Help?

[mmegaera]

So. The domain names for my two websites are registered through GoDaddy, which I first put together in 2007 (ye godlings, yes, that long ago) back when I didn't know any better. I have my webhosting through A Small Orange, who are generally fantastic, and I want to switch my domain name registrations over to them, too.

But apparently this is not possible unless you're a lot smarter and more Internet savvy than I am. ASO is more than willing to help and step me through their side of things, as they have many times before (the cliché champagne service on a beer budget is not an inapt description of them in general), but, obviously, they cannot help me with the GoDaddy side of things. GoDaddy is living up to their reputation (which I didn't know about when I signed up with them), being as obstructionist and obfuscating as corporately possible.

Reading the documentation is beyond hopeless. The words are in English, and they do appear to be structured in grammatically sound sentences, but otherwise the instructions might as well be written in Swahili. Or Klingon. The "help" chat is -- I'd say less than helpless, but that's insulting the word helpless.

I feel like a bloody hostage, but I don't know how to get myself out of this situation.

Has anyone here ever extracted themselves from GoDaddy's clutches and lived to tell the tale? If so, would you be willing to hold my hand as we get *me* out of them? I figure it can't hurt to ask...

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Most of it is not possible to translate out of Klingon, alas, though I can try. It's mostly tedious bureaucratic jargon, and I'm never sure which parts are common knowledge and which parts are super specific to website wrangling.

The ASO guy is probably working on the assumption that you don't have domain privacy. Domain privacy changes things a bit, and adds an extra obnoxious step or five. Domain privacy is the thing which keeps your mailing address from being splashed all over the internet. It's worth having, in my opinion, but it also makes things harder to move.

There are two sets of information that will be in your account at GoDaddy. One of them is your customer information, which GoDaddy uses to contact you. The other is information that is tied to the domain. Because of past shenanigans involving he-said-she-said and domain theft, the governing board for domains eventually made a rule that changing certain information about the domain owner meant that the domain shouldn't move between companies for a while.

The *only* thing to update on the domain information while it's still at GoDaddy is the email address that's in the section labeled Administrative Contact. That's the one which it's necessary to have updated in order to move it, and that's the only one that can be changed and still have the domain OK to move according to the arcane domain ownership protection rules.

Since you don't have your 2007 email address anymore, the first step is to go to https://www.domainsbyproxy.com/emailupdate.aspx and fill in the form for both of your domains. This will take a while.

(The company "Domains by Proxy" is a sub-division of GoDaddy, and while the tech support people there are GoDaddy people, they have to pretend they're not. It's awkward.)

[mmegaera]

I'm terrified to even start trying to do this [wry g].

For instance, I started to fill out the domains by proxy form, but, and this is going to sound idiotic, I don't know what to put for my name (not my domain names, *my* name). Because I don't remember whether I used M. Meg Justus, M.M. Justus, or Meg Justus back in 2007. The first is what's on my official ID and credit card, the second is my authorly name, and the third is what I use on a day-to-day basis. If I put the wrong one, what will happen?

*This* is the level of stupid I'm at.

[azurelunatic]

In this case, I'd just pick one to enter for your name, and use the comments area to write that you aren't sure what exact form you had used back in 2007, and include the possibilities. It'll be reviewed by a human, and tech support people in general are very very used to things like "I know I picked some clever answer for my security question but I have no idea how I capitalized it!" I never worked in that exact department, so I can't be more specifically reassuring, alas.

[mmegaera]

Okay, I've run up against another issue with the form. The only email address I have is attached to my domain name, and setting up a separate web-based email address for this is just asking for trouble (the last time I tried something like that, Things Happened and I did not get the information I needed when I needed it, which I do *not* want to have happen for something this important). But they're recommending that I not use my domain-based email address for this. So, again, I don't know what to do [wry g].

[azurelunatic]

In this specific case, I would use the only email address you have. This operation isn't happening dangerously close to the domain expiration (top cause of domain-based email address failure; at 1-2 weeks I would start to worry) and does not come near the vast majority of the moving parts connecting the email to all the things it needs to be connected to.

[mmegaera]

Two more questions, if you don't mind (BTW, *thank* you for being so patient with me):

1) I am quite sure I never had to send GoDaddy or anyone else a copy of my ID to set up my account in the first place, but they're asking for it now. Is this right? Do I have a choice? I really don't like this.

2) The whole point of me moving my domains now is so that I don't have to renew with GoDaddy for another year. I suspect I should have started the process a month or so ago, but I tend to forget about such things until the renewal email shows up in my inbox (I've been meaning to do this for several years now). But now I'm worried about my registrations expiring before the process is done. If I end up renewing with GD for another year, I don't want to pay double (GD *and* ASO). Would I just be better off renewing now and putting this on next year's calendar to start the process in August? I really don't want to do that, but I also don't want to risk my domains expiring? Thoughts?

[azurelunatic]

I looked through the documentation for a refresher, and it looks like these days .coms can be transferred within the 42 day grace period after expiration. Since this is September, there's about a month left before it even expires. So I think you're good to transfer unless something goes lengthily wrong later in the process.

If your domains did expire, GoDaddy would try to bill you on the following day if you have autorenew turned on. If you don't have autorenew turned on, it will set up a detour such that people trying to visit your website get GoDaddy ads, and set up a detour that would interrupt your email. If that did happen, you could get it turned back on fairly quickly as soon as you renewed; it doesn't get actually repossessed until 42 days after expiration. Paying them on the day of expiration or the day before would be just fine.

And correct, you don't need ID to buy domains, but you're expected to use your wallet name on the domain's ownership record. (I think this is a somewhat obnoxious thing, but it's a requirement for most if not all types of domains.) Under normal circumstances (unless they get a complaint that someone is using a bogus name on a domain) they don't attempt to make you prove it as long as you have control of the email address that is listed as "administrative contact" for the domain.

The only other way I can think of in order to get in to the Domains by Proxy account is to remember what your GoDaddy account password was at the time you purchased the domain name (because the Domains by Proxy account used to be set up with the same password), and get the Domains by Proxy account number. I don't know if it's listed in the GoDaddy account anywhere anymore.

This is how that old trick worked, but I don't know if it still does. It requires a call in to their tech support/sales.

1) Call and explain the situation.
2) Have the tech put a random domain name into the shopping cart. It doesn't have to be one you actually want, it's just to run through the process.
3) Apply privacy to the domain.
4) At this point, the tech support is presented with a Domains by Proxy account number or two (depending) and asks if you would like to put this domain under account number XXXXXXXXXX or YYYYYYYYY. (This is the point where it helps when the tech knows what you're doing.)
5) Write down the account number.
6) Change your mind and tell the tech you can take the shopping cart from here, and cancel the order.

[mmegaera]

Wow. Thanks, Azz. You've been a great deal of help. I've found someone I trust who's going to sit here with me and say, click here, and fill in the blank there, and will talk to the techs if necessary, so I think my GoDaddy issues will be over soon (one can hope, anyway [g]).

Some things are just over my head when it comes to technology. I think this is one where crying uncle is the better part of valor.

[azurelunatic]

You're welcome, and I'm so glad you've found somebody to work through it with you.

(GoDaddy's website was *terrible* when I worked there, and I don't think it's gotten much better. Experienced techs look at it and occasionally cry.)

[mmegaera]

I only wish I'd known their rep before I signed up with them [sigh].