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Going beyond shady sales practices and bad customer service, I've actually had several registrars (and/or individual registrar employees) try to steal domains f

by Shooter 16y ago

Going beyond shady sales practices and bad customer service, I've actually had several registrars (and/or individual registrar employees) try to steal domains from me in the past, In some cases, I had to resort to lawsuits to get my domains back. I own a few thousand domains (no, I'm not a domain squatter), and all of the domains I've had trouble with were very valuable. The worst instance was over a two-letter .com domain. It took almost two years to get it back. I will not use Register.com, Network Solutions, or InterCosmos Media/DirectNIC ever again. I occasionally use GoDaddy as part of a multi-pronged backorder strategy, but I get my domains out of there as quickly as possible. I will never do straightforward new registrations there again. They did some of the most egregious stuff. I use several registrars that have been mentioned, but I still haven't found one that I consider both really good and cheap.

miles 16y ago
I use several registrars that have been mentioned, but I still haven't found one that I consider both really good and cheap. Do you mind sharing which registrar you've found really good without necessarily being cheap?
- Shooter 16y ago
  It's the "really good" part of the equation that is missing, unfortunately...I have only found cheap ones, mediocre ones, and bad ones. There isn't a single one that I have been thrilled with as far as price, customer service, and business practices. Shadiness tends to be contagious in certain industries, and I think some of the ones that pride themselves on their business practices just haven't realized how they can improve yet.
onwardly 16y ago
How do you own several thousand domain names without being a squatter? Also interested to hear any details about how they tried to steal domain names from you.
- Shooter 16y ago
  1. I define a domain squatter as someone that buys domains and sits on them in the hopes of achieving a (usually inflated) payday, without actively using them except for maybe a scammy AdSense page. In contrast, I think about 90% of my domains are in active use, and the rest have been reserved for projects that are in the pipeline. [And by 'in the pipeline', I mean funding has been set aside and other work is being done on the project.] I own quite a few companies, and once you get into lead generation for those companies (and clients in turn), localization efforts, landing pages, educational materials, etc. - it is very easy to start racking up the domains. I've also been buying domains for many years. I HAVE sold several domains, but usually only ones that I find a better domain for, or ones where I have abandoned a project. A tiny number of the 'empty' domains were reserved for my existing companies that are not accepting new clients...just to hold onto IP. I would develop them if we started accepting new clients. I have also bought a few domains with the sole intention of reselling them quickly, but only when I had a buyer in mind for a brandable name that had not been registered yet or for a very unique/rare domain that I had gotten indirectly via corporate acquisition. 2. In the simplest case, a registrar employee turned off my transfer block and then moved my domain directly into his account. He also disabled my email alerts.

by Shooter 16y ago

miles 16y ago

I use several registrars that have been mentioned, but I still haven't found one that I consider both really good and cheap. Do you mind sharing which registrar you've found really good without necessarily being cheap?

Shooter 16y ago
It's the "really good" part of the equation that is missing, unfortunately...I have only found cheap ones, mediocre ones, and bad ones. There isn't a single one that I have been thrilled with as far as price, customer service, and business practices. Shadiness tends to be contagious in certain industries, and I think some of the ones that pride themselves on their business practices just haven't realized how they can improve yet.

onwardly 16y ago

How do you own several thousand domain names without being a squatter? Also interested to hear any details about how they tried to steal domain names from you.

Shooter 16y ago
1. I define a domain squatter as someone that buys domains and sits on them in the hopes of achieving a (usually inflated) payday, without actively using them except for maybe a scammy AdSense page. In contrast, I think about 90% of my domains are in active use, and the rest have been reserved for projects that are in the pipeline. [And by 'in the pipeline', I mean funding has been set aside and other work is being done on the project.] I own quite a few companies, and once you get into lead generation for those companies (and clients in turn), localization efforts, landing pages, educational materials, etc. - it is very easy to start racking up the domains. I've also been buying domains for many years. I HAVE sold several domains, but usually only ones that I find a better domain for, or ones where I have abandoned a project. A tiny number of the 'empty' domains were reserved for my existing companies that are not accepting new clients...just to hold onto IP. I would develop them if we started accepting new clients. I have also bought a few domains with the sole intention of reselling them quickly, but only when I had a buyer in mind for a brandable name that had not been registered yet or for a very unique/rare domain that I had gotten indirectly via corporate acquisition. 2. In the simplest case, a registrar employee turned off my transfer block and then moved my domain directly into his account. He also disabled my email alerts.