I am not sure the context makes it less worse. If they alter the domain status to pendingdelete, as stated by the OP, the domain is de facto expired. And the

I am not sure the context makes it less worse. If they alter the domain status to pendingdelete, as stated by the OP, the domain is de facto expired. And the same Domain Registration Agreement gives them the unlimited right, at their sole discretion, to modify the registration of a domain for a number of reasons, for which it seems you have no other recourse than hoping to be on the frontpage of HN even if such decisions were unfounded.