Domain Names that had owners before you!

[Supercod]

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Got this message tonight.

I have paid Touch £14.10p for the last 2 years for this website-how come you are using it?????? think we'd better talk my telephone number is 01935-****** - I'll be in work from 11.30 onwards tomorrow.

Anyway I own thousands of domain names and my collection grows daily, I have no idea what domain this person is talking about, if it's a crap domain I will let her have it, if it's a good one then no way, it's mine I bought it

But just shows you, how many people buy domain names and forget to renew them. As I only buy good ones I can use, I can't but feel sorry this person lost a good name, but hey business is business as they say. And the rules are very clear, if you don’t renew a name and it gets dropped, tough luck if someone buys it. Go check all your domain names you want to keep right now and make sure they are up to date. If they are your main domains and they are .com renew them right now for 2 more years in advance.

[Gray]

Are names often released without the owner being notified? Major panic has just set in. We have more names than we can or have been keeping track of but have always found the registrars to be really good (I hope). When we forget to renew a .com we get an email before the name is released to enable us to renew and this is from several different registrars. We have also tried to register co.uk names which expired over a year ago which are still on hold. Is it common for names to be released on the expiry date without any notification to the owner? As if we haven't enough to do looks like we best set up a wall chart tomorrow before we loose something important like our nameservers domains.

[loquax]

One of ours recently expired, our ISP have confirmed that it's been renewed (after a bit of reminding and chasing) but a whois look up says it's "awaiting renewal"

Is that normal?

Jason

[Supercod]

Originally posted by loquax
One of ours recently expired, our ISP have confirmed that it's been renewed (after a bit of reminding and chasing) but a whois look up says it's "awaiting renewal"

Is that normal?

This is now the new way Nominet UK do it, what happens is the renewal might be in the process of working it's way from the ISP billing dept. and then on via Nominet billing dept. before it updates it's self.

With .uk names you have a few extra safe guards but if in any doubt call Nominet UK, you can find the number here http://www.nic.uk

[Supercod]

Originally posted by Gray
Is it common for names to be released on the expiry date without any notification to the owner?

The problem is people use spam filters and stuff and important email like this some times gets missed. Almost every domain name company will contact you via email only. You will find it's actually your responsibility to check when your domain name becomes due and to make sure you pay on time.

Domain names, well .com now take around 6 weeks on the day they are due before they are out and about for anyone to buy.

.uk domain names have a few extra safeguards but many of these will be removed as of November this year.

Bottom line is don't trust your domain name company to remind you, because end if they do, chances are some busy body ISP or mail service might just class it as spam and you may never know it was due to be paid.

[Shane]

I used this before and found it was cool for keeping tabs of domains

http://www.domainpunch.com/products/wmdpro/

[Easeelife]

That reminds me - a few years ago (when I was green), I was paying an ISP for hosting and renewal all in the same package. One day, I noticed that the domain was suddenly pointing to a competitor's site. and several month's before, I'd just paid my isp £250 for a years renewal!!

There was nothing I could do, short of take the isp to court for saying they were renewing it, but not. Couldn't afford that - so learnt a lesson.

Most registrars now have an automated system and are pretty reliable, and I've not lost one since.

Zach

[Bod]

Im with 1&1 and they dont let any of your domains expire unless you state so, so you nenver lose any of them, you have to sign in to another section and expire them at either such time you want them to expire, either now or at the end of the expire date.

[aqls]

I have lost many, many, first class domains.

Lesson 1:
Listen to Supercod - it is your responsibility and noone elses and renew now.

Lesson 2:
use a good isp - for the record I have lost most domains through vi.net now active isp - complete cr*p
They sometimes choose to remind you by mail and that is it - no emails - nothing and they once resold a valid domain of mine to someone else even though I still owned it - they even redirected the nameservers to the other site. (I got it back)

Lesson 3:
Many isps still have control after it has officially expired - during the various stages of deletion - so call your isp at once and if its .uk then call nominet - they are usually very helpful.

Lesson 4:
You can register with all the dropcatchers e.g. pool.com, snapnames, enom, many others, if you want a chance of getting it back. You will certainly not be able to 'hope' noone reregisters it and you will try later - dropcatching is very competitive industry.
Registering with just one dropcatcher is not enough as they all have only a percentage chance of getting it.
If your name is very good and short or if it has high traffic then chances are you have lost it for ever as many of the catchers filter these into their collections before even offering them to the public.

I am sure I am still losing them . . .

Do it now!

-aqls-

[Paul Wright]

If I remember correctly 123-reg.co.uk has a tick box during the purchase process which allows them to bill you automatically for renewal when that time approaches.

With easily.co.uk I’ve also had domains go a month or so past their expiration date (my fault for not updating the primary email address) and still managed to renew them for the standard price with no problems.

Supercod – what was the outcome? Was it a corker and are they kicking themselves?

Cheers
Paul.