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SnapNames issues - Legal advice needed

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DomainEmpire.com

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I decided to make this case public only after multiple failed attempts to clarify this matter privately in a friendly way with both involved parties: NetworkSolutions & SnapNames

We won Picozzi.com on auction at SnapNames for $489 last 29th August so we paid promptly for it and got the name moved to our NetworkSolutions account some days later.
We changed dns, posted this name for sale in few marketplaces and forgot about it for few weeks.

Two months later we logged to our account to retrieve the auth code and to transfer it to our main registrar to consolidate our portfolio as we're used to do with all our acquisition but the domain was no longer there.
A whois query showed the most recent change was occurred in the first week of October where a new registrant changed its dns so we visited the domain and discovered it was redirecting to a landing page where someone having 'Picozzi' as surname was mentioned so this started to make us very suspicious.

We started to open a ticket at NetSol and got a delayed reply (as usual) some days later where their agent didn't read/understand our request and recommended to place a backorder if we were interested in acquiring Picozzi.com (what ridiculous and frustrating support).

We tried multiple times with new tickets but kept getting unrelated replies so we got in touch with a person we know in the company who admitted this domain was transferred back 'in error' to the original registrant few weeks after the auction completion.
Isn't this a real theft in your honest opinion ? We got no notice about these facts till then (we're now in November).

We started to open tickets at SnapNames and again we started getting unrelated delayed replies until after a strong pressure they admitted the mistake and promised a refund.
A fight of months till last 2nd February when we got a ticket affirming they credited back the whole auction amount to our account so we logged and the account credit was still showing $0 ...
It's important clarifying we paid by PayPal for this auction and asked repeatedly and clearly for a credit to our account balance but I also need to specify such refund didn't come to our PayPal as well.

We opened a new ticket and got in touch with a contact inside Web.com as well so we've been told the amount was credited to the credit card in account ... Such card wasn't involved in no way in this deal and it's not possible crediting funds on it especially in a case where it wasn't directly used for a specific transaction so such funds got lost and now SnapNames no longer care about our claims asserting we should check with our credit card company but we weren't allowed to credit funds directly on it (it's not an Iban card ops sorry ... it's a debit card).

So what happens now legally ? We're ready to hire a lawyer to clarify the whole matter without caring we might pay even more than what we lost but we'll obviously accuse them of having stolen our domain with no notice and no reason after that to have credited funds on a card not directly involved in this process by ignoring our clear and repeated requests for a direct account credit which was even easier to apply.

CONCLUSION: Multiple times during the years SnapNames took back domains few days after the auction ended with multiple excuses (especially where the winning bid was under $100 and always with a good justification of course) but we got always a prompt refund while now the situation is much more serious not just for the small involved amount but for the offensive fact they stolen it without giving us any written notice/prompt refund about that.

Any advice is highly appreciated before we'll hear a lawyer to take care of this case.
 
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Biggie

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Hi

do you have the person's name that you contacted below?
we got in touch with a person we know in the company who admitted this domain was transferred back 'in error' to the original registrant few weeks after the auction completion.

Hi
do you have an existing card on file with web.com and was any credit issued to it?
We opened a new ticket and got in touch with a contact inside Web.com as well so we've been told the amount was credited to the credit card in account

it's a debit card

they stolen it without giving us any written notice/prompt refund about that.
so, at this point,
you don't have the domain and you didn't get any paypal refund or a credit to any cards on file?
if that's the case, then....
i would pursue the matter directly with web.com. i know it's a headache, but it could be resolved with persistent phone calls.
get names of those you talk to and push the envelope till it bursts.

hope it works out.

imo...
 

DomainEmpire.com

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Thanks for the advice.
I messaged to multiple email addresses, either at @Snapnames.com and @Web.com but I got just a confirmation of a refund isued to my debit card in file.
It's not possible adding funds to such card so that money got lost for both parties now.

That's correct, now we lost either Picozzi.com and our funds.
I don't have time to waste behind this matter but I'll surely hire someone who'll take care of it.
 

DomainEmpire.com

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Thanks for the advice.
I messaged to multiple email addresses, either at @Snapnames.com and @Web.com but I got just a confirmation of a refund isued to my debit card in file.
It's not possible adding funds to such card so that money got lost for both parties now.

That's correct, now we lost either Picozzi.com and our funds.
I don't have time to waste behind this matter but I'll surely hire someone who'll take care of it.
 

acahk

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Hi

do you have the person's name that you contacted below?


Hi
do you have an existing card on file with web.com and was any credit issued to it?





so, at this point,
you don't have the domain and you didn't get any paypal refund or a credit to any cards on file?
if that's the case, then....
i would pursue the matter directly with web.com. i know it's a headache, but it could be resolved with persistent phone calls.
get names of those you talk to and push the envelope till it bursts.

hope it works out.

imo...
I think it needs at least $XX to pay the international phone calls if people want to solve problem in this way.
It is ridiculous for the customer to spend a lot of time and money to solve a problem that cause by snapnames.
 

Biggie

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I think it needs at least $XX to pay the international phone calls if people want to solve problem in this way.
It is ridiculous for the customer to spend a lot of time and money to solve a problem that cause by snapnames.
Hi

many of these services have toll-free numbers and it's cheaper to call than retaining a lawyer
one might also establish a meaningful contact for the future, through such communications.

imo...
 

DomainEmpire.com

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Sure I'll do.
I'll check and hire a lawyer in their same jurisdiction to make it easier but it's for sure an unnecessary waste of time for a customer just because they're not professional and don't care too much about us and our rights.
 

Castion

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Thanks for the advice.
I messaged to multiple email addresses, either at @Snapnames.com and @Web.com but I got just a confirmation of a refund isued to my debit card in file.
It's not possible adding funds to such card so that money got lost for both parties now.
What a horror story!

I will remark that in some instances I also got refunds to debit cards that did not show anywhere.. But the money showed up in my account. Its sort of a ghost transfer in those cases. Could you check if your balance perhaps has gone up on the debit card without the transaction actually showing?
 

DomainEmpire.com

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Money isn't on our bank account as well - This's a small issue but a big time consuming for us.
I'll hire someone to take care of it.
 

bhartzer

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We have dealt with related issues to yours with Network Solutions. If the domain name was in your account at Network Solutions (and you have seen it in your account), and the domain name was transferred out or to someone else without your permission, then that would be considered domain name theft.

It took a look at the WHOIS history and the domain name was transferred from Network Solutions to Tucows (Hover) on 12/16/2021. If you did NOT transfer the domain name to Tucows, then it most likely is a stolen domain.

Feel free to contact us (DNProtect.com) and we can step in and resolve this for you, as we have done for other DNProtect customers.
 

DomainEmpire.com

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Hello, thanks for your detailed feedback. I'll surely keep in touch with your group in the next few days as soon as I'll have some spare time to provide the needed details about this matter.
 

DomainEmpire.com

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Final update to close this discussion. After a long waiting our bank has recovered all funds credited by SnapNames on a debit card in no way involved in the transaction in object and that we were not authorized to recharge as they did.
It has been an hard fight and a big time consuming but for sure SnapNames showed once again to be very unfriendly and unprofessional in assisting their customers.

Thanks again for your advice and assistance.
 

bhartzer

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What is the outcome that you want? Do you want the domain name back, or do you want the money back for the domain (and let the current registrant have the domain)?

Either way, we (DNProtect) can help. Feel free to get in touch.
 
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