OnlineDomain.com Domain Name News & Opinions
In what is becoming a series of posts Namejet has screwed me once more.
On the 23th of October I won a 3 letter .info domain name. It was an expired domain registered with DNC Holdings, Inc and probably managed by directnic.com. It was immediately paid with the credit card on file.
(I was later refunded this purchase but it is important to follow the timeline of events.)
The domain that was registered in 2001 expired on the 19th of September.
Up until the 21st of October the domain was registered to the previous owner, a guy from Greece. On the 21st whois was updated to a US company, DVLPMNT MARKETING, INC..
Then on the 23rd, the day I won and paid for the domain, the domain was registered to “NameJet Holding Account”.
On the 3rd of Novmeber the domain was finally registered under my company’s name.
On the 4th of November I got a message from Namejet:
We regret to inform you that a domain you recently purchased through a pre-release auction has been cancelled by the registrar of record, as allowed by the NameJet Agreement. We are not provided with specific details and therefore do not have any further information to provide.
As a result of this Registrar request, we will be refunding the entire auction fee and removing the domain from your account within the next few days. Please be assured that this is a rare occurrence, and we do apologize for the inconvenience.
I assure you that this is not a rare occasion (I could find 10 domains refunded in the past few years) that according to Namejet rules they can do anything they want and give no reason for it.
Today it is the 18th of December and the domain still shows my registration details on whois although legally I am not the owner. Please note that I never received any info as to how to manage the domain name at its registrar.
I think one of the keys to this whole mess, except for Namejet, is this company DVLPMNT MARKETING, INC.. They own more than 45,000 domain names most registered with DNC Holdings, Inc and directnic.com. My only guess is that this is probably the directnic holding company.
The way Namejet works is that a partner registrar can remove a domain name from Namejet at any stage of backorder or auction they want. Even after the domain name has been paid and whois has been changed. So it is pretty easy for a registrar to test a domain name at auction and then decide that they don’t want to get just $69 (a lot less after the Namejet commission) for the domain and would rather just own it and sell it themselves.
Namejet support told me that will contact the owner of the domain and have this information updated as soon as possible. But that could take a while and I don’t know why I have to check whois on domain names that I don’t own 2 months after I won (or rather didn’t win) the domain name and be open to all kinds of legal problems in the meantime.
OnlineDomain.com - © Copyright 2012-2024 - All Rights Reserved
This is too bad. We all know that GoDaddy auctions are a farce and great domain names, won at auction there, are likely pulled back and paid by the owner. It’s basically a low-cost (they likely have to pay extra to renew it) way to test the market value of a domain name.
Now, it appears that NameJet is falling into the same situation. Whereas before we, as domain investors, could be assured to get the domain name if it’s in auction because it’s actually expired — now, anything goes and “screw you, domain investor”.
It’s a sad state of affairs. We need to pressure auction companies like GoDaddy and NameJet to do what’s right. Do what your customers want. Don’t just take the easy way out and use terms and conditions that say you can do anything you want. That’s not a way to build a great product, service or company.
Namejet’s terms say they can cancel any auction anytime they want and without giving any reason.
Before, during or after the auction has been completed. Even after a buyer has paid for the domain.
They don’t even give a time-limit after the auction so as long as the domain is with one of their registrars they can take it back whenever they want.
If only life was so easy, we could take money, hold, delay, then at the end of it all, not even say sorry, and say no dice. What a wonderful world…
Thanks, Namejet, we see how you treat your customers, good more, and more backorder companies coming online.
godaddy is dishonest! i was sick and lost a name. I was able to buy back MY OWN DOMAN DURING the reinstatement time! They go ahead and sell it out from under you even though you have so many days to pay. I have been moving mine someplace else. They are great if you own none, as a new customer.
If you are already a customer, THEY SUCK… i found that out the hard way. Plus, they are getting so high in price… Just wrong the way they have done so many since The original owner sold it. That new owner did not care about his customers at all unless he can make another sale, another, another, another. vs being good to those that renew, renew, renew. lol Sad when you have a good company, sell it, and new people treat their existing clients like crap. And OMG, all the things they try to sell to people who do not know better. SHAMEFUL.
Didn’t I tell you all, this Domaining crap is full of BS.
That the main reason why I love Domaining—
How much crap can a man take?
as much crap s/he can handle!!
I take this Domaining as a fun hobby, stress reliever and best of all, getting $$$$ every month just giving out more BS.
It looks like the same old story: few large domainers trying to screw all the others…
They and their registrar partners can basically do whatever they want, and customers are just lemons to squeeze, without any legal protection … as I’ve already said many months ago about dropcatchers, I don’t like to play when the game is altered, rigged or manipulated …
This is a class action lawsuit in waiting. Imagine this crap happening at a Sheriff Sale, Foreclosure, Auction, etc, you pay for items and they come to your home and take them a week later 🙂 Just because we all agree to the auction houses’ Terms & Conditions does not make it legal. Mark my words these auction houses will have their day and fines. We are not yet a regulated industry but as it grows we probably will be. Even wall street companies regularly pay hefty fines for similar tactics or shenanigans.
You’re the unpaid focus group for the ICANN/Verisign/major Registrar syndicate.
Here is a list of offerings on Verisign’s Internet Profile Service for Registrars, which has since been deleted from general public availability, but I have a copy:
The Internet Profile Service for Registrars uses proprietary algorithms to analyze domain name and Web site attributes, including:
• If and how a domain name resolves, including whether the Web site is under construction or parked
• Whether a Web site has multiple pages of content
• Whether a Web site has rich media content, including links to online video, embedded content and other indicators
• Particular keywords within domain names that indicate opportunities for targeted offers
• Business classifications
Registrars can use the resulting reports to develop tailored marketing programs to reach specific audiences.
We are a respectable company with a great reputation and our success is shown with our many awards given by domain industry insiders. We only rig the auctions of our choosing and this is not many, as only the elite domainers are given our “JetFuck” feature (not to be confused with JetPack). We apologize any convenience this causes everyone else. We hope you enjoy the lube, as it offers some relief, and we wish you the best.
NameJet
“our many awards given by domain industry insiders”.
you suck my balls I suck your balls
99cents store has many awards!
LOL! @ “as only the elite domainers are given our “JetFuck” feature” … 😀
I believe the “NameJet” is satirical and is not written officially by NameJet
Update:
The domain is now behind privacy. Not exactly what asked for because the last shown whois details were mine and now I don’t know what details are behind privacy. Could be mine.
Anyway the domain had 4 different owners in the past couple of months and now it’s behind privacy.
It seems some big Companies are asking for a class action!
May I ask, is this behaviour only to overseas clients, knowing that it will be very difficult to be sued?
Not really. They do it to everybody.
How many are the online auction companies domains premium, previous years, to 2019 that never scam the buyer or the seller?
Happy Day. Jose.