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  1. #1

    Stargate dropping expired domains very quickly

    Hello
    I thought you might like to know that Stargate are
    dropping all expired domains on the day the expire.

    Normal practice is for registrars to pay the renewal fee for the next year automatically.
    If the owner does not pay up within 40 days they then delete the domain and get a refund/credit from Verisign.
    This is what Opensrs does.

    Stargate are not paying the renewals and domains are being deleted dead on the expiry date.

    We had a customer whose domain expired on Friday.
    On Sunday he paid the renewal, but by that time the domain had been bought by someone else and was directing his traffic to a Porn site.

    Its perfectly legal and no rules have been broken, but it is something to bear in mind, especially when you realise that about 15% of domain renewals are paid late.


    Gordon
    Formerly: Managing Director, Hostroute.com Ltd & Marketing Director, Ultraspeed UK Ltd
    View my Professional Profile: www.gordonhudson.com

  2. #2
    I don't understand whay any registrar would pay the renewal charge and let verisign sit on their (the registar) money (for up to 45 days), for the chance that someone *may* renew their expired domain.

    I would also drop them (the expired domains) and keep the operating cap for myself.

  3. #3
    I don't understand whay any registrar would pay the renewal charge

    Presumably because its cheaper to try and retain an existing customer than recrtuit a new one.

    Of course it can get vey silly like the .uk system that make sit very difficult for a domain name to lapse.

    Gordon
    Formerly: Managing Director, Hostroute.com Ltd & Marketing Director, Ultraspeed UK Ltd
    View my Professional Profile: www.gordonhudson.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,598
    That's not good... I tend to forget/procastinate alot.

  5. #5
    Gordon,

    Assume the registrar has 1000 domains renewing today at 6.00 each. To pay for those 1000 domains hoping that *maybe* 15% renew does not seem cost effective. And how long do you wait to release? 5 days? 15 days? The longer you wait the less likely a renewal will take place.

  6. #6
    All I can say is that most registrars follow that practice.

    If you have ever renewed a domain which was past expiry then the registrar has had to pay the fee up front to keep the domain alive.
    Its how the system works.

    Gordon
    Formerly: Managing Director, Hostroute.com Ltd & Marketing Director, Ultraspeed UK Ltd
    View my Professional Profile: www.gordonhudson.com

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    69

    Cost Effectiveness

    Originally posted by TheOp
    To pay for those 1000 domains hoping that *maybe* 15% renew does not seem cost effective.
    Of course, you could always do what Register.com does... When the customer does not renew, RENEW IT ANYWAY and hope that the customer doesn't try to reverse the charge. If one person in 6 does not reverse the charge, then they make money (they charge $35/year).

  8. #8
    You are getting the wrong end of the stick.
    These are not proper renewals.
    They are 40 day holdings to give the registrant the opportunity
    to renew the domain.
    The domains then lapse at the end of the 40 days.

    Gordon
    Formerly: Managing Director, Hostroute.com Ltd & Marketing Director, Ultraspeed UK Ltd
    View my Professional Profile: www.gordonhudson.com

  9. #9
    All domains in the gTLD auto-renew when they expire. The registrar gets a refund from the registry if the domain is dropped or transferred within 45 days.

    OpenSRS will let you take advantage of this window and renew your domain before 40 days or so go by, then they will drop it.

    There is no standard or ICANN enforced policy for this however, so if Stargate, or any other registrar wants to drop the names immediately, they certainly can do so.

    There is a proposal in front of ICANN for review in June that proposes a standard grace period for dropped domains after they expire, but at this time there is no such thing, and registrars can do what they please - including never dropping an expired domain...

    -t
    myOstrich Internet - OpenSRS Domain Names & Digital Certificates
    http://www.myostrich.net

  10. #10
    Actually, the 45 day grace period is in place for the registrar, not the registrant.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    1,799
    As terribly slow as NameSecure was at changing my domain nameservers IP numbers, (didn't answer emails and faxes, and took a month) I will say that I let a couple names lapse by a day or two, and when I logged in to renew them, they were still there.
    but really, at $29 a piece, what did they have to lose if they get a refund when I don't renew? I mean, it isn't like I could have gone anywhere else and get it cheaper, now is it? Once they 'let go' of a name anyone can register it anywhere. Maybe the price is the key, and the cheaper registars let them go sooner because people can buy it anywhere. No price incentive.

    It seems it would benefit all to have a universal time frame (like 45 days) though. I can see people busy running a biz, and for get to renew their name. I have heard of 'notable' websites that have let them lapse before.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    12,207
    Regarding Stargate, I asked them how often expiration notices are being sent. Here's their reply, and clearly there is no excuse for someone to miss out on a renewal:

    Renewal notices are sent 60 days, 30 days, 7 days and 1 day prior to expiration. A notification is also sent when the domain has been dropped for non-payment.

    Regards,

    Tom
    Stargate

  13. #13
    That is true.
    But in our experience 30% of registrants have changed e-mail addres by the time of the renewal.

    Opensrs disable domains 3 days after expiry but the domains stay registered for the 40 days.
    This means that someone who has notupdatded their e-mail address but is still using the domain name will find that their site has gone down.
    If they complain to their web host the fault will be diagnosed and they have the option to renew the domain.
    We get a couple like this every day.

    This seems a much fairer way than the way Stargate does it.

    Gordon
    Formerly: Managing Director, Hostroute.com Ltd & Marketing Director, Ultraspeed UK Ltd
    View my Professional Profile: www.gordonhudson.com

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    12,207
    I am not saying it's more fair or not. All I said is that when you get so many notifications there is no excuse not to renew. And if you change your email and don't check it, then who's being irresponsible?

    And another thing: GoDaddy cancels domains per your request, but they remain in their database until the original registration expires. Why?

    Stargate will drop them immediately. In my book this is better.

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