[geeks] call for help (fwd)

[velociraptor]

One word: lawyer.

Domains are intellectual property and a key element, nowadays, to
sales and branding, and as a result, profit.  GoDaddy gets away with
this kind of crap b/c small companies and individuals don't think
about enforcing their rights.  Lawyers are not as expensive as people
think they are-- especially when you are looking at something that
could drag on for months.

=Nadine=


On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 11:51:15 -0500 (EST), Kevin <kevin at mpcf.com> wrote:
> Damn this sucks hard.  I really wish we had registered with
> GoDaddy so that i could pull out now, and take our list of
> clients with us.
> 
> /KRM
> 
> On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 21:36:54 -0600 (CST)
> "Jonathan C. Patschke" <jp at celestrion.net> wrote:
> 
> > I'm sure many of you remember Dave McGuire, formerly of this
> > list.  I thought this might be of interest, especially given
> > how popular GoDaddy is in the techie circles.
> >
> > Unfortunately, this won't get resolved as quickly as the Panix
> > thing did a few months back, as Dave's mom's company isn't
> > nearly as large as them.
> >
> > --
> > Jonathan Patschke   )   "Let me hear you make decisions
> > Elgin, TX          (     without your television."
> > USA                 )        --Depeche Mode, "Stripped"
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:26:22 -0500
> > From: Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com>
> > Subject: call for help
> >
> >
> >    Hey folks.  This is an unusual one, but I need your help.
> >
> >    The short version: The domain name of my mom's largest
> >    customer, registered
> > with GoDaddy a few years ago, was just stolen...by GoDaddy
> > themselves.  The  customer is fuming, and has begun the process
> > of migrating to another service  provider.  This has the effect
> > of cutting my mother's income approximately in  half, less than
> > a week after signing a lease on a new house.
> >
> >    The domain disappeared from the root nameservers a few days
> >    ago, and we
> > called GoDaddy's support people who started an investigation.
> > A few days went  by with no resolution, until tonight when she
> > basically got fed up and called  them again to see what was up.
> >
> >    Tonight, they said the domain was "unavailable", because
> >    they "received a
> > complaint from a third party indicating that the contact listed
> > in the whois  database was unresponsive".  Said contact was my
> > mother, who's had the same  phone number for seven years, and
> > the same email address for twelve  years...unresponsive, my
> > ass.  Further, this domain had just been renewed this  past
> > December, paid in full for two years.  And even further, they
> > just charged  my mother's debit card another ten bucks due to
> > the "query" regarding the whois  database!
> >
> >    They acknowledged that this is a popular scam.  According to
> >    statements by
> > one the support people she spoke with, this is a frequent
> > occurrence, and  involves...you guessed it, cash.  It works
> > like this.  Someone figures out that  they want a domain that
> > is registered with GoDaddy.  They hop onto GoDaddy's  website,
> > and "pre-buy" the domain...paying money to be the first in line
> > to get  it if it becomes available.  Then, they make a
> > complaint that they were unable  to contact the current owner
> > of the domain (whether that is true or not), then  GoDaddy
> > yanks the domain...which then magically becomes "available" to
> > the  person who paid to be the first in line.  And oh by the
> > way, the previous  owners' money is not refunded.
> >
> >    To make matters worse, they flatly refused to allow her to
> >    speak with a
> > supervisor, saying that she had no recourse, and if she had a
> > problem with  that, she could go file a complaint with ICANN.
> > They refused to provide  contact information for anyone of
> > authority within the company.
> >
> >    I know GoDaddy is popular in this crowd...to be honest,
> >    until tonight, they
> > were popular with me too...so this probably comes as a tough
> > pill to swallow.  But this has plainly exposed them as a bunch
> > of suited thieves who have just  stuck a knife in my mother's
> > back.
> >
> >    I humbly and sincerely request that you, my most trusted
> >    friends, immediately
> > dump that company like a hot rock and move your domains
> > elsewhere.  I realize  this is a pain, and may involve a few
> > bucks (which I'd offer to pay if I didn't  foresee sending all
> > of my spare money to my mother now), but this company needs  a
> > whack on the back of the head.  I'm counting on there being
> > enough  GoDaddy-registered domains in the hands of people here
> > to make them notice a  little exodus.
> >
> >    Again, I know this is a big pain in the ass, and I wouldn't
> >    ask if these
> > suits hadn't just lobbed a hand grenade into my mother's
> > business, and her  livelihood.  Please consider helping me with
> > this by dumping GoDaddy, and get  as many people as you know to
> > do the same.
> >
> >              Thanks,
> >              -Dave
> >
> > --
> > Dave McGuire              "I've watched Harley people throw up
> > Cape Coral, FL                      on the ceiling."    -Krissi
> > _______________________________________________
> > GEEKS:  http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/geeks
> 
> --
> "Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot."
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