Well, I'm new at the hosting game, haven't even had a site up and running, and already have my first taste of crappy service. I have been using my domains for email mostly, and 2-3 weeks ago my service (email and www) failed completely. I finally got around to checking it and logged a helpdesk ticket. They closed the ticket with the reply that they were working on some system problems. I sent them a nasty reply, and 2 days later my sites were back up but email never worked again. Like everyone else today, I've found their main site screwed up, the helpdesk is broken so I can't enter a ticket, no phone response, etc. If I had a production for-profit site I would consider suing the company if possible. As it is, if they fold, I hope the main owners are identified and publicized so no one ever uses them again, even if they start another hosting service.

Anyhow, I checked on my domain names, one of which I originally registered with Feature Price. They did it through a company called Dotregistrar, "a division of iHolding.com". Their site is:

DotRegistrar (http://www.dotreg.com)

I emailed their tech support today and got no repsonse, so just called and left a voice mail. I hope to god they are not owned by Feature Price, and am wondering what kind of Domain Registration Hell I might have to go through if the whole conglomerate tanks. Might anyone out there have advice on how you can get a domain "pulled" from a non-responsive registrar?

I don't know - but I do know that others on this forum have done this successfully. So sorry that this happened!

Are you listed as the registrant or billing contact? That might - MIGHT - make things easier.

I checked the Whois at InterNIC, and it points to "IHOLDINGS.COM, INC. D/B/A DOTREGISTRAR.COM". If I check at the Dotregistrar site and repeat the Whois, I get that the registrant is "Hosting-Network, Inc". (Didn't know who those people were), with the domain owned by a "Feature Price.Com Customer".

I emailed the admin\tech contact account for Hosting-Network, Inc, and then googled them. When I hit their link, guess what - directed me back to Feature Price.

I swear, someone ought to introduce legislation banning internet companies from doing business with so many DBAs...

Please....

Register your names with top level registrars, it does not cost anymore than 9.00 a year to do so.

In addition, stay away from hosts that charge you less than what you would pay for lunch everyday .... per month to host your sites.

2 easy rules that will pay off in the short run

I have one domain registered with dotster. Is there such thing as a "top level" registrar now? Aren't there just 100 or so registered with ICANN? As for Hosting firms, I hopefully have picked a much better one to go with, after quite a bit of researching user comments. But for someone new to this stuff, it's very hard to find any reliable feedback on hosting firms, especially when you are wading through hundreds of them at every turn...

I register with NameCheap, great service :)

GoDaddy provides good service. I've got all my domaisn registered through them, my friend has his 100+ all registered through GoDaddy (yes, he's a little bit on the excessive side) and he's never had a problem.

We both have scars from being NetSol clients, back soon after they first started charging for domain names *shudder*

I transferred out a domain from Featureprice back when I had a personal site and hosted it with them. I went into their old helpdesk, changed the administration email to mine, and transferred it over :).

Best of luck, I hope all works well for you

Sometimes this does not help,"I sent them a nasty reply."
If it get down to that, time to move!

I agree, it was time to move hours ago... I have already set up new hosting accounts with VenturesOnline, and initiated the move from the FeaturePrice owned (I am assuming) registrar to GoDaddy, so I'll try them along with my other account at Dotster and ultimately move both domains to one of them (prob. GoDaddy).

Time to wash my hands of Feature Price and their associated companies and walk walk walk away. Think I need a good cigar after all of this..:)

I use godaddy.com to register domains usually ... have never had a problem.

Also, sorry to hear you were part of that whole FP fiasco ... good luck with your new provider.