Network Solutions, in the past, was the only place you could register domain names. That was opened up in recent years, so luckily we have alternatives. They are typically $35/Year and you have to pay for 2 years. Basically that gets you a domain name. There are other providers that are priced similarly, but give you more features. Personally I only want the name, I don't need any other "features". So it is really my own stupidity that I even tried to use them for name registration. The rest of this text is a history of why I feel they are incapable of handling domain name registration, and why I will never fall victim to directed marketing again.

I registered a domain name in March of 2000 with a cheaper alternate registrar. Then I decided this year, that I would transfer my domain to Network Solutions (NSI). I figured they knew what they were doing, after all, they used to be the only way to get a domain name. So I sent in a registrar transfer request to NSI. This was my biggest mistake.

I received notification from my initial registrar that they had a request to transfer the name. I allowed it to transfer to NSI. Then at a later time I checked NSI's whois database for information about my name to see that it had all transferred. None of my contact information made it over. Only my name server information made it. And at NO time did I ever receive any bills or other information from NSI.

I felt this was an error so I called and emailed them a number of times. Every person I talked to gave me a different answer for what went wrong. The most recent claim is that my domain was cancelled in 1999 for lack of payment. I don't know how this affects me, because I got the name in 2000. They stated that I will be unable to register my domain until it is released by ICANN. Which I think was a pass-off answer so I would leave them alone.

It is my personal thinking that NSI's database is messed up and no one has a clue as to what went wrong, or how to fix it. They just keep ignoring my questioning and pretending I don't have a clue.

If Network Solutions currently has your domain name, I would keep it there. It is probably not worth the hassle of getting away from them either. But I wouldn't transfer any names to them.

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