A domain belonging to a client expired (they were managing the domain). It was in the holding period where you can't register the domain or transfer it.

The domain was registered to buydomains.com. I have all of my domains at godaddy, so I didn't really want to keep it at buydomains.

So I *paid* buydomains to renew for another year.

Then I went to godaddy and initiated a domain transfer to goddady.

Buydomains refused to release the domain, claiming that the domain is locked for 60 days AFTER paid renewal! I wrote several messages to them, all to no avail.

I lost the 8 bucks I had paid to godaddy, and I have to wait a couple months to get the domain moved. It's not the end of the world. But I think buydomains.com policy is illegal, AFAIK. I have never heard of nor experienced a 60-day "renewal hold" as they call it.

Here's the message they sent to me:

"Dear Valued BuyDomains.com Customer:

We recently received a request from to transfer sponsorship of the following 1 domain(s) away from BuyDomains.com:

[the domain name was shown here]

At the time we received the request, these domain(s) were subject to a 60-day renewal hold. Because of this hold, we automatically rejected the registrar's request.

Domain transfers are prohibited during the 60 days following a domain renewal. This hold period allows us to verify that the renewal completed succesfully with the registry, and protects your domain from autorenewal problems which commonly occur with transfers that occur soon after domain renewal. This period also protects the internet community from the growing problem of domain renewal fraud.

If you do wish to transfer sponsorship of the above domain(s) to , please have your new registrar resubmit their request after 02/25/2004 (60 days after this domain was renewed).

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to email our award-winning customer care center, 24 hours a day, at domainsupport@buydomains.com. US and Canadian residents can reach us toll-free at (800) 585-0522; international customers may call (858) 560-9418.


Sincerely,

BuyDomains.com Customer Care"

GoDaddy also locks domains in place when owner change occurs.

Originally posted by timechange.com
GoDaddy also locks domains in place when owner change occurs.

No owner change involved. Don't read anything into this that's not there.

This is just what it seems - a 60-day hold after PAYING for a renewal!

What you fail to understand is that it's another example of registrar policies.

Originally posted by timechange.com
What you fail to understand is that it's another example of registrar policies.

What you fail to understand is that it's another example of one registrar's illegal policy.

They are in no way entitled or justified in holding a paid-up domain for any amount of time.

You are beyond help. Registrar-specific policies are written in the agreement you essentially sign when you register a domain. If you don't like them, don't use them.

same goes for namescout, there is nothing you can do about it, just wait after 60 days, wouldn't matter much anyway.

Originally posted by timechange.com
Registrar-specific policies are written in the agreement you essentially sign when you register a domain. If you don't like them, don't use them.

1 I don't see any such hold-policy on their site.

2 If you recall the original message, I didn't choose them in the first place - the client did.

3 I don't believe the ICANN rules allow for holding a domain that has been paid for: see http://www.icann.org/registrars/ra-agreement-12may99.htm.

4 If this was a big deal to me, I would place a complaint with ICANN. Like I said in the original message, I can just kiss my 8 bucks goodbye and wait another 45 days. However, I felt it warranted warning other potential customers to avoid BuyDomains if this issue concerns them..

I believe all of the registrars have this policy. If not, then its 99% of them. Just like the other thread, do some research. Read the rules, or don't play.

RMF

its ICANN rules not buydomains rules

they used to allow the transfer and you lose 1 year of registration when transferring within the first 45 days (happened with me twice)

so its nice to lock the domain until the 60 days is passed then you can transfer it safely :)

ICANN's FAQ says:


Can I change registrars after registering a domain name?

Yes, you may change the registrar sponsoring your domain name (beginning 60 days after initial registration). For details on the transfer process, contact the registrar you would like to assume sponsorship of the registration.


But I take this to mean the initial registration of the domain name for the very first time, not for a renewal.

You cannot complain to ICANN because BuyDomains.com is not an accredited registrar. They are a reseller. According to ICANN's FAQ on resellers:


I have seen advertisements for domain-name registration by companies not in the accredited registrar directory. Are these legitimate?

Only registrars accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) are authorized to register .aero, .biz, .com, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, .net, .org, or .pro names. Some of these accredited registrars offer their services through resellers, which may provide assistance in completing the registration process. Your registration contract, however, will be with the accredited registrar and that registrar will maintain your contact information.


Your only hope of any recourse, if BuyDomains.com doesn't reconsider, is to find out who they are reselling for, and complain to that registrar. However, my experience with ItsYourDomain.com (accredited registrar) is that they will not react, saying that your contract is with the reseller.

Just another reason to never buy a domain name from a reseller. You have no recourse through ICANN (weak as it is through them, it at least is an avenue).

MOD EDIT: self advertisement is not allowed

*lots* of registrars lock te domain for 60 days fater renewal, otherwise some strange thinsg ahppen and you end up losing a year of the registrartion

It certainly *used* to bein the ICANN docs that you couldn't transfer 30 days before or 60 days after a renewal.

So if you've found a registrar that *does* let you, it's them that has a different policy not buydomains

Originally posted by fshagan
You cannot complain to ICANN because BuyDomains.com is not an accredited registrar. They are a reseller. According to ICANN's FAQ on resellers:

Your only hope of any recourse, if BuyDomains.com doesn't reconsider, is to find out who they are reselling for, and complain to that registrar. However, my experience with ItsYourDomain.com (accredited registrar) is that they will not react, saying that your contract is with the reseller.

Just another reason to never buy a domain name from a reseller. You have no recourse through ICANN (weak as it is through them, it at least is an avenue).


Thanks for the *real* info.

I would never deal with BuyDomains, and in 45 days or so, I won't have to.

As far as I know it should be possible to transfer within those days after renewal. Done it loads of times at netsol. First renewed and then transferred out.

GoDaddy refunds transfers that fail. I have had many refunds in the past from them.

Originally posted by cyberbeach
Thanks for the *real* info.

I would never deal with BuyDomains, and in 45 days or so, I won't have to.

*Real* info is hard to come by. I erred in posting my web site URL, as the moderator has edited it out as advertising (sorry guys!) I don't know if I can stick it in my signature or not; I'll have to check the rules. But in any case, I am interested in compiling a list of anti-competitive practices of registrars and resellers. PM me if you want the site URL.

Otherwise, you have to go back to your registrar's site every day to see if they have changed their TOS. I'd much rather be able to learn from other's experiences. These forums help, but you have to search and read through many posts to try and get a clear idea of what's going on.

When a registrar renews a domain name with the registry, they are given 45 days to receive a refund for the renewal. This is why if you transfer your domain name before 45 days, you can lose the year you paid for.

Some registrars do lock the domains for 60 days after you renew. Some lock it only if you renewed it after it expired, and some lock it even if you renew it in the middle of the registration period. It varies.

Either way, it is usually a part of the registration agreement you have to agree to when the domain name is registered.

Since this has already been mentioned a few times, I won't go further into it.

Moving forward however. The money you paid to godaddy for the transfer, can be refunded. Just call em up and they will do it for you.

When the 60 days is up and the name is transferable, you can repurchase it.

To transfer a domain name away from Buydomains / Domain Discover, you must first Flag the domain for transfer. To do so, you log into your account, and in the lower right of the screen, there should be a link that says "Transfer Preferences." Any domains in the account will show up in a box, and say that they are the ones NOT flagged. Pick the domains you wish to transfer, and click the button to flag them. Once that is done, you can initiate the transfer with your new registrar, and it should go through like normal.

Originally posted by fattee77
As far as I know it should be possible to transfer within those days after renewal. Done it loads of times at netsol. First renewed and then transferred out.

Me too.

Originally posted by kohashi
GoDaddy refunds transfers that fail. I have had many refunds in the past from them.

Well, that's cool. Is it automatic or do you have to ask?

Originally posted by DanimalEQ
To transfer a domain name away from Buydomains / Domain Discover, you must first Flag the domain for transfer. To do so, you log into your account, and in the lower right of the screen, there should be a link that says "Transfer Preferences." Any domains in the account will show up in a box, and say that they are the ones NOT flagged. Pick the domains you wish to transfer, and click the button to flag them. Once that is done, you can initiate the transfer with your new registrar, and it should go through like normal.

Alas, that's the one thing I can't do.. the person who originally registered the account is long gone. I picked this one up recently.

Fortunately, I'm the admin contact, so I hope to be able to approve it that way.

Follow-up:

Although I'm obviously not thrilled with the 60-day hold *after* I've paid for a domain, I want to add a bit of new info that has come up in the last couple of weeks.

BuyDomains has managed their policy in a professional way. They've sent me several (automated) emails related to the hold, and their staff responded personally to my complaint (although they didn't see fit to cut me a break<g>). They said that their concern is that if someone is transferring away, they want to make sure the credit card payment doesn't get reverse. Yeah, that's a slightly bogus excuse, but it's their point of view and they took the time to communcate with me.

I also like that they sent me an automated email stating the *date* when the hold will be lifted. That's a nice touch, and makes me feel less like this is all a diversion to keep the domain.

Here's the email:
"Dear Valued BuyDomains.com Customer:

We recently received a request from to transfer sponsorship of the following 1 domain(s) away from BuyDomains.com:

[my domain]

At the time we received the request, these domain(s) were subject to a 60-day renewal hold. Because of this hold, we automatically rejected the registrar's request.

Domain transfers are prohibited during the 60 days following a domain renewal. This hold period allows us to verify that the renewal completed succesfully with the registry, and protects your domain from autorenewal problems which commonly occur with transfers that occur soon after domain renewal. This period also protects the internet community from the growing problem of domain renewal fraud.

If you do wish to transfer sponsorship of the above domain(s) to , please have your new registrar resubmit their request after 02/25/2004 (60 days after this domain was renewed).

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to email our award-winning customer care center, 24 hours a day, at domainsupport@buydomains.com. US and Canadian residents can reach us toll-free at (800) 585-0522; international customers may call (858) 560-9418."


That resolves this to my satisfaction at this time.

Yes, the 60 day hold is mostly because a lot of people will pay for a renewal, transfer it, than file a chargeback. It is in their policy to do so and I think BuyDomains is a farily good company with courteous staff. Also, the wierd 45 day lost of year thing comes into play as well.