Here's another tale of grief courtesy our "friends" at NSI, and an associated question: Back in December, I got (via postal mail) an invoice for renewal of _my_ primary domain. (Why postal? I've been a customer of theirs for so long, they still send them to me that way.) Of course, true to form, the renewal was for two years, i.e. $70. Now, my practice had been to cut them the $35 check every year, thus that transaction was already in the bookkeeping system, and a $35 check was cut. Said check, along with another for another domain, were sent out with the stubs from the invoices (with the $70 crossed out and changed to $35). Both checks cleared my bank by January 4 (1/4 also happens to have been the expiry date for my domain) and, since they went out Certified/Return Receipt, I know they received them around Christmas. Sooooo... I checked their WHOIS for a week or so following. No change. I send in problem feedback using their site, getting ticket number, etc., still nothing. Finally, last Thursday, I call. The operator on the 800 number can do nothing, stating it's a billing matter, and I have to call (on my nickel) their 703 number. FOUR HOURS LATER (most of that time on hold), I learn: - Yes, they have my $70 ($35 for each of two domains) - My domain is on "special" status, due to a past due invoice (namely the one for a two-year renewal), despite the fact that they are in possession of their fee for a one-year renewal for said domain. - The $35 for the other domain was coded as a "duplicate" payment and should have been returned (turns out someone else on our end paid it - a fact which was not reported to my bookkeeping dept). When I said that it _hadn't_ been returned, I got a response a la: "Hmm. I don't understand it. It should've been." - I had committed the unforgivable sin of renewing for one year and paying by check - violating their policy. Penance for said sin was to have my domain on hold till I ponied up another $35 to clear the invoice. When I pointed out that they took it upon themselves to decide it was to be renewed for two years, didn't matter to them. I contemplated putting in a call to the attorney - then realized it would cost me far more than the $35, so went to their site and paid the thing. Payment was rejected - so back on the phone to their operator, who took the credit card info again (after a stern warning that I had better not see two charges). Finally, over the weekend I see the update in their WHOIS: domain now expires 1/4/2003. Thus and therefore, in went the request to transfer it to OpenSRS, which was fulfilled a couple of days ago. NOW THE QUESTION: OpenSRS WHOIS _also_ shows the domain as expiring 1/4/2003... NOT 1/4/2004 (i.e. with the additional year which usually gets tacked on). Did those bastards at NSI manage to eat one of my years' renewals? Along those lines: I have another domain which is set to expire 2/23/2001. A week/week-and-a-half or so ago, I used their "approved" renewal method (credit card on Web site) to renew it for a year (figuring I'd transfer here when any danger of NSI screwups had passed). Payment hit my bank on 1/15 - so again they have my money. (Card in question is a Visa check card.) Here we are, now, ten days hence, and WHOIS _still_ shows the domain as expiring 2/23/2001. So I call - - and am told that, "oh, you needn't worry, Mr. Joy, despite what the WHOIS records say, your domain has been renewed and now expires 2/23/2002." How concerned should I be about this - and, if I initiate a transfer to OpenSRS, what are the odds that year will end up "eaten" as well? (This one is a three-letter .COM for which I have some five-figure offers - it's my old company name - so, needless to say, I do _not_ want to take chances on it dropping.) Thoughts anyone? JMJ P.S. For the curious, domains in question are: JOYASSOCIATES.COM (mine), INVALLEY.ORG (the one awaiting the return of $35), and VFR.COM (my old one). -- John M. Joy, Principal [EMAIL PROTECTED] Joy Associates http://joyassociates.com/associates/jmj.html Producer of the Electronic Valley - - Connecticut's Lower Naugatuck Valley region on-line: http://electronicvalley.org/
