The largest domain registrar GoDaddy reported a serious change in the rules in relation to expired domain names. Now registrants will be able to recover the names or transfer them to another registrar during a period of 30 days after the domain has expired. Previously, this period was 42 days, which was the reason for many unpleasant collisions during auctions, where GoDaddy put up expired domains. The rules of the auctions contradicted the 42-day rule. As a result, winners of auctions would sometimes lose their domains, when previous owners remembered about their domain names and managed to renew them at the last moment.
Thus, famous domain investor and blogger Konstantinos Zournas said that only in 2017 he won and paid for domains in 38 GoDaddy auctions. However, in almost 20% of the cases he didn't get the domains and was forced to settle for a reimbursement. Investor Rick Schwartz, AKA “Domain King”, registered a domain GoDaddyBlows.com to criticize the vicious practice of GoDaddy auctions.
Nevertheless, GoDaddy preferred to put a good face on a bad game. GoDaddy spokesperson said that the change in the rules wasn’t connected to the avalanche of criticism. GoDaddy spokesperson highlighted that less than one percent of the registrants renew their registrations between 30 and 42 days after they expire; therefore, there is no reason to keep the 42-day rule, reports Domain Incite.
