Namecheap.com is calling out GoDaddy.com with transfer out problems relating to domain names transferring out of GoDaddy.com to Namecheap.
The article posted on the Namecheap Blog states that GoDaddy is sending incomplete whois data to Namecheap. "GoDaddy appears to be returning incomplete WHOIS information to Namecheap, delaying the transfer process. This practice is against ICANN rules."
The blog article later states "it’s a shame that GoDaddy feels they have to block their (former) customers from voting with their dollars. We can only guess that at GoDaddy, desperate times call for desperate measures."
Although some data has been published as to how many domain names have been transferred out of GoDaddy because of a backlash due to GoDaddy supporting the SOPA bill and later changing positions on it… that number of domains will take a little bit of time to get an accurate judgement on due to transfers taking about 5 business days to complete and that is if no issues happen. GoDaddy deals with massive amounts of domain names daily and can be in the tune of 30,000 + newly registered domains a day at the registrar.
Likewise, many domain names are transferred in, out and deleted at the registrar daily. Webhosting.info is showing interesting data that GoDaddy has lost nearly 1 Million domain names from 11/14/2011 to 12/19/2011 and that is prior to any of the SOPA backlash.
Those numbers are something I have not seen before as numbers were always positive gains for GoDaddy. New numbers should be out shortly from Webhosting.info to see the post SOPA change and looking at the chart above, it is likely to stay on a downward trend. Having about a million domains leave the registrar in about a month may be another issue to look into.
Head For Business
GoDaddy is really not keen on people moving away. One of the things surely guaranteed to make me never want to use a service in the future is when they make it hard to leave or cancel. Bad business.
Frank Michlick
Registrars have the ability to provide IP addresses in an ICANN Interface called Radar that should be unblocked for purposes of providing easy access to whois, for the purpose of facilitating transfers.
According to a comment on Facebook by someone from GoDaddy, Namecheap has not provided their IP addresses in the tool, nor have they contacted GoDaddy.
Bill Davies
While the fact that GoDaddy lost nearly 1 million domains during this 5 week period appears to be an impressive stat, it is more than noteworthy that GoDaddy actually INCREASED its global market share from 32.408% to 32.430%. That would suggest that the overall number of domains decreased at a faster rate than GoDaddy’s universe. In other words, GoDaddy actually improved its position at a time when it is being represented that they are in some free fall.
I’m not a GoDaddy apologist, although I remain a customer. I just want to make sure that the facts are properly represented.
Jamie Zoch
Thanks for the added info Frank. One would think that they (GoDaddy or the tool) would have IP’s already because Namecheap isn’t a new registrar, so I would think they were getting some GD transfers in the past.
TopDomainDeal
Maybe the main idea of SOPA was to spark a war between registrars!