I've had a domain parked with westhost since 2000 dutifully paying the registration each time it comes around. Although I paid promptly and received a receipt showing the fee paid and the extension taken care of, somebody dropped the ball and the domain was allowed to expire a year early and without notifying me.

Prior to this, several of my hosted domains got screwed over during their server changes in October and new passwords were not sent to me.

Basically what once was a great host has me fuming to no end.

I need a unix/linux host that's been around for a while,reliable, offers shared SSL (and geotrust certificate option), decent storage/bandwidth and customer service that actually WANTS my business (ALL my domains). Recommendations?

Domain Parking is construed differently by providers and customers... I believe DomainParking is only using some provider's Nameservers. With Private Nameservers and Aliased Nameservers either free or lowcost...so you can just about use someone's nameservers and not even ask them....and the person is not even informed.

For ex. if you used any of my server's nameserver (even though I don't know you) I don't get **any** notification...and it doesn't affect me in anyway, besides a lot of lame inquiries to the nameserver if someone queries your domain.

However, some registrars and hosts augmented Parking to mean a Splash page. Others use it as a synonym for DomainPointer to another hosted domain.

But basically, where you register your domain and where you park it has **no relation** at all.

Also, Domain Registrars inform the Admin & Billing contact directly for each domain at expiry...so part of your missing a reminder could be a bad email (overquota is a common problem) in Admin & Billing contacts.

I've always liked ***********; they've been around for many years, are stable, and easy to work with.

So basically, even though I registered the domain name THROUGH westhost.com (via their website/interface) and paid them prior to the expiration date of the domain (per their invoicing me several months prior), they have no responsibility to renew said domain name on my behalf? (Incidentally, I never recieved any login/password for the actual registrar after they moved it to a different one back in 2001 and again in 2003...I just let them handle it.)

Sorry...must have missed that part. If you paid them before expiry...then YES YES they are liable absolutely. But not otherwise.... domain drop rate is very high...people just don't renew domains. So don't expect your hosting provider or even the Registrar to renew domain without your having paid first.

If you paid for it...and they didn't renew...its simply fraud. Nothing else to say in that case.

Originally posted by nipl


If you paid for it...and they didn't renew...its simply fraud. Nothing else to say in that case.

No it isn't fraud. How about an error, maybe human error on the client side? A large host isn't out to "fraud" someone out of a few dollars. It is called a possible 'mistake'.

dellaird, did you check the invoice and make sure the renewal was NOT just for web hosting? Maybe that is the mistake. Domain name renewal and web hosting renewal are two separate things. If this was indeed, a paid for domain name renewal, then why not call them and have them run the renewal manually and provide some credit? Good host can make honest errors.

No it isn't fraud. How about an error, maybe human error on the client side? A large host isn't out to "fraud" someone out of a few dollars. It is called a possible 'mistake'.

In RedemptionPeriod this 'mistake' costs from US$80 to US$200 depending upon Registrar. And then its not a 'few dollars'

Secondly, people use their domain names...the few dollars means lost brochures, stationery, visiting cards, reputation, lost clients, lost email. Its much worse than downtime...no chance of possible reprieve. The mistake adds upto to quite a few hundred dollars actually.

Its actually much worse than someone's Unlimited Bandwidth web host running away with their $10 or $20...with a lost domain, the customer loses everything...back to scratch so to speak.

UmBillyCord,

Confirmed it over the phone with a low-level tech support last night. He verified that they have records showing I paid by credit card for the domain registration. I looked at my paid invoice statement and he looked at his matching information on screen...he then stated it would have to be handled by accounting/domain registration and that's the last communication they've given (or responded to).

...and the domain name is at pending-delete stage. Doubt they can get it back but I put in a couple more support tickets never-the-less.

Well, it means paying again... but you could snag the domain using expirefish.com They charge $20...but last week one of our clients used it and they charged $10...some special offer or something. Anyway, in $10...its the best thing todo, actually $20 for that kind of "snapname" service isn't bad either.

Originally posted by dellaird
UmBillyCord,

Confirmed it over the phone with a low-level tech support last night. He verified that they have records showing I paid by credit card for the domain registration. I looked at my paid invoice statement and he looked at his matching information on screen...he then stated it would have to be handled by accounting/domain registration and that's the last communication they've given (or responded to).

...and the domain name is at pending-delete stage. Doubt they can get it back but I put in a couple more support tickets never-the-less.

Well it sounds like they see it is their mistake. Now just stay on them. They can easily take care of this for you and you will not lose your domain name since it sounds like it is only in Redemption. It will cost them a few dollars ($125 to be exact), but that is the price of error in this case.


nipl, it certainly isn't what you say however - "its simply fraud. Nothing else to say in that case.". There are other reasons. And not to bag dellaird, as I do not know the issue, but when you say ..
people use their domain names...the few dollars means lost brochures, stationery, visiting cards, reputation, lost clients, lost email .. you are correct. But then again, you have over 30 days to see the name suspended and not working before it even reaches Redemption. So if someone really used it that much, you would think it wouldn't take that long to notice the domain is expired.

Stargate.com domains go into Redemption within 24 hours of expiry.

Originally posted by nipl
Stargate.com domains go into Redemption within 24 hours of expiry.

Wow. That seems to be some crap if true. I couldn't imagine using them as a Registrar if that is the case. Doing a quick a search, it looks like West Host uses OpenSRS (or use to?). They give much more time.

Yup, its true...first hand experience with hundreds of domains. Stargate had a 1-day drop policy right from the start...when this RedemptionPeriod was introduced by VerisignGRS somewhere in Jan 2003, Stargate did not change their expiry policy...so basically that left us in a soup with customer's domains going into Redemption in 1 business day.

So, I had to quickly find a new Registrar, warned all customers and started shifting domains to new Registrar. I am now with Directi.com and its simply a great service. They don't offer freebies like Enom does...but the price is good ($6.50) and the service is great.

Westhost acknowledged I paid on time and should have had the registration extension honored (heck, they charged my card) but are saying that because *I* changed registrars prior to the extension, they paid the wrong company. WHAT? WHAT KINDA CRAP IS THAT?

It's in pending-delete stage and westhost can't do anything (so they say) and are unwilling to admit they screwed things up.

(I had 3 different domains taken care of at the same time with westhost billing my credit card successfully...all 3 were moved to enom from corenic.)

I'm trying to move them to namecheap now (thanks to all the glowing reports of namecheap's qualities.)

Due my discovery of pool.com, I was able to successfully recover my domain that westhost didn't take care of even though they charged my credit card.

I used Pool, SnapNames and Registerfly to be sure...I still might have gotten it back with the latter two, but I do have to say I'm impressed that pool.com (the one I added last night), captured my domain a few minutes ago.

Thanks folks, you guys rock!

Westhost, you guys get the finger!