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Site Build It holding domain name hostage

by ECoughlin
13 replies
Hello warriors,

Can I vent?????

In 2005, I started my first site with Site Build It, aka Sitesell.

I had a generally good experience but I decided to take off the training wheels and go with a different solution.

I always renewed my domain name with them b/c it was easier.

MISTAKE!

I had a different email address when I started but somewhere around 2007, I changed it and updated Sitesell. I'm sure I have proof somewhere.

Fast forward to 2010. They sent emails to my original email address which I never check. Now my domain name has expired. They keep telling me I can renew it for $299 or $29.95 a month, the cost of Site Build It!

Whoa!

They are a tucows reseller and I've contacted ICANN in hopes that this can be resolved soon. Is there anything else I can do? Is my domain name going to end up going to the highest bidder????? Snap, it wasn't that great of a site but it has age on it's side. :-(

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Oh, and beware of Site Build It.

Eunice
#build #domain #holding #hostage #site
  • Profile picture of the author nicelife
    That's scary :-(

    I really have no good advice to give you but good luck and I hope it will work out for you!
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    • Profile picture of the author RoyChan
      I think that might not be a fair comment to Site Build It, because you need to be aware before of expiration no matter where you host your sites.

      I have Site Build It before and checked before my site expired. So, do your own due diligence. Better yet, check with Sitesell support, they are helpful enough to help you out. The worst thing you could do is to renew for 1 month and get everything sorted during 30 days period. If the aged domain is worth of your post, it should be worth $30 for you to grab it back.

      Good luck
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      • Profile picture of the author StacyHolmes
        Eunice:

        Please contact SiteSell support on this matter. If you let your domain name expire, or don't check your own email, I hardly see that being SBI!'s fault.

        What you're describing sounds like an automatic email, so talking to a real person is what needs to occur to get this rectified. Please go to the right source!
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        Stacy from SiteSell Answers
        http://answers.sitesell.com

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        • Profile picture of the author thomarv29
          Originally Posted by StacyHolmes View Post

          Eunice:

          Please contact SiteSell support on this matter. If you let your domain name expire, or don't check your own email, I hardly see that being SBI!'s fault.

          What you're describing sounds like an automatic email, so talking to a real person is what needs to occur to get this rectified. Please go to the right source!
          I concure with Stacy Holmes... Shouldent be a problem to resolve if you get in front of the right person.
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          Im president of White Label Links Inc. A leading SEO and Internet marketing company based out of Jacksonville FL

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          • Profile picture of the author Daniel Brock
            You should have re-registered your name on time dude...

            I know it happens, I've let names expire myself, but it's always my fault, just like it is your fault.

            Don't try and drag a company through the mud because you were negligent on your part...
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  • Profile picture of the author txconx
    Once your name has expired and gone through the holding period, getting it back costs more than the registration fee. This is not the registrar's policy - it's ICANN policy. You would have these costs at ANY registrar if this occurred.

    With hindsight being 20/20, the best way to avoid these fees is to keep your WHOIS information current. Not only that, you shouldn't be relying on your registrar to remind you when you should be renewing a domain name - keep your own list, for heaven's sake, and put the domain on auto renew.

    Your only other option is to let it go to the drop and take a chance that someone else won't snap it up. Long shot risk, IMO, if it's a name you've built up and actively use.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
      I've had several domains registered with those folks over the years but just let them die as they didn't justify the $300 rereg fee, and they were merely vanity sites I was trying out as I went through the learning curve re: building websites. I think the main value of that place is education, and not website hosting.

      Anyway, I just looked for one of my old domain names and it is easily available on GoDaddy right now.

      So the question is "Have you tried to register it through another registrar?"

      ~Bill
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      • Profile picture of the author ECoughlin
        okay, before you send me off to the firing squad for not answering my email...

        Back in 2007, I had changed my contact information to my current email address.

        Unbeknownst to me, in December 2009, SBI made the decision to change my email address back to the original one that I had signed up under.

        I did not request this change.

        So, I did not get the domain expiration notice b/c I don't use that old email address.

        I contacted support but they didn't seem to understand the problem. They kept sending me to my hosting company who can't do anything about it.

        I finally had to call the SBI headquarters where a very nice woman in their administrative office who has nothing to do with the support department let me renew my domain name for the usual $10.

        This would have been easy for SBI to fix if their support team was on the ball. They're not.

        I wonder if some of you who've responded are SBI affiliates who don't want to see their residuals suffer b/c of a bad review? hmmmmmmm

        No matter. It's in my past now. As soon as the waiting period is over, I plan to transfer my registration.
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        Hey, my name is Eunice.
        I've been an Internet Marketer since 2005.
        If you want to, you can connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. :-)
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      • Profile picture of the author ECoughlin
        Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

        I've had several domains registered with those folks over the years but just let them die as they didn't justify the $300 rereg fee, and they were merely vanity sites I was trying out as I went through the learning curve re: building websites. I think the main value of that place is education, and not website hosting.

        Anyway, I just looked for one of my old domain names and it is easily available on GoDaddy right now.

        So the question is "Have you tried to register it through another registrar?"

        ~Bill
        Bill,

        I do agree with you. Good learning experience. But not worth the $300 renewal.

        I find it amusing - and very telling - that one of their selling points used to be that you don't need to read any other newsletters from any other internet marketing "guru" b/c their system had everything you needed. lol.
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        Hey, my name is Eunice.
        I've been an Internet Marketer since 2005.
        If you want to, you can connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author txconx
    OMG - $300 for ANNUAL renewal? If you're paying that much just for the domain name, you need to find a new registrar. Most charge less than $10. If you're paying it for the name plus hosting, find a new registrar AND a new host.
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    • Profile picture of the author ECoughlin
      Originally Posted by txconx View Post

      OMG - $300 for ANNUAL renewal? If you're paying that much just for the domain name, you need to find a new registrar. Most charge less than $10. If you're paying it for the name plus hosting, find a new registrar AND a new host.
      No, it's not $300. SBI support didn't understand that I only wanted domain name renewal.
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      Hey, my name is Eunice.
      I've been an Internet Marketer since 2005.
      If you want to, you can connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author kelsa
      Originally Posted by txconx View Post

      OMG - $300 for ANNUAL renewal? If you're paying that much just for the domain name, you need to find a new registrar. Most charge less than $10. If you're paying it for the name plus hosting, find a new registrar AND a new host.
      No, I think you will find that would be the fee IF it had already expired. So, that is, after the fact
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  • Profile picture of the author justcrowd2010
    The best solution that I could suggest is to contact the support team of SiteSell this would definitely make the solution
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    Expired Domains Search Engine Script(PageRank,backlinks,indexed,Alexa info) for Sale
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