MetaChat - Stupid GoDaddy/Domains by Proxy domain name problem. Grr.

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21 February 2008

Stupid GoDaddy/Domains by Proxy domain name problem. Grr. Maybe you have some advice for me. →[More:]

For some reason, one of my domains, "razzmataz.net", registered through godaddy, has privacy protection on it, which is an extra charge.

I don't want/need the protection, and definitely wouldn't have selected it, but it's on there, and I can only imagine that when I got that name (the first one I ever registered with godaddy) it was part of an offer (blahblah, for FREE!) or it was stuck onto the purchase and I didn't notice it (not at all like me, so I doubt it).

The problem is that I need to renew the domain, and I don't want to pay for the privacy, but godaddy bundles it, and I can't just pay for the domain without the privacy, I have to go to a different site (Domains by Proxy) to cancel it, but I have no login information for Domains by Proxy, and they don't use the same login info as Godaddy. Most frustrating is that apparently when I update my godaddy account information, that info is not updated at Domains by Proxy, so I suspect that whatever email address they have on file for me (probably my old ISP email address) doesn't work, and no amount of user ID, password stuff that I put in there works.

Normally, I print out all this sort of info, as well as write it down in a little black book, and keep it in my email archives - but I have nothing for Domains by Proxy, so it flew completely under my radar.

I don't want to pay privacy on this domain forever just because I can't log in to cancel it, and the info at godaddy says you have to deal with DbyP.

At this point I'm thinking I'll just give up the domain rather than be stuck with the extra charge. And it pisses me off.

Has anyone else had a problem like this?

post by: taz at: 07:36 | 14 comments

I sometimes think of getting a domain but I worry about either being a sucker for overpaying or getting screwed around like this by some low priced registry. I often hear less-than-good stuff about godaddy and this sounds like a classic run-around. Is there some kind of customer service you can contact at Domains By Proxy?

posted by DarkForest 21 February | 10:22

I haven't really had much trouble at all in many years of dealing with domains... it's just this one that is wacky.

If you keep all your information re: user IDs, passwords, and so on, and keep your account updated with your current email, and pay on time, things don't usually go south. But I did none of that as far as this weird, separate-but-not-separate privacy service charge thing goes, since I didn't even know I had it. I don't really have anything to contact DbyP with, for them to know it's my account.

So I guess I'll ask godaddy to separate the charges, and if they won't, I'll probably let the domain go (I'm not doing anything with it right now, but I would have liked to keep it), and move all my other domain names to another registrar, in a snit. But until this, I didn't really have any problems with my godaddy registrations. It's tying the actual domain renewal to the privacy charge renewal (and then telling you have to go log in somewhere else, with different login info) that's totally shitty.

I'll wait a bit, though, and see if there's any bunny insight. I would post at askme, but I'm not really in the mood for dealing with people thinking I'm an idiot, even if I am.

posted by taz 21 February | 11:08

oh, haha! Googling shows that GoDaddy owns Domains by Proxy. Oh boy.

Here's what someone else had to say:

Just a warning for unsuspecting customers. I registered about 20 domain names this time last year. Here's what you MUST watch so you don't have the SAME problems I am having right now.

When you register a domain with GoDaddy, I STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT take the "private" registration even though it is free for the first year!!

I took it with ALL of my domains and when it comes time to renew your domains, it will now cost you about $9 to continue the privacy in addition to the $8.95 for the renewal.

Now here's the catch. When you want to remove the privacy from your renewal, you can't do that in the GoDaddy account manager. You MUST login with Domains By Proxy and here's the problem I'm having. They NEVER sent the confirmation email containing the login details that you NEED to be able to login to remove the privacy from your domain.

So, you are NOT able to VERIFY your identity!! I have been back and forth with GoDaddy and Domains By Proxy for the past 3 days trying to give them everything they could possibly need to verify my identity.

I've faxed them my drivers license WITH my PHOTO ID, a copy of my sales confirmation email from GoDaddy and so far that's NOT enough???!!!

The point here is they will make you jump through hoops to prove you are the VALID owner of the domain just so you can remove the privacy charge.

Now get this, GoDaddy OWNS Domains By Proxy! They SHARE the SAME fax number but when you need support, GoDaddy can't help you with your problem. It would seem reasonable that GoDaddy and Domains By Proxy SHOULD have a BETTER working relationship regarding customer identity validation.

I have actually been a satisfied customer with GoDaddy for about 5+ years and overall I think they are a good company IF you ONLY want to REGISTER a domain, and IF you AVOID the privacy that they offer during the signup.

If Domains By Proxy would have just sent my confirmation email with my login details, I wouldn't be posting this message right now. I would've been able to simply login to my account and remove the privacy and went about my business, STILL a satisfied customer WITH the ABILITY to make my OWN decision. EVERY domain doesn't have a "need" for privacy and the customer should ultimately be able to make that choice. Anything short of that is unacceptable.

So, I now have 20+ domains that were registered at the same time last year and they ALL have privacy and I will now have to let them expire because I CANNOT login to Domains By Proxy to make my choice.

Since about 1/2 of these domains would be suitable for privacy, they will now lose my business and about $90 in lost revenue as a result.

Just wanted to share this with unsuspecting customers.

Oh yea, to stay on topic, I'm not sure whether my domains are NOW in "redemption" status. A supervisor at GoDaddy told me a domain goes into redemption status after ONLY FIFTEEN DAYS!! Silly me, I "thought" it was 30 days. That is how I found this forum. I did a search in Google for the GoDaddy redemption period to see if I could find out definitively... Heck, I STILL don't know... Oh well, I'll keep looking around...

posted by taz 21 February | 11:25

How about transferring the domain away from godaddy? Is that possible/easy? I think "razzmataz.net" is a pretty good name. It'd be a shame to lose it over something like this.

posted by DarkForest 21 February | 11:42

GET AWAY FROM GODADDY. Seriously, you're supporting their awful awful awful superbowl ads. And yes, they own Domainsbyproxy and you're not the first one to fall into that trap which is just their way of charging extra for the domain (or "normal" price).

I use joker.com. German, efficient, easy, euro-payments. I dig.

posted by dabitch 21 February | 12:12

Also, razzmatazz is a great club in Barcelona. You must go! Lets meet up and party down there!

posted by dabitch 21 February | 12:14

I might do that, but I think it would mean paying for another year at godaddy, +the privacy charge from domains by proxy because, since they've sent me a notice saying the domain is up for renewal next month, it probably means that I don't have enough time to transfer it (something you have to do, like, 30 days before it expires or something).

posted by taz 21 February | 12:15

PAAAAR-TY! Si, si!

Tell me about the superbowl ads.

posted by taz 21 February | 12:17

For the one domain I've ever bought in my life, I used gandi. French. Recommended.

posted by box 21 February | 12:22

Tell me about the superbowl ads.

I seem to remember half-naked women with big boobs, and the explicit message of the ad being something like, "Half-naked women with big boobs are AWESOME! Use GoDaddy!"

posted by occhiblu 21 February | 16:56

Were they the ones that had the 'Wanna see Danica Patrick cheesecake? Visit this website' ad? (After a little Googling...) Why, yes, they were.

And weren't they the ones that had a spot of controversy a while back when the founder started putting his xenophobic right-wing rants on the main page? And, come to think of it, doesn't said founder donate more money to radical-right causes than anybody this side of Coors and Domino's?

posted by box 21 February | 17:36

Yep yep and yep. Bob Parsons (GoDaddy CEO) has some views that you probably don't agree with and he's happy to share it all in his own blog. Also, this years godaddy ad was "banned because it contained the word beaver". Oh yes.

scene: Ladies exit cars while paparazzi photograph them, they are all holding beavers in their laps. Not so subtle nod to all the recent beaver-shots of Paris, Britney et al. Enter the GoDaddy heroine and WWF wrestler, busty Danica Patrickand when the paps ask her where her beaver is, she starts opening her jacket.. But ! then she stops and says buying a domain with Godaddy ensures her privacy so she "doesn't have to expose" her beaver or anything else. Godaddy domain flashes on screen: comedic relief at the end, Danica Patrick talks to stuffed beaver about blowing that joint.

Yes, it was that bad and I feel like shooting myself just for recalling it so well. You helped pay for that Taz. Please stop for all our sakes! I believe in removing money from companies that do bad ads. This explains why I drink so much Guinness. ;P

posted by dabitch 22 February | 07:38

Heh. I didn't know about all that... So, I guess I shouldn't be the tiniest bit surprised that GoDaddy is stealing from their own customers by locking them into privacy services they can't get out of, and refusing to give them the means to cancel the service ... and, worse yet, according to this AskMe I just found, you also can't transfer a domain that has the privacy registration on it.

I can't believe this is legal. Anyway, joker.com it is.

posted by taz 22 February | 07:56

taz,

i'll help pay for it if you want, if you'll help me with my problem...

posted by growabrain 23 February | 01:24

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