old MSP won't give up domain name
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I've been in this situation before where the email address registered for the domain name is inaccessible and you have to contact the registrar and prove ownership.
In this case, the old MSP won't authorize the transfer of the domain name, return our calls, etc. We contacted the registrar and followed their process of proving ownership.
This was their response:
Unfortunately, the information you have provided is not sufficient for us to provide access to the account has has <ourdomain>.com assigned to it. The invoice shows an agreement for <customer name> to pay <old MSP> for the domain renewals but does not show a payment to Bluehost directly. To gain access to the domain registrations, please contact <old MSP> and work with them.Has anyone been through this before? I assume there is a form letter?
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You might have to get lawyers involved.
The registar's relationship is with the old MSP, not your client, not really sure they have any legal ground to provide you access unless court mandated.
One more reason I always tell my customers to handle this themselves. Of course someone trying for lock in will keep all the keys to the kingdom to try to prevent someone leaving...
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Would this be the same as a former admin keeping a necessary password? Seems like it would have similar grounds.
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@coliver said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
Would this be the same as a former admin keeping a necessary password? Seems like it would have similar grounds.
Oh agreed - though I really don't know in this specific situation - I'm willing to bet there are no contracts talking about this specific thing. Likely the client asked the MSP to setup a domain for them.. and they just did. Nothing more than probably a line on a bill that it was done and billed.
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This is purely a legal issue. And a business one. The business clearly handed all power of identity over to the MSP. You are stuck now. If the MSP doesn't give it up, you have to get a lawyer. There is no reason for you as an IT person to be involved here. There is nothing IT or technical here - this is a legal identity ownership dispute that requires legal intervention.
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@Dashrender said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
@coliver said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
Would this be the same as a former admin keeping a necessary password? Seems like it would have similar grounds.
Oh agreed - though I really don't know in this specific situation - I'm willing to bet there are no contracts talking about this specific thing. Likely the client asked the MSP to setup a domain for them.. and they just did. Nothing more than probably a line on a bill that it was done and billed.
IF it was billed. A wily MSP might not have ever charged for it and might own the identity free and clear.
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@coliver said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
Would this be the same as a former admin keeping a necessary password? Seems like it would have similar grounds.
Yes. As long as they can proved that they ordered and paid for it. There is no acceptable or logical situation where an MSP would own your identity. So this has been wrong for a long time and shows the business made a mistake at the beginning. A network Admin must have admin access to do their job. An MSP owning the identity is not part of the role of IT or an MSP and would never be possible in the course of an appropriate relationship. So it's not so clear.
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It was billed for. On the domain registration, they put in the rightful company name, address, and phone. The only piece of information that points to the MSP is the email address.
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@Mike-Davis said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
It was billed for. On the domain registration, they put in the rightful company name, address, and phone. The only piece of information that points to the MSP is the email address.
Wow... and the registrar won't give them access to it? That's crazy.
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@Mike-Davis said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
It was billed for. On the domain registration, they put in the rightful company name, address, and phone. The only piece of information that points to the MSP is the email address.
Do you have a copy of that paperwork and proof of payment? If so just give that to the lawyer and your job is done.
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@coliver said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
@Mike-Davis said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
It was billed for. On the domain registration, they put in the rightful company name, address, and phone. The only piece of information that points to the MSP is the email address.
Wow... and the registrar won't give them access to it? That's crazy.
They will give the owner access to it of course. The issue is that Mike's customer is not the owner. The MSP is.
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@Mike-Davis said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
It was billed for. On the domain registration, they put in the rightful company name, address, and phone. The only piece of information that points to the MSP is the email address.
Wait. The billing address, bills and all that are not the MSP?
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All the addresses are NOT the MSPs. They are the right addresses. It's just the email address that is wrong.
For all three contacts, the registration looks like this:
Registrant Name: Legit CO.
Registrant Organization: Legit CO.
Registrant Street: Legit Street 300
Registrant City: LegitTown
Registrant State/Province: NEW YORK
Registrant Postal Code: xxxxx
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.legit
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: [email protected]So the only thing not correct is the email address. It's also not helping that they registered it to a company name, and not a person's name. The owner's last name is the company name, but apparently that's not enough.
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Owners name being the company name cannot possibly be a factor. That would be completely illegal.
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Sue the old MSP in small claims court.
It will cost you about $75 bucks, but it will likely get you your domain back without even having to go to court.
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The email address alone should not be a problem. But they do have a point as the MSP registered as their email being the official domain of the company. So there is a conflict there. But they can prove that they are the company so I agree that this is weird. What if that MSP went out of business?
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I was thinking a phone call or letter hinting at legal action may be enough. If they have to go to court, it would be hard not to sue for breach of contract when he charged them patching systems that haven't had patches available for 2 years.
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@aaronstuder said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
Sue the old MSP in small claims court.
It will cost you about $75 bucks, but it will likely get you your domain back without even having to go to court.
Not sure how to determine the value. Small claims may not be the way to go. This is identity theft and could represent tens of thousands of dollars of value.
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Yet another example to reinforce the ethical standards @Bundy-Associates holds themselves to.
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@Mike-Davis said in old MSP won't give up domain name:
I was thinking a phone call or letter hinting at legal action may be enough. If they have to go to court, it would be hard not to sue for breach of contract when he charged them patching systems that haven't had patches available for 2 years.
Don't do that. Threatening legal action is always wrong unless it is a lawyer doing it.
