Synopsis: Godaddy.com will lock your domain from being transfered if you make a change to your whois information, any change, for 60 days. This is idiotic and is supposed to prevent you from taking your business elsewhere, but this turns out to violate ICANN policy, and ICANN gave godaddy.com their registrar acredidation!
I have been trying to transfer a domain from godaddy.com to another registrar, and had to update my contact information because it was out of date. I was also forced to do this because if the email was out of date, I would not be able to recieve a confirmation email.
Well then when I transfered my domain, I got an email telling me godaddy "DENIED" it:
Dear Nick,
The transfer of [domain] from GoDaddy.com, Inc. To another registrar could not be completed for the following reason (s):
Express written objection to the transfer from the Transfer Contact. (e.G. - email, fax, paper document or other processes by which the Transfer Contact has expressly and voluntarily objected through opt-in means).
The express written objection may be the result of a pending or recently completed Change of Registered Name Holder. This is an opt-in process during which the new Registered Name Holder agrees not to transfer for 60-days. This domain will be transferrable on 10/16.
If you believe that this domain name does not fit the situation described above, go tohttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/support.Asp? Prog_id=GoDaddy&isc=gdbb35 for assistance.
Regards,
Domain Services
GoDaddy.com, Inc.
I went to the link suggested, and it took me to generic support, not even domain support. I guess they don't care about helping you with this problem. A search for domain transfer help yielded nothing but help on transfering TO godaddy, not a single article on transfering away, so the link they included does not even exist.
I never emailed/faxed/etc. That I didn't want to do what I was trying to do, and I never "opted-in" to stop me from doing what I was trying to do, so I called them.
The first rep I talked to, Chris, told me that was very weird and he would fix it for me. 10 minutes of hold music later he told me there is nothing he can do for me and had a completely different tone. I asked why and he said it's company policy to stop me from transfering my domain if I make a change to my whois information. I told him I recieved an email saying I opted in to have this done, and I did not, there was some sort of mistake.
He told me that he has no idea what I'm talking about, and that it's just company policy to do this. I asked to speak with a supervisor and I was disconnected after waiting on hold for about 17 minutes.
I called back and started re-explaining the situation to Jason, who told me he was aware of my problem, I guess it was noted on my account already. He told me that I unfortunately agreed to the terms of service when I bought the domain, and there is nothing he can do for me.
I asked him if he meant the 64 page terms of service agreement, and asked if he ever reads those things, much less reads them when doing something as trivial as registering a domain, he said no, but that unfortunately me clicking "I accept" means I agree to them stopping me from transfering my domain for 60 days, each and every time I make a change to my whois information.
I told him a contract can't contain something harmful to either party unless it gives them some benefit, he told me my benefit is I have better fraud prevention. I told him I used the same email to buy the domain as I put in the contact information, so it's obviousthat I'm the same person. He told me unfortunately there is nothing he can do.
I asked to speak with his supervisor, 47 minutes of hold music later, I speak with Casey, who tells me that I was asked if I wanted to specifically lock my domain for 60 days when I made my changes, and I chose yes, and this was very clearly told to me.
I asked him if he could reverse it because I obviously never intended to click it. He told me in a very condiscending tone "Sure, just revert your whois information to EXACTLY the way it was before!"
I asked "Then it will magically be unlocked?" He said yep, I asked how I was supposed to remember everything that was there before, he told me it wasn't his problem. Obviously, if I get one letter wrong, my 60 days will renew, and I'll have to wait another 2 months. Also, this seems sort of rediculous, as I have read online that others have been unlocked after disputing this.
Casey however, told me and reconfirmed that this is not possible, and NOBODY has the ability to unlock my domain and the ONLY way to do it is to change my whois information to exactly the way it was BEFORE I changed anything.
This of course, will not allow me to change my domain, because it will have an incorrect email, and I will not recieve the confirmation email message.
He told me he is sorry but he cannot help me with that and said goodbye.
So, reluctantly, I changed this to the way it was, EXACTLY, before I made any changes, and guess what? You cannot make a change unless you check the box that will make you "opt-in". You are being forced to opt-in... Hardly an "opt"!
Their website makes no mistake about it: "Select the checkbox to indicate you have read and agree to the Registrant change agreement. If you do not, you cannot continue."
This violates ICANN policy! ICANN clearly states that you cannot do this:
Http://www.icann.org/en/transfers/policy-en.htm
They are trying to say I opted in, but I never did, when I tell them in person that I did not intend to opt in, they made up some bogus lie about how I must follow some difficult wild goose chase, and when I do, I STILL am forced to "opt-in" for this 60 day policy! The word "opt" means to make a choice. I am not being given any choice. This violates ICANN policy.
I own my domain. I am legally allowed to do what I want with it, yet godaddy is forcing me to stick with them, and violating their policy they have promised to follow as an ICANN registrar, how disgusting is that???
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