Domain Privacy Registrar won't let us in our acct w/o Hassle

[Milash]

I want to switch domain registrars from No Daddy to a cheaper registrar to save our company big bucks because we have hundreds of domain names.

As a regular practice, we've signed up for the "privacy" option when we've purchased domain names over the last 3 years.

No Daddy automatically starts an account with Domain*B**Proxy, (DBP), a domain privacy company they own, whenever we've purchased a new domain name to add to our collection. Supposedly, new privacy account login information is sent by email every time we register a domain name as private with No Daddy.

DPB is saying that if we don't have the login info and passwords for what amounts to be MANY supposed privacy accounts that they've started with us over the years, that the owners will have to prove who they are via; copies of their drivers licenses, articles of incorporation, and more, and that we have to fill out forms (which can only accommodate 10 domains at a time), and submit all this personal information to DBP before they can CHANGE THE PASSWORDS to our privacy accounts, then initiate each domain's transfer.

All this private information sharing and compiling personal documents to prove the owners own the domain names isn't going to happen.

What am I to do about this? We want to get far away from No Daddy and DBP without having to prove we are who we are. Any help is appreciated

M.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[Zigner]

So, you would prefer that they hand out the info to just anybody who happens to ask?


Oh yeah: US LAW ONLY!

 

[Milash]

Good question

You got me there, but this isn't a matter of national security, and what they're asking for is far in excess of the kind of information the privacy feature is supposed to protect.

Really I was hoping for a secret password, more like "Baa Ram Ewe," or some such from the movie Babe.

But that's the racket, I'm sure you can see it. They don't easily convey that there's a separate account set up with each batch of domains purchased. They're trying to hide behind the concept that DBP is a totally separate company. I don't buy it. The purchase of domains with privacy through No Daddy is seamless.

It's as if we've been locked out of our own home and have to prove we're the
homeowners by showing title, mortgage papers, drivers license, etc.
Meanwhile, the "key maker" (DBP) is saying, "Well we made a key for you and
left it in the shrubs when you bought the home."

I forgot to mention Florida.

M.

 

[Zigner]

You got me there, but this isn't a matter of national security, and what they're asking for is far in excess of the kind of information the privacy feature is supposed to protect.

Really I was hoping for a secret password, more like "Baa Ram Ewe," or some such from the movie Babe.

But that's the racket, I'm sure you can see it. They don't easily convey that there's a separate account set up with each batch of domains purchased. They're trying to hide behind the concept that DBP is a totally separate company. I don't buy it. The purchase of domains with privacy through No Daddy is seamless.

It's as if we've been locked out of our own home and have to prove we're the
homeowners by showing title, mortgage papers, drivers license, etc.
Meanwhile, the "key maker" (DBP) is saying, "Well we made a key for you and
left it in the shrubs when you bought the home."

I forgot to mention Florida.

M.

Your analogies are way off base. I'm sorry that you didn't realize that domain privacy company might actually try to protect your privacy.
Why didn't you keep a record of the information they sent you?

 

[cosine]

What if I were to somehow get a copy of the list of your domain names. I could call up GD or DBP and claim to be you, and have the domains transferred to a new registrar which I would then have the password. I don't think you would like that. While I have a number of bad things to say about GD and DBP, this isn't one of them. They are trying to make sure someone doesn't steal your domains. How else do you expect them to be sure it's really REALLY you?

Which would be less costly? Filling out all their required paperwork and supplying documents to prove who you are, or keeping a record of the passwords to the domains?

 

[Milash]

not bad advice...

Hi Cosine, that's not bad advice, and I know it seems though I'm blowing this out of proportion. Imagine a corporation that's registered domains under three different company names and two personal names over the period of 2 1/2 years with NoDaddy, with emails changes, an employee change, add to that a couple hard drive crashes and a demand from top down to switch to the cheaper registrar due to my advice--before I found out what hoops would have to be jumped through.

I'm trying to keep the humor going, but the issue isn't funny. I can only compile a fraction of the account numbers for DBP from email archives. Any missing data will require a deep investigation from DBP.

What's to say the information we give to them will be kept secure? What kind of policies do they have in handling personal information? In the mean time, after the privacy feature for each domain is unlocked and the transfer initiates, the privacy is exposed.

I don't mind if you think I'm wrong to want an easier opportunity to show we are who we are, but I think the average-and-above thinking man would recognize that the way NoDaddy and DBP handle this is designed to make it hard enough to switch registrars, that you end up renewing with NoDaddy.

M.

 

[Zigner]

Hi Cosine, that's not bad advice, and I know it seems though I'm blowing this out of proportion. Imagine a corporation that's registered domains under three different company names and two personal names over the period of 2 1/2 years with NoDaddy, with emails changes, an employee change, add to that a couple hard drive crashes and a demand from top down to switch to the cheaper registrar due to my advice--before I found out what hoops would have to be jumped through.

I'm trying to keep the humor going, but the issue isn't funny. I can only compile a fraction of the account numbers for DBP from email archives. Any missing data will require a deep investigation from DBP.

What's to say the information we give to them will be kept secure? What kind of policies do they have in handling personal information? In the mean time, after the privacy feature for each domain is unlocked and the transfer initiates, the privacy is exposed.

I don't mind if you think I'm wrong to want an easier opportunity to show we are who we are, but I think the average-and-above thinking man would recognize that the way NoDaddy and DBP handle this is designed to make it hard enough to switch registrars, that you end up renewing with NoDaddy.

M.

A competent organization wouldn't have this difficulty.
I can retrieve information in under 1 minute relating to things that happened in 1994 on my computer. Of course, we maintain a proper back-up regimen on our machines

 

[cosine]

No doubt the registrars benefit by putting roadblocks in the way of making a switch to another registrar. That (blocking a transfer) even happened to me with one of them which I no longer do business with (it wasn't the one mentioned in this thread). But providing solid legal proof of who you are is par for the course, especially with business activity being involved. Someone hijacking a domain that causes even a small online retailer to lose tens of thousands of dollars in business can make the registrar very liable if it can be shown that their negligence allowed it to happen. If I ran a registrar, I'm be requiring at least that much proof myself. How do I know you are you?

FYI, I have done domain transfers to other people or business, before. It was easy because I kept all my records and followed all the procedures to the letter.

Oh, and Zigner has me beat ... it would take me 5 to 10 minutes to get info from back that far (because it's on external USB hard drives ... formerly on DAT tapes which could have required an hour or more).