They might not resolve.
This week I transferred the domain names I’ve won at NameJet from Network Solutions to GoDaddy. I unlocked the 11 domains and requested the authorization codes. After receiving the codes, I verified in Whois that the domains were unlocked.
I was surprised to find 5 of the 11 domains in clientHold status.
ICANN’s website explains clientHold:
This status code tells your domain’s registry to not activate your domain in the DNS and as a consequence, it will not resolve. It is an uncommon status that is usually enacted during legal disputes, non-payment, or when your domain is subject to deletion.
It makes sense that domains you acquire at NameJet would have been in clientHold at some point as they worked through the expiry process. But the hold should have been removed when I bought these domains.
Unfortunately, someone or some system dropped the ball. That means that these domains have never resolved to the domain sales pages they were supposed to.
Just as frustrating was the response I got when I contacted Network Solutions chat support. When I re-read the transcript, I see that I got uncharacteristically testy. But there’s nothing more frustrating than telling a support representative what’s wrong with your domains and having them tell you you’re wrong.
01:05:48 PM [Andrew Allemann] Five of the domains in my account are showing clienthold so they aren’t resolving
01:05:52 PM [Jessica R] That is a lock the protects the domains from being stolen or transferred out with out your premission.
01:06:20 PM [Andrew Allemann] Um, I don’t believe that’s what it is. It is a lock that keeps them from resolving, so five of my domains at NetSol aren’t resolving.
01:07:04 PM [Jessica R] I am sorry that is not correct that lock has nothing to do with the Name sever change.
I did as much as I could to convince this person that there was a problem. She tried to tell me it was the nameservers I was pointing the domains to; I showed her that wasn’t the issue. I provided the link to ICANN’s website. I explained that these domains were all unlocked within Network Solutions’ account manager and the clientTransferProhibited was removed.
Finally, the representative said they had to create a ticket for the engineering team and I should hear back within two days. Two days! Can you imagine if your website wasn’t resolving and you were told to hang tight for two days? I won’t pretend that another two days of the sales landers not being there is a big issue, but imagine if you were a small business and experienced this issue.
Be sure to check the domains you buy at NameJet to verify that clientHold is removed.
Michael says
Both Network Solutions and NameJet suck more than ever. I don’t see any of them being in business many years from now.
BullS says
Jessica if that the real name is poorly trained ,blame it on management.
They are just reading from a template script,cut and paste wordings.
Their knowledge base is non existent.
john andrews says
Just wait…it gets better. I got auto renewals charged by NetSol, for names that had been transferred away over a year in the past.
Mike says
I been waiting on a big buy name for 2 months, now I asked for a refund and they go silent. I have to contact my cc company now.
Namejet are jerks , poor service, and just using people’s capital.
They should list names in their holding register before starting auctions.
Nicholas says
In Brazil, Blue Host (Public Domain Registry PDR / Endurance), disappeared with domains and customers’ money.
Several complaints have been filed at ICANN to rescue the domains.
Nikhil Jain says
Yes, I’ve been through this for a few of my domains. It was a chain of emails to and fro wherein at a point I had to give them stricter warnings if they do not remove that ClientHold status. I realised that even their support didn’t have a clue about it.
The easiest solution was to straight email [email protected]. They were quick enough to resolve it.
DomainBoss says
It can even happen on regular registrations, not just on auctioned domains.
I registered one domain (BulgariaLoans.com) at Dynadot.com a while ago which is in my account active but doesn’t resolve. Upon inquiring, Dynadot told me it’s because there is a legal dispute on the domain and they will let me know when/if the status changes. So I own the domain but can’t use it 🙂
Garth says
NetSol is proving very difficult to get auth codes that actually work right now.
Have to take this route – https://forms.icann.org/en/resources/compliance/complaints/transfer/form
Rakesh kumar says
It can even happen on regular registrations, not just on auctioned domains.
Rahul says
From last 10 years, I am using Name.com for all of my domains. Recently I’ve started using PorkBun.com too. I have total 140 domains on both registrars and never had a single problem. Still I strongly believe that serious people should move to Google Domains ! BTW I hate GoDaddy from last 10 years and still hating for its cheap marketing policies and user interface. Boring and complex domain management panel. If you just want to feel safe and want peace of mind….. “Google Domains, Name.com, NameCheap.com, Domain.com, PorkBun.com” These people are very professional and serious in their business. Support is also A+
Btw Thanks for this article, It really helped me to understand this kind of status.I never heard of this before!