My once good domain name (reseller) company (simply.com) has been purchased by the scum of this earth names.co.uk who have in the last three months raised the price by 122% (I kid you not) and added a fee of £10, that's about $21, to "unlock my domain" so I can move it to another company who will charge me as little as $9 (£5) for my first year.

Worse still namesco are resellers for bloody melbourneit who have been part of the error that lost Panix their domain (and all of its email service). It would also seem that these (somewhat overpriced) guys have a deal with Microsoft/MSN.  so that if you type a dead domain name then MSN try to sell it to you via melbourneit. The terms and conditions are "interesting"... (it was news to me at any rate).

As I don't really care to have loose my domains, or pay $80 for two years on my (.net) domain name I am angry As I really don't wish to pay the blackmail price to move, (and so not "rub shoulders" with Bill), I'm rather stuck. Aside from writing a stiff letter I have been unable to think what to do.

"Conveniently", when I phone up the *$#&!£% at namesco the person I need to speak to just left and will be out of the office until next week. It would be nice to think that I can tell ICANN (the people that make the rules for this TLD) of some irregularity but what?

The domain is up for renewal in a few months and I have some seven other domains logged with them. My name is only on the owner information on the owner report so what do my reader(s) suggest as this is daylight robbery.

This post is based on a news submission I made to SlashDot about half an hour ago.

¶ 11:05 pm