Hi,

Sorry if I write too much the words Network solutions or even network solutions domain resellers but that's just in the hope that maybe somebody will type network solutions in google and see my post about Network Solutions so they know what's going on with them and there registrar resellers.

Today, this horror story starts by a call from my partner in France (he lives next to Geneva, while I live in China). He tells me that the domain name of one of our important customer has been set to "pending renewal or deletion" by network solution.

What happened is that this domain was registered for my customer, by a company that was "whole sale reseller" of network solutions, as I could hear on the phone. This company has then been bought by another one, that has NOT paid the bill to network solutions. The result is that network solutions has set all of the domains as "pending renewal or deletion", changing the name servers for:

NS1.PENDINGRENEWALDELETION.COM 205.178.190.51
NS2.PENDINGRENEWALDELETION.COM 205.178.189.51

of course, neither the website of my customer or his email is working right now. The website is redirected to something from network solution showing advertising, and I even can read:

"If you are not the current registrant for this domain name and want to register this domain, you may place a backorder. There are no upfront fees and no risk to place a backorder."

They are advertising so somebody can get the domain of my customer, even if it's expiring in nearly one year (12-jan-2009 as shown in the whois). That's unbelievable, my customer HAS paid the reseller, imagine even the loss of credibility for my customer and it's brand image...

So I pickup the phone, and immediately called network solution. I had a girl on the phone that was trying to be nice and comprehensive, but keeping with the procedure. The only option that she gave to me was to contact the reseller and deal with them. Asking to talk to a manager didn't solve anything. They told me that they have "escalated" the issue with the reseller. The primary email contact that they have put in was anything BUT the email of my customer (it was something of the form my-customer-company@the-reseller-domain dot com). So they are the primary contact for this domain, even though this domain is owned by my customer. So the only way they gave us to get the auth code, and get the domain unlock to domain transfer protection is to deal with that stupid reseller. But we don't even know if they are going to even change the contact email or do anything...

BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE RESELLER HE DIDN'T PAY network solution at the first place. So that let me think that the future of this case is not good at all. I really don't know what they are going to do, maybe they will pay, but let's imagine the worth (I don't know yet). Let's say they are broken down, and will soon go out of business. This leaves my customer without his domain name to work with and NO SOLUTIONS. I have asked many times that I was ok to pay for the domain (even once more if it was needed), but even this, they don't want to hear about it. Network solution also don't want to unlock the domain transfer protection or give me the auth code to do a domain transfer. They still claim that we should deal with the reseller.

WHAT'S THAT??? Even though there is a reseller, Network Solutions is still the registrar, and they can't just take the control of a domain that my customer owns the usage until 12-jan-2009, as he PAID FOR IT. This is just not right to take a 3rd party as a hostage of conflict between Network Solutions and their resellers. We are talking about a company that is doing business with it's emails, this is just bad...

I didn't give my customer's name, his domain, or even the Network Solutions reseller name, as I don't think I have the right to do so, and I don't want to risk any legal action. But as a hosting company, I just want to warn other users so that they know what kind of risks they have when using a reseller of domain names using network solutions. Do what you want, but I made my choice. In fact, I didn't even know that my customer used Network Solutions or one of it's domain resellers, otherwise...

How come it's impossible for a registrar to let it's customer, even through a reseller, do a domain transfer? I still don't get it.

I will give more information about this story with the next events. This is the first time I hear about something like this since I'm in the hosting business (in around 2001), and it's happening to me. If somebody had the same kind of experience, I'd take any advice.

Thomas

It's not just Network Solutions... many registrars seem to have a policy of washing their hands of domains that were registered through resellers, and of leaving the registrant high and dry if the reseller fails to function.

They are not supposed to do this. They are supposed to have a procedure in place that would enable registrants to take control of their domains themselves in cases like this one.

Important question: Whose name was the domain registered in - the "real" registrant, or the reseller?

If the domain was registered in your customer's name (which I sincerely hope is the case) then they "own" it and under ICANN rules Network Solutions should be required to let them take control of it and either move it to a reseller account or deal with Network Solutions direct. If NetSol haven't been paid for the last renewal then your customer may need to pay for it again... but they should NOT lose their domain over something like this.

under ICANN rules Network Solutions should be required to let them take control of it and either move it to a reseller account or deal with Network Solutions direct.

There is no ICANN rule requiring a registrar to do exactly what you mentioned above, much more to address the extenuating circumstances the OP described. That is one of the long-time contentious issues at ICANN, but it's still not crystal clear.

OTOH, gplhost, Lubeca asked a very crucial question, namely who is listed as the registrant of the domain name. If your client is the one, Network Solutions does have a process to handle domain names listed under a reseller's client.

From what you described, however, it sounds like the domain name is registered under the reseller's name. If that's the case, legal agreements between the registrar and the reseller generally prevent the former from doing something about it lest they risk legal action by the latter.

What you described is one risk when dealing with a reseller. Even if the reseller's client paid them their dues, the reseller might not pay theirs to their registrar partner for whatever reason.

When a .com domain name expires, it's autorenewed for 1 year by the Registry and bills the sponsoring registrar accordingly for it. That's why you see the domain name "extended" until 2009, yet neither you, your partner, nor your client is able to gain any access through the registrar because they see it's really expired.

Bottom line: if your client is not the registrant, then there's not really much to be done except to backorder and hope for the best. But if they are, contact Network Solutions again and mention that bit.

It's not clear to me why your customer or you cannot simply log into your account and renew the domain (again).

hello ,

domain registered with netsol resellers dont give control panel access .....

u need to relay on the reseller ...

srsplus is netsol's partner program ...

Important question: Whose name was the domain registered in - the "real" registrant, or the reseller?

If the domain was registered in your customer's name (which I sincerely hope is the case) then they "own" it and under ICANN rules Network Solutions should be required to let them take control of it and either move it to a reseller account or deal with Network Solutions direct. If NetSol haven't been paid for the last renewal then your customer may need to pay for it again... but they should NOT lose their domain over something like this.

It's quite hard to be 100% as the whois doesn't show any information now, but the one of netsol. Is there a time machine for whois somewhere? I know there was one, but forgot the URL.

I'm quite sure that my customer IS set as the real owner of the domain, as I clearly heard his name while being on the phone with Netsol. My customer DO want to pay for it again, that's no problem. It's Network Solutions that don't want to receive the money and solve the case this way, as I heard on the phone!

Thomas

It's not clear to me why your customer or you cannot simply log into your account and renew the domain (again).

You don't get it. The domain IS PAID until the 12-Jan-2009 !!! I'd be happy if paying 15 USD would solve the case today, but they don't want to hear about this way of solving things.

Thomas

It's quite hard to be 100% as the whois doesn't show any information now, but the one of netsol. Is there a time machine for whois somewhere? I know there was one, but forgot the URL.

Doesn't whois.sc offer this service? I've never used it myself but have seen it mentioned here.

Also, registrars will normally send out Whois reminders once every so often (don't know how often as I don't pay much attention!), so if the client is the registrant then he should have emails with the Whois details in his email archive. I assume that, being a business, he keeps his emails... (we are required to keep business correspondence for a minimum of two years in the UK, I presume other countries have similar rules).

Registrars can't just steal customers' domains, and if this is what happened here then you should make a complaint through ICANN's complaints procedure. I have used it in the past, and I must say I wasn't particularly impressed by it (all ICANN really did was pass the complaint back to the registrar), but I would still give it a try.

Also... have you tried to communicate with NetSol in writing? I would always use the written medium for complex situations like this.

Doesn't whois.sc offer this service? I've never used it myself but have seen it mentioned here.

They do, but it's 30 USD / month, and I really wont use it often (I only need it for this time).

Registrars can't just steal customers' domains, and if this is what happened here then you should make a complaint through ICANN's complaints procedure. I have used it in the past, and I must say I wasn't particularly impressed by it (all ICANN really did was pass the complaint back to the registrar), but I would still give it a try.

Also... have you tried to communicate with NetSol in writing? I would always use the written medium for complex situations like this.

Both the 2 procedures are going to take a lot of time, and what we need in this case is have the domain back to working asap. But if it's really necessary, of course, we will start such procedure. Thanks for the tip!

Thomas

They do, but it's 30 USD / month, and I really wont use it often (I only need it for this time).

domaintools.com also offer this type of service for $15 month.

It seems to me that if you have proof (receipt and e-mail confirmations) that your customer purchased a domain and it's not in the resellers name, then you have a legal case in the public court of law.

It seems to me that if you have proof (receipt and e-mail confirmations) that your customer purchased a domain and it's not in the resellers name, then you have a legal case in the public court of law.

Unfortunately one important thing (out of a few) is being rather overlooked in that, namely the agreement.

Network Solutions has an agreement with the reseller. The reseller has (or maybe had) an agreement with the OP's client.

The registrar and the reseller have legal obligations to one another, then the reseller and the client have (or, again, had) legal obligations to one another in a separate matter. But given that no agreement was entered into and agreed upon by both the registrar and the reseller's client on this thing, someone's gonna have to be really creative to figure out how the former has any obligations to the latter.

Besides, the OP said the domain name's now displaying NetSol's name, not the client's. Not to mention the domain name's actually expired and the contract not renewed.

Unfortunately one important thing (out of a few) is being rather overlooked in that, namely the agreement.

Network Solutions has an agreement with the reseller. The reseller has (or maybe had) an agreement with the OP's client.

The registrar and the reseller have legal obligations to one another, then the reseller and the client have (or, again, had) legal obligations to one another in a separate matter. But given that no agreement was entered into and agreed upon by both the registrar and the reseller's client on this thing, someone's gonna have to be really creative to figure out how the former has any obligations to the latter.

What about the fact that, as a registrar, they just rendered my customer's business impracticable? Don't they have an obligation as a registrar, to let my customer USE something that he PAID for?

Besides, the OP said the domain name's now displaying NetSol's name, not the client's.

It is, since Network Solutions CHANGED it, but it was clearly showing my customer's name before they just ripped-off the domain, I can't check it right now, but I'm almost sure of it.

Not to mention the domain name's actually expired and the contract not renewed.

The domain is NOT expired at all, it's registered until 2009 !!! It's in "pending for deletion" state, but that's just not right, and that's why I wrote this post, that is the subject of the disagreements.

Thomas

Thomas,

Its better to first collect the details,

Client A paid full dues to the Reseller B
Client A/you/your French partner any one has got previous whois details that confirms ownership and expiry dates of the said domain.

Once you have the details A should contact NetSol with the details in writing (not just verbally) that he need his domain back in his control, keep a copy of every correspondence with them.

If they fail to do the needful contact ICANN, if they also fail, go to the court.

If you don't have previous WHOIS use http://www.domaintools.com/members/about/ Silver Membership is only $15 and you can get domain history.

http://www.archive.org can get your domains content prior to this situation.

Whatever agreement are in place between NetSol their Reseller and Client, if the dues are paid in full, if the domain was actually renewed for the above said term, and if the previous WHOIS confirms A's ownership over the domain, NetSol is bound to give back the domain, since if domain was actually renewed, NetSol has received the money, they just can't simply walk away leaving A high and dry.

domain registered with netsol resellers dont give control panel access .....

u need to relay on the reseller ...

srsplus is netsol's partner program ...

Thanks sanudeep. I never knew that. That's crazy. It's inconceivable to me that anyone would want to have a domain account which doesn't have access to the domain via a control panel. It's amazing they have any business, at all.

Thanks sanudeep. I never knew that. That's crazy. It's inconceivable to me that anyone would want to have a domain account which doesn't have access to the domain via a control panel. It's amazing they have any business, at all.

Going off-topic a bit... but resellers without control panels are a lot more common than you think.

There are still lots of companies out there that are "IT challenged"... and that don't WANT TO learn about IT and domain names... and that just want someone to do everything for them.

And there are businesses out there, both large and small, that specialise in providing a service to just such companies. These businesses will, typically, have reseller accounts (and for registries such as .uk they may even be signed up as registrars), but they won't have control panels because they don't sell domains to the public but only to their own corporate clients who use their services BECAUSE they don't want to be bothered with control panels.

This is an entirely normal and legitimate business model - catering to one specific niche of the market.

Thanks Lubeca. I can understand that. Which leads directly to the problems encountered by the OP.

I think the thread title is ok but point finger at Network Solutions is not fair.

Years ago a big corporation forgot to renew one of its domains registered with Network Solutions. One page of that domain brings lots of traffic to one site I own -- I almost immediately noted the drop in traffic and found the domain had expired. Instead looking for the people responsible for the domain inside that big corporation I just paid Network Solutions and the domain was renewed. If I remember something like this occurred with the domain Passport.com (owned by Microsoft) in the past.

Edit: Passport story

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-235734.html?legacy=cnet

A quote from the story:

"The episode began Christmas Eve when Chaney, a Linux consultant from Nashville, Tenn., was denied access to his Hotmail account.

He learned through Slashdot, an online discussion group, that Microsoft failed to pay the $35 fee to Networks Solutions for the Passport.com Web address, which had expired Dec. 24. The Passport.com site verifies user identification and passwords for access to Hotmail and about 25 other services.

When the domain name lapsed, some users seeking to access their accounts received error messages indicating the domain was unavailable.

Chaney then went to the Network Solutions site and paid the fee with his credit card.

"I didn't do it to help Microsoft," he said in an interview this morning. "I did it to help the Hotmail users."

gplhost,

Please contact me offline, I might be able to help you.

This is an entirely normal and legitimate business model - catering to one specific niche of the market.

No this is not legitimate, even if you have that kind of client still you need to provide a CP for domain management. Even if the client do not want to or incapable of handling domain management. May be today client do not want it but at some time he may like to have, moreover if the client do not have control he is going to face such situation. That is why such incident should be reported and clients should be educated.

I think the thread title is ok but point finger at Network Solutions is not fair.

Years ago a big corporation forgot to renew one of its domains registered with Network Solutions. One page of that domain brings lots of traffic to one site I own -- I almost immediately noted the drop in traffic and found the domain had expired. Instead looking for the people responsible for the domain inside that big corporation I just paid Network Solutions and the domain was renewed. If I remember something like this occurred with the domain Passport.com (owned by Microsoft) in the past.

Edit: Passport story

Again that is a huge security risk for the domain, today you are paying for the domain and tomorrow you may claim it.

Network Solutions is not providing domains at dirt cheap rates, they are charging a good amount, they should utilise all means of communication with the client to inform them of domain expiry. Whether it is email, letter or phone call.

BTW here the point is why they have such policies where the end user suffers, this is not a DC to dedicated to shared account chain. Moreover if Netsol gives credit to its reseller they should have system/policies in place to safeguard the end user.

They could have locked the domain and should have notified the end user to contact them directly. But yes the domain should have been booked in the name of the end user in the first place.

Getting a domain registered through a Netsol reseller to your account is difficult. I had another Netsol reseller move it to my retail account, if you are ignorant people take advantage of it.

I think the thread title is ok but point finger at Network Solutions is not fair.

Years ago a big corporation forgot to renew one of its domains registered with Network Solutions. One page of that domain brings lots of traffic to one site I own -- I almost immediately noted the drop in traffic and found the domain had expired. Instead looking for the people responsible for the domain inside that big corporation I just paid Network Solutions and the domain was renewed. If I remember something like this occurred with the domain Passport.com (owned by Microsoft) in the past.

The very big difference here is that the domain is NOT expired!!!

If I don't point a Network Solutions, who should I blame for? They are the only one that took-over the domain!

Thomas

They took over the domain because in their opinion they were never paid for it. It's entirely the reseller's fault. Not NS's. If you explain to NS that the reseller is not contactable and you can prove you owned and paid for the domain, then most registrars would transfer the domain to your direct account with them. I think you need to escalate the issue at NS.

BTW another question pops up is, does netsol reseller get credit to start booking domains without paying, I am sure to become a reseller you need to deposit money with them.

They took over the domain because in their opinion they were never paid for it. It's entirely the reseller's fault. Not NS's. If you explain to NS that the reseller is not contactable and you can prove you owned and paid for the domain, then most registrars would transfer the domain to your direct account with them. I think you need to escalate the issue at NS.

I did call them (spent 25 minute on the phone), and asked if I could pay AGAIN for the domain, even if the customer paid already. They refused.

BTW another question pops up is, does netsol reseller get credit to start booking domains without paying, I am sure to become a reseller you need to deposit money with them.

I don't understand either.

Thomas

I did call them (spent 25 minute on the phone), and asked if I could pay AGAIN for the domain, even if the customer paid already. They refused.

What was the reason given for they're refusal? It was at that point you should have asked to have the issue escalated.

Take a look what Enom did in the case of RegisterFly. I think hardly Network Solutions would not provide something like to help the customers of the reseller cited by the OP.

By now you may have received the formal notice to owners of domains which have been registered by eNom via its reseller, RegisterFly.com. Although you purchased your name at RegisterFly, eNom is the actual registrar of record for your domains. eNom powers thousands of domain name retailers and web hosts worldwide.
As an eNom reseller, RegisterFly is contractually bound to adhere to certain standards of customer service in a speedy and diligent manner. Despite our warnings, RegisterFly has elected not to abide by the agreed standards as outlined in their eNom reseller agreement. Effective March 9th, RegisterFly will be terminated as an eNom reseller. You now have two options to retain further management of your domain names, as described below:
OPTION 1
Create a free account at eNomCentral.com and your domain names will automatically be moved to the eNom control panel where you will instantly re-access domain management rights. There is no charge for this service, as eNom is already the registrar of record for your domains. eNom has ensured that you, as a former RegisterFly customer, will receive the same discounted price as when you purchased your domain name at RegisterFly.
OPTION 2
Locate a different ICANN-accredited registrar and manually initiate transfers of each individual domain name you own. For most, this will require you separately request generation of an Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) authorization code for each domain. Note that other registrars may require transfers to first pay an additional year's registration.

Q. What will happen to my domains if I don't do anything?

A. Your domain will stay registered at eNom until it expires, however you will not be able to manage it or renew it. You must exercise one of the options listed above in order to regain control of your domain name.
Q. I've recently paid for a renewal at RegisterFly. Will I be able to get my money back?

A. You will need to directly contact RegisterFly for any account related activities including renewal fees.

Q. The whois information on my domain is outdated. How can I update it if I want to push my domain to eNom?

A. You will first need to update your registrant information by contacting RegisterFly or through their website's domain management section.

Q. What if my domain name is expired?

A. eNom might be able to reclaim your domain name on your behalf. Once you have created your new account, please use our Support Center to contact us if your domain is currently expired. (Note: you must be logged into an eNom account to access our Support Center)

http://www.enom.com/migrate/faq.asp

The very big difference here is that the domain is NOT expired!!!

As far as Network Solutions is concerned, Thomas, it is expired. Their expired domain names use the pendingrenewaldeletion nameservers and displays information (e.g. Pending Renewal Or Deletion as registrant) designed for that status.

I already explained what happens to .com domain names after they expire. Some people here can confirm that if you don't believe what I said.

My guess is they won't renew the domain name because it's under their reseller instead of, say, directly in their own. Some registrars don't want to touch them lest they be seen as "stealing their resellers' clients", which might be part of their registrar-reseller agreements. (again, just guessing...)

Is there really no way to somehow get in touch with the reseller?

Is there really no way to somehow get in touch with the reseller?

Sometimes resellers just... disappear. And, what's worse, if they run fully automated web sites then their disappearance may not become apparent for some time.

Some years ago I got asked to assist a client in "rescuing" a domain that had been registered through a reseller of Register.com. The reseller was UK-based, not a limited company, with a PO Box as an address and a non-geographic phone number that went to voicemail. Calls were never returned, emails were never replied to, and after a few days it became apparent that the voicemail was full.

Register.com initially refused to believe that the reseller had ceased to function - "They have 300 domains under their management, how can you say they have ceased to function?"

Fortunately I knew someone at Register.com, and after talking to him I finally got them to accept that there really WAS no one at home at the reseller company and that they were just looking at an automated web site which made the non-functioning company look as thought it was functioning, and they opened a new account for my client and he was able to renew his domain. But it was hard work and I really had to use a LOT of pressure before they did what they should have done right from the start.

Sometimes resellers just... disappear.

True. I got a couple of those as well in my previous life, and I never relished being the bearer of bad news.

As far as Network Solutions is concerned, Thomas, it is expired. Their expired domain names use the pendingrenewaldeletion nameservers and displays information (e.g. Pending Renewal Or Deletion as registrant) designed for that status.

Do you call this:

root@GPLHost:xxx>_ ~# whois skylineinteriors.com

Whois Server Version 2.0

Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

Domain Name: XXXXX.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS1.PENDINGRENEWALDELETION.COM
Name Server: NS2.PENDINGRENEWALDELETION.COM
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 15-feb-2008
Creation Date: 12-jan-2000
Expiration Date: 12-jan-2009

an expired domain?

I already explained what happens to .com domain names after they expire. Some people here can confirm that if you don't believe what I said.

Please reconsider. I'm NOT a newbie.

My guess is they won't renew the domain name because it's under their reseller instead of, say, directly in their own. Some registrars don't want to touch them lest they be seen as "stealing their resellers' clients", which might be part of their registrar-reseller agreements. (again, just guessing...)

Please stop guessing, read my words, and trust what I'm saying! :)

Is there really no way to somehow get in touch with the reseller?

Of course, we will try again and again.

Thomas

I'm kind of amazed they will disable all the resellers domains when the reseller doesn't pay the bills, and then refuse to deal with anyone but the reseller.
Surely this can't be right.

Agree coax. I think gplhost needs to speak with NetSol again. Ask them why they refuse to let him renew the domain and to escalate it if he doesn't get any satisfactory response.

an expired domain?

I don't think you are as experienced as you think you are. It could be expired. Have you done a whois lookup at the registry for your domain? Often times the whois shows an additional year at the registrar but not at the registry. It happens in most cases of expired domains. You need to be quick. After about 35 days it goes for auction at NameJet. Have you looked on NameJet for it? It might already be there. You should at least backorder it at NameJet if they're listing it.

Also. Domain name renewals are automatic between the registrar and the registry. But if the owner hasn't renewed, it is still considered and expired domain. Whatever the whois says. I think you've already told us that NS consider this an expired domain, hence their use of their pendingrenewaldelete servers

stu2, please stop posting here, your remarks are useless. Re-read my post and eventually, you might understand the situation.

Thomas

When was the last time your client paid for the domain?

What probably happened here is, money was give to the reseller, the reseller took the money and didn't renew the domain with NetSol. The domain expired and NetSol changed the renewal date to 2009. I think all registrars do this until the domain is deleted and sent out to auction or back into the pool.

Did your client receive any payment receipt emails after they paid? How about a renewal confirmation email?

Please stop guessing, read my words, and trust what I'm saying!

Gosh, I don't know if I can do that since my previous registrar life trained me to know certain policies all .com registrars generally follow, including what happens after a .com domain name expires. And they happen to go against what you've said here so far.

I realize you think it's renewed because of the expiration date. If anything, Network Solutions ought to make it clear why the possible confusion with the expiration date and the pending renewal deletion details, albeit they're not required to do that.

Took me a while to find this, but here you go:

http://registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois/faq.html#01000002

Why is the Registrar requesting that I renew my domain name when the Registry Whois expiration date shows that it has been renewed for one year?

When a domain name reaches its expiration date and is not renewed by the registrar, the Registry system performs an auto-renew on the domain name. The auto-renew extends the expiration date for one year whether or not the registrar has received payment from the registrant.

I don't know how else to make that any more crystal clear. And if you still don't believe that inspite of numerous details practically saying in your face the domain name's expired, especially what NetSol's rep told you, that's no one else's comprehension issue.

If you're finally able to get in touch with the reseller, tell them to make sure the client's domain name is indeed renewed. NetSol's deletion policy (http://customersupport.networksolutions.com/article.php?id=309) gives a 35-day grace period, after which it's either auctioned or it's deleted if no one's interested.

Now you're not going to tell me to stop posting here also because my remarks are useless, are you? Then again, I don't have to do anything for you, and I post here at my leisure.

I'm kind of amazed they will disable all the resellers domains when the reseller doesn't pay the bills, and then refuse to deal with anyone but the reseller.
Surely this can't be right.

So far it seems it's only the domain name of the OP's client that's disabled. But if they disabled the rest because, say, they aren't paid, then why not since they're eating the costs to keep those up with no guarantees of getting payment?

stu2, please stop posting here, your remarks are useless. Re-read my post and eventually, you might understand the situation.

OK. I stop posting here because you obviously don't need any help. You can solve this thing by yourself. Which is why you posted here in the first place.

So far it seems it's only the domain name of the OP's client that's disabled. But if they disabled the rest because, say, they aren't paid, then why not since they're eating the costs to keep those up with no guarantees of getting payment?

But the OP offered to pay them direct and they refused to take his money. That's the bit that doesn't make sense.

The primary email contact that they have put in was anything BUT the email of my customer (it was something of the form my-customer-company@the-reseller-domain dot com). So they are the primary contact for this domain, even though this domain is owned by my customer.
This appears to be the crux of the problem. The domain was registered under the name of the reseller. NetSol has no way of knowing if your client is indeed the rightful owner or if it's a domain registered by the reseller for his own use.

But the OP offered to pay them direct and they refused to take his money. That's the bit that doesn't make sense.

Generally speaking, registrar-reseller agreements include not touching the latter's domain registrations with a 10-foot pole for any reason. Doing so, especially if renewing, might be considered, again, as "stealing the resellers' clients", and it might be taken as breach of contract.

(Off-topic, I believe it was stu or someone else here who observed that possible conflict of interest arises when the registrar "proactively" sends solicitation notices to their resellers' clients. If you were the reseller, I'm not sure how you'd react to that.)

In a way, the reseller is actually the registrar's "customer". The reseller then leases those domain names to their own end users, whose rights are limited and governed by their respective agreement.

So that's what makes the OP's issue difficult, if not impossible, to resolve. The domain name that's showing the reseller's name, coupled with the reseller paying for it out of their own pockets, is practically considered theirs. As Techno accurately noted:

NetSol has no way of knowing if your client is indeed the rightful owner or if it's a domain registered by the reseller for his own use.

Of course, I'm hazarding a guess (I know, gplhost, don't guess) that the domain name of the OP's client was registered under the reseller's name. I can't think of any other plausible reason why Network Solutions doesn't want to help the OP even though they stand to gain from it anyway. (unless someone wants to entertain conspiracy theories...)

Then again, that's also how the registrar I worked with handled domain-registered-under-reseller issues.

OTOH, one other thing I discovered among my (ex) peers is they do have processes limited to domain names registered through resellers but under their clients' name. That limited situation is rather more manageable.

Hi,

After one week of down time, we finally got the domain name working again. The primary contact email is now our customer's one, and the DNS are set correctly. It took our time, getting official proof of the company, sending faxes, etc. and even when the whois got restored, the DNS were not even set back to the correct value.

After this story, I still think that NetSol did very bad, and didn't take it's responsibility as a registrar.

Now I think it's time to tell who's the BOFH reseller: Pipex. May they go to hell... it's not even the first time we are having indirect troubles with them. We're transferring the domain asap.

Thomas

After this story, I still think that NetSol did very bad, and didn't take it's responsibility as a registrar.

Maybe because NetSol doesn't owe any responsibility to you or your client without any agreement, even if you believe otherwise. They could've ignored you, but they eventually chose to help.

Anyway, good to read the issue's resolved.