i'm so mad, i can barely type ...

i have had an account with networksolutions for 12 years now but this has got to be the bluntest ripoff ever.

i searched for a domainname for a friends company and found it available. i went and registered it using my networksolutions account. they charged my CC.
then, this morning, i get any email saying:

============================
Subject: Unable To Process Your Order

Dear Network Solutions® Customer,

Thank you for your order and for giving Network Solutions® the opportunity to serve your online needs.

Unfortunately, we were unable to process your request. None of the services in this order have been fulfilled, including items that have deferred payments.

We will refund the credit card you provided during your transaction, and the refund should be credited within 3-5 business days.
============================

no reason why it couldn't be processed. nada.

so i go and do a whois on the domain name and what do you know, it's now registered to Networksolutions and a "Under construction" page is up and a link where you can make an *Offer* to buy the name from them ...

that has got to be the biggest ripoff ever ...

Andy

Actually it is a VERY blatant ripoff...

The name which you came up with and submitted to them is your intellectual property which they saw value in and stole from you.

Bounce on them with both boots oh mohawked one...

That deserves a ass kicking!

Looks like your not the first:

http://blog.domaintools.com/2008/01/networ...deas-confirmed/

This link below will take you to Google and quite a few of these, maybe you could contact them and see who is investigating NWS.


http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navc...ng+domain+names

Andy, if you're going to fight it, let me know. I use them for my hosting, but I've been on the fence about dropping them. I would happily call and threaten/cancel my account on behalf of your issue.

yeah, i've got some 10 domains with them, but i'm thinking about moving.

this is just ridiculous ...
Andy

originalcustoms.com is the same way. Squatted on by someone, for no good reason except to charge me $750 to buy it from them.

I dumped Netsol a while ago... they prefer larger clients and resellers - not small guys.

Check out www.1and1.com for domain names. In the last year, that's where I got a deal... about 7 bucks per .com name. Very user friendly.

I have had two domains with NetSol for years and would also like to move. But when I try to figure out "who" I should move the registration to, I can't seem to find any strong consensus on where to go? Ask 10 people for a recommendation for a registrar and you get 10 different answers. godaddy.com and register.com are some that I hear people mention, but I also hear bad stories about them as well.

I would like to find someone who…

• Simple online GUI
• Affordable (This does not mean it has to be dirt cheap. Frankly dirt cheap scares me.)
• Track record (Not interested in "Billy Bob’s Domains" who is reselling someone else’s service and has been around for 9 months)

Basically I am interested in someone who treats domain name registration is their bread and butter and not a side business (might be impossible to find).

I dropped netsol years ago. They've caused me a lot of headaches, and they charge too much.

Seanery recommended 1and1.com to me a couple of years ago... simple user interface... good customer service.

For hosting - well, their low prices seem to attract some spammers. Since I'm on a shared server, in the past I've had that IP blacklisted, but rarely for more than 24 hours.

That said, they're much more vigilant than they used to be. It probably hasn't happened in almost a year.

But for simple domain management - it's never been easier.

I used to work for Ralph Dommermuth (Founder/Owner of 1and1) back in the days in his headquarters in Montabaur, Germany ...
Andy

What's wrong with www.mydomain.com? That's who I have used for my sites and have no problem with them.

Rand... I need to get with you to design a new site....please

Maybe...

http://sanfrancisco.fbi.gov/sfcomputer.htm

I would produce a time stamped receipt of the original registration.
Then I would call and push them till you speak with a supervisor.

One thing that may have happened is that it was put on hold (that is automatic) and the underconstruction page is then applied.
You may be dealing with a rule that only allows a certain number of names under one type of account etc.

Try calling, though I know you hate the phone...
It could just be a wierd error or some policy that you never read about limits on the account type (ten per account type x)

Rich

I experienced a similar thing where the online form triggered a "already taken" response from NetSol and I had simply not completed the form the night before and was coming back to close the deal.

The good part was that I ended up on the phone with a real person who asked that I provide a fax number to send docs to to verify that I was who I was and that I was the person who they had as owner of that domain.

Its worth the phone call. Just make sure you have a fax machine handy....

Roger

Here is a good place to start looking.

http://b2evolution.net/web-hosting/top-qua...-webhosting.php

Andy,

Sorry you got screwed so far on this. I have used Go-Daddy for several years for my Domains and to host my sites. I have never had any problems with them. I keep my Domains on Auto Renew so I never have a chance to lose them.

The web is an important part of my business and I need to be sure I do not miss a beat with a down page.

The cost is really not much. In the old days Network Solutions was $75. Or $86
I guess they had to turn to dicks to try to make money now that Domains are $7. Or less

Do what you need to do but in the end think if you need to get it back to make up some money. Are you losing money now from this and if so how much? It may be better to pay and then go after them if someone is offering it up for sale.

We all need to keep an eye on these things. Auto repay on the credit with auto email on renew and look at it from time to time. A big firm like Go Daddy has not done this bull shit.

Good luck,

Bob

it's not *someone* it was networksolutions themselves who took it. and no, i didn't wait at all.

i was logged into my account, i searched for the domain name, it was AVAILABLE, i clicked on "buy it", completed the forms, my CC was charged and then a few hours later i get the letter posted above ...



there was no delay, no wait on my side, the domain was AVAILABLE when i went through the process. they took my money!!!

then, a few hours later, they cancel without providing any reason and when i look up the domain name on whois, it's now owned by networksolutions.

well, again,


this clearly seems to be a scam to extract a lot more than just the registration fees out of my friends company ...


THIS HAS TO BE CRIMINAL !!!
Andy

I read something about this kind of scheme in the Wall Street Journal last week.

People have somehow been using the name availabilty searches, finding names that people have been interested in or made inquiries on, and then registering the names.

Although the scam they pulled on you is even worse - you actually tried to register the name instead of simply doing a check to see if it is available.

you can report them to ICANN

http://www.icann.org/

The same thing happened to me. It turned out to be legit.

The scenario is like you, I checked that a name was available and went to buy it slightly later. It went from available to not available in this time with a netsol holding page and registered to netsol.

I emailed the tech contact address, which was a netsol address asking what the error was and how come it was there until I tried to buy it, etc. A real person wrote back saying the netsol address was from the anonymous registration service and forwarded to their real address. I then did a search on the real address (which they used to email me) and found that it was actually someone I vaguely knew through work - not some scammer at netsol at all. Knowing this person worked in the same industry as me made it believable that they had the same idea for the name. The timing freaked me out, apparently they were clicking on the buy button at the same time that I was.

I'm not saying that this is definately what happened in your case, but try emailing the registed contacts from the whois site and you can work out if you are dealing with a real person who is using the domain or a cybersquatter.

Chesrs, Steve

From the AP wire January 10th, Quote:

Network Solutions criticized for locking domain names

NEW YORK -- A company that sells Internet domain names is facing criticism for holding some in reserve as a consumer-protection measure, a move that also prevents interested parties from shopping around for better prices.

Network Solutions LLC began this week to grab names that people search for on its Web site but don't immediately register.

The name is locked up for about four days, during which the person who made the search can buy it directly from the company for $35 a year -- a few times more than what many of its rivals charge. After that, the name returns to the pool and can be registered by anyone through any registration company.

Unquote

Since then there were "investigations" announced and some talk of removing Netsol from the domain name business. Have you checked again? Is the name now available? Maybe check again in a few days to see.

The practice is called Front running and it's getting a lot of bad press:

Link

I would call their customer service and raise a shiat-storm.

UPDATE:

good news:
well, after some time on the phone with customer service and a few german swear words later, the domain has been transfered into my account ...

bad news:
i paid for 5 years of registration, they took my money, but the domain currently only shows one year of registration.


i guess it's back to german swear words ...
Andy

Oh! I hate when Andy goes to the German swear words!!!

teach us a swear word.

Halts Maul, du kleines Stück Scheiße!


Andy

Oooh, nasty!

Shut up you little shit?