Enjoy unlimited access to all forum features for FREE! Optional upgrade available for extra perks.

Data quality problems after domain name transfer

Discussion in 'Nominet General Information' started by Edwin, May 13, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    This is the first time I've come across this issue - it seems to stem from the new data validation process that Nominet have put in place.

    The background: we sold a domain name to a company in Poland.

    Because Nominet were unable to verify their contact data automatically at the point of domain transfer, this triggered a series of emails (to us, and to the new registrant)

    I will post examples of these emails below, with specifics redacted (italics indicate changes I made) so that you can see what sort of thing you may come across in your own transactions going forward.

    1) Email sent to new registrant

    2) Email sent to us

    The net result is that my buyer is frustrated because Nominet don't accept his form of the company name (which may/may not need a bit of fixing - he's talking to them) but in a certain sense blames me for not warning him about this issue that I obviously knew nothing about.

    Clearly, it's going to be very important going forward that you get the PRECISE registrant name and registrant type absolutely correct, especially if you're going for the free Self Managed tag transfer where you're going to have to input all the details yourself.

    Anyway, it's all a "bonus" hassle we have to contend with going forward, one which I believe is pretty much unique to the UK namespace.
     
  2. Domain Forum

    Acorn Domains Elite Member

    Joined:
    1999
    Messages:
    Many
    Likes Received:
    Lots
    IWA Meetup
     
  3. foz

    foz Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2006
    Posts:
    3,019
    Likes Received:
    36
    Came across this in another sale too. Just because the info isn't on a public system doesn't mean the Registrant data provided is false! On top of that threatening with a suspension is crazy talk.
     
  4. invincible

    invincible Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2005
    Posts:
    4,203
    Likes Received:
    101
    Edwin, this is convincing me that it is probably worth staying away from the free transfers for decent sales. That way the buyer has to input their details, preferably along with their choice of registrar tag at the same time, and accept the domain name. Who pays the £12 to Nominet is immaterial. Once they've accepted the domain name it is entirely their problem. :)


    (from iPhone)
     
  5. xdnet

    xdnet Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2013
    Posts:
    67
    Likes Received:
    29
    Out of interest is this on a Channel Partner tag or an Accredited Channel Partner tag?
     
  6. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    This wasn't a free transfer - I paid the £12+VAT. Nominet's system balked at the details the registrant themselves supplied at the transfer acceptance stage.

    Worth noting that I only saw the "Registrant" email because the buyer left the domain on my tag (I'm in the process of getting them to move it) otherwise I would have been none the wiser. Hard to imagine someone like a 123-Reg is going to take the time to follow up with the customer step by step to get their details right when they're only making a few pence per registration...
     
  7. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    Self managed tag, paid transfer, domain remained on our tag but with new owner's registrant/contact details.
     
  8. invincible

    invincible Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2005
    Posts:
    4,203
    Likes Received:
    101

    Okay. Thanks.

    Did the transfer to the details that the new registrant provided still go through? Had the new registrant chosen not to specify a new registrar tag during the paid transfer? I am assuming that if the new registrant had specified a new registrar tag during the paid transfer you might not have heard anything about this.


    (from iPhone)
     
  9. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    I had a long chat with their support and data quality teams about this, trying to put basically the same point across. It may be "crazy talk" but it sounds like it will nevertheless happen unless the record gets corrected to Nominet's satisfaction.

    One clarification I found out: the "account" in the warning message refers to the registrant's account not the registrar's account i.e. even if you as a registrar have a "badly behaved" registrant (from Nominet's perspective) you're not going to lose your entire business over them!
     
  10. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    They went through initially but with a subsequent emailed warning. And you're quite right, I'm not sure what would have happened in terms of communication had they retagged the name off the bat.
     
  11. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    It's worth taking the time to read through the material on Data Quality if you have any concerns about it
    http://registrars.nominet.org.uk/namespace/uk/data-quality

    There is a reference there to "minimum proportion at 70% of all new and changed data" as being the data quality standard they expect from registrars. However, this is only the "instant" standard at the moment of the change (new registration, transfer, address update etc.) and by the end of the grace period 100% of the data has to be correct or the domain will be suspended then deleted.

    In other words (this is how I interpret the situation - please do your own checking):

    1) At the instant of change: 70%+ of changes must pass the (automated) validation check that Nominet uses for the Registrar to be "ok" in Nominet's eyes. Valid domains are marked as such. Invalid domains trigger a series of emailed warnings to Registrar and Registrant

    2) Within the first 30 days after the change: the Whois data of any given invalid domain must be "corrected" so that it validates (valid domains get marked as such, and this terminates the "email trail" of warnings from Nominet)

    3) If 30 days pass without a suitable correction, invalid domains will automatically get suspended

    4) There is a further period (30 days according to the email I quoted above) in which to make any remaining "corrections" so that the Whois validates (valid domains get marked as such, and this terminates the "email trail" of warnings from Nominet)

    5) All domains that have not validated at the end of this second period will automatically get deleted, along with other domains that are on the same account at Nominet

    Note the use of automation at various steps of the above i.e. this is the programmatic process that Nominet are using to enforce data quality compliance.

    So while only 70%+ of changes have to validate instantly, 100% of changes have to validate within the 60 day "grace period" created by the above process or the domains in question (plus potentially other associated domains) WILL be deleted.
     
  12. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
  13. Brassneck United Kingdom

    Brassneck Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    3,092
    Likes Received:
    31
    Yes another incredibly unhelpful obstacle to the UK market. I just did 2 sets of transfers using info from the whois for existing domains held by new owners. Both have triggered this review. Just as well go back to the paper transfer process if this is going to happen every time.
     
  14. grantw United Kingdom

    grantw Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2005
    Posts:
    4,694
    Likes Received:
    93
    Totally, who designs/implements these frigging ideas!! Everything implemented over the past few years has been an un-user friendly, complicated mess. From the stupid accounts system to the entire new registrar changes. Proper not impressed :twisted:

    Grant
     
  15. Edwin

    Edwin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2005
    Posts:
    9,851
    Likes Received:
    617
    If you encounter a problem, please call Nominet's Data Quality team and ask them POLITELY why the data isn't validating (ranting and raving gets nowhere fast). It is a very new system and my read on the situation is that there are likely to be various bugs to work out, so the more "edge case" data they have access to (stuff that should probably validate but doesn't) the quicker this should start to get sorted out...
     
  16. Systreg

    Systreg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2008
    Posts:
    8,110
    Likes Received:
    397
    I've received the same email as in the the first post of this topic, it's regarding meditating.co.uk that I bought on DomainLore yesterday.

    I also hand registered meditating.org.uk via my tag yesterday, the details for which in my Nominet account are:

    The Who-Is says:

    For meditating .co.uk in my Nominet account, it says:

    The Who-Is says:

    One good name/address, one bad, yet both domains have exactly the same registrant name and address, the only difference is that the .co.uk has a different contact id number after accepting the transfer, and there's no option to merge it with my main contact id account which the org.uk was registered under and under which all of my others domains are held.

    Why are domains given different contact id's when you accept a transfer, why can they not just go straight under your main contact id with all your other names?

    There used to be a merge button that vanished quite a while ago, it would be handy having that back in the control panel to keep things tidy,
     
  17. Darren

    Darren Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2008
    Posts:
    2,248
    Likes Received:
    31
    When transferring a domain name you are able to login and select which account you would like the domain name to go under.
     
  18. Systreg

    Systreg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2008
    Posts:
    8,110
    Likes Received:
    397
    @ Darren, you can only do that with the old £12 registrant transfer, this was sent as a free transfer from another tag holder and didn't have that option.
     
  19. Darren

    Darren Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2008
    Posts:
    2,248
    Likes Received:
    31
    Ah ok ive not done a free transfer yet.
     
  20. Systreg

    Systreg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2008
    Posts:
    8,110
    Likes Received:
    397
    @ Darren, with the free transfers, after the seller inputs the registrant name/address details etc and does the tag change, it appears as a hand shake with no options to choose which account the domain should go under, so it gets a different contact ID and goes in with all other domains on your tag.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.