The offender: Capital Networks, PTY (totalnic.net or totalnic.com) from Australia, with offices and operaitons in Colorado.

I've been a customer for years now (maybe 4) and have never had a problem using their service to register and transfer donmains from other registrars.

So, now comes the time to move my domains from thir service to someone else (godaddy.com) - did I even suspect I was in for trouble?

Do a google search for "totalnic complaint" or just "totalnic" for that matter. I can't think of any other search I have ever done that has brought up so much negativity. I've even found a recent class-action lawsuit (which I'm trying to join or at least offer evidence toward).

The silently placed registrar locks on all my domains (they did not used to have this feature) and offer no way to remove them from their control panel. They do not have their policies or other registration documents available for reference anywher on their site that I can currently locate.

It started by wantinging to transfer out a domain which was going to expire in just over a month. With their delays it's now within a month, and as per their "policy" they do not transfer out any domain expiring in less than 30 days. Ok, forcing more money to go into their pockets. They've informed me by email (after having sent them numerous personal requests to get off their collective arses) that they will also not entertain any transfer requsts for any domain that has undergone any monetary transaction within 150 days. fsck that. I can guarantee that was never part of any agreement I had access to when I signed up or transfered the majority of my domains.

I'm going to jump through their one hoop of prepring a typed docunment requesting lock removal, with my letterhead and signature. It will be notarized as well. To that I will add copies of my driver's license, passport and any other ID I can find. It will all be notarized. It will get mailed or couriered by a registered service.

The only thing I can think of beyond that is doing what some others have done: filing reports with fraud.org, the FBI's online fraud center and of course the most useless action on the net: filing a complaint with ICANN/interNIC (they must have hundreds against totalnic yet they're still dong the same old shite.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'd love to hear them. Unfortunately the US' military might is busy right now so I can't call an immediate strke on the totalnic HQ...

Bruno

Sorry about all the typos. There must be a number of them. Still on this wireless keyboard that can't keep up with my fingers. It's too late at night for me to proof and correct.