My thoughts..

["Susanne Lowry" <susanne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

This is regarding the page on your website here:

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-19sep07.htm 

I am fully 100% in favor of giving the registrars (especially godaddy!) a
smack on the head for their rediculous attempts to keep customers from
transferring domains away from them.

We've had at least a dozen or more recent customers who have had their
transfer requests fail, because godaddy says that it is "their policy" to
deny transfers where either whois info has recently been updated or they
have recently billed the customer for some unrelated service (web hosting),
which is what prompted the customer to leave in the first place.

Here's my reasons why these should NOT be valid reasons to deny a transfer:

1. It is very common for a customer to update their whois information just
before requesting a transfer.  This is because most customers don't keep
their whois info up to date until it is actually needed for something.  So
the customer realizes the phone number or address or email needs to be
updated so the transfer can be approved, and then godaddy blocks the
transfer as a result.  This is absolutely rediculous.  Why should the
customer be penalized simply because they have kept their whois information
current?  By allowing godaddy the ability to block these transfers, ICANN is
doing nothing more then stopping the customer from having free choice of
where to register their domain.

2. The fact godaddy provides web hosting has absolutely nothing to do with
the fact they are an ICAAN accredited registrar.  Why should our customers
have their domain transfer blocked simply because Godaddy has billed them
for some unwanted hosting service (or whatever), because their system is so
complex that the customer couldn't figure out how to cancel the service
before requesting the transfer?   By alllowing godaddy to hold a domain name
hostage (block domain transfers) due to an "unpaid" web hosting bill, ICANN
is complicitely helping godaddy with this totally unethical business
practices.  

Sincerely,

Susanne Lowry

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