Ok, I really need help with this, smart domain web people!

[Miss Prime Blue]

I'm not new to domains or the web, but this is really pissing me off and i'm very frustrated and I don't know who else to get to help me.

I originally signed up with Scarabweb as a host and used them to register a domain for me, (missmoon.org, now expired).

It went fine for about a couple of months, until I decided I no longer liked scarabweb and wanted to switch to a new host. So I switched to Webfusion, bought the package, and paid the extra fee of $9.99 to transfer my domain to their servers.

So, I updated the nameservers at my old host, and my new package along with my domain, was fine for about a year. Until it expired 10/1/2010 --- which puzzled me because it wasn't set to expire yet. I currently can't update my nameservers through Scarabweb's page because the domain is expired and won't allow that. I'm assuming because they failed to transfer it correctly, even though I got the EPP code and gave it to my current host (webfusion.)

So, I emailed scarabweb for about a month and a half, posted on their support forums, even their "Live Support" (which is actually not "Live" and is actually a bot), doesn't help. Email support is not helpful, they rarely reply, keep closing my tickets, and keep giving me scant, unhelpful replies that basically say "no, we can't help you, talk to someone else".

They told me to contact ENOM, and then ENOM tells me to contact Scarabweb, because scarabweb, being the craptastic reseller host they are, used ENOM to register my domain for me. No one responds to my forum posts there either at scarabweb, the entire site is a joke.

Webfusion has actually been the most helpful, because they actually take the time to read my replies and tell me exactly what I needed to do. They also told me to contact ENOM, who basically told me that they can't really do anything, and to contact scarabweb. Which at this point, could really care less what help I need, because they have one monkey and one bot as Customer Support.

So, I emailed ENOM again, through their ticketing system, and told them my problem, and asked if I could renew it through them. This time, I got really lucky, as you can see (a screencap of the email they send me):



So, because of this "Redemption Period", ENOM actually wants me to pay $250.00 + 9.99 [org registration] + $34.99 just to get my domain back. Plus, they want me to fax all this crap. What a steal, amirite?

All I want is to renew my domain that originally only cost $9.99 to register, and have it active again. I need it for my online portfolio, I don't want to register a new one, because I like the name.

Can anyone help me? i'm so fustrated and angry about this I can't think straight.

[Jason Tandro]

Surprisingly that's not the worst thing I've ever seen. My old "friend" wanted to register a domain (www.recstudios.com). Well the people who owned the domain kept re-registering it for the relatively low 99.99 fee (to avoid all that domain scalping crap that these companies get away with), and were auctioning it off via some bidding site that wasn't ebay.

The top bid when we were lookin at it. Over $1500!!!

I'm not sure what you can do. There is no internet FCC as of yet (at least nothing really effective) so all domain names belong to the people who provide the webservice, and they can charge what they please.

[SoulBlazerFan]

You could always just screw the whole situation and go with a .tk. It's free (Unless you have mass visitors to the site, then you pay a small fee to increase visitor bandwidth).

Otherwise, I know no way of helping you. Sorry.

[Jason Tandro]

Whoa whoa whoa, back up friend. what is this .tk of which you speak?

[SoulBlazerFan]

I discovered this back when I used to be part of two different websites- both of which no longer have a valid .tk name.

http://www.dot.tk/en/index.html?lang=en

You enter in the current domain name (In my instance, it's "www.freewebs.com/phantasmsl/"

It will then randomly generate the best solution for you, for instance, this one being "Www.phantasmworld.tk"

From here, you can change it to whatever you want. If it's available, you can continue.

From there, it's been a long time, but I believe you can set up a domain from there. It's something like 100-200 visitors every week or so, before the domain is flooded and shuts down. If it's the same as it was, 9.99 for something like a year, you have the domain with unlimited bandwidth.

.tk is some island that one of it's main sources of income is this .tk thing.

It's free, and anyone can set it up. (Heck, there's even an option to set one up WITHOUT an email address!)

[Miss Prime Blue]

Thanks, although .tk doesn't look quite as professional for a domain meant to host a portfolio site.

[Jason Tandro]

I discovered this back when I used to be part of two different websites- both of which no longer have a valid .tk name.

http://www.dot.tk/en/index.html?lang=en

Oh my god, SBF, I love you!

Check out my first .tk!!!

www.shinraincand.tk

Used to be a freewebs! Thank you so much!!!

(Anything I should be warned about?)

[gamechampionx]

I've been through my share of hosting-related troubles and my solution was to go with a host that has phone-based support. It really makes a big different when you get into weird situations because it's a lot easier to provide a lot more context.

[SoulBlazerFan]

I discovered this back when I used to be part of two different websites- both of which no longer have a valid .tk name.

http://www.dot.tk/en/index.html?lang=en

Oh my god, SBF, I love you!

Check out my first .tk!!!

www.shinraincand.tk

Used to be a freewebs! Thank you so much!!!

(Anything I should be warned about?)

Glad to help. Other than the bandwidth occasional overload (Unless you paid for it) nothing really. Me and my brother co-ran a Freewebs site for three or four years on a paid account, and never had a single problem with it.

Missmoon: Sorry I couldn't be of more help. May not look exactly professional, but it is semi-free. Figured it would be better than shelling out the, what, 250 some odd dollars you mentioned above? You could even temporarily use it until your other matter is settled.