A poor analogy, but the best I can do, I'm afraid:

You go to your local BulgeMobile dealer, and talk to a salesman about the XQ-12 MegaSUV. You tell him you're not quite ready to buy, but you'd like to know if he can get one in white, with leather seats, and the WAM-O-ZAM 2000 24-speaker stereo.

You negotiate a tentative price, and say you want to shop around.

You go across town to another BulgeMobile dealer, and make the same inquiry. Well, if we could get one, we could sell it to you for $1000 less than you've been quoted. But, sorry, they say, but the last white XQ-12 with leather seats and the WAM-O-ZAM system at the factory has been put "on hold" by another dealer.

Are you mad as hell? Is somebody going to do something about it? Is your Attorney General (OK, governor now) Eliot Spitzer?

Thanks for the feedback and different viewpoints. Just wanted to let you know based on feedback we will be making improvements and i will try to post here when I have the details.

I have been on this forum since 2003 mostly as a lurker and a few posts here and there.On a personal note I just moved to this position in Network Solutions helping to implement a "listening post" in the Social media.

Simply a scam. Ethics are important for me when I do business. Sorry netsol, no more business with you guys ...

On a personal note I just moved to this position in Network Solutions helping to implement a "listening post" in the Social media.

I don't envy your position.

They shouldn't have needed a "listening post" for this. It was a dumb idea, and that's apparent on it's face. If they needed feedback from the public to determine this, I want to know what cave they've been living in.

I was unaware people still paid $35/year for domain names.

This is simply the type of company Network Solutions has always been and always will be. Unethical and anti-consumer. Anyone who does business with them is a fool.

I'm pretty sure Google engineers don't like cheap domains at all. Cheap domains make their job more difficult.

Hmmm ... could that be why Google partners with GoDaddy and eNom when setting up a Google Apps account [google.com]?
(Google's one-year domain registrations via either partner is USD $10)

edit:typo /edit

[edited by: Laker at 9:02 pm (utc) on Jan. 9, 2008]

Anyone can test this.. I just did. It is pathetic.. I mean, why would you open yourself to allowing people to arbitrarily tag domain names to your service? Take this for example:

[dontregisterdomainshere.com...]

I mean, right there you let anyone, not even a registered user, kinda suggest something against your business model..

All I did was search that name, it wasn't taken, less than 60 seconds later, there is the splash page..

Honestly, Netsol has seriously mucked this one up..

I understand wanting to hold the domain name for the user until they checkout, but splashing it and holding it for five days? Couldn't a distributed attack start forcing netsol to hold massive amounts of domain names by just dictionary attacking their search with a bot?

Think of it in another way. Lets say, Hillary Clinton got assassinated two minutes from now.. Within 2 minutes and 5 seconds I could put a hold on the domain: hillaryisdead.com, or whoassasinatedhillary.com, etc., without even spending a penny.

Domains should only be put on hold when they go into the basket, and then only until the basket times out (like 30 minutes)..

Ok I have a question here on this topic.

Lets say I look for a domain in Godaddy and it shows it is taken but really it is on hold by network solutions so being green I see were I can backorder it for 18.50 and do it what happens now.

1- The domain was never taken so I really don't need to backorder it or
2- I am overcharged for a domain I should have been able to purchase in the first place.

Do I get a refund? say 1000 people do this kinda like stealing isn't it....not chump change anymore more.

Of course, I'm not a fan of this either and see their explanation as a complete monopolistic farce.

This doesn't cost them anything now since they're able to return domains for free within the grace period right? However what I'd wonder is if when it goes back to being unregistered if it then becomes available on any sort of dropped domain list. If so this is seriously contributing to kiting and tasting - because those are the folks that would have access to that type of list.

So you go to register your name, netsol snatches it and you decide to wait until it drops. Before you can reregister it a taster snatches it up from a dropped domain list. Ugly if that's true.

I don't have any problem with domain tasters, but I'm not so sure that Netsol should be helping them out at the expense of some web illiterate person who's trying to register a neato domain name.

Anyone able to confirm or deny my speculation?

So you go to register your name, netsol snatches it and you decide to wait until it drops. Before you can reregister it a taster snatches it up from a dropped domain list. Ugly if that's true.

I don't have any problem with domain tasters, but I'm not so sure that Netsol should be helping them out at the expense of some web illiterate person who's trying to register a neato domain name.

Anyone able to confirm or deny my speculation?

Yes, AFAIK all of the domains Network Solutions has "registered" are now in the global DNS -- and every computer on the planet has access to that information.

This means that domain tasters will see them and can grab them the nanosecond they are deleted.

IMNHO, Network Solutions has aided and abetted the tasters by making these names available to them.

Lets say I look for a domain in Godaddy and it shows it is taken but really it is on hold by network solutions so being green I see were I can backorder it for 18.50 and do it what happens now.

1- The domain was never taken so I really don't need to backorder it or
2- I am overcharged for a domain I should have been able to purchase in the first place.

In my experience, a GD Backorder is not likely to succeed against the domain tasters in the initial drop. If the tasters eventually drop it (after however-many iterations of tastings) then the GD Backorder will pick it up.

Said differently, yes, you the "green" little-guy got screwed.

.
edit: typo /edit

[edited by: Laker at 10:22 pm (utc) on Jan. 9, 2008]

This opens the door to all sorts of "dirty tricks" that webmasters could pull on competitors. And it need not cost them a dime.

Dirty tricks that don't cost a dime tend to spread like wildfire.

Hi ,

I want to update you on some of the improvements we are implementing in the near term after listneing to feedback:-

1)We have changed the current webpage to which reserved domain names resolve to a general under construction page. Additionally, all new reserved names after tonight will not resolve to any page at all.

2)This week, we will be making enhancements that will address the concerns related to disclosure of zone file and DNS server information of the reserved names. This should address some of the concerns recently raised.

3)Very soon we will remove our customer protection measure from our WHOIS search page, so that no domains searched on this page will be reserved. We will continue to reserve, however, domains searched from our homepage.

Appreciate all the points of view .

Thanks,

Shashi aka shman

3)Very soon we will remove our customer protection measure from our WHOIS search page, so that no domains searched on this page will be reserved. We will continue to reserve, however, domains searched from our homepage.

What is the URL for Network Solution's WHOIS search page that isn't linked to your homepage?

Asked differently, what URL will provide access to search Network Solution's WHOIS, such that the return of an available domain name will not result in "reserved name"?

I believe that GoDaddy does this as well.

Speaking of: Where is everyone's favorite site to register domain names? I have been using Godaddy solely because it is cheapest.

1)We have changed the current webpage to which reserved domain names resolve to a general under construction page.

That's still wrong. There's nothing "under construction" nor "coming soon" unless somebody actually registers the domain.

Additionally, all new reserved names after tonight will not resolve to any page at all.

That's better. But I'll bet your lawyers made you do that to avoid liability. Bet they also wondered aloud why somebody didn't ask them first.

3)Very soon we will remove our customer protection measure from our WHOIS search page, so that no domains searched on this page will be reserved. We will continue to reserve, however, domains searched from our homepage.

Still wrong. Where's the disclosure? Why are you not reserving the name for the specific customer (and ONLY customers - not everyone) who searched for it.

Just shut it off before you dig yourself a deeper hole.

I use Fabulous and it's fab...+ 5 times cheaper then Netsol :)

Yet another justification (as if I needed more) for pulling my business from NetSol years ago.

Hmm, 1000 bots at 1 search per second can tie up more than 86 million domains in 24 hours.

You say they are held for five days? Heh, that seems like an easy way to hold up 432 million domain names at a time!

Hmmmmm. Imagine there are 10 botnets involved, with 50 000 compromised machines each, and that'll tie up ~216 Billion domains.

Ya think domain sales would fall to ~0 while that was happening? Let's hope no-one tries that one on for size.

"We are not front running"

This fits right in with "the check is in the mail" and "this is not spam"

>> This fits right in with "the check is in the mail" and "this is not spam"

or, I am not -a-; my boyfriend is ;)

Hi ,
I want to update you on some of the improvements we are implementing in the near term after listneing to feedback:-

1)We have changed the current webpage to which reserved domain names resolve to a general under construction page. Additionally, all new reserved names after tonight will not resolve to any page at all.

2)This week, we will be making enhancements that will address the concerns related to disclosure of zone file and DNS server information of the reserved names. This should address some of the concerns recently raised.

3)Very soon we will remove our customer protection measure from our WHOIS search page, so that no domains searched on this page will be reserved. We will continue to reserve, however, domains searched from our homepage.

Appreciate all the points of view .

Thanks,

Shashi aka shman

Sure wish you folks did that sooner, Shashi. All this potential PR damage
could've been avoided.

And it'll also be nice if you add that disclaimer as Laker said. :)

David

Whilst I can possibly see the intentions behind this, it should be a feature available only to bona-fide customers, IE., customers who have logged in to their account, and also be an opt-in feature for those customer, either at the account level or for a specific domain.

Those who have no account with NetSol, or who have not logged into their account, are Prospects, not Customers, and so holding domains for these people is not holding domains for customers.

Continuing to have this as an overall feature without an opt-out will only cause more trouble and bad-faith than it is worth. I suggest killing it completely or only offering it as an opt-in feature to logged in customers, and I suggest the change be made quickly.

This would be kinda like the NetSol management deciding to hold 10% of their employees' wages in an investment account for 30 days on their behalf in order to help them save for the future. Never mind that the employees' children might miss a meal or two in the meantime. :(

Onya
Woz

What they are doing is absolutely disgraceful. They can try and sugarcoat this, but no one will be able convince me there wasn’t pure greed involved in this decision.

Add me to the list of folks that will never do business with them.

we were going to allow customer to look up and register thousands of domains thru netsol I guess I should be looking else where now

Sorry, shman...

I worked for Network Solutions (Thank god something better came along) and my opinion, based on my experience of working there, is that this new practice has NOTHING to do about protecting your customers and EVERYTHING to do about forcing people to register through NetSol.

This practice of Front Running that you claim to be protecting people from is not NEARLY as widespread as NetSol would like you to believe. It's just a convenient excuse to engage in shady business practices.

The ONLY thing NetSol is protecting is their bottom line. NetSol has to catch up somehow <with the other registrars>.

Oh, I'm sure Champ will put some magical spin on it at your upcoming Pep Rally....but call a spade a spade. This is nothing but more NetSol shenanigans in a desperate attempt to regain some market share.

[edited by: Webwork at 4:50 am (utc) on Jan. 10, 2008]
[edit reason] Tidying up [/edit]

Agreed, this program needs to be STOPPED! I am currently in the process of moving all of my domains from netsol to godaddy.. What really sucks is, I started a move about 2 days before this happened, and the domain has 4 days left of registration.. I hope, even though it may be in vein, that this fiasco doesn't affect the transfer...

I hope, even though it may be in vein, that this fiasco doesn't affect the transfer

Just make sure all conditions are met for transfer (e.g. updated email address, unlocked domain, given auth code to gaining registrar, etc.)
and it'll likely be fine, fiasco or no fiasco.

David

Shashi, they are lucky to have you...but not vice versa...

And who needs domain tasting? The way they were doing it with a splash page, they were getting the benefit of tasting on a massive scale for that 5 days anyway....

I'm glad I moved my domains from NetSol long ago.

Indeed, they should stop this system altogether. Even an opt-in causes problems. Want to mess w/ a competitor but don't want your name attached or to be sued? Just throw a bot @ it w/ competitor's name around various keywords and netsol will block it messing up yr competitor.

This is rife for abuse...but none of the abuse is as bad as NetSol.

What if every registrar engaged in this wonderful practice?

something like:
"Wow, I can't believe whfihwp-snmoe-dfjof.us is actually available! It's a keeper!