I don't have the permissions to create a separate own thread...but if someone here does, I'd really like to get the following info out as a warning:
Cira has recently screwed up, big time. Near the beginning of 2011, a large batch of domain names were dropped as "expired" by Cira by Accident.
These domain names were up for Auto-Renewal, and experienced a "Renewal Failure". A technical glitch.
Cira did not become aware of the extent of the problem until it was far too late...the names had already been released, many of which were registered by new owners.
Instead of coming forward with the information, Cira AND my Registrar (who shall remain unnamed for the time being) decided to Not Tell Anyone.
I discovered it myself, and have contacted my registrar and Cira. Cira is not responding at this point, but my registrar has indicated that they are aware of this situation and are dealing with it on a "case by case" basis.
What "Case by Case" means, of course, is they'll only deal with it if you notice their mistake.
Since I do not know if it was my registrar's idea or a directive from Cira to keep it a secret, I'm leaving my registrar un-named until I hear back from them. They've promised to follow up as soon as possible and are treating the matter seriously (and secretly).
Please double-check your registrations and compare your domain lists from 2010 to 2011. Do not assume that you will be notified if something was lost.
If this has happened to you as well, please PM me.
