One of my domain names was registered long ago with Network Solutions. Network Solutions charges several times as much per year for registrations as other registrars, so of course I want to transfer away. Hah. But I'm told at times it's the wrong time of year to make the transfer. When I do sign in, I'm sent through many screens of upsells and confusing UIs when I try to do anything. I thought I got it right this time, but the transfer failed, perhaps because a confirmation email got caught in a spam filter. Basically, Network Solutions combines the arrogance of the monopolist it once was with the hustle of a desperate upselling cheap suit salesman.
This isn't ALL Network Solutions' fault, I'm sure. But I'm frustrated. So I'm venting.
Curt Monash is a leading analyst of and strategic advisor to the software industry. Praised by Lawrence J. Ellison for his "unmatched insight into technology and marketplace trends," Curt was the software/services industry's #1 ranked stock analyst while at PaineWebber, Inc., where he served as a First Vice President until 1987. He subsequently co-founded Evernet, Inc., a $40 million networking systems integrator. Since 1990, he has owned and operated Monash Research, an analysis and advisory firm covering software-intensive sectors of the technology industry. In that period he also has been co-founder, president, or chairman of several other technology startups.
Curt has served as a strategic advisor to many well-known firms, including Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, AOL, CA, and Netezza. Curt earned a Ph.D. in mathematics (Game Theory) from Harvard University. He has held faculty positions in mathematics, economics and public policy at Harvard, Yale, and Suffolk universities.
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Can I help?
Hi,
I hope that you were able to transfer the name. If not, please let me know if I can help. Contact info is here : http://solutionsarepower.com/contact-solutions-are-power-blog/ .
We also have information here on why there needs to be protective measures in place.
http://solutionsarepower.com/2008/safely-transferring-a-domain-name/
Connie @ Network Solutions
Hi Connie, I'll try again,
Hi Connie,
I'll try again, which is a real hassle as I'm on vacation using an old laptop and slow Wifi during storms that are creating power outages, from dining room furniture that does NOT allow for comfortable typing.
Since you offered to help, there are two things you can do:
1. Please tell me what steps are needed beyond those in your link. I'd followed all of those before ever making this post.
2. Please also tell me if you still have any time periods during which you hold domains hostage and absolutely refuse to transfer them. In other years, I've been told that domain registrations could only be transferred at certain portions of the domain term, that somehow never seemed to coincide with when I actually wanted to transfer them. What a coincidence! Maybe that isn't the case this year any more.
Thanks,
Curt Monash
There are no times of the
There are no times of the year that someone cannot transfer a domain name. If you were told that in the past, that may have been the case in the past, but it certainly isn't now. The only time a domain cannot be transferred is within 60 days of it's registration or renewal. That's not a NetSol thing, it's an ICANN thing and it is the case where ever your domain is registered.
Second, the process is simple. Contact NetSol (if you become completely and utterly confused when you see a product offering on the internet and can't work the Account Manager) or go online and turn off any locks on the domain, (Domain Protect) Request your Authorization code, provide your authorization code (CORRECTLY) to your new registrar, then as a final protection measure against unauthorized transfers APPROVE the transfer from an authorization link in an email.
I tend to believe that if that process is too difficult for a person to follow or understand, said person probably has little business having a domain name registered in the first place.
Cheers and good luck!
Arrogance
I find the "little business having a domain registered" comment more than a little arrogant.
If other webhosts and registrars are able to explain procedures in a simpler and more digestible fashion, then so can NetSol. Also - consider that for many people, this process is rare, and not something one would or could "practice" before purchasing.
I don't know that NetSol wouldn't traffic in this type of arrogant comment -- and if indeed it was a rep from the company, I hope Shashi puts the clamps to that individual.
Curt's original point stands -- that NetSol makes things harder than it should be. I certainly hope this is not a classic case of putting short-terms gains (keeping a customer locked in) against long-term goals (keeping customers happy.)
Hi Curt, We'll be glad to
Hi Curt,
We'll be glad to help.
I have emailed you contact info.
Also, the anonymous comment was not sanctioned by Network Solutions.
Connie
So here's what's happened so far
Hi Connie,
Thank you for your offer of help, but I never actually got that email. I did try to log in again to the Network Solutions site from vacation, but I couldn't remember my password (I'm one of those people who uses a few different semi-strong passwords to cover a lot of different sites, and hence get tripped up by sites with particularly restrictive password policies) and so let the matter sit until I was home.
The problem turns out to have been my difficulties puzzling out the Network Solutions UI. When I updated my account information previously, I wasn't actually updating my Whois record. This frankly didn't occur to me for a while, for reasons that would probably be obvious if Network Solutions ever did anything remotely resembling usability testing. (Even when I figured the problem out, it took me quite a bit of poking around to finally figure out how to edit Whois contacts. Who knew that the right thing to do would be to select "Profiles and Accounts", and then select "Account(s)", and finally scroll down to a below-the-fold choice, rather than (for example) clicking on one of the two options on the main page that actually mentions "Whois"?
And while I straightened that out at home, it was too late -- I was too close to expiration time to transfer to another registrar.
The result is that I just paid Network Solutions $34.99, again, for service far inferior to what I get from Namecheap for $9.29.
The joke's on me. I should have fixed this problem years ago, given that I know it is technically possible to transfer a domain away from Network Solutions, if one has enough cleverness and perseverance.
I will continue to try to transfer my domain away from Network Solutions until I am finally free.
CAM
Oops, I better correct that part about not getting the email
Unfortunately, as blog author I have no more ability to edit my comments as anybody else ...
... anyhow, it's inaccurate to say I didn't get your email. I got it. I just tried to put the problem aside while I was on vacation. Unfortunately, I ran into the "can't transfer if it will expire soon" problem.
If I still can't transfer now that I've given Network Solutions yet more money, please rest assured I'll reach out for help.
One way or the other, I continue to recommend that people not do business of any kind with Network Solutions.
I apologize again for the error,
CAM
It is possible to break the Network Solutions chains--but...
It is possible to break the Network Solutions chains--but only if you are really persistent and you never ever listen to any of their customer service reps.
I talked to them for 10 days, trying to get away. I initiated the change within their guidelines. However, THEY kept delaying my transfer until I was within their "about to expire a week from now--you're stuck" time period. Once I paid up the additional $40, then transfering away suddenly became easy.
During those 10 days of talking to both supervisors and customer service reps, I was continuously told "the problem was fixed, you will be able to transfer within 48 hours" on multiple occasions. Each time, when I called back, I was told it was some other problem, but that they would fix it. When I was told they had approval from a supervisor to initiate the change, the next customer service rep would claim that the supervisor never said that. When I was told they'd release my domain, they wouldn't. In the end, they ran out my time for renewal, so that I was required to pay $40 or lose the domain.
As for "Anon" not being an "authorized comment"...that one made me laugh. In my experience, Network Solutions has never claimed any comment that they make.
I've never had any real problems moving a domain away from other domain name registrars--just Network Solutions. They intentionally make it difficult.
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Hope this help.