Grande Mesa

This is old news, but I just got burned by this today so I am posting. After getting my wallet stolen a couple weeks ago, you figure I would be more alert, but I guess not…

Internet domain name registrar Network Solutions is the subject of a class action suit filed recently alleging domain “front running” which is basically locking a domain once it is searched. Basically, this means that if you have an idea for a cool new Web site and you do a search for the domain name you want at the Network Solutions site and they tell you it’s available, it’s not. They have locked it the moment you’ve searched for it on their site. So, if you want to continue to shop around for cheaper rates, other domain registrars can’t offer you the domain any longer because Network Solutions has locked it.

This is the exact same concept as going to a car dealership and finding the car that you want and telling that dealership that you want to shop around. Well, you go to another car dealership and you find the car there for much cheaper, but they tell you that they can’t sell it to you because the dealership you went to before has the car locked down. You have no other choice than to buy at the original dealership if you want that car.

I hadn’t dealt with Network Solutions in about 10 years when I had a domain with them that I let go about 5 years ago. Back then, you could shop on their site for a name and then compare the price on another site.

Here’s the kicker… Once you fall for this scam, you are also unable to point your domain’s name server to another host other than Network Solutions or one that you own (still not sure how they determine ownership). If you want to point your domain to another host, you have to use their forwarding which costs an extra $12 a month.

This is like renting out an apartment and then finding another apartment you like. Well, in order to take your stuff with you to your new apartment, you have to keep some very important stuff like your car at the old apartment and pay the landlord a monthly fee on top of the new rent you’re going to be paying with the new landlord.

There’s no way out of the arrangement except to abandon your car.

If you want to avoid the extra $12 fee, then you have to basically buy your own very expensive house to hold all of your stuff including your car and then your old landlord basically becomes your taxing authority charging you $35 a year (5 times as much as everyone else) to live in your domain.

It’s a complete and total racket and is a blatant violation of the law. I’m not sure if they’re being investigated right now, but I will be sending an e-mail to their state’s Attorney General.

Lessons learned: DO NOT DO A DOMAIN NAME SEARCH AT THE NETWORK SOLUTIONS WEB SITE and DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH NETWORK SOLUTIONS.

If you want to see if a domain you want is available, do a “whois” search from your command line i.e.:

whois mydomain.com

Macs come with whois. I don’t know about Windows.

Or do a search at GoDaddy.com or Yahoo.com.