[sf-lug] registrar domain expiration notices - e.g. Joker.com vs. gandi.net ... & bit 'o registrar comparisons
Michael Paoli
Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu
Wed Jun 5 21:43:35 PDT 2019
Gotta say, I quite prefer gandi.net to Joker.com ...
whole lot 'o reasons, but here's yet another smallish set/example.
Compare the impending expiration notices (slightly redacted):
----- Forwarded message from renewal-support at joker.com -----
Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2019 01:16:53 +0200
From: "Joker.com Renewal Reminder" <renewal-support at joker.com>
Subject: Joker.com: Your domains are about to expire (expiration report)
Dear valued customer of Joker.com,
This is a reminder to kindly inform you that your domains listed below
are about to expire at the dates shown (YYYY-MM-DD)
Domainname | Exp.-Date
-----------+-----------
sf-lug.com | 2019-07-02
sf-lug.org | 2019-07-02
The domains are registered with Joker.com as your ICANN accredited
Registrar, and are about to expire at their expiration dates listed
above.
This means that your domain will be DISABLED on this date, if not prolonged.
You have received this reminder, because our records show that you are
one of the following contacts of this domain:
* Assignment Role Account (Owner, mainly responsible)
* Administrative Role Account (modifications)
* Billing Role Account (renewals)
* Registrant (Owner as given in Whois-Details of your domains)
Please visit Joker.com <https://joker.com/goto/renew11> to renew your domain.
Please be aware that your domain will be deleted at expiration date,
if not renewed.
We advise you to renew as soon as possible, at least one (1) day
before the announced expiration date. The new term is always added to
the current term, there is no disadvantage when the renew is done in
advance.
Some additional information:
* in case there is a problem with your Joker.com account, you are
always free to use our "simple renewal"
<https://joker.com/goto/renew13>, which allows to renew any domain
without any overhead
* you find the specification of renewal reminders and domain terms
here: <https://joker.com/goto/policies>
* additional documentation is provided by our FAQ: <https://joker.com/faq>
* this reminder is sent to the registrant, the account holder and
possibly other roles of the listed domains. This can be changed in "My
domains": <https://joker.com/goto/modify>
If you do not renew your domain in time, your domain will be DELETED
shortly after its expiration.
If you are a reseller and you have received this reminder, please
contact Joker.com, using the support area.
Thank you for using Joker.com!
Best Regards, Your Joker.com-Team
Date: 2019-06-01 23:16:53
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Joker.com is provided by
CSL Computer Service Langenbach GmbH
Hansaallee 191-193
DE-40549 Duesseldorf
Germany
https://joker.com
----- End forwarded message -----
----- Forwarded message from renewal-support at joker.com -----
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 2019 00:47:54 +0200
From: "Joker.com Renewal Reminder" <renewal-support at joker.com>
Subject: ERRP-Report: Your domains are due for prolongation (26 days
expiration report)
Dear valued domain customer,
This is a reminder to kindly inform you that your domains as shown
below are about to expire on the date listed.
This reminder conforms to the Expired Registration Recovery Procedure
(ERRP) as required by ICANN
<http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registrars/consensus-policies/errp>
Domainname | Exp.-Date
-----------+-----------
sf-lug.com | 2019-07-02
This means that your domains will be DISABLED at the given expiration
date, if they are not renewed.
Note:
Domainname --> name of the domain
Exp.-Date --> the expiration date of your domain
Roles --> creator, admin or billing. May be empty if you are 'just'
the Registrant of the domain
You have received this reminder, because our records show that you are
one of the following contacts of this domain:
* Assignment Role Account (Owner, mainly responsible)
* Administrative Role Account (modifications)
* Billing Role Account (renewals)
* Registrant (Owner as given in Whois-Details of your domains)
Please visit https://joker.com to renew your domains.
Please be aware that your domain will be deleted shortly after its
expiration date, if not renewed.
This notification has been sent on behalf of your domain name supplier.
----- End forwarded message -----
----- Forwarded message from support-renew at gandi.net -----
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:53:32 -0000
From: Gandi <support-renew at gandi.net>
Subject: [GANDI] [REDACTED] expires in 30 days
To: Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu
Hello!
This is important, so please read carefully.
You are being sent this message because you are a contact for the
domain [REDACTED] via Gandi username or organization Michael_Paoli.
This domain will expire at the Registry in 30 days, on 04 Jul 2019 21:48 UTC.
If you would like to keep this domain, you must renew it before this
date. The domain will be renewable at the normal price until 18 Aug
2019 11:48 UTC
IMPORTANT: if you miss the renewal deadline, your domain name will be
deleted from our system on 18 Aug 2019 11:48 UTC. Its status will then
change to "restorable" until 17 Sep 2019 21:48 UTC. Note, however,
that the price of a restoration may be considerably higher than for a
regular renewal!
To renew the domain, please go directly to Gandi's website by clicking
on the following link:
https://www.gandi.net/renew?domain_list=[REDACTED]
(if the link does not appear on a single line, please copy and paste
the whole thing into the address bar of your web browser.)
If you do not want to keep the domain, no further action is needed. If
you do nothing, then [REDACTED] will go back on the open market on or
around 22 Sep 2019 21:48 UTC (the exact date may vary slightly
depending on the registry and time zone differences).
Feel free to contact our Customer Care Department should you have any
questions or require any additional assistance:
https://help.gandi.net/en/contact/
Thank you for choosing Gandi!
Best Regards,
--
GANDI - https://www.gandi.net
----- End forwarded message -----
Just some of the differences I'll point out:
o gandi.net - the domain is included in the Subject: header,
that's probably highly useful for folks who managed large numbers of
domains - not in Subject: header for Joker.com
o gandi.net pretty much spells out exactly when - to the extent feasible,
what's going to happen along the way if one [un]intentionally doesn't
renew, and the consequences and costs if one later wishes to renew/recover,
etc. The information is right there. With Joker.com, mostly have to
follow links to know, and as for timing, they give date - and give
neither time nor timezone - so at least from the emails there's a fair
amount of ambiguity about exactly when the expiration is (sure, one
can look it up in whois or whatever, but heck, if one is the
registrar, all that data is highly readily available, why not include
the time and zone?)
There are lots of other differences between those two registrars, but I'd
though I'd just point out wee bit of some of the typical differences.
Another key thing I like about gandi.net is their quite well stated
"no bullshit" https://www.gandi.net/en/no-bullshit
In my own experiences, the interfaces and emails are clean, you don't have
a bunch of "spam"/marketing/advertising, etc. in emails, nor with the
web interface stuff. It basically just works dang cleanly, and they seem
to well do what they can on that. Oh, and they're not slimy like some
others. Yeah, interfaces, ... e.g. like some registrars, not only all
the marketing/"spam" goop, but ... want to put in a IPv6 glue record ...
you gotta *call* them to make that happen? Are you frigin' kidding me?
What decade are they in? Oh, and you can't cancel/disable stuff without
*calling* them? (like unsubscribing from their "marketing" email, and it
may take up to 30 days to process?).
And some have excellent clean goof-resistant interfaces for enabling
DNSSEC, others ... not so much - or maybe even missing entirely.
And good clean, and preferably goof-resistant interfaces for
enabling DNSSEC is a really good idea ... screw that up and one could
easily fully or partially disable domain semi-irrevocably for up to
24 or 48 hours(!) (but similar cautions also are applicable for
delegating NS record adjustments).
And transfers ... transferring
away, some losing registrars do that lickety split once all the
proper authorizations/acknowledgements are done and in place ...
others drag it out as long as they possibly can get away with - and
of course try to ply one with "offers" to not transfer all along the
way. So, yeah, some - like Network Solutions / Web.com - quite suck,
some (GoDaddy) are pretty slimy, ... Joker.com ... uhm, ... could be
better, ... and sure as heck not a clean web interface (reminds me of
earlier web days of web pages with tons of flashy ad thingies all
over 'em), ... and there's the issue of Joker.com whois data,
can't make the actual data public in the whois data! Egad!
And some have good interfaces to open/delegate select permissions to
others - e.g. so one can have alternative person(s) with relevant
access ... e.g. just DNS changes, or ... everything except accessing
any stored payment methods or (re)using those, ... or more administrative,
being able to update contacts and billing information, but nothing else.
Anyway, just 'cause it might be cheapest or whatever, doesn't mean it's
best. Sometimes a moderate bit more for service that doesn't suck
or is even excellent is well worth it. :-)
Also, if/when you want to see/hear more of something, feed it money. ;-}
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