Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
What are the implications of that? Will we have to file a complain with ICANN?
Do I take it that the admin email account is no longer accessible? Usually an email from the admin does the trick. (Is the admin account no longer "friendly"?)
Sometimes a fax with proof of ownership or rightful control will result in a release of the login info. Typically, the registrar will simultaneously notify the existing email accounts in the WhoIs of the action that's in progress.
You said that you tried to login to renew. Did these domains expire already? What is the expiration date? If the domains are past expiration and in "Registrar-Hold" status, that could explain the three statuses that you listed. One status noticably absent was "Client Renew Prohibited". Most registrars will lock your domain and disable all features except for the renewal option during "Registrar-Hold" and "Redemption Period".
Oh, it doesn't work! You get a message that there's no record of the domain. When the reply finally came for the form submission for tech support, it was indicated that contact had to be made by phone.
(BTW, also a native New Yorker here, a Brooklyn expat [Flatbush to be exact] residing on the left coast :-) )
>>Have you tried contacting your registrar and asking how to regain access?
Regarding my own domain, which was up for renewal and which I couldn't do:
Sure, after an irate form submitted for support and an equally abrasive email sent, it was finally disclosed that you regain access to control your domain by making a phone call and transfering out of the old OpenSRC system to their new system, including renewal for another year. Not Kosher - no dice!
I had already applied for a transfer to godaddy when I spoke to the "old" registrar by phone (now under new ownership, they used to be GREAT), the person who called said I needed to transfer to the new system for my own domain stay online and to have access, which I did because they had me by the proverbial short_hairs. I was also told to cancel the godaddy transfer lest it interfere and cause confusion, which I did NOT.
I just received notice that my domain has been successfully transfered to godaddy, and logged in to PayPal to see the payment status. That other outfit credited back the charge done by phone which is a good_thing because I would have filed for a PayPal reversal once the domain was on safe ground.
Re the congregation's domain:
No, we still can't access the church's account - it's "domain not found" just like mine was so the same deal applies, being coerced into phoning and switching over to their new system from the old OpenSRC system. It hasn't expired, the renewal date is December 9th. Just like I was locked out of mine prior to expiration/renewal date. And there is no way to renew without switching to their "new system" which is a different registrar - for which there is no information on the site.
Same deal, not Kosher, and we won't do it. Now that I see that my own transfer took, I'll have the Pastor (the admin contact with a still valid email address) transfer out to another registrar in plenty of time before renewal time which is December.
Meantime, I couldn't get in to make nameserver changes so I got soaked for paying for another year's hosting, which was up for renewal, though I wanted to move the site to hosting with tech-savvy, readily accessible support so we can install scripts for interactivity with server/host-side support in the event of technical glitches.
I'm breathing a sigh of relief that my own, first domain is now safely out of that situation. What they're doing is definitely in violation and unfortunately the lack of information and accessibility for people's own domains could cause some other businesses and organizations serious damage; so even though my situations are straightened out, for the sake of unknown others I do believe I'll let OpenSRC know what's going on, since the old system was under their auspices.
