Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Any way to get your domain name back from a company that registered it "for you"?

[Dave18]

Hello all,

I have a friend who signed up with superuser dot net some time ago. Unfortunately, this was before either of us knew anything about web hosting. Anyhow, they registered his name for him and claimed that they would transfer ownership of his name to him any time he wanted it. Well, now that his site has been down for a couple of weeks, he would like his domain name. However, he can't seem to get it, and from the research he has done, it looks like they are not about to give it up. My question is this: does my friend have any legal recourse here to get his domain name? Since superuser dot net advertised that my friend could have his name anytime he wanted, and they are not doing that, can he go to the virginia attorney general for help? (superuser dot net is registered in virginia)

In any event, I know it will take a while (if ever) for him to get his original name back, so I have advised him to bite the bullet and buy another domain name (this time in his own name), go with another web hosting company, and migrate to the new server.

Any advice on starting the process to get his original domain name would be great!

Thanks!
dave

[Amy-T]

I could be wrong but it might not be possible to get the domain back.
I lost a domain years ago that was registered at yahoo (geocities).
How ever I could get it back now as it is once again available.

If he has a written statement from them either email or chat transcript he may have some recourse.

[datapimp]

Originally Posted by Dave18

...does my friend have any legal recourse here to get his domain name? ...can he go to the virginia attorney general for help?

Yeah. I'm sure that the Virginia Attorney General's office would be real anxious to get involved in a domain ownership dispute. Yep.

Fact is, the domain was never registered by your cohort there. So how do you regain control of something that you never controlled in the first place?

Quite a riddle, ain't it.

[bithost(NET)]

Why has the site been down for a couple of weeks?

Bailey

[Dave Zan]

Originally Posted by Dave18

Any advice on starting the process to get his original domain name would be great!

Other than telling your friend to RTFP, tell him to talk to a lawyer if he really wants to force the issue.

[tru1]

doesnt seem like he'll get it back anytime soon...
he never did own it in the first place...

[kaishinoske]

Sad to could have been like some punk kid who sold his domain name to the government

drugs.com lol

[under_gravity]

Contact ICAAN. They might be able to give more advice.
It will take ages but might be the cheapest solution.

[iHubNet-Matt]

It will be really hard to get the domain name back. What is teh name address that comes up when you do a whois? Is it your friend's details or your host's?

The best nd easy way will be contact them and ask politely to get it transfered. if that chance still there.

[unity100]

File a complaint with icann.

[Dave Zan]

Originally Posted by unity100

File a complaint with icann.

Which won't do much good since they've consistently said they don't handle individual consumer complaints.

[bithost(NET)]

Personally, I would file a complaint with the BBB, the FTC and with the host's Attorney General's office. You'd be amazed what government investigation forms arriving in the mail do to expedite the resolution of a conflict.

Bailey

[Dave18]

Hey guys! Sorry to disappear for so long... I hate to post a question and then disappear. Bad dave, bad! Anyhow, I first wanted to say thanks a lot for all the advice given here. Also, on this particular item from Bailey:

Personally, I would file a complaint with the BBB, the FTC and with the host's Attorney General's office. You'd be amazed what government investigation forms arriving in the mail do to expedite the resolution of a conflict.

I actually did that in another dispute over a cell phone rebate, and a year and a half later I got my money. So, while slow, many AGs out there aren't happy when they hear of a business in their state ripping people off.

So, for an update. The host provider seems to have fallen off the face of the earth! I suggested that my friend buy the dot net version of his dot com name and then I ported his site over to the same host I am currently using. When the dot com name expires next year, he's going to buy it in his name and then just point the two names to his one site.

So there you have it. Not the most elegant solution in the world, but it works and hopefully it minimizes the damage. Chalk this one up to "lesson learned" and move on!

On another note, and if I should start another thread for this, please let me know, but my friend is amazed that anyone would drop a web hosting business like that. I tried to explain to him why hosting can be such a pain in the rear and why it's so hard to survive, but for a host that has thousands of customers, why would they walk away? At the very least couldn't they sell their operation to someone else? Anyhow, why does anyone do anything, right?

Thanks again for all the help! This place still rules. It seems to be one of the few places you can get honest opinions about all things hosting.

dave

[ldcdc]

I tried to explain to him why hosting can be such a pain in the rear and why it's so hard to survive, but for a host that has thousands of customers, why would they walk away? At the very least couldn't they sell their operation to someone else?

I'm as bewildered as you are by these decisions. I guess it sometimes can be an urgent health issue, and they just drop everything else. Other times they might be running away from other responsibilities.

If the company has a significant debt, it may be more profitable to just up and leave, instead of trying to sell it.