Check ANY domain for availability at Network Solutions = THEY register it, ALLEGEDLY!

*but* godaddy's whois data is a day old. They cache results and don't do an update. That maybe is why to do a search one place and then register another. Godaddy is cheaper and nsol provides more update to the minute data.

They have reserved 72,909 domains thus far. Doesn't seem like a lot.
--

Maybe we can use this to our advantage. Register our trademarked name, they reserve it, then serve them with a TM and forfeiture notice of the domain. A way to get it for free?

 

Well, NetSol can always delete the domain name from their holding account if
they get that notice. They're not as dumb as some people believe them to be.

Good try, though.

 

That must be right, although being dumb doesn't seem to be among the most frequent accusations lately.

 

A lot of registrars do this, I even heard that GoDaddy does it, but I also heard Monikier is one which doesn't. There are a lot of people who make money off hand registering domains only and the registrars want in on that too. They already control dropped domains, why can't they keep what they got?

 

Y, moniker is one of few company that have live whois, good service and price.

 

This sums up twisted logic behind the process because the domains will automatically be added to the ICANN 'pending delete' listings - and those are available to anyone, making them much more likely to be grabbed by a frontrunner / domain taster. Not only do Network Solutions lock the domains into their system for 4 - 5 days but by not buying from them the searcher is in effect 'punitively punished' for not doing so.

 

Domain names within the add/grace period aren't included in pending delete.
They're deleted right away without going through the routine life cycle.

Just found this:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/10/Network-Solutions-stands-by-name-policy_1.html

There you go, folks. Straight from the horse's mouth.

 

That's absolutely true.

But you can find many of the domains already 'reserved' by Network Solutions by other means.

 

So they now "have to" do this?

And this makes me queasy:

"...We would be perfectly happy to end this process if ICANN or the registries would do something to protect small businesses or other small users," he said..."

If Network Solutions would stop claiming they do this "to protect small businesses or other small users" personally I would stop going on about it.

 

They haven't stopped at all and this is almost criminal. They claim they are trying to protect their customers yet I have never had a domain stolen from me after doing a search on Network Solution in my 10 years of online business ventures and now today they stole 3 good ones I found before I figured out what was going on. They have become the "domain tasters" they claim they are trying to protect us from. I call BS for sure.

The real reason they are doing this is because NO ONE buys domains from them at their outrageous 600% over market value prices. Why would anyone buy a domain for $35 when every other company charges less than $10 and some like the one I use charge $6 each domain. Obviously people were using their search to locate good domains and then going somewhere else to purchase them for MUCH CHEAPER and instead of lowering prices to stay competative Network Solutions decides to take the shady route as usual. Despicable and I can't believe they are allowed to do this. Can you imaging if you went to a car dealer site, found the car you liked after doing a search, and then went to contact the guy and you find out that the website you used to do your search already bought every car in your results the moment you put in your search criteria and then they said they will sell it to you at %600 markup... I will be staying far away from Network Solution for now on that's for sure...

 

Good example.

One difference is that the car search site in your scenario actually paid for the cars. They took a risk and hence could argue they neeed to make a profit to compensate for those inevitable occasions when they can't sell the cars (because cars are not as uniques as domains, so the take up rate is unlikely to be very high).

In this case NetSol don't take a monetary risk at all.

If you don't buy the domain, their script automatically drops it in four days and they pay nothing.

If you do go back and buy it, they make the difference between the sales price ($34.99 retail) and circa $7, being what they would have to pay the registry and the credit card company after you pay them the $34.99 (minus discounts if any).

The only risk they take for that is to risk their reputation.

But if this is allowed to last long enough, other registrars will have no choice but to start doing the same.

Then even the reputation risk would be gone.

 

Actually I just checked

http://www.no1likesme.com/

I asked in August. I looked it up by netsol. Just registered 2 days ago. Somebody else. Not even netsol. Not me either. And I looked up foodsthatcomfort.com. Still not taken.

It must be selective.

 

If it's not NetSol it may not be related to this.

If it's regged only two days ago there is a chance you can get it back.

Check in about three days and it may be available again, unless there is lots of traffic on it.

Don't check too many times, as that would just make it seem like there is traffic on it and may reduce the chance it would be dropped.

If it's tasters checking for traffic on a low traffic domain, you almost always get a chance to register it again eventually.

 

I never owned it. I was saying I checked 3 months ago at netosl cuz I was just looking and they never regestered it. And the foodsthatcomfort.com I searched at netsol 2 days ago. And they still haven't regestered it.

So they have either slowed down or its not all .com.

ivnj

 

This is truly unbelievable. I'm floored.
Who would ever pay $35 to reg a domain name anyway.

 

Right now, probably some people who don't want to wait 4 days to save about $25 if they are lucky or lose their chosen domain if they're not.

 

There are multiple reports now that NetSol no longer registers every .com checked for availability.

Anyone tried recently?

 

http://whois.domaintools.com/freakin-sweet-domain.com

Record expires on 12-Jan-2009.
Record created on 12-Jan-2008.

They are still doing it, but now it doesn't resolve to anything as before it was a construction page.

 

Thanks for that Exodus, I did have the feeling it was too good to be true

 

As I said no they aren't. Foodsthatcomfort.com still hasn't been registered eventhough I looked it up 3 days ago with them. So its not everey .com.

ivnj