[sf-lug] sf-lug.{org,com} http://208.96.15.252/

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Michael Paoli (Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu):

> o for many months, you'd been working on doing the transfers, but
>   had not succeeded at it,
> o Network Solutions / Web.com had automatically renewed the domains
>   30 days before their expiration - of course at full list price,
>   automatically charging (apparently/presumably) your credit card(s) on
>   record with them.
> o I seem to recall some communications about (possibly) disputing the
>   charges.

And, in case the message was somehow lost, the above is utterly classic.

Folks, it's understandable to decide that you hate your registrar and
that your registrar has been screwing you.  It happens.  Especially if
you somehow missed that it's not 1995 any more, and that nobody in
his/her right mind still uses NetSol.

But....

The _only_ thing you should even think of doing within 30 days of domain
expiration (of a domain you care about) is to pay the cost of renewal as
soon as humanly possible.  Don't initiate a transfer to another
registrar.  Don't dispute charges.  Pay the Man.  First.

After you have paid the Man, and your domain's whois record says it has
a healthy and solid 12 months of runtime, _then_ initiate a transfer,
dispute charges if you must, or take up whatever other such cause you
wish to adopt.  But never, ever before.

And, basically, never let a domain (that you care about) get even 60 or
90 days away from expiration.  Adequate days before expiration is to
domains what adequate airspeed and altitude is to aviation.  And, as a
member of a three NTSB-report family, I mean that metaphor
wholeheartedly.