 letter domain name through a registrar, so I guess that's your answer :P

 

[ezcoms]

Yeah, I made the same error so don't feel bad lol.

 

[Name Trader]

So if this is going to happen at all registrars, do we have to do a whois lookup for the .co.uk before trying to register the .uk, in order to avoid wasting our time like this?

 

[gilescoley]

Thats normal, it happens at most registrars, their databases are not always "live"

 

[igalvez]

So if this is going to happen at all registrars, do we have to do a whois lookup for the .co.uk before trying to register the .uk, in order to avoid wasting our time like this?

You can do a Whois lookup for the .UK domain name directly and the .UK registry tells you if it is available or if the .CO.UK owner has right to registration. So that helps a bit.

 

[gilescoley]

So you cant register .UK if you don't reside in the UK, is that correct?

 

[Name Trader]

Thanks igalvez. So it's only the Registrar's Whois which is messed up, If we use a generic whois (like yours) we will be informed, when the .co.uk is registered, when searching for the .uk?

 

[igalvez]

Yes. GWhois.org or any generic whois tool can check the availability of a .UK domain name.

Or you can use the one that the .UK registry provides here: http://www.nominet.org.uk/whois/

 

[TheFifty9Sound]

So you cant register .UK if you don't reside in the UK, is that correct?

You can with a trustee service. 101domain's is about 6 bucks a year I think.

 

[lincolndsp]

guys, according to the rules of engagement if:
.co.uk is taken for your term then automcatically .uk is UNavailable

 

[SachinG]

So sorry to heard that. You must switch to go daddy, i have experienced their prompt availability and even its directly connected to the ICANN proxy servers. When i started domain investing i search for few drop domains on dydot and snapnames. I can see the bidders and thought its hard to win a drop domain without putting hundred countable bid.

So while learning process i comes to know even you bid on the dydot and have their account and when domain drop if you search domain on dydot it will show unavailable but on godaddy it shows available you gotta to be quick to register it.

I have registered 3 dropped valuable domains without having any proxy account and without bidding anywhere. So the bottom line is Godaddy proxy is super, faster and trustworthy.

Also while searching the domain on any website dont try it for more than 5 times (i mean if it shows unavailable then wait for atleast 1 min then try again) if you search the domain over and over again somehow it will show you available and you will be charged for no reason.

Always use this site whois.com (if you want to check availability) if the domain is available on this site that means its available.

MOST IMPORTANT. 2 word tlds are ban and blocked by the registry itself, these days no one can register two letter domains for all upcoming tlds and glds.

Good News for you: .uk domain is not yet released in public. Check Screenshot

Hope the info helps.....

 

[Weber]

Might as well ask for your money back now, lol...I think they have what, 3 years or something to claim the .uk version?

But, to answer your initial question, my day has been just fine thank you

They have 5 years, starting June 10, 2014.. For the most part, this makes good names in .uk, aftermarket only. Lol.

 

[Horizonconcepts]

My understanding was that when the "grandfathering" phase ended,and a name wasn't taken or reserved by the .co.uk owner of that name,it is open and fair game for everyone,that is what I understood from 101Domain's letter to me.If it's not the case,why have general availability at all.Some of the end users of names maybe don't know or don't care about getting another domain identical to theirs,so a good name just sits for what 5 years,

 

[SachinG]

Yes, but to qualify you must have .co.uk domain then you eligible to have .uk domain. That means you must have news.co.uk if you want news.uk.

For details check my attached screenshot, what go daddy says.

Best of luck.