Registerfly - Domain name pirate ICANN Enom GoDaddy

FAQ Thread - Hope this helps guys!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------

LATEST UPDATES:

2007/03/03 - Updated the NameCheap coupon code in #20. Unfortunately there is no coupon code for RENEWALS right now, only for brand new domains. I also have updated some information on namecheap in #8, regarding their support... I tried it today and got a reply within a few hours!

2007/03/02 - Added a clarification about admin email whois, also... added a point about the Abritration Forum... added note about another GoDaddy skeleton! (#9)

2007/02/27 - Updated FAQ #20. GoDaddy CEO has a blog post!
2007/02/27 - I added FAQ #22 and #23 regarding Domain Not Found error. So far, no real good solution for this one, its a strange situation where the only ones that can fix it is RF.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Due to the fact that I\'ve seen duplicate questions being asked all the time on this forum, I decided it would be best to make an official FAQ forum so you could quickly get answers without searching the vast forums. If you have any Q/A to add to this thread, reply with them and I will add them to this post. Thanks!

QUESTION 1
Q: Why do I get a blank whois/user and pass error/can\'t change lock status/no auth code on RF?
A: If you have blank data problems, can\'t change whois, have a blank authorization code, or aren\'t able to change your lock status (you submit it but it stays unlocked, etc). This is 99% of the time caused because your registrar is ENOM (not RegFly). RegFly used to be a reseller of ENOM, before they became ICANN accredited (no idea how they stuck that one pass us). SO... how do you check this? Go to: http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/whois.ch?ip=yourdomain.com and change \'yourdomain\' with your own domain name. You will get the whois info. If it says that the registrar is ENOM. THIS IS A GOOD THING. It means you can transfer your domain out under RegFly\'s feet and gain control back over it (see next point)

QUESTION 2
Q: My domain registrar shows up as ENOM.. now what?
A: I followed the steps listed:
1) Went to enomcentral and created a free account
2) Scanned my drivers license - then edited it in photoshop to blur out some of my license number for safety reasons (do this, just black out the last few digits for your own privacy!)
3) Took screenshots of my regfly account listing all my domains
4) Copied the whois information for my 3 domains into a txt file
5) E-mail all of this info to: Elida Flores (elida@enom.com)
6) Include in the e-mail a message saying you own x.com and that you want it transfered to your new ENOM account (list what your userid is on ENOM). Be sure to tell her which domains you want pushed to ENOM!
7) Wait 1-2 days for her to process it. I got mine moved over to ENOM in 24 hrs. You\'ll get an email from ENOM thanking you for choosing them, then the domains will be in your ENOM account where you can edit the WHOIS info again and have FULL control back...
Cool

Jump for joy
9) Post your ENOM success story here

QUESTION 3
Q: How do I unlock my domain with RF?
A: I went into the config of each individual domain and unlocked them. They were all in \'lock\' mode. I first unlocked them, then re-locked them, then unlocked them again. This seemed to work... and if you go to DNSSTUFF.com and do a whois search you can see an UNCACHED whois update, which shows immediately the changes (you don\'t have to wait for propagation through the whois databases). Just type in your domain and click the link that says GET FRESH RESULTS in blue.

If your domain is unlocked it should say: Status: OK! if it doesnt, and says something like client____prohibited. Then repeat the steps and keep refreshing for the uncached whois result.

QUESTION 4
Q: How do I get my \'auth\' code?

ANSWER: REGISTERFLY
A: If your domain registrar is RegisterFly and not ENOM, then you will be able to get your auth code. There were troubles in the past with this, but recently regfly seems to be showing the codes again.
1) Go to manage domains (where it lists all your domains)
2) Click a domain (anyone will do)
3) Click the

beside Domain Contact Information

4) Click CONFIGURE button at the bottom (you need to do this... it wont list the code in that ajax table that pops up first)
5) You will now see input boxes to edit the data
6) Scroll to the bottom and you\'ll see a box saying Authorization Code
7) Copy that code... it looks like 9AHE3HaZv7 or something like that.
Cool

Open notepad... and type your domain name and the auth code
9) Go up to the top of the page where theres it the dropdown with all your other domains. Click it... choose the next domain on the list.. and click GO. Then repeat steps 6-8 for each domain. EACH DOMAIN HAS A DIFFERENT AUTH CODE.
10) Save the notepad file. Then... when you transfer them to another registrar, you\'ll need to input these codes.

ANSWER: ENOM (submitted by: Brad R)
How do I get my Auth code from enom?
If your domain was with enom, and you were able to get enom to transfer that domain to a new account (see Question 2 above):

1. Go to www.enomcentral.com and log in to your account.
2. Click on \"Registered domains\" in your account summary.
3. Click on the desired domain name.
4. Click on \"contact information\" and check the info. enom sends auth codes by email, so you need to have the correct info. If you\'ve transferred a ProtectFly domain, you might still have the RegisterFly info here. You should change address, phone, etc. to your real info ASAP.
5. In the drop-down \"Manage domain\" box, select \"General Settings\".
6. Click \"Email Auth Code to Registrant.\"

QUESTION 5
Q: How to transfer your unlocked domains
A: do this:

PRE CHECKLIST
a) Check the whois and are sure they are unlocked (status: OK) - see FAQ #1
b) Change all your whois info back to your own
c) Make sure PROTECT FLY is turned off
d) Have your OWN email in the whois admin contact email spot
e) Have your auth codes ready

1) I went to my new registrar (NAMECHEAP.COM for me) and I logged into my account and went to bulk transfer. (You can also use GoDaddy if you want.. but they have some other navigation flow, this is mainly for namecheap but the steps are similar)

2) I typed all of my domains into NAMECHEAP and clicked submit. They showed up as \'unlocked\' and NC told me I could transfer them. I used the coupon code \"FEBLOVE\" which lets you transfer domains for only $7.95! So.. I paid $7.95 for each domain through paypal, the money was deposited into my account, then I made the transfer and paid through quick checkout. You can also pay with credit card if you want or even Google Checkout.

3) I then went to MANAGE TRANSFERS screen in NC and it listed my domains I was transferring. You have to then have you click each of the names and type in the AUTH CODE from RegFly and confirm it. I did that for each domain, and NC said it was now in cue to transfer.

4) About 4-5 hours later, I got emails from namecheap/enom wanting me to confirm the transfer. I clicked the link inside the e-mail and accepted the transfer. My IP is tracked, and it says that my acceptance of the transfer went through.

5) Now just wait for the old regfly domains to transfer over to my NC account. REMEMBER: 5 days, if regfly doesnt email you or properly contact me (which they wont cause they are acting stupid and refusing to send out proper emails)... they automatically become successfully transfered by DEFAULT... whether regfly likes it or not. This is due to a new ICANN rule where unlocked domains will get transfered to another registrar after 5 days if no \'denial\' email is responded to. So either way... in 6 days you should have your domains!

QUESTION 6
Q: My whois admin contact email is set as \'glenn@registerfly.com\' what is going on?
A: See FAQ #1

QUESTION 7
Q: What registrar should I pick now? I\'m scared!
A: Go here and view a huge bunch of registrars and their ratings by thousands of users. They are accurate and you can read up on tons of testimonials. Right now GoDaddy and Namecheap are my top picks because they accept paypal. If I had to say 1 company, I would suggest NameCheap if you want hassle-free domain management and don\'t need hosting, etc.

QUESTION 8
Q: Why do you like NameCheap so much?

1) I\'ve had no problems with them... I have dozens of domains with them.
2) Their interface is amazing and so easy! It is ajax-driven, really slick
3) They don\'t clutter their site with ads or try to sell you stuff like GoDaddy
4) Their support is lacking, I\'ve heard. But I haven\'t had issues... so I haven\'t had to contact support.
5) THEY ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH REGFLY OR UNIFIEDNAMES. They are affiliated with UNIFIEDREGISTRAR... but don\'t confuse the two. UNIFIEDREGISTRAR is ok. UNIFIEDNAMES is not.
6) I was going to go with GoDaddy but I\'ve heard just as many horror stories about GoDaddy \'freezing\' domains and suspending accounts for stupid little complaints without a court order. www.nodaddy.com
7) Namecheap has an amazing rating.... look! http://www.namepros.com/domain-registrar-reviews/83600-namecheap.html
Cool

Namecheap isn\'t expensive... there are coupons to get new domains and renewals for only $7.95 or even cheaper... just search digitalpoint or namepros
9) THEIR WHOIS PROTECTION IS FREE when you register a domain. ENOM charges $8/yr for this! This is valid for 1 yr from when you purchase the domain. However... if you renew on a yearly basis... you get the whois protection updated as well with your renewal... which is fine with me!
10) *NEW* They DO HAVE GOOD SUPPORT. I just tried contacting them... see my post here.

OTHER REGISTRAR\'S I\'VE HEARD GOOD ABOUT: Monkier.com

QUESTION 9
Q: What about GoDaddy?

1) I\'ve heard good ratings over all from them
2) They do have skeletons in their closet (Update: and have been found to be stealing domains)... and there are horror stories about GD posted in the Registerflies forum!
3) They have an decent BBB score
4) They are huge... now one of the biggest. They are based in the USA
5) They sponsor diggnation! (The best vid podcast ever)
6) Their phone support, I\'ve heard, is very fast and good
7) They offer a trillion other services (ok.. maybe not that much).. such as hosting (though I recommend my clients not to use them as a host as there\'s much better alternatives)
Cool

They have a new domain interface. I dont think its as good as namecheap\'s GUI. Still... much more improved.
9) Only thing I don\'t like about them is that their site is so cluttered I get annoyed. So many sponsored ads and stuff they try to sell you. So make up your mind and choose!

QUESTION 10
Q: Why aren\'t my support tickets at REGFLY being answered?
A: Because... they \'dont have access to their help system\' anymore... OR.. its just because they don\'t care about you and are overloaded by so many requests for help that they\'ve given up. Don\'t rely on them helping you via the ticket system.

QUESTION 11
Q: I just learned about this... what is going on?

\"An apparent power struggle between two partners in the company has left customers scrambling to recover domains that were not automatically renewed as agreed, or were paid for and for no apparent reason allowed to lapse well before the agreed upon expiration date.

And what of ICANN\'s decision to simply refer customers back to Registerfly, when the reason they are contacting ICANN in the first place is for a problem concerning domain registration that Registerfly either cannot or will not resolve on its own? If ICANN itself is either unable or unwilling to handle a problem of this magnitude.\" Though.. they have made an statement and sent it to registerfly telling them to shape up in the next 15 days or lose their ICANN certification

Read the story

Summary:
http://www.bobparsons.com/RegisterflyScandal.html

Interesting video:
http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=512723016&channel=493148924

Slashdot story:
http://slashdot.org/articles/07/02/20/0024233.shtml

QUESTION 12
Q: Who\'s UnifiedNames?
A: http://www.stopunifiednames.com/whois.html

QUESTION 13
Q: Who\'s Kevin Medina?
A: http://www.stopunifiednames.com/medina.html

QUESTION 14
Q: Who do I complain to? (Submitted by Flytrap)
http://ic3.gov/complaints
http://reports.internic.net/cgi/registrars/problem-report.cgi
https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx
http://www.cctf.nj.gov/computerform.htm

QUESTION 15
Q: Why does RegFly\'s website have NOTHING on it about all this?
A: To my knowledge, Kevin .. after being fired... changed all the passwords and configs to the RegFly website so that staff no longer could edit it or access it. He also edited the passwords to the help ticket system apparently... so that is why staff can\'t answer the help tickets. Seems fishy why its taking so long for them to regain access... but right now I couldn\'t care less.

QUESTION 16
Q: If I transfer my domain(s) to a new registrar.. do I lose my renewals I bought.. what happens to the expiry date?
A: If your domain has been renewed already for 3 years... and you transfer it... that will remain. When you transfer a domain to a registrar you pay for a minimum of 1 EXTRA year.. and then you can transfer it to them and have you existing expiry date + 1 yr. However... if you\'re transfering to ENOM... you don\'t have to pay for 1 year extra. Since ENOM already owned your domain, they just move it to your ENOM account out of regfly. It only works for domains that have ENOM listed as the registrar.

QUESTION 17
Q: My domain on RegFly says it doesn\'t expire until xx/xx/07 however in the whois it says it already has expired! What do I do?
A: Well, if your domain has already expired it is because RegFly screwed up and tricked you into thinking they had renewed it when they really didn\'t. Right now there is no clear solution to this other than to contact the people in FAQ #14 and hope you can still get it back. Make sure to take screenshots of ALL your domains in regfly, and get all whois info, etc on your domain. If you can register it again and it\'s available... go and get it! It may have expired a long time ago under your nose and been available for some time now!

QUESTION 18
Q: My domain is about to expire soon! I\'m going to lose it! What do I do?
A: 1... DONT PANIC. Second, DONT GIVE MONEY TO REGFLY TO RENEW IT. If you have funds alraedy in your regfly account.. then do a quick checkout and renew it, I\'ve read that renewals still work if you have funds in your account. But if you dont have funds in your account.. DONT pay regfly any more money, you\'ll lose it. Secondly, try and do all the steps above to transfer it out of regfly before it expires.

QUESTION 19
Q: Can I still transfer a domain if it is locked???
A: Some people have been able to do it, as seen here. They are lucky.

QUESTION 20

Q: Do you have any coupons/deals for transfering my domain to someone?
A: YES!
NameCheap - use coupon: \"MARCHMADNESS\" (NEW!) to get each of your domains transfered for under $8.

GoDaddy - They have an offer for RegFly users here.
Update: Mary, from these forums, pointed out that the GoDaddy CEO made a post in his blog which is neat to read. Check it out here: http://www.bobparsons.com/RegisterflyScandal.html

MyDomain - I heard you can transfer for $5.00, as it says on their homepage, but for some reason it doesnt work and you still get charged $7.99.
UPDATE: MyDomain apparently works now.

QUESTION 21
Q: RegFly overcharged my credit card... what do I do?
A: Do this:
1) Contact local police, they will help investigate
2) Phone up credit card company, they\'ll have a fraud/risk dept. to ask what to do
3) Steps: http://www.ehow.com/how_117148_fix-billing-mistake.html
4) File on Better Business Bureau

QUESTION 22
Q: I get a \"DOMAIN NOT FOUND\" error. Help!
A: Ok... so I have gotten a bunch of e-mails and replies about this one. The signs are that your whois info is registerfly\'s info. Your registrar is either REGISTERFLY, INC. or some weird N/A ###### thing. AND.. you can\'t edit your whois info in regfly because it says domain is not found.

For this one... it looks like because your registrar is RegFly and not ENOM, there is no way to push it out to ENOM. Second, since it is locked and your admin whois email is not your own.. there is no way to transfer it. And since you can\'t edit whois.. there is no way to fix this. SO... the only solution I have right now is that RegFly has to edit this and fix it themselves. How? The best solution I can come up with is to phone RegFly\'s support phone number 973-404-8430 (9-5pm EST M-F). And then HOPE somebody picks up the phone. There have been reports that a guy has picked up the phone sometimes and actually helped a few people... or gave some people some lame ass response that he couldn\'t get into the help ticket system. ALSO.. DONT WASTE TIME opening regfly support tickets... they DONT answer them!

QUESTION 23
Q: My domain show as EXPIRED in regfly, but my WHOIS says it doesn\'t expire till 2008!
A: I have seen 4 cases of this so far, and it has something to do with data corruption at RegFly in their databases, and is also closely tied with the problem in FAQ #22. No solution on it yet.

QUESTION 24
Q: What do you mean by \'adminstrative/admin whois email?\' (Posted by: BradR)

A: What they\'re telling you is that you need to change the whois information so that the \"administrative contact\" email address is your email address.

When you have privacy protection enabled, the Administrative Contact is changed to Registerfly\'s postal address, and an anonymous email address. Mail sent to that anonymous address is supposed to be forwarded to you. When you transfer, the transfer request is sent to this email!

QUESTION 25
Q: Is there ANY ORGANIZATION that cares about this issue?\'
A: Yes, apparently there is! The National Arbitration Forum. Visit them by CLICKING HERE.

THATS IT FOR NOW FOLKS! Goodluck, and God bless. In the end, RF will pay for the grief they\'ve caused!

PS. Give a \"karma\" boost as a thanks.. just for kicks. It means nothing, but its fun anyways Wink

haha

Post edited by: sirchadlington, at: 2007/03/03 12:01

od_displayImage('sitelogo', 'http://www.registerflies.com/templates/default/images/logo-registerflies', 400, 60, '', 'Registerfly - Domain name pirate ICANN Enom GoDaddy');