I wonder if anyone can help me recover a domain from an unobtainable registrar.
(apologies if at any point I use the wrong words, i'm more designer than techie)

The domain in question was originally registered by me on behalf of my
client along with a .co.uk of the same name which I still have in my control.

The .com was moved to another company when they changed from my site to a
flash based one, they've been unable to get hold of either the flash developer
or the host he moved the .com to since january.

Details (with names changed to protect the innocent, so to speak) are below
The registrant details are all my clients, except the phone numbers.

----------WHOIS------------
Registrant:
My Client (MYCLIENT-COM-DOM)
My Address
BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET
GB
>>> UNKNOWN NUMBER (same as admin + tech contact)
alias@mywebdomain.co.uk
Domain Name: MYCLIENT.COM

Administrative Contact:
>>> UNOBTAINABLE

Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
>>> UNOBTAINABLE

Record last updated on 14-Mar-2007.
Record expires on 08-Mar-2008.
Record created on 08-Mar-2004.

Domain servers in listed order:
Name Server: NS1.WWWSERVERDNS.COM
Name Server: NS2.WWWSERVERDNS.COM
------------------

I use 123-reg for all my domains, they've been impossible to get any help out
of at all. After a month of bouncing round their auto-support and being
sent the same stock answers I eventually got this:

-----------
Hi Luke
Thanks for your email,
ICANN is the registry for .com domains.
www icann org
Regards,
123-support
---------

Well duuuuh, even I knew that, but I've been round n round on icann and cant see
anything relevant to recovering a domain in this kind of limbo.

Spent hours googling with poor results and eventually found some almost similar
questions on this forum, although not enough to work out what to do next.

Weird thing about it all is, someone paid to renew the domain in March!

Any help or pointers greatfully rec'd.

Actually, Network Solutions is the registry for .com domains.

Your best bet would be contact the registrar, however. I don't think 123-reg is the actual registrar, as I do not see them listed on ICANN's web site as being ICANN-accredited. They are most likely a reseller for some other registrar. If you check the whois in more detail it should show who the actual registrar is (I think you deleted it from your post). That would be the best place to start. If you can't find it there, let us know and we'll help you.

Actually, Network Solutions is the registry for .com domains.

No, VeriSign is the registry for .com domain names. Network Solutions is now just a registrar like every other, and I read somewhere that VeriSign has fully divested itself of them.

Alukeonlife, do another WHOIS on the domain name and note the line "registrar". That's who to contact.

Sorry, I forgot that Verisign sold it.

Thanks for your help so far, 123-reg is a reseller for tucows (sorry I did know that, forgot)

The exsisting registrar on the domain is listed as:

Registrar: DSTR ACQUISITION VII, LLC

Is that who I need to try n track down? Or do VeriSign handle things like this?

It sounds like your domain was sold or transferred, and 123-reg may no longer be the registration service provider. DSTR's web site is http://www.domainbank.com, so if they are listed as the registrar, that would be the place to start.

Their phone number is 360.253.2210.

I'm afraid there is little hope of recovering your domain name at this point, but it wouldn't hurt to at least give them a call and tell them what happened. They may require proof from your client.

If that doesn't work, they may be willing to sell it back to you at a higher price.

In any case, you should try to find out from them how they came to be the registrar of the domain name in questions.

Good luck.

the domain was transferred when the site went to another developer, i tried to persuade them to just change nameservers at the time but they wouldn't.

The developer then dis-appeared and I'm trying to rescue the domain back.

Thanks so much for your help... the domain in question is a fairly well established artists name, if they want to charge me mega-bucks for getting it back, is it costly to persue a cyber-squatting type line?

PS thanks so much!

the domain in question is a fairly well established artists name, if they want to charge me mega-bucks for getting it back, is it costly to persue a cyber-squatting type line?

If you mean the domain name bears the artist's name, then one option is the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). It costs at least $1,200 to $1,500.

Thank you all so much for your help. We've now regained control of our domain thanks to your pointers.

I'm not sure there's anything I can offer in return directly, but you should know I'm a firm believer in karma and you'll often find me under the username aLUKEonLIFE or polysonic helping people out on other forums where I can.

thanks again

I'm a firm believer in karma

Me too. :D