What recourse if web host won't communicate

[mmello]

A new customer asked me to move his site to a new web host. The existing site (SITELEADER.COM) will not respond to requests and have changed the p***word so I can't update the site or change the DNS. The hosting account is paid up to date, but I can't get a response from accounting as to the terms and expiration.. what is my recourse, if any, to get them to respond? They have no address or phone number online, just a PO box in their domain registration. Is there a body somewhere to govern web hosts?

[Hard@Work]

Do a whois on the domain and contact the original registrar. Work with them to get the name redirected to a new host.

[mmello]

The registrar is also the same company as the web hosting service. The urls domainmiser.com, worldwidedomains.com both 'bounce' to siteleader.com. I seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place. Doubt contacting Better Business Bureau in Chicago (where Siteleader is located) will help but tempted to try. They don't respond to email and have only a fax number on record (which is also no help). We shouldn't have to give up our brand name because they are holding us 'hostage', but can't find a body that deals with these issues.

[Hard@Work]

yeah, it looks like you got yourself in a pickle there!

man I do not like registrars that do this.

Technical Contact:
NA
Domain Registrar ()
847-853-9314
Fax: 847-853-9343
1 Stop Hosting Service
PO Box No. 977
Glenview, , 60025
US

That's all I could find for you aside from what you might already have. If you want you can email me your URLs and I'll see if possibly I can get one of my guys to remove the records and get you reestablished (I work for a domain registrar http://www.names4ever.com). I can transfer you away from them for six bux.

[1PlanHost]

I would also suggest transfering your domain to a different registrar. You can do this easily yourself if you have access to the administrative contact email address. www.godaddy.com has great service as a domain registrar.

Unfortunately if you do not have access to the administrative contact, it will be an uphill battle with your existing registrar. I suspect they may be a reseller of a larger registrar. If so you can contact that registrar. If you will let us know the domain name with the problem, we can easily tell where the real registrar is located.

Best Wishes for a .Net Success!

[DCtheWriter]

Whatever you do, DON'T go with Names4ever.com (d/b/a Aplus.net) as "Hard@Work" suggests! They are doing essentially the same thing to ME as has been done to YOU! They have lock ALL 11 of my domain names because they charged my credit card illegally and I had the charges reversed! I've contacted EVERYONE I can think of there, including their president and my domain names are STILL LOCKED, even though I've paid in full for the registrations an this is a TOTAL violation of ICANN policy.

I've switched to GoDaddy.com, had to register NEW domain names and will have to have my business cards reprinted in order to use them!

AVOID NAMES4EVER.COM AKA APLUS.NET or you'll PAY!

DCtheWriter

[mmello]

Have tried working with you and your group, but no response whether or not you were successful (I assume NOT). Our site was shut down today by SITELEADER.COM, no access, no email and still no response from them on our request for transfer (started asking over a month ago). Just called you to get an update on our problem.. you switched me to your customer support and wouldn't talk to me. Guess DCtheWriter is right about NAMES4EVER. Based on your 'helpful' suggestion I set up 3 new domain names with names4ever and now sorry I did.

[mmello]

The domain name is readaloudamerica.org. The WHOIS shows DomainMiser.com as the registrar, but that link goes to SITELEADER.COM, the webhost that just shut us down. A couple other sources say ENOM.COM is the registrar, but they will only deal with you through email on your account accessed by password we no longer have available. (original webmaster left town).

[DCtheWriter]

I was on "bigclassaction.com" yesterday and noticed that a few domain registrars have been sued. I'm aggressively pursuing a class action suit against Aplus.net (which is supported by CNET.com) and ICANN and will launch an attendant publicity campaign and blog against them because what they're doing to people will NOT stand and I won't sit still for it. I have the time and resources and I warned them I wouldn't go away if they did NOT unlock my domain names. I want this stopped and even if it takes years to do it, at least I can make their lives HELL for years, make what I do an object lesson to other registrars who feel all powerful and get the attention of the feds.

So, time to go into investigative journalist mode. I think I'll start by make some inquiries at the journalists event I will be attending tomorrow through the end of this week with 7,000 of my closest journalist friends.

Dahna M. Chandler AKA DCtheWriter

[mmello]

Odd that TopHosts lists APlus as their Number 1 web host. It is most misleading if there are complaints such as your against them. Based on Tophosts recommendation I signed up another non-profit's domains with them. They can't afford problems like this, so now sorry I did. Their contract says you can't move them for 6 months (and then we'll see if they really allow it). I hear great things from many sources about godaddy.com. Should have used them, but the name turned me off.