How can this be done does anybody know? I want to switch registrar to GoDaddy. As seen elsewhere in WHT, UK2 will not respond in any way to the request for changing these details. The advice on the internic website is simply to ask the new registrar how to go about this.

Godaddy says it cant advice me on this matter.

This seems tantamount to extortion. Pay for renewal or risk loosing the domain name.

Is it ICANN that regulates the .com addresses, I cant help but feel that they are condoning this kind of low-life action.

It would appear (from the Whois for the .com domain in your sig file) that UK2 are resellers for Joker.com - so it's Joker you should be taking things up with in the first instance.

I also note that the Whois information for this domain is incomplete (in violation of ICANN rules) - a fact which could work in your favour in this instance.

You may wish to try this:

1) Contact Joker and ask them to correct the Whois information

2) If they refuse to co-operate go to

http://wdprs.internic.net/

and file a Whois data report against your own domain - making sure you tick the "this is my own domain" box

Originally posted by Lubeca
and file a Whois data report against your own domain - making sure you tick the "this is my own domain" box

I have not heard of anyone filing a whois complaint against themselves

:eek:

If the Registrant contact is set to you, you can still transfer it.

Here's another potential option: ask Go Daddy if they'll accept you
transferring the name to them via fax. Registrars are supposed to
offer more than one option to transfer a name to them, although
it's understandable if they prefer doing it online.

They would still require proof you are the current registrant even if doing a fax based transfer. Without proof it will be an uphill battle

Originally posted by dmaven
I have not heard of anyone filing a whois complaint against themselves

:eek:

It's not really a case of filing against oneself - it's a case of filing against one's registrar if the registrar fails to correct incorrect Whois information. It's all explained on the WDPRS web site. You fill in the form as usual but you tick a special box to indicate that this is your own domain and you are complaining about your registrar.

If the Registrant contact is set to you, you can still transfer it.

Not easily, if the admin contact is someone else. It's the admin contact that needs to confirm the transfer request; so if (as in this case) the reseller has put himself down as the admin contact there is very little the registrant can do without getting the admin contact address changed first - which is the difficult bit.

Originally posted by davezan
Here's another potential option: ask Go Daddy if they'll accept you
transferring the name to them via fax. Registrars are supposed to
offer more than one option to transfer a name to them, although
it's understandable if they prefer doing it online.

Well the fax idea is worth a try, and I have just shot an email back to godaddy to see if they will accept it on this basis, but like was said I still need to prove that I am the owner.

This must happen all the time, why is the industry accepting this state of affaires. It is so much easier to deal with a .co.uk domain for instance all I need to do is fill in a form, provide proof of ID and of address and I can boot out the existing registrar in favour of a new one. Exactly what I am doing again with UK2, with the .co.uk address, for the same website as the .com problem.

Surely the regulators must recieve hundreds if not thousands of complaints about certain registrars. Do they have any teeth, if they do why dont they use them?

Originally posted by Lubeca
It would appear (from the Whois for the .com domain in your sig file) that UK2 are resellers for Joker.com - so it's Joker you should be taking things up with in the first instance.

I also note that the Whois information for this domain is incomplete (in violation of ICANN rules) - a fact which could work in your favour in this instance.

You may wish to try this:

1) Contact Joker and ask them to correct the Whois information

2) If they refuse to co-operate go to

http://wdprs.internic.net/

and file a Whois data report against your own domain - making sure you tick the "this is my own domain" box

Thanks for this Lubeca, that sounds like a useful lever, what informatin is missing?

Originally posted by Lubeca
Not easily, if the admin contact is someone else. It's the admin contact that needs to confirm the transfer request; so if (as in this case) the reseller has put himself down as the admin contact there is very little the registrant can do without getting the admin contact address changed first - which is the difficult bit.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the gaining registrar can choose to send the confirm email to the Registrant contact instead of Admin contact. Well at least we could :)

Originally posted by Oceanworld
Correct me if I'm wrong but the gaining registrar can choose to send the confirm email to the Registrant contact instead of Admin contact. Well at least we could :)

If we are talking about the email addrss specified at the time of regristration for the reigistrant it wont help in this case, as it has been redundant for a couple of years.

Originally posted by CallMeAndy
Thanks for this Lubeca, that sounds like a useful lever, what informatin is missing?

Assuming we are talking about the landraiders domain... the answer is that MOST things are missing!

For .com domains the Whois is supposed to contain FULL contact details for the admin and tech contact - full postal address, phone number, email.

The ONLY thing UK2 have listed in the Whois for your domain is a contact email address - hostmaster-at-uk2net.

You should insist that full details are listed and that the admin contact address is changed to yours as it's your domain and it's up to you whom you nominate as admin contact.

Originally posted by Lubeca
Assuming we are talking about the landraiders domain... the answer is that MOST things are missing!

For .com domains the Whois is supposed to contain FULL contact details for the admin and tech contact - full postal address, phone number, email.

The ONLY thing UK2 have listed in the Whois for your domain is a contact email address - hostmaster-at-uk2net.

You should insist that full details are listed and that the admin contact address is changed to yours as it's your domain and it's up to you whom you nominate as admin contact.

Landraiders, Yes.
I didnt realise that all the contact information needed to be declared in the whois because I have seen so many without!

ICANN is in a unique position to defend the acreditation agreement rules that they have determined and help defend the internet community from unscrupulous registrars. They could run a routine against the database and threaten to revoke registrars acreditation when blatently abusing the rules. It makes a mockery of ICANN as an acreditation body.

Thier Registrar Accreditation Agreement includes these clauses:
5.3 Termination of Agreement by ICANN. This Agreement may be terminated before its expiration by ICANN in any of the following circumstances:
and
5.3.4 Registrar fails to cure any breach of this Agreement (other than a failure to comply with a policy adopted by ICANN during the term of this Agreement as to which Registrar is seeking, or still has time to seek, review under Subsection 4.3.2 of whether a consensus is present) within fifteen working days after ICANN gives Registrar notice of the breach.

So they have the power but in thier FAQ

If I'm having a problem with my registrar, should I report it to ICANN?
"If you cannot resolve your complaint with the registrar, you should address it to private-sector agencies involved in addressing customer complaints or governmental consumer-protection agencies. The appropriate agency will vary depending on the jurisdiction of the registrar and the customer."

They dont want to use thier power!

I fully appreciate your point about ownership - of course this doesnt mean that joker will abide by the rules. However I have emailed them now as per your suggestion, and I will likely give them until end of UK business tomorrow before complaining at the internic address you gave.

I suspect this will actually achieve nothing in itself, as the FAQ at ICANN says that they will not intervene in any way. It is the province of private-sector agencies, which I take to mean I will have to find a solicitor in Switzerland if I want to pursue this further. (at least thats where the address in thier terms and conditions locates them)

The poilcy on transfer of registrations says that the new registrar can request evidence of ID through pysical means (such as birth certificate) or digital and that it can be authorized by the registered name holder or administrative contact. It doesnt appear that there is an obligation upon new registrars to accept either form though. I guess godaddy have decided that this is just not profitable.
Doubly annoying because I would pay for the service to out uk2/joker if it would avoid the risk of loosing the domain.
http://icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm

Originally posted by davezan
Here's another potential option: ask Go Daddy if they'll accept you
transferring the name to them via fax. Registrars are supposed to
offer more than one option to transfer a name to them, although
it's understandable if they prefer doing it online.

Well it seems that godaddy wont accept a fax and they are playing dumb about the ICANN rules, where there exists an alternative procedure. They could perform this transfer based on physical ID confirmation such as a birth certificate and it does not need to be an authorization with the administrative contact - it can be the registered name holder.[ICANN policy on transfer of registrations] http://icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm

Originally posted by CallMeAndy
Well it seems that godaddy wont accept a fax and they are playing dumb about the ICANN rules, where there exists an alternative procedure. They could perform this transfer based on physical ID confirmation such as a birth certificate and it does not need to be an authorization with the administrative contact - it can be the registered name holder.[ICANN policy on transfer of registrations] http://icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm

I would go a different route. I would start with the existing registrar (Joker.com). Don't forget UK2 is only a reseller - it's Joker that has control over your domain. You should try to get UK2 taken out of the loop - have yourself put as admin contact, have the domain taken out of their reseller account, deal with Joker direct. You can still transfer the domain to Godaddy later (if you still want to - sounds to me like they are being pretty uncooperative), but the first priority should be to gain control of your domain which only the existing registrar (Joker) can help you do.

Originally posted by Lubeca
I would go a different route. I would start with the existing registrar (Joker.com). Don't forget UK2 is only a reseller - it's Joker that has control over your domain. You should try to get UK2 taken out of the loop - have yourself put as admin contact, have the domain taken out of their reseller account, deal with Joker direct. You can still transfer the domain to Godaddy later (if you still want to - sounds to me like they are being pretty uncooperative), but the first priority should be to gain control of your domain which only the existing registrar (Joker) can help you do.

I already took your advice on that one and sent off email to joker earlier today, as of yet not repsonse. I read somewhere else on this forum though that joker are equally as difficult as uk2.
Will update the thread if I hear anything, or on whatever unfolds.
Thanks for your help with this!

The final outcome, with this has surprised me. Both Joker and uk2 finally responded to my request to transfer the domain and it was processed successfully.

I started this whole process of six weeks before the deadline, and gave myself time - this because I tried to transfer last year and the rediculously slow response falsed me to accept a renewal rather than transfer.

So the lesson is start transfers early.

However an excuse of "we are too burdoned to respond in a suitable time frame is all to convenient". How many dollars have these people taken from customers illigitamatly through this process.

My advice is stay away from both Joker and uk2.

Originally posted by CallMeAndy
So the lesson is start transfers early.



Yes, the earlier the better

Originally posted by dmaven
Yes, the earlier the better

A pearl of wisdom, grasshopper, is more difficult to find than a particular grain of rice in an overflowing bowl!