Domain Name Commission warns registrants

Domain Name Commission warns registrants

The Domain Name Commission (DNC) is warning people who have a relationship with 24/7 Hosting, or who are considering using their services in the future, to beware of their activities in respect of the registration and management of .nz domain names.
This warning does not include their hosting services, for which the DNC has no responsibility.

The DNC has received complaints in relation to the following:

24/7 Hosting receiving money for a 12 month renewal of a domain name but only renewing the name for a month.
24/7 Hosting registering some of the names they register in their own name rather than in the name of the person requesting the registration, meaning the true registrant cannot manage or control the domain name.
24/7 Hosting putting their email address in the record, meaning that if the registrant requested a UDAI (the code to allow a transfer to a new registrar) it would be sent to 24/7 and not to the registrant.
24/7 Hosting failing to respond to email enquiries and apparent disconnection of the company’s 0800 number.

The DNC has investigated these complaints and sought a response from 24/7 Hosting. As a result of 24/7 Hosting’s failure to respond to DNC’s requests, DNC has found the complaints to be valid.

As of 26 May 2014, 24/7 Hosting have made contact with the DNC and acknowledge that they have not been fulfilling their requirements to their customers, but that a change of ownership of the company is in progress and that their priority is rectifying the concerns outlined above.

The DNC notes this contact but still has concerns about their ability and capacity to address fully the concerns raised by the DNC.

Debbie Monahan, Domain Name Commissioner, said 24/7 Hosting’s behaviour has been contrary to the .nz policies that were created to protect registrants.

“It is this lack of protection for registrants that is of concern to the DNC and why this warning is being issued,” she said.

24/7 Hosting is not an authorised registrar for .nz domain names. Anyone who has a .nz domain name registered through 24/7 should consider making contact with the authorised registrar used by 24/7 Hosting. In many cases, it appears 24/7 Hosting used Voyager and they can be contacted at 0800 477 333 option 2 for support or support@voyager.co.nz to discuss their options if they have any concerns or questions.

Alternatively, 24/7 Hosting have given an undertaking that they are now in a position to address complaints from their customers. They say a support ticket can be submitted via the interface at https://support.247hosting.co.nz/clientarea.php, and that they will respond to e-mails sent tosupport@247hosting.co.nz.

Anyone with any questions about .nz domain names can also contact the Domain Name Commission at info@dnc.org.nz.

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