My domain expired although I paid for it

[tmtusshar]

I registered my domain at (my) registrar. I renewed for it up to 2016 but last month on 4th August 2012, it expired. They did not renew it after so many follow ups. They deleted all my support tickets. Yesterday, I contacted them through live chat, one of their staff said that my domain is deleted because they could not apply payment on time. I could not transfer to another registrar during this period because expired domains are not transferred. Please suggest me what I can do to registrar domain asap and take action against the registrar. I have reported to icann.org but no response from them last 7 days. I have taken lots of hard work to get ranking for competitive keywords and I cannot lose my domain.

[edited by: Webwork at 5:11 pm (utc) on Sep 22, 2012]

[Webwork]

Was your credit card actually charged for the additional years of extended registration? Did the credit card company dishonor the charge?

Did you owe money to this company for other services - to which they applied the credit card payment? For example, hosting fees, design fees, etc.

We really can't help you with personal transaction problems and we don't allow people, especially newcomers, to use the forum to publish complaints. (Which is why I removed the name of the company.)

[tmtusshar]

I made the payment via Netbanking (I am from India and had no credit card that time) and I paid money for renewal of 2 domains for 4 years.

[Webwork]

deleted because they could not apply payment on time

Whether that statement is true or not, unfortunately, we cannot fix customer support issues. Generally, the only "fixes" are: 1) to file a grievance with the government authorities in charge of consumer protect; 2) attempt to bring your plight to the attention of upper management (sometimes they don't know things are bad); 3) sue the bass-terds; 4) spread the words but have your rock solid proof that "it was ALL them, not you" ready.

You might have to buy back your domain "at auction" if you cannot grab it on the drop.

I'd keep a close eye on what is done with the domain, if you lose it, to see if someone (who you can sue) infringes on your intellectual property rights.

Lastly, if someone acquires it "just to park it, for residucal traffic revenue", you can make their investment (if they buy at auction) worthless by convincing any/all who linked to the site to pull down their links (because it's no longer a functioning site).

Sorry about your plight. It's a painful lesson. If a site IS someone's "big ticket" (to riches) it's always wise to register the domain for 10 years, choose the best reputed registrar, harden your login and protect your login details.

[Leosghost]

If they were actually a reseller ( it might be the case, because "could not apply payment on time" for it suggests that they are not an actual registrar, but a reseller for someone else ) try to find out who..

If they are a reseller ..contact the registrar that they resell for and explain..you may be able to salvage the names as they may be in the "redemption period"..don't leave it to long , with some registrars "redemption period", can be a short as 30 days..if it is in "pending delete", the actual registrar may still be able to do something for you..and if it has reached deleted status..then it will hit the open market again soon..in which case find out who is the "drop catcher" for that registrar ..and back order it with them and in a few other places too ..with some big name registrar's "back ordering" services..

[Webwork]

Spot on advice, Leosgohost.

[edited by: Webwork at 3:24 pm (utc) on Sep 24, 2012]

[tmtusshar]

thanks for advice. I am currently waiting for domain to be available for registration since I am unable to transfer it.

[kemcar]

I think all you can do is to wait for the registration because other than that you are not left with much options. Buying back your domain can be a trouble.

[cabbie]

There are sme real dodgy fly by night registrars out there and I have been caught out by having dropped domains with a few.
They don't answer emails so you can't transfer the domains away and they have exorbitant renewal charges.
That is why, I still like Moniker even though it has lost the personal service.
My domains could be overdue a month and my website will still be up and running.In the meantime they have sent me emails nearly everyday to all and any contact address they hold for me.