DotSauce Magazine - Latest Comments in NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Jasonbourne807 — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:21:00 -0000

Let network solutions try to cyber-squat on protected trade names! I know our legal team would sink their meat hooks deep into their hide. Legal action would most likely involve the following charges-cyber-squatting, trademark infringement, unfair business practices and you could seek a permanent injunctions, treble damages and even file a class action against their company. If you protect your name they are in a lot of hot water! We cannot even begin to think how they would respond once they are standing tall before the black robes. PROTECT YOU NAME!

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

alewela — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:29:03 -0000

I've been tricked by DomainSite.com. Someone registered a domain name the same day I searched it.
Do NOT use DomainSite.com in any way. Please help spread the word.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

manifestmoneytalks — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:13:22 -0000

That is very interesting.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Nick — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:27:16 -0000

Verio uses the same tactic through whois.net. What a horrible "service" they provide; it doesn't entice me to use their products, it makes me never want to deal business with them at all. I do not understand how registrars can think that they are providing something that people will want by holding domains hostage.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

The Well-Read Entrepreneur — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:56:18 -0000

This just happened to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. He checked a domain (energy related) and then sure enough, when he went back to grab it, Network Sol. had reg'd it themselves. Pretty skeezy.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Larry — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:26:26 -0000

In December of 2008 and upon attempting to transfer the domain ************.com from Network Solutions to Moniker, the domain was immediately registered by Network Solutions and it was explained that we had to pay a $250 reactivation fee or wait until the domain was released. The domain is now listed for sale and directing traffic to a generic link page.

Network Solutions has become the mafia of registrars in my opinion.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Sean — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:38:12 -0000

you blew your whole complaint as soon as you gave props to godaddy.com

They are the greasiest scum in the industry.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Joey — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:00:56 -0000

I don't think they're doing it anymore -- just tried a few "Network-solutions-are-jerks" combinations and all showed up as available. I've used them for some free sheet music sites before but have switched. Registered a .DE domain through them, then found out it would not work because they couldn't handle the DNS. They claimed it wasn't their fault because I should have known it wouldn't work.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Bravo, Network Solutions for r — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:54:40 -0000

As founder of a nonprofit 501c3 organization ruined by Network Solutions, I have been looking for more of its victims.

Once upon a time, public charities that exist solely to do good for others, could count on corporate giants for assistance in the form of business volunteers, financial and in-kind donations. It seems those days are long gone.

Network Solutions invited, encouraged, then helped id thieves usurp our domain name, which is the distinctive name of a recognized public charity. We were registered with NetSol since our creation in 1998. Aiding and abetting public fraud and deception is a criminal act. In inviting any and all comers to fake the identity of an existing public charitable organization, Network Solutions overstepped its bounds, and showed a lack of basic human decency.

Our cyber squatter, solicited by Network Solutions, linked every single page of our web site to thousands of porn sites, just as we had received public funding. Network Solutions, alerted to the problem, refused to shut down the site.

Did somebody here mention I-CANN!? Maybe Network Solutions interprets I-CANN as meaning ‘I can do whatever the f I want to the reputation of your business because I control the Internet, and U-DON’T.’ Network Solutions, feel free to use that as your ad slogan. As a volunteer to the arts, I’m used to working for free.

Thanks to your rebuff of intellectual property and the IRS’ public charity laws, I have had to play the role of police. Our id thief rapidly went on to scam the public by using the distinctive name and mission of a public charity. Thanks to you, he obtained a public grant using our name.

It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out how Internet fraud is financed. I later discovered that tens of thousands of other nonprofit organizations were potential victims of Network Solutions' unethical business practices.

Victims of Network Solutions, I urge you to flood the Virginia State Attorney General’s office with your complaints.

http://www.vaag.com/CONSUME...

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Walker Texas Lawyer — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:16:48 -0000

Very interesting information. It's hard to believe that something like this actually goes on in the business world. That kind of tactic never does anyone any good.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

longgana the supplement guy — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:03:38 -0000

According to the ICANN, it is legal for Network Solutions to hijack domain names and hold them…. Although some people think
they have been doing an unethical business practice, but I think there're people that also need that kind of actions.

Now, it depend on us. If you don't want your domain being hold, then don't go to network solutions. For network solutions, I think it will be a great idea if they give some notice to their customer about the holding.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Andrea — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:41:20 -0000

It is not only disheartening, but also very disappointing how companies utilize predatory tactics against consumers.

One person commented about godaddy. I had a similar experience where I thought that register.com tied up a domain on me.

Does anyone know of a listing of other registrars that are suspected of undertaking similar practices?

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

juegos — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:11:03 -0000

Why not try other webhostings or register.com ? I do it all the time :-)

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Johnnie — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:39:24 -0000

Wow, it's funny that you bring this up because i use to think that Godaddy did the same thing. Since i mostly deal with financial websites, finding that perfect domain is crucial. And when i first started buying lot of domains, i use to think that Godaddy would buy the "good domains" and sell them through there "premium domain" store.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

GreatDomainRace.com — Sat, 03 May 2008 12:57:55 -0000

I still can not believe they are doing that. Talk about breaking the trust of your customers. Also they put up ads on unused sub-domains, of domain names registered through them.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Tom — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:24:54 -0000

AND, to add to my last post. Network Solutions really DOES NOT sell their search information.

I KNOW because I have done many searches through them that have never been snatched up by cyber-squatters, which I know could easily have been.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Tom — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:23:20 -0000

I've been a Network Solutions customer since the beginning of the Web and they have earned my trust so far.

I'm surprised by the uneducated responses on this blog--I thought perhaps you guys actually knew something.

Network Solutions is doing this as a way to protect against Front-Running--they do NOT profit by raising the price after you found a free domain.

In FACT, if you don't like the fact that they are holding it, JUST WAIT 4 DAYS! Stupid people! Yeesh. It's not as bad as you make it sound.

THANK YOU NETWORK SOLUTIONS!!

Tom

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

The Webmaster — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:10:26 -0000

Please somebody tell me how to F*** those bastards & when'll they free the domain again :(

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

cindy — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:40:31 -0000

That Network Solutions bastard got me too. I was so shocked when I tried to register my domain on other registrar and found that it has already registered. I looked up on whois and couldnt believe that it is now registered to Netsol!

We got to boycott this pathetic company! There is NO EXCUSE to what they are doing!

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Brian — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:56:58 -0000

They got me too. I will be sure to post on my blog about this.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Richard — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:01:15 -0000

If Peter feels that NSI has access to other Whois Look-up info, perhaps he will share which site he used for his initial search. We can be sure that NSI owns many subsidiaries. Investigating this issue indicates to me that there is a wild frenzy to control as many domain names as you can. I am seeing Investment Trusts buying up names by the thousands. Should be interesting how this all shakes out. ICAAN should get serious with the registrars that we are supposed to trust.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Norman Dowe — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:51:54 -0000

If Network Solutions honestly wants to protect us, the consumers, and not just dishonestly raise more revenue there is a simple solution. They could prominently display a warning that any name searched for on their site would be locked down and unavailable to be registered elsewhere for 4 days. People wanting to register with them would continue. The rest of us would go elsewhere. Their failure to take this simple step heightens my suspicions about their motives.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

DaveZ — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:46:24 -0000

There is no excuse for what they’re doing.

Even Go Daddy confirmed it's happening to them when they first complained about it at an ICANN meeting in Marrakech, Morocco years ago. Various registrars have reported such occuring with them since then.

So far so good, Network Solutions has consistently held domains only up to 4 or 5 days because it's still within the registrars' add/grace period of 120 hours. Extending it to, say, a year might not be a cost-effective venture since there's no guarantee someone will want to buy it from them at their prices.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Kia — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:24:16 -0000

I just submitted a report to fox news to investigate and report this. I suggest you do the same to your local or national news orgs. There is no excuse for what they're doing. And to call it customer security measures makes it even more egregious.

I shouldn't have waste time to call them to release my desired domain name. For all I know, they will extend the reservation period, they've proven themselves to be underhanded like that.

Re: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

Mark — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:20:38 -0000

I got caught off-guard by this annoying tactic when searching a domain today. I called networksolutions 800 number as Alexei suggested and got the lock removed in less than a minute, then registered it with my preferred registrar. Thanks for the tip!