The domain name was scheduled to delete yesterday. At about 9:00am CST, I attempted to register it. It appeared to be successful until I got an e-mail from my registrar saying there was a problem trying to grab it. I patiently waited throughout the day to hear if I truly got it. At the end of my work day, I e-mailed my registrar. They said the registration was successful so I then replied and included their e-mail saying there were problems trying to register it. They responded saying indeed there was a problem and I didn't get the domain and I should have my registration fee refunded. When I last checked my credit card, neither or a charge or a credit shows.
Whois is still showing it in pending delete status although if I start the registration process, the domain appears to be available. However, I'm hesitant to register it again until I get some sort of assurance that I either won't get charged for yesterday's attempt or it will be credited back to me.
Certainly an interesting learning experience....
A refund won't show up immediately. It takes a while, roughly 8-10 days, I think.
FYI, .com domains get deleted around 1-2PM EST on its 6th day after 5 days of Pending
Delete.
I'm still a tiny bit hesitant to order it until I determine the status of my unsuccessful purchase yesterday. We're not talking bit dollars here so I probably should just attempt get it (again) and deal with the double charge when/if it happens.
As far as real time registrars, I would like to stick you the name of my reg to see if you know if they are real time.
Thanks for your help!
My guess is if it wasn't refunded, the money would be sitting in your account at your registrar as a credit balance. Surely if they charged your credit card yet you didn't get the domain, unless their accounting system is totally whacked there should be a credit balance on the account if you didn't get the domain. I would presume that if you are playing the game of trying to snag expired domain names that either you own other domain names you have bought as speculation at that registrar, or at least have domain names with that registrar that have sites up on them. Unless you are trying to snag some really expensive ccTLD, the cost of ordinary (.com, .net, and .org) domain names is so low that since you'll need to renew whatever domain names you already own, just leaving that smallish credit balance at the registrar is probably the easiest way to go. If worse came to worst and the registrar was totally incompetent/dishonest, there would always be the recourse of reversing the charge with the CC issuer.
Domain names are dirt cheap. If you actually are worried about your registrar shafting you over a $10 or so domain name charge, then you really ought to find another registrar. I've currently got a credit balance with my registar, and think nothing of it. If I did think this was something to be concerned about, I'd immediately transfer my existing domain names to a registrar I trust. I'd be worry a LOT more that my registrar would somehow hose the domain names I already own with them and have sites up than the credit balance worth a few pizzas they are holding onto. If my registrar somehow hosed the domains I have registered with them, this would be a Very Bad Thing. It would suck big time if my sites suddenly vanished from the Net due to a registrar screw-up.
