Local business employed a company to build a web site...

[meinthecorner]

A Local business employed a company to build a web site for them, well the web designer contacted them and offered. This was last year and from what I can see the site is built around static html with no CMS, so they cant update it without asking the developer.

Since the site was put live the business has requested updates to it, which take a lot of nagging to get done etc and they are now fed up, which is where I got involved.

The web developer, regged the .co.uk in his own name and not that of the local business. The developer wont reply to any emails or voicemails from the business asking about transferring the nameservers over or the registrant details etc so they have a web site thats out of date and they cant change.

What's the potential of a DRS going our way with this?

 

[aquanuke]

TBH if it says company name on the registration then it belongs to "company name" as far as Nominet are concerned. Obviously you friend has receipts etc saying blah blah purchased on behalf of them. But I think Nominet would only care as to what it says on the registrant field.

Telephone Nominet and get advice directly.

 

[philliph]

Nominet should be able to sort this out, although I've seen this before and can be a pain to get resolved.

 

[aquanuke]

Although it sounds open and shut.. there was a similiar situ. posted on nom-steer last year where the company that registered the name on behalf demanded £x,xxx to release it.

 

[SF]

Although it sounds open and shut.. there was a similiar situ. posted on nom-steer last year where the company that registered the name on behalf demanded £x,xxx to release it.

Thats the idea

 

[stevebrowne]

Do remember that there are always two sides to these sort of things. A lot of small businesses simply don't want to pay for CMSs or anything apart from "we want a website" and if it's more than a small amount they are simply not interested.

Not all, of course.

 

[philliph]

Ive seen a lot of web designers register domains in their own names. The trouble is, small companies dont check and then a year or two down the line when things go titsup it can be a real pain for them to sort out.

 

[retired_member3]

I've heard of this happening so many times and it happened to my neice too. I had a nightmare getting the company to transfer it but they did eventually.

 

[GreyWing]

Get your client to check the invoices for work from this company, it may have itemised a charge for the registration of the domain, if it does then threaten to take them to court for costs involved in not releasing the website. If you don't have it, fill in a data protection act form for all data relating to you from the web team and if they don't give you it, take them to the data protection commissioner, just keep pressuring them.

Many web companies will try to justify any over charging early on and justify what they charged you. So they may have listed the domain as justification for the first bill, but now you can use this to your own advantage and it's clear evidence that the domain was paid for by yourself and hence legally yours.

Best of luck

GW

 

[Beasty]

There is provision for this under the DRS. We do DRS/negotiation for a fixed fee - PM me if you want to know more.