Beware Of Network Solutions Domain Expiration Dates

network_solutionsI was transferring some domains out of Network Solutions, like I always do, when I noticed that a domain I didn’t intent to transfer out, as it was expiring in 2 years, was instead expiring in a few days in my NS control panel.

All domains I have with Network Solutions are domains won in auctions at Namejet. I have not registered on renewed a domain in Network Solutions and I don’t intent to. Network Solutions is a company that keeps your domains hostage when you are trying to transfer out your domains and sends you the auth codes 3 days after you request them.

I use a software program to keep track of all my domains that queries whois servers. I use it to check what domains expire within the next few months in registrars I don’t keep domains with. That particular domain was never on that list.

It was not on the list because contrary to what Network Solutions says the domain does not expire until 2016. Both the external registry and registrar expiration date is 2016 yet the internal expiration date is 2014.

I call the dates external and internal because I have had this conversation with Network Solutions again a couple of years back when I found a domain name expired inside Network Solutions but not really…

It seems that Network Solutions does not care about the registry expiration date and only cares about how much money it has taken from YOU. If you have paid for 1 year (combined with the auction fee) then your domain expires in 1 year. It doesn’t matter when it was expiring before the auction.

If the domain name expires according to the internal Network Solutions expiration date then it enters the “pending renewal or deletion” status and it WILL be auctioned off or dropped!

And I am sure that if you try to renew the domain for the maximum of 10 years then Network Solutions will take your money even though they will add 8 real years to the domain. If you then transfer out to another registrar then your extremely large renewal fee will be lost.

The story only gets better from here. I was curious why this is happening so I dug a little further using domaintools.com.

The domain in question at some point was expiring on 10-Oct-2013.

On 13-Sep-2013 the expiration date changed to 10-Oct-2016.

Yet on the 12-Oct-2013 the domain status changed to “Pending Renewal or Deletion” and of course kept 10-Oct-2016 as the expiration date.

Then I won the auction for the domain at Namejet and the expiration date remained 10-Oct-2016. According to Network Solutions my domain is expiring in a couple of days so I am transferring it out together with all my other domains. Because do you know what will happen if I don’t transfer out? The domain will expire and the only way to save it will be to pay the ridiculous Network Solutions renewal price. I know because it happened to me before and no matter what I said and tried to reason with them they just told me to pay up or bye bye domain. So I did.

What happened with this domain and why this keeps happening with many domains? Is it a glitch or a bug? Is it something else? I guess we will never know because Network Solutions will not reply nor explain any of this.

All I can say is this:
TRANSFER YOUR DOMAINS OUT OF NETWORK SOLUTIONS AND ANY OTHER WEB.COM COMPANY NOW!

Sold.Domains

About Konstantinos Zournas

I studied Computer Engineering and Computer Science in London, UK and I am now living in Athens, Greece. I went online in 1995, started coding in 1996 and began buying domain names and creating websites in 2000. I started the OnlineDomain.com blog in 2012.

9 comments

  1. I would gladly do that if they didn’t keep sending me blank auth code emails, do they have a delete ,xyz menu yet?

    • The blank auth codes happened to me two times in the last two months. Both domains were won on SnapNames. You need to contact their NetSol support and let them know. They will get you the auth code but in my case they took around 10 days for the whole issue to be solved.

  2. I’m glad we have no domains at NetSol, we never liked it and their dirty tricks … 😉

  3. The gaming industry always has been full of seedy characters.

  4. Dear Konstantinos,

    Thanks for your comments. We value all feedback and use this information to improve internal processes, service offerings and customer interactions. We would like to address your concerns regarding this issue, so we ask that you send us your contact information and details of this post via the following link: https://www.networksolutions.com/help/email.jsp

    Sincerely,
    Executive Support

  5. Konstantinos,

    TRANSFER YOUR DOMAINS OUT OF NETWORK SOLUTIONS AND ANY OTHER WEB.COM COMPANY NOW!

    I completely agree, I had a horrible experience with Register.com. Incredibly annoying, they hold the domain hostage and force you to answer questions, and if your answers aren’t of they liking, you might not get your authinfo codes! (I had to insist like 4 times and wait several weeks with back and forth messages in the support service), jsut to get 1 domain out!!

    Questions are even quite intimidatory, like: why do you want to leave us? or where ar you moving to? or how many domains do you have left with us once this domain leaves?

    Register.com is the worst registrar on the planet. Do not touch it!! Network Solutions, also problematic to take domains out… 2nd worst domain registrar on the planet!!

    PLEASE ICANN DO SOMETHING ABOUT WEB.COM!!

  6. I am currently having domain names that Network Solutions are not letting go off. The names are expired according to Network Solutions, yet I can’t re-register them with another domain name provider. Stay away from Network Solutions due to their criminal behaviors.

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