You may remember when we wrote about the shady dealings by the sneaky jerks over at Network Solutions.  For some time now, if you search with Network Solutions to see the availability of a domain name, the company registers it automatically and holds it for five days.  This means that you can’t buy it from anyone but them…for five days. 

There are a few problems with this.  First, Network Solutions is more expensive than most of their competitors.  So I should be able to search available domains at any of the registrar companies’ sites, and then choose to purchase said domain wherever I see fit.  But it’s not working that way over at Network Solutions.  They are the schoolyard bullies of the internet.  They steal your lunch and make you buy it back from them… at a premium.

Well, now they’re being sued for this shady practice.  And I think…well…it’s about time for this Network Solutions lawsuit to happen…maybe it’s even overdue. 

The lawfirm Kabateck Brown Kellner put out this press release announcing the suit.  From the release:

“Network Solutions has forced millions of people to buy Internet domain names from them instead of cheaper competitors through a scheme that’s netted the firm millions of dollars, a federal class action lawsuit filed today by Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP states.

Whenever someone searches for the availability of a domain name through Network Solutions’ website, the company immediately registers the name for itself, preventing other companies from selling it and forcing consumers to pay Network Solutions’ expensive fees.

If a consumer were to go to another, cheaper site to register the name, they would find the name is “unavailable.” Consumers are never informed that inquiring as to a name’s availability through Network Solutions results in the company holding a monopoly on selling that name.”

ICANN, the nonprofit that oversees domain name purchases, is also named in the suit because they aren’t doing anything to stop Network Solutions. 

Look, we said this before and we’re not afraid to say it again–until all our clients know to avoid the schoolyard bullies–don’t search for domain names through Network Solutions.  Oh, and also, don’t do business with them period.  Why would you want to after knowing this? 

Even if they reverse their policy, there are still plenty of reasons to avoid them.  Their domains are nearly four times as expensive, that’s been covered.  But they also have a difficult-to-navigate administrative control panel.  It’s hard to figure out how to do things with your domain, whereas the other registrars like Bulk Register make it intuitive and easy. 

And forget about transfering a domain name out of Network Solutions.  I mean, sure, it can be done.  But the second you change the domain status from ‘locked’ to ‘unlocked’, which is required before you can transfer it, Network Solutions puts the domain in a “transfer lock status”.  That’s right.  They take it out of “domain lock” only to put it in “transfer lock.”  Gee, thanks.  Then they hold the domain in stasis for 60 days just because you changed some of your administrative contact information or asked for the domain to be unlocked. 

As they did with the domain-stealing bit, Network Solutions claims that this “transfer lock status” is to protect you…and keep some hacker from logging in and stealing your domain without your knowledge.  But then why do none of the other registrars feel the need to do this?  I’ll tell you why.  Because they aren’t sneaky jerks and schoolyard bullies.  Network Solutions’ only reason for this transfer lock is so that you can have 60 more days to contemplate whether or not you really want to leave their service.  They’re hoping–I’m sure–that by the time 60 days have passed, that you’ll forget all about the fact that you even wanted to transfer the name in the first place. 

I’m not a mean guy.  I have no interest in bashing companies just for the sake of it–you can read through this blog and see that we rarely do that.  But there’s just so much going on at Network Solutions that we feel we need to warn our clients.  It seems they care WAY more about squeezing every dime out of you than they do about you.   And that’s what’s led to this Network Solutions lawsuit. 

For the record, we recommend you use Bulk Register, or GoDaddy, or just call us and we’ll take care of it for you.  But unless you enjoy forced overcharges and unnecessary hassles, don’t search for or buy a domain name through Network Solutions.