Domain Registrar Problems

[Retro2001]

Here's the problem I have:
In doing some work for a local organization, I need to change the nameservers for their domain. Normally, this would be a simple task, however this domain was origionaly registered by a third party (who is now defunct) and when the domain was registered, the authoritiative contact was listed as null@null.com (or something similar to that). The registrar's domain password recovery form will only email the password to the email address that registered the domain origionally, but this email address is now defunct with the failure of the origional business. I have attempted to contact the registrar by fax, email and phone and have recieved no responce (registrar is melborneIT). Is there any way to forcibly transfer this domain away from them, without having a valid authoritiative contact? Any ideas on my predicment?

Thanks,
will

 

[skyking]

Weird one. If you HAVE to keep that domain going, and the defunct domain is available, spend 40$ or so to register null.com, and set up null@null.com on a mailserver. Now it is your mail!! you can request a password, and it will come to you.

 

[Lord Evermore]

The company that registered it is defunct. I'd assume that the null@null.com is just a trash address they put in when it was registered instead of a valid email address.

Of course, null.com has expired, so technically you COULD register and do it that way. It might be considered fraudulent if anybody ever looked into it though. Not really sure about the expiration data though. dotregistrar.com claims to be parking it for the owner, but then shows it as an expired domain, but doesn't have any whois info on it, and other registrars also show it as registered. It looks like they may be a bit of a scam company holding onto domains past the expiration in order to make people get it from them.

If you can get the actual contact info for the domain, you might be able to convince them to let you use the email address for this purpose.

There's not much you can do to get control of the domain without being able to contact the registrar. You can bring a dispute or complaint to whoever controls a Melbourne registrar (dunno if that'd be ICANN or what).

 

[cmetz]

Call your registrar's "customer service."

Normally, a signed letterhead request from an officer of the company and a copy of a photo ID will be required, but with that they can make manual changes.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Well he did say phone, fax and email aren't being responded to. I suppose a registered letter would be the next step, and would be required before a complaint could be lodged.

Of course, if the domain is registered in the name of some other company, in someone else's name, with contact info for that other company, I don't even know that letterhead and stuff for THIS company would be valid if the registrar was in a bad mood. Just because your company name is the same or associated with the domain name, doesn't mean they'll automatically accept you as who it originally was meant for.

 

[Retro2001]

good thought on registering null.com, but sadly, when I posted I was mistaken as to the trash name that was in the whois, it is actually not@available.org. Sadly, available.org is already registered. I'll keep trying phone, fax and email - and perhaps a registered letter in a little while if those continue to fail. Damn that 16 hour time lag.

Peace,
will

 

[eklass]

and this my friends is why you should ALWAYS register through netsol. at least there's someone there to answer the phone

other places: phonecall > /dev/null

 

[Lord Evermore]

Well, I think the lesson learned is to not have a third party register your name for you, or at least make sure someone in your own company has a way to take control. Paying 4 times the amount for fewer services isn't the solution, and this is ONE company, in Australia of all places.

Retro: contact the owner of available.org, ask if they can give you an email address named null just long enough to get the domain control changed. I assume the username null is possible, but maybe not.

 

[owensdj]

Retro2001, if you could find any documentation telling you what user name and password the third-party used at the registrar company to setup your domain, you could use that to change the info.