What can we learn from RegisterFly debacle?

[Daniel Domainer]

The obvious lesson? There are many differences between registrar besides price. What good is a cheap price if you can't get timely service, no one replies to your emails, renewals don't go through or even if the registrar's own secure cert doesn't work anymore!

Is saving a buck or two on a name worth all that potential hassle?

I only have about 60 names in my portfolio, but I stick with the big names like eNom and GoDaddy. I know they're here today and will be here tomorrow. It seems the only time I've ever had problems is when I would buy an aftermarket domain and it would be regged at some cockamamie registrar. Try to get the EPP key? Maybe if you can make it through the labyrinth of screens to find the link. Or try to call and ALL you ever get is voice mail?

Sorry, my names are valuable property. Even before I got into "the business" I had no problem paying an extra couple of bucks to have that peace of mind.

Just my 2¢...

[FormerDnForumer]

As GeorgeK said: Don't do 50/50 partnerships

[Tia Wood]

Frankly, it could happen to any company.

[katherine]

The RegisterFly debacle is also proof that the ICANN accreditation means nothing...
In the future ICANN should seriously audit would-be registrars by conducting more stringent checks.
For example they should audit scripts and ensure that the backoffice systems in place are sound and that proper contigency plans (including disaster recovery) are in place. I assume there are no such in-depth checks at this time otherwise regfly should never have been accredited in the first place...

I agree 200% that it's not worth saving one buck on a domain if you risk losing it.
Having domains with regfly is like trusting your estate to an arsonist

And on top of that the ICANN contract means nothing if there is no will to enforce it.
According to the ICANN ombudsman:

In the past couple of weeks, over 70% of the non-jurisdictional contacts my Office has received have concerned registerfly.

It tells you something. Perhaps ICANN should levy penalties on the registrars that draw insane amounts of complaints.
Finally ICANN should also remember its motto that is 'preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes' and not just about collecting fees.

The RegisterFly debacle amounts to fraud and ICANN is guilty by association at the very least for having been so complacent.
Both have failed miserably. Shame on them.

[JuniperPark]

I'm not sure the blame can all be placed on the one guy with the escorts -- the compaint levels were huge in 2004. This legal charge should have been filed in 2005 -- by waiting till 2007, it sounds to me like BOTH partners were engaged in the ripoff, and the crooks just recently turned on each other.

Something is way wrong with waiting 2 years to fire the CEO.

[Acro]

Perhaps he's even being used as a scapegoat. What if Registerfly did offer to its officers free escorts and liposuction weekend escapades?
GoDaddy does the same with Bob Parsons' huge collection of earring studs.
Don't buy the hype.

[totenmaske]

It's too little too late... Many of my names are either gone, in redemption or lined up for the kill because I can't transfer them out.

And Enom is almost as bad as RF in the customer service department. I've submitted support requests and sent emails to various Enom accounts to no avail.

[barkingmad]

The obvious lesson? There are many differences between registrar besides price. What good is a cheap price if you can't get timely service, no one replies to your emails,...

The problem is there is NO registrar that can be trusted.

the names are only rented !

how many years was sex.com/ lost to the rightful owner ?

Google.de was sold away ...oops sorry we "give" it you back !

google.com ~ Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com

as is yahoo.com with ~ Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com

Markmonitor pay the ICANN fee of what $ 6.50 !?

There is NO guarantee, are Google & Yahoo paying more than the reg fee ?

"Anyone" can file a WIPO claim for the google.com/ yahoo.com domains

If my given name is Ron Google and I used it before 1997, I have more right to the domain name.

I bought a car ~ paid cash to the previous owner ~ is it mine ?

I bought a house ~ paid cash to the previous owner ~ is it mine ?

I bought a domain ~ paid cash to the previous "owner" ~ is it mine ?

There is more money here than you could shake a stick at, but we are buying
a puff of air.