Is this Squatting?

[Daniel Kidd]

My friend has his own business in Torquay, basically his surname and then Plastering. Unfortunately he let his domain drop and then it was picked up by someone who is now asking £300 for it. Thing is my mate has a young family and I'm not sure he's able to afford that. That's the reason he wanted the website in the first place.

I was wondering is there any legal avenues to get the name transferred back? It's his business name and he has the address on things like business cards, so it's a bit of a pain in the ass.

If it was me I would probably handle it differently but this is a lad's livelihood.

 

[RobM]

Did he not notice his website not functioning for at least 2 months? No there are no legal avenues. He didn't renew it. It's horrible when that happens but unfortunately that's life.

 

[Adam H]

Any "legal avenues" will cost more than £300 to pursue. Details of dispute resolutions here :

https://www.nominet.uk/domains/resolving-uk-domain-disputes-and-complaints/

Although ultimately, its your friends fault for dropping the domain he's not likely to get anywhere without paying more than the new owner of the domain is asking.

As they say, lesson learnt the hard way. If its business critical he should have renewed it.

 

[Daniel Kidd]

He bought the domain a while back but his developer ran off and didnt complete it. Now he's asked me to look into it and I noticed that it's parked. I mean, it's not the absolute end of the world as it's possible to register a new domain but then there's the task of changing his details on things like business cards, but it's a bit of a scumbag thing to do. It's not like the domain is anything other than a person's business.

I'll see if I can go down another route.

 

[Murray]

I'm surprised someone would bother to register surnamePlastering.co.uk

Seems like the sort of domain you would have to have 1000 of to sell a couple for low xxx

 

[keys]

£300 is a relatively small price for a domain name, but there may be some room for negotiation. Try your your best offer and ask politely if the seller will oblige. Being patient and waiting is often a useful tactic.

 

[Daniel Kidd]

Yeah, I'm guessing it's because there's a chance someone's willing to pay that much. The surname is also a word too.

 

[Daniel Kidd]

Well it's not my domain so I'm not prepared to pay anything, but I've said £20 is the highest they are willing to go. I then offered some of my domains as a swap and some of them are ok but he said no. Kind of running out of options here.

 

[Adam H]

it's a bit of a scumbag thing to do.

It's an asset, people buy and sell assets. It's no different than property developers buying up cheap housing to sell for profit, or provide cost effective rental housing.

£300 is what, a couple of rooms to plaster now days, if he's got plenty of work on its going to be alot less ball ache to buy the domain at a reasonable price if he's got it all over his business cards and possibly van signage, than starting fresh.

I think your kidding your self if you think someone will accept £20, you're not holding the cards to pull those demands. Its got to be worth their time, if it was me and you offered £20 id personally cut all communications as a waste of time and not respond after that. Make a sensible counter offer, even if its £150 to cover someone's time at least it shows intent.

 

[Daniel Kidd]

I understand where you're coming from but this is not me. The lad doesn't have any knowledge of the internet and how these things work, so it's highly unlikely he's going to pay that much.

 

[monaghan]

This is one of the classic issues of leaving everything in the hands of a web developer. I always advise people (even if I'm doing the work for them) to ensure all registrations are sent to them (even if I do all the registrations and renewals for them). This allows them to choose whether to use me, do it themselves or give it to someone else, I usually find that the openness to the process generally leads to them coming back to me anyway.

As said earlier by others, £300 is a small amount to pay when compared with the time taken and general pain in the butt of re-printing business stationary and potentially loosing business from those who have the old domain details. Make a reasonable offer, most domainers are reasonable people despite all the bad press given.

 

[JonathanB]

Hello Guys,

So I Am The Person Who Owns This Domain Name...

I Picked It Up From A Deleted List Because It Caught My Eye...

Daniel Is Making This Out As Though I Have Done Something Wrong Here...

Im Quite Unsure What I Should Do.

Thanks.

 

[boxerdog]

Name your price and ignore any negativity you've done nothing wrong.

 

[JonathanB]

Thanks For The Reply boxerdog

I Actually Feel He Has Threatened Me In Some Messages...

example:
"If you don't accept it I'm going to find another way to get you to listen"

I Have Even Said I Will Accept £75 From Hes Friend Just To Cover My Time.

 

[boxerdog]

I would refuse to sell to anyone who spoke to me like that and divert the name to an adult site .

 

[RobM]

To be honest if I received that kind of email I would close all communications. It's not enough money to make it worthwhile. It's hard to feel sorry for someone that would have had the site not functioning for so long and didn't notice - obviously it's not really very high on his priority list.

 

[Systreg]

Example:
"If you don't accept it I'm going to find another way to get you to listen"

I Have Even Said I Will Accept £75 From Hes Friend Just To Cover My Time.

£80 from me without knowing the domain.

 

[keys]

I would not respond to further messages from previous registrant/ agent. Simply wait for an acceptable offer. In this case they will be well aware of their position.

It is unfortunate that things which cost little or nothing are perceived as having minimal value. That can be a very expensive mistake when it comes to domains. If previous Registrant of the domain in question is unable/ unwilling to pay more than £20, they still have the option to use a similar unregistered domain.

@Systreg That is a generous gesture of support

 

[JonathanB]

Thanks For The Support Guys.

Ok So This Is Getting Personal Now...

I Have A Family And Small Children And Really Do Not Appreciate The Threats From Daniel...

The Last Email From Him:

"If you do sell it on don't expect it to be the end of it."

 

[RobM]

Just ignore him. There's nothing he can do. Sounds like a very unpleasant individual.