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GoDaddy VP Caught Bidding Against Customers

forums.nodaddy.com — A GoDaddy Vice President has been caught bidding against customers in their own domain name auctions. The employee Adam Dicker isn't just any GoDaddy employee; he's head of the GoDaddy subsidiary that controls the auctions. Dicker won some of the domains he bid for, and pushed up the bid price on auctions he didn't win.

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  • bstory, on 06/29/2008, -2/+170figures
    • willynilly, on 06/30/2008, -0/+28No kidding. Remember the fiasco when these jagoffs screwed ratemycop.com over? It made Wired and the front page of Digg several times:

      http://digg.com/odd_stuff/GoDaddy_Silences_Police_ ...
      • fac3less, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8Or the owner of NoDaddy -- who operates seclists.org?
        MySpace had them shut down upon request to GoDaddy.

      • kidcodea, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2Don't worry, Danica Patrick will come to save the day!
    • trackerbishop, on 06/30/2008, -14/+2i see what you did there
    • harveywalbanger, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6We are still trying to wrench a non-profit's slight misspelled .org domain name - it too was registerd with go-daddy and has hidden contact info. ***** losers.
    • hollycowlman, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2Ouuuuuuuuuch. Thats gonna hurt!!!
    • Lockhart, on 06/30/2008, -6/+1YO I AM KUNG FU PANDA
    • NGliam, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I've always disliked GoDaddy.. a good web-based company should be friendly, godaddy is just MONEY PLEASE.
    • sectionGCLiFF, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1ooohhpp.... this wont be on diggnation
  • kavutu, on 06/29/2008, -7/+265And the greed just keeps rolling along.
    • Rozza, on 06/30/2008, -19/+3rick rolling along
    • Hangly, on 06/30/2008, -17/+12Greed isn't always bad, but the dishonesty is inexcusable. I hope they get sued for fraud.
      • mike17032, on 06/30/2008, -13/+8Keep that crazy capitalist talk off of digg! We are all communists here, we want to live in *****.
      • ArielMT, on 06/30/2008, -1/+22@obamaisanagger
        Wrong. PROFIT is what makes the world go around. Profit is why we have all that we have. Greed and profit are not the same thing, and one does not necessarily lead to the other. In fact, greed can (and often does) ensure that profit is never seen (or seen for only a short time) and that people and companies destroy themselves.
      • Angostura, on 06/30/2008, -4/+7And that's why non-profit organisations have never achieved anything in this world.

        Right?
      • ArielMT, on 06/30/2008, -1/+7Different kind of profit. Not all profit is measured in dollars or pounds.
    • kozsak, on 06/30/2008, -0/+9Bottom line is that he has very detailed insider knowledge of traffic statistics on all of these domains. And he has access and ability to manipulate expiration dates, contact info, DNS, Cash Parking Ads, etc...
      Certainly UNETHICAL. Perhaps ILLEGAL. Definitely SCUMMY.
    • paradexes, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4This is not improper. This would actually fall under the legal definition of fraud. So not improper but illegal. It is the same as eBay's VPs bidding against items, just to raise the price so that they get a higher fee for the sale. This is fraudulent behavior.
    • person425, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2Indeed, and it doesn't stop there. I have solid evidence that digg's own Kevin Rose occasionally uses his own website as well!
      • ArielMT, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1You're implying a faulty analogy.

        Kevin Rose's use of his Web site (to which I admit I'm posting) doesn't directly and fundamentally conflict with his customers' best interests. Adam Dicker's actions with GoDaddy's TDNAM, however, do.
  • clockworkblue, on 06/29/2008, -41/+4Adam has been a well known domain investor for years. He runs DNForum and is famous in domain circles for his domain name IQ. He takes a position at GoDaddy a few Months ago and its news now that he buys Aftermarket domain names? Give me break.
    • igothandle, on 06/29/2008, -3/+43Hmm, what part of HE'S BIDDING AGAINST HIS OWN CUSTOMERS didn't you read, clockwork?
      • benologist, on 06/29/2008, -26/+4I don't see the issue with the guy bidding on domains he wants just because he works at GoDaddy. He was following the same procedure as everyone else with the auctions.
      • ctenn2ls, on 06/30/2008, -1/+54It's a well known thing called a "conflict of interest." By bidding on domain names as a member of the company, he is pushing the price of those domains up, forcing people to outbid him and pay the company more money. Whether or not the man's intentions were innocent has nothing to do with it. As the VP of "the subsidiary that controls the auction" he should have enough common sense and knowledge of good business practices, let alone knowledge of common business ethics, to not get within even 100ft. of perceived conflicts of interest...i.e. exactly this situation.
      • pero69, on 06/30/2008, -9/+2he's only pushing the price up to as much as he's willing to pay. same as any person. it's not like he's using his super admin powers to find out what people had bid and put in a bid .01 under that just to make them pay more. He's bidding on things he wants to buy and isn't cheating the system in the process.
      • yojiffyskippy, on 06/30/2008, -5/+4Is there any proof that he was running the bids up or was he actually bidding on domains he wanted? Did he have any inside information that other bidders did not have? These questions are questions that the forum poster failed to answer. It looks like a bitter customer or jealous competitor but only time will tell.
      • mike17032, on 06/30/2008, -7/+3So what? As long as its his money for his own interests and he isnt doing it to drive up the price or using any inside information to do it, whats the problem here?

        If he is just doing something that any other customer can do, why are people crying? He isnt allowed to use the service of a company he works at?

        Its like saying the workers of a video store cant rent their movies there.
      • ArielMT, on 06/30/2008, -1/+10@benologist:
        @pero69:
        What he is, is called a "shill," and what he's doing is called "shill bidding." It's a clear conflict of interest and a fundamental breach of ethics in any kind of auction. That's what the issue is.

        http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shill
        http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shill
        http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shill
      • ArielMT, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2Why did obamaisanagger get dugg down? He's spot on.
      • wtfpwned98, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3obamaisanagger mentions Google, but he's wrong about Google's purpose for bidding in that auction. Google was making sure that the price was going to go high enough that the openness requirements would take effect for whoever won. If it was cheap enough that they wouldn't take effect, Google intended to win. In either case, they were in the auction in order to promote openness.

        It's also an obnoxious username.
      • benologist, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1ArielMT - he's only a 'shill' if he has no intention of actually buying the domains. The guy's very well known for investing in domains, it's not hard to believe he saw domains he wanted and bid on them because he wanted them.
      • ArielMT, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Since he's in the unique position of winning even if he loses, and winning more the more he loses, that still makes what he was caught doing a conflict of interest that couldn't be more obvious. Even if it's legal, which is debatable at best, it's still plainly immoral.

        A shill doesn't have to lose every auction to still be a shill. As long as the motive to shill remains credible, even if motives to the contrary can't be reasonably doubted, he's still shilling his auctions.
    • tokage, on 06/30/2008, -0/+14That doesn't make what he's doing right.
    • ferrariman60, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6Well, what you're saying may be true(I honestly don't know), but once he joined the company, it very, very obviously becomes a direct conflict of interest. Being an investor is fine- but if the man had any morals, or even any common sense, he would have abandoned his "investment" thing the second he was offered the job. Well, at least he'll still have his domains after he no longer has the job, right? :p
  • RocquesDiggs, on 08/28/2008, -15/+8That just does not seem right. Bidding for domain names is one thing but competing against your own customers just does not seem right. It is a good thing he is not a hall of fame baseball player or he would be in serious trouble!
  • str3ama, on 06/29/2008, -10/+142GoDaddy needs to die. They prey on people who just want a simple domain, and those people use the actual free hosting that godaddy provides which has horrible tacky godaddy ads all over it.
    • arjie, on 06/30/2008, -4/+25When I was new to all this I searched to see if GoDaddy had a domain registered. Till I managed to save up and transfer the $10 required to where I could buy a domain I foolishly checked every day. Then just when I was going to purchase it, someone registered it and made it a parked page for GoDaddy.

      This happened to a friend of mine too. It could be coincidence but I stay clear of them now, and prefer just checking whois records directly instead.
      • nandasunu, on 06/30/2008, -9/+60you had to save up for $10?
      • bjornski, on 06/30/2008, -2/+44That's one reason you never, EVER use the GoDaddy search to see if a domain is available. There was a story recently of them taking those search terms, parking the domains, and then charging MUCH more for them, once they knew there was an interest.

        They need to die.
      • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -1/+22I have personally had this happen several times. It is true, GoDaddy is scum and one of the shadiest domain name company's out there.
      • arjie, on 06/30/2008, -0/+24I was young, where I live $10 was at the time 470 rupees. It wasn't that simple at that age. The tough part was actually getting it somewhere where I could use it to buy because a credit card was out of the question. Yeah, it took time.
      • jer2eydevil88, on 06/30/2008, -1/+4@arjie
        According to your profile you and I are about the same age so I have to ask why you didn't use NameZero? They were offering free dot com domains and many of us kids scooped up a dotcom domain for free back then.
      • arjie, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Jerseydevil:
        Well, I thought about it, and there were many such offers. Even recently I think .be domains were offered for free provided ownership was with the registrar. I think NameZero was worse, you had to deal with huge banner advertisements in a frame too, no? Or maybe I have it wrong.

        But then, I was what 13 then? I may have just missed a good deal.
      • EllimistX, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1@arjie:

        "Where I live" - Hyrule?
      • centran, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2it's not godaddy.
        I forget the technical details but when you search for a domain at any domain registrar then they send that search query to to root servers. After that happens then there is a way for the general public to watch what people are searching for. Domain squatters will look at this list and buy up anything that is requested multiple times.
    • willynilly, on 06/30/2008, -3/+9Not even just the free hosting. They screw paying customers over quite royally and regularly too, apparently.
    • mrgulabull, on 06/30/2008, -2/+25//

      Placed at the end of your HTML makes the ads go away. NOW you have free hosting on a $7 domain.
    • mrgulabull, on 06/30/2008, -0/+38noscript (within brackets)

      Placed at the end of your HTML makes the ads go away. NOW you have free hosting on a $7 domain. (Sorry for the double post, digg didn't like the code)
    • mike17032, on 06/30/2008, -11/+17Sorry but I love godaddy.

      Been using it for a long time now, and have about 12 domains registered there. Its cheaper than anyone else, and I have had no problems at all.
      • kingofkolt, on 06/30/2008, -2/+15Same here... I had no idea so many people had so many problems with GoDaddy... I've used it for several personal websites, and I use it to host the website I administer at work. Now that I'm hearing all this, I'm a little concerned...
      • twistymcgee, on 06/30/2008, -1/+3I use it as well without any issues. Just seems to work. I do find the domain/account management interface a bit confusing sometimes due to all of the advertising wrapping it, but I can deal with that since I don't need to login to it that often.
      • deacont23, on 06/30/2008, -1/+8I use 1&1 for my Domain/Web/E-mail hosting. And they offer more for the price than godaddy and I have had no problems with them.
      • gabacho2, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2GoDaddy rules, end of story. I use their paid hosting and its good and cheap. I have many domains with them and have never had a problem. Their customer service is usually pretty good too.
      • skipdog172, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2I agree. Their e-mail/hosting service has been great, price is good and support is always fast and helpful.

        I don't understand the random GoDaddy hate I see on here, but they are the biggest so I guess that means that we can automatically hate them because of a few isolated incidents that are bound to happen with any company that large.
      • Kasar99, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0Keep up on your credit card expirations. If a domain lapses, they charge $80 to renew, or you can wait 3 or 6 months (don't remember which) and hope nobody else registers it before you can reregister it at their normal rate.
  • GoDaddyPR, on 06/29/2008, -28/+218Official Go Daddy Statement - (from Go Daddy General Counsel Christine Jones):

    "Go Daddy has reviewed the auction and found nothing improper.

    Adam Dicker's knowledge on the auction was no different from what any customer coming to our TDNAM site would have had.

    To ensure customer confidence and to avoid any possible future questions of impropriety all GD employees are now and in the future prohibited from participating in TDNAM auctions, purchasing, sales & back orders."

    - Christine Jones, Go Daddy General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
    • guyro, on 06/29/2008, -6/+46Thank you for responding.
    • kavutu, on 06/29/2008, -8/+95I am dropping my Go YO Daddy account. you guys are worthless.
    • JohnnyKinder, on 06/30/2008, -9/+61Does this mean that your company will also stop purchasing domains that are searched for on your site but aren't purchased? You guys are a joke, as someone who works at a bank that does domain deals, I would like to thank you for being such a crappy service and forcing real domain buyers to ibanks....

      eat razor blades kthnx
      • TheNeptune, on 06/30/2008, -2/+4It wasn't GoDaddy that does this, it was Network Solutions, GoDaddy doesn't buy domains you search for. I guess you just think your domain ideas are unique?
      • theblt, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2I love how you get 50+ diggs on a comment that is completely inaccurate. How does it feel to be a popular moron?
    • sockpuppets, on 06/30/2008, -6/+240Dear Godaddy Customers,

      We were caught. We've been doing this for years but since this story seems to have some traction we're like totally circulating a company wide memo to not do it anymore.

      Now look at the boobies in our ads. Don't they make you feel better?

      - Christine Jones, Go Daddy General Counsel & Corporate Pimp

      P.S.
      onusBay eckchay orfay ouyay evinKay ifway ouyay ancay ustjay urybay isthay orfay usway easeplay.
      • ferrariman60, on 06/30/2008, -1/+27That was surprisingly difficult to read. Had to say it aloud, haha.
      • Killmon, on 06/30/2008, -10/+4ATTHAY ASWAY UNNYFAY!!!!
      • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -4/+5awesome
      • perot9296, on 06/30/2008, -10/+2I've always hated that kind of speaking, I can't translate it :p
      • biggerapple3am, on 06/30/2008, -6/+43"Bonus check for you Kevin if you can just bury this for us please"
      • jamdogg, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Kudos for you Kevin and Alex if you review this story on Diggnation (extra points for doing it right before the "sponsors" part of the show).
    • Majhem, on 06/30/2008, -0/+20God forbid some independent and objective group would review your conduct. Now thats quality control.
    • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -2/+36Godaddy sucks. Why cant I just buy a domain without going through 500 pages of ad's and jumping through hoops? Why am I forced to look at an ugly white trash lady in leather jacket every time I wanna get a domain? Why do you guys make such crappy commercials? Does targeting rednecks and Nascar fans really help your business? Why cant you just take care of your customers instead of screwing them? How about we all go elsewhere for domains (your hosting is already a joke) and let you flip over a drown in your filth? I have 5 domains expiring soon, I am moving elsewhere!
      • borsaid, on 06/30/2008, -2/+7Good luck moving your domains elsewhere. When you ordered them to begin with that auto-renewal was selected by default and hidden within the 10 pages of crap you have to click through in order to buy them.
      • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -1/+11Yeah I take my time (a lot of time) to go through and verify everything on their horrible site. Clicking NO THANKS to about 50 offers then finally disabling auto renew and removing all the extra scams they include by default. Such a great, professional site they have made. Imagine telling a client to register a domain on there. It would be embarrassing just recommending them visiting the homepage with all the tacky ads and photos they have there.
      • HoratioHellpop, on 06/30/2008, -2/+3// I have 5 domains expiring soon, I am moving elsewhere!//

        Well ... you think you are, anyway. Good luck with moving stuff AWAY from GoDaddy.com
      • fudged71, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1Dude, isn't that Danika Patrick?
        I wouldn't call her white trash... she could probably beat yo ass :)
      • tyboulder, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2GoDaddy is one of the worst websites I've ever had the pain in the ass of navigating just to get to the bare essentials. And they host websites... Danika may not be "white trash" but her marketing team certainly whores her out that way.
      • Condemned, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Godaddy blows, but they're the cheapest (after coupons) so I always register there.
      • junkwheel, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2Danika Patrick could beat my ass at what? Driving a car in a circle? Yeah, she probably could!
    • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -2/+5LOL - if they are expiring soon you better move em.
      You realise you cant transfer a domain within a set number of days before expiry ?
    • mike17032, on 06/30/2008, -11/+3There, problem solved. Not that there ever really was one in the first place, I have no problem with an employee using a service of a company they work at.
    • GoatMonkey2112, on 06/30/2008, -1/+14I ruled out GoDadday after the name I was looking up on their site was magically already purchased the next day when I went back to think about getting it again.

    • MoneyShot, on 06/30/2008, -1/+72-4 years of the hell that is law school. You finally graduate and then now you have to cram once more for the bar exam. Then with all that behind you, it's time to find a job truly worth the anguish. Somehow I doubt that being a legal mouthpiece for the ***** company that is Go Daddy was at the top of anyone's list.
    • darkened, on 06/30/2008, -4/+13Obligatory ***** GO DADDY.
    • EddietheHated, on 06/30/2008, -1/+12That's typical corporate mindset for you.

      "Well folks, we certainly weren't in the wrong, and did nothing out of line, but our corporate policy has changed as a result of this PR debacle, and the thing we were doing, is *now* no longer OK to do....

      ....not that there was anything wrong with it before this press statement"
    • kozsak, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8The problem is that Dicker has inside information on the true value (ie: traffic) of a domain held at godaddy. That is unfair (perhaps illegal) use of the system. GoDaddy manipulates the expiration process to their advantage, takes over valuable domains like globalwarming.com, then dicks like Dicker and his executive buddies buy them at discount. Essentially, dicking the bidders outside.
    • StevoJD, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6PR *****.
    • donaldleegraham, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2I didn't think GoDaddy was as bad as NetworkSolutions, but it now appears they are. Wow... thinking about moving ALL of my domains...
    • TheNeptune, on 06/30/2008, -3/+3This seems to be really over-blown anyway, the majority of Adam Dicker's activity was BEFORE he joined GoDaddy. He obviously intended to buy these domains (he paid for the ones he won - it wasn't like they went back in GoDaddy's pocket) so I don't really see what sort of wrong doing GoDaddy has done, they stopped him when it was made aware... and they obviously value customers because they're explaining themselves HERE on DIGG.

      I've used GoDaddy for years, never had any issues --- they warn you a dozen times before your domain expires... and then hold on to it for you so you can still get it back after YOU FORGOT TO RENEW --- saving you from losing it to someone else. Also, other registrars I've used take hours to days to start functioning after you get the DNS setup, GoDaddy domains always start working immediately.

      You guys trashing them just seem to be LOOKING for something to complain about.
    • say592, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2I was actually considering Digging you up, because I thought someone was actually trying to present the other side of the story by posting the official statement.

      However, given that this comes directly from the PR, Im digging down, because this is a SOCIAL news site. Let the people control it how they wish.
    • TwoXist, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1It's true the order was handed down today that we have to cancel all of our TDNAM memberships and domain back ordering as well as any domain monitoring in are personal accounts.
    • vatosplace, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1SUCKMYBALLZDADDYGO.COM is available!
      TBAGNOGOADDY.COM is available!


      Trying to think of others to run through at their site. Wonder how many will be purchased by them tomorrow.
    • donaldleegraham, on 07/03/2008, -0/+1If this is true why when I called to check in on my .me domain names did John (Customer Service Rep) tell me that he wasn't sure but he was going to talk to one of his co-workers that has purchase a couple of these domains.
  • mrjimbo12, on 06/29/2008, -8/+32Thanks Ms Jones.
    Appreciate the head nod that while you can't admit any wrongdoing for liability reasons, at least GoDaddy is making it clear that their policy is now that this is a conflict of interest for their people. It has at least the appearance that they are competing with their own customers to take any other stand.
    • mike17032, on 06/30/2008, -12/+3Tell me, exactly, where the conflict lies. What was he doing that any other person on earth couldnt have done?
    • byttle, on 06/30/2008, -3/+1Is Ms Jones the one with the full leather suit? I like her. :3
    • Barney255, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1They Did It As Well lol That's Suprising
  • EmitStop, on 06/30/2008, -5/+492I wonder if this story will be mentioned on this weeks diggnation?
    • alanr19, on 06/30/2008, -17/+3I doubt it very much. GoDaddys lawyers would be all over it.
      • 501337, on 06/30/2008, -1/+15Pretty sure that was a rhetorical question
    • shaun1018, on 06/30/2008, -1/+65Don't be a pussy Kevin.
      I'm sure 1and1 would sponsor you instead.
    • Arkanok, on 06/30/2008, -3/+18Being a sponsor of digg, I would be very shocked if they did, but we all know Kevin and Alex won't talk about this.
    • pantone286, on 06/30/2008, -1/+8We need to dig it way up.
    • JNudda, on 06/30/2008, -0/+30Well kevin dugg your comment, so at least he is paying attention.
    • ralphmalph914, on 06/30/2008, -10/+3GoDaddy is putting Alex Albrecht's kids thru college. So I don't think they feature this story on diggnation.
      • SoCalMario, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5Diggantion BETTER talk about this...Don't be a sellout!
      • bills534, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Alex doesn't have kids, he sold them to Angelina Jolie.
    • thesimo, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5well kevin dugg you, i guess you got your answer
      • COBRAcg, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3"Dugg by friends: kevinrose
        I wonder if this story will be mentioned on this weeks diggnation?"
        I guess there not gonna be a sponsor anymore
  • ankeshk, on 06/30/2008, -3/+30I switched all of my domains from GoDaddy to Moniker sometime back. And even though officially Moniker charges 50 cents more than GoDaddy per domain per year, if you email them - they will give you special bulk discount rates. I pay $7.50 per .com domain per year!
    • Rotzooi, on 06/30/2008, -1/+5At GoDaddy I pay less than $4.60 - they still suck ass though, don't get me wrong. But for hundreds of domains, those are nice savings.
      • skipdog172, on 06/30/2008, -4/+2haha, I love how everybody just makes the blanket statement that godaddy "sucks". I have yet to hear one good reason, but I'll keep reading!!!

        Oh and some isolated incidents are bound to happen in any company that large.
    • jer2eydevil88, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1I use Godaddy to manage my 30+ domains and have never had a troublesome experience. The only thing Godaddy really lacks is customer service but if you get one good rep to share their extension then even that become moderately good.

      Godaddy is a big company and many people work there so the actions of this one guy shouldn't sour their entire reputation.
    • specialK16, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7What exactly do you people do? Having +30 domains!?
      • Condemned, on 06/30/2008, -0/+91. BUY
        2. SELL
        3. ???
        4. PROFIT!

        Did I do that right?
      • nephilimx, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1porn blogs i guess? seems there a cheap way to make ad sense money, even if there are a trillion of them.
  • danjal, on 06/30/2008, -2/+36"To ensure customer confidence and to avoid any possible future questions of impropriety all GD employees are now and in the future prohibited from participating in TDNAM auctions, purchasing, sales & back orders." IE We got caught with our pants down and we are really sorry, won't happen again honest!
  • menwuur, on 06/30/2008, -1/+30I would love for this to blow up and see how it is covered by Revision3. So far the idea of having sponsors that allow you to be fair and unbiased hasn't really been tested unless you count the hd dvd code. But eventually it will be tested and we'll see if it's really possible to use advertising as a means of funding unbiased media.
    • ralphmalph914, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5advertising has and always will affect content.
  • Farhankhan, on 06/30/2008, -6/+1*****[good one]!!
    Godaddy's charges/month should go down now :)
  • jsaya, on 06/30/2008, -2/+22What are some good alternatives to GoDaddy? (Hosting/Domains)
    • AppleGeorge, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5Moniker.
    • imbob, on 06/30/2008, -5/+24GoMommy?
    • fac3less, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8I tend to use namecheap.com for my domains because they're inexpensive & have a nice backend. Free whois privacy included too.

      As far as hosts go -- check out http://www.hostjury.com
      • chrismusaf, on 06/30/2008, -3/+5That's what she said.
      • digitalpencil, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Just been looking at this. hostgator looks great: 600gb storage, 6gb bandwidth and unlimited domains/mysql dbs for $7.95/mnth
        I think i'm switching from godaddy.
      • danielsamuels, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3@digitalpencil: 600GB storage but only 6GB bandwidth? How stupid is that?!
      • derekivey, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Hostgator oversells...
    • Psi57, on 06/30/2008, -1/+10I like 1and1 :D
      • wanderingsun, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2I've used them and never had any problems. They called me to make sure to renew my domain name, but that's the only time I've ever heard from them.

        *Edit - I should add that I let my domain expire for a few weeks and was able to re-register it with them for the standard price.

        I don't know if there's some grace period before the domain becomes available, though.
      • netMASA, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1me too.
    • MrFluffZ, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4Namecheap =D
      • GarrettB, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1I second this!! Have 500 domains with them, bulk to $4.52 a year.
    • digitalpencil, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3good question. I currently use them and ***** hate them, i'm looking for an alternative.
      Any recommendations would be much appreciated.
    • apple1, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Domain.com
    • ivand67, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4Dreamhost.com
    • StreetAndre, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I'm happy with Bluehost.com
    • thoughtlover, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I've had good luck with easydns. A little more expensive, but they have dynamic DNS support, so I could host it over my cable modem.
    • Acglaphotis, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I use one.com
    • HigherLogic, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1eNom or Namecheap
    • forceuser, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1lunarpages.com
  • kayamm, on 06/30/2008, -5/+22godaddy = lame
  • MCA2142, on 06/30/2008, -11/+8I want my biggerDicker.com back.
    • crapmatic, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Is that the package deal with incontinentia-buttocks.org?
  • mayavada, on 06/30/2008, -2/+25Those auctions seem fishy. It's hard to imagine anyone bidding $20k for SmartMoneyInTheForest.com, or other ridiculous names. seems like cybersquatters own 80% of the real estate on the internet. GoDaddy seems like the sleaziest of all registries.
    • menwuur, on 06/30/2008, -1/+11Something needs to be done about site squatters man , 80% does seem about right. So many great domain names going to waste.
      • slapded, on 06/30/2008, -10/+1and we make tons of $$ doing it
      • tyboulder, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1...and so do sleazebag childpUrn peddlers! Yea! As long as there's money to be made...
  • gamben0, on 06/30/2008, -5/+24Why doesn't this surprise me? Godaddy has always had very shady business practices.
    • theblt, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2How so? What have they done that's been so shady?
  • Poltron, on 06/30/2008, -5/+36Public Service Commission.
    Phoenix Office
    Arizona Corporation Commission
    1200 W. Washington St.
    Phoenix, AZ 85007
    (602) 542-4251
    (800) 222-7000
  • indiepenguins, on 06/30/2008, -11/+4$1.99 Yahoo domains FTW
  • MPimagery, on 06/30/2008, -1/+14That's a seriously big eff up there GoDaddy.
  • scottmoss, on 06/30/2008, -3/+11I don't care if he was doing this before he took the executive position at Godaddy! Don't they have any conflict of interest issues with this! I say screw Danica Patrick and move to someone like 1and1.com......
    • TheOther1, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2I'm all over the Danica Patrick part!
      • WELLDOITLIVE, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Which part of her? I'll take the elbows
  • Sheitfritter, on 06/30/2008, -14/+2clap your hands and shout c-o-c-k !
  • DWRoelands, on 06/30/2008, -15/+5What exactly is the problem here? He made bids on some domains. He won some and he lost some. There's no evidence that he manipulated the auction in any way or somehow leveraged his status with GoDaddy to gain unfair advantage.

    Of course, the third line from the extract is misleading. EVERYONE WHO BIDS pushes up the auction price of auctions they don't win.

    Non-story.
    • Killmon, on 06/30/2008, -0/+6your logic is faulty, he has accesses to all bidding info, he can pick and choice which ones he just wants to drive up prices, and which ones he want to own for resale, or for him self... bad,bad, and unfair non-free market system, as he knows your limits. It is like a car sales men knowing that you will spend 30k when you offer 20k...he will milk you. By the way , I got a bridge to sell you! lol
      • yojiffyskippy, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Actually, there's no evidence that he has access to all bidding info but it certainly seems logical that he would have access to that info.
    • captnkurt, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2You forgot to sign your comment, Mr. Dicker!
  • hiteshsharma, on 06/30/2008, -3/+14I always had my suspicion about GoDaddy..
  • Killmon, on 06/30/2008, -3/+19I new they were pulling this *****, I will never use them again, I had some names that I ran consistent checks on over days through whois and then went to registrar thru go daddy I found that after entering them in their system they were taken a few seconds afterwards, by go daddy...crooked *****
    • menwuur, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8Yea, that's happened to me too. Or they end up squatted shortly after....
    • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -1/+10Same here, They stole a domain from me because I forgot to renew it on time and then they wanted 80$ to renew it. It was my personal photography site that barely had any visitors. I HATE godaddy, Domains for crooked rednecks. never ever again will they get my money. And I will go out of my way to hurt there business.
      • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -6/+2Did you use mommy's credit card?

        They didnt STEAL anything. YOU forgot to renew it as you state.
        ANY registrar will charge you an extra fee to get your domain out of REDEMPTION period, and that $80 stings, but is cheaper than I have been offered by another registrar.

        Damned bunch of babies who shouldnt be allowed near computers or the internet... This entire thread is full of hate due to ignorance in how the TLD allocation works.
      • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Regardless of how it works, It sucks. 80$ to get my 7$ domain back is ***** no matter how you call it. I am not sure if you have ever used GoDaddy but you should know how much of a process it is to just register a simple domain name. I would say all this HATE is pretty much well deserved.

        What makes us a bunch of baby's? The fact we don't enjoy being ripped off?
      • TheNeptune, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1That $80 is the premium they charge you to prevent some domain snatcher buying it up and charging you $2000 for it ;)
      • Killmon, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0so why not charge others 80 and him the renewal...no, their motive is not that nobel.
    • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2
      You actually checked a name time and time again, and didn't buy it?

      The ports that are used to check whois and the availability of TLDs are public. They can and are monitored by groups OUTSIDE of Godaddy with the intention of grabbing any good name that you dont .
      I understand that there have been other shady practices going on lately at registrar and reseller levels with some companies concerning tasting etc.

    • Killmon, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0With whois it..not GD. Whois is not monitoring and dishing out search data...
  • Pogojoe, on 06/30/2008, -1/+10Enom is the worst
    • thoughtlover, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I let a site expire with GoDaddy. Shortly thereafter eNom showed up under whois as having registered it for a year:
      Creation date: 09 Sep 2006 11:59:00
      Expiration date: 09 Sep 2007 11:59:00
      They wanted $200 for it. My fault for letting it expire, but what happened next was just odd.

      I checked it a month later eNom no longer had it registered. So somehow they made it appear as if they had registered a site for a year when they actually did not. I think there are an awful lot of shady things going on in the DNS registration world. I believe the term for this is "Domain tasting" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_tasting ).

      If you want to see some funny stuff, visit the eNom wikipedia entry... they are doing a masterful job of keeping it clear of criticism.
      • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Yeah I have seen that same thing when Registerfly let my name expire (even though they told me that they had renewed it with my funds). Independant whois showed me as owner for further year, but then details changed to those of Enom and they tried to sell it back to me for hundreds of dollars saying that Registerfly had not renewed it and it was not their problem. The domain was shortly transfered to a private individual. No Bull, and I documented it all at the time.
  • rexprime, on 06/30/2008, -11/+21i surprisingly don't care
  • deviouster, on 06/30/2008, -1/+10what a dick.
  • themrmysterious, on 06/30/2008, -8/+2I cant believe this! This is just stupid. I dont belive this rubbish.
  • my10cent, on 06/30/2008, -13/+2oh get a grip, it happens all the time
  • calenerd, on 06/30/2008, -7/+2The only thing I like about GoDaddy is the Frenchmaidtv podcast that advertises about them :)
  • JasonCox, on 06/30/2008, -15/+7BREAKING: GoDaddy VP's like to buy domains too.
  • helpfulcorn, on 06/30/2008, -5/+3Despite this Network Solutions and Enom are still my biggest enemies as far as domain sales go.
  • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -1/+7Sucks (if true)
    But then again I had a few hundred domain names with Registerfly - so I have seen the worst of registrars!

    ICAAN - show some initiative by laying down some common sense legaly binding rules to keep registrars and resellers in their place !
    • normalkid0615, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2YES this is *****, why cant we set up or own domains? What gives godaddy the power?
      • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Well, actually you can. GoDaddy are just one of many registrars and reseller /affiliates - I dont know the specifics, but ICAAN accreditation, a company, and the technical expertise would be starting points to getting a registrar license to sell and manage domain names. A few shonky operators have given ICAAN nightmares in the past, and I understand that things may have been tightened up recently.
  • viralprospector, on 06/30/2008, -7/+8I am not surprised. We never buy from GoDaddy. Just look at their branding. They want to be the king of sleaze, and this shows this they are as immoral as they are revolting. They'll see that this "business strategy" is doomed.
    • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -2/+5BUT BUT DALE EARNHART JR SAYS ITS A GOOD AND THEY HAVE DANICA PATRICK WHO HAS *****! DUR DUR DUR. It would be nice if they were even slightly professional about there business and took there customers seriously. I really hope this incident hurts them.
      • skipdog172, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Yeah one guy bidding on some auctions means the entire company is "immoral" and "revolting". Been a customer for a couple years and service/support/pricing has always been great. Nobody seems to be able to come up with any REAL reason to hate godaddy, but it sure is fun to point out these isolated incidents that are bound to happen!!!!
    • tyboulder, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1I wonder how many fat greasy sleazebags they have on digg right now trying to bury comments?
  • 420ilerBuzzed, on 06/30/2008, -16/+11GoDaddy - go ***** yourself. I've never used that ***** service.
    • mike17032, on 06/30/2008, -4/+3I have, and have been nothing but happy.
  • fishpen0, on 06/30/2008, -4/+5Is there a way to just buy a domain straight from the source instead of through one of these companies? How do they acquire the domain? Because I imagine it would be cheap and much less crooked.
  • retrovertigo, on 06/30/2008, -1/+55"This week's edition of Diggnation was brought to you by GoDaddy.com. Enter the code DIGG to save 15% on your order, as it will come in handy when you are outbid by the VP in an effort to get you to pay way more than you were hoping to for a stupid domain name about your cat. But hey, it's 15% cheaper with the code!"
  • starkistuna, on 06/30/2008, -1/+21ouch biggest sponsor caught cheating.
  • Jonjonr6, on 06/30/2008, -4/+1The onyl thing good GoDaddy has ever done is buy advertising on Digg and Rev3.
    I used them once and will never use them again.
    Maybe this is standard procedure, but I wanted to transferred a website to someone else. I paid for hosting of that website for a year. When ownership of the site transferred, the new owner had to pay for hosting again.
  • IAmCuteKitty, on 06/30/2008, -6/+7***** GoDaddy.
  • etx313, on 06/30/2008, -3/+5Does anyone actually use godaddy? They have a creepy name, I've never used them.
    • drgirlfriend, on 06/30/2008, -4/+9We use them because they're cheap. In five years we've never had any problems.
      • darkzealot89, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1I have used their Linux Hosting and Domain Hosting for years. No problems here.
      • smoothmann, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I have multiple domains with them. I host on my own servers. Never had any problems....can't beat their pricing.
    • Pushkin, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5I use them for many domains. Have for years
      Horrible website to navigate, but their helpdesk is fast, knowledgeable and courteous whenever I have had a problem finding something.
      Had them help me cancel an auto-renewal without any issues
      I worry when I read bad comments about them, but so far I have had no problems at all.
    • biggerapple3am, on 06/30/2008, -3/+7"GoDaddy VP caught creating fake Digg user names and posting positive comments"
      • Pushkin, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Not that positive. I hate their site :|
    • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2Yeah - they are OK. - I dont like the web interface very much because of all the special offers, links & advertising (I've no idea who that racing girl is) but they are relatively cheap (especially with the codes) and I have had a number of domains with them for a few years w no problems. Support seems to be within 24 hours whenever I have used it - usually only a few hours actually. Being one of the largest registrars, it seemed a safer bet for me after the Registerfly meltown a few years ago.

      I have also used: NetworkSolutions (problems + $$$$), Registerfly (KILL KILL HATE), Enom ($$$), Stargate and a few smaller registrar resellers.
    • netMASA, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Yes. They were jerks about transferring domains away from the service. Seriously, they purposely add obstacles and call them the "standard procedure" of transferring domains. I wouldn't suggest using them
    • centran, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I use godaddy. Just for a domain registrar.
      The trick is ignoring all the offers they throw in your face. There is seriously like 3 pages of "offers"/ads you need to get through to purchase a domain. If you don't mind clicking next next next then they are cheap.
      That being said, I would not use them to actually host my websites.
    • GoogIPO, on 07/10/2008, -0/+0I used to have a 100+ domains there but moved them all out when they took SecLists.Org down.
  • HubbertWins, on 06/30/2008, -5/+6Dumping them. There are a zillion others and who needs to deal with crooks?
  • melissajarquin, on 07/04/2008, -1/+4Wonder what sources this is all coming from. I agree that shill bidding is ridiculous and if the policy for GoDaddy truly allows their employees to bid against non employees in their auctions then that is only asking for trouble. I'm not too sure that I'd completely buy into such a biased side writing the article. I highly doubt that "nodaddy.com" would share anything potentially positive about GoDaddy.com, even if it did exist.
  • mugwumpz, on 06/30/2008, -1/+14Bob Parsons is an ass. While the company always served me well for several years, the idea of a megalomaniac like that heading the company that controls my domain names scared me enough that I migrated all 130 of them to NameCheap over the last couple years. GoDaddy has a lot going for it (in a number of ways, their service is better than NameCheap)...but a few asses in management would rather use it as a vehicle for their own personal party bus and pulpit. But...what the hell...a lot of other companies have done the same thing over the years. Build a great company, act like asses, drive the company into the ground. I don't deal with them anymore.
    • computerusr, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1meg·a·lo·ma·ni·a Audio Help (měg'ə-lō-mā'nē-ə, -mān'yə) Pronunciation Key
      n.

      1. A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
  • WomensUnderwear, on 06/30/2008, -12/+6godaddy is *****, as is digg. bunch of ***** the lot of you
    • bbqsalad, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4I am going to punch you right in the belly. Then kiss you.
  • blankoboy, on 06/30/2008, -1/+3Who can recommend a better alternative registrar for everyone?
    • groverblue, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2dreamhost.com
      • UTPinky, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Dreamhost is horrible. I've been counting down the days until my 2 year contract is up with them. I've had way too much downtime, and there seems to be always 1 issue after another.
      • theblt, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Dreamhost really isn't a registrar. You can get domains through them, but they're mainly a hosting company. I've also had issues with them but I'm finding it difficult to leave for what I'm paying for. I have 10 domains on one account for $10/month. That's difficult to beat. On top of that, I can SSH into the server as well as edit my php configuration. So, I guess you gotta figure out what works best for you.
    • thestaton, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2gandi.net which is out of France. I have over 200 with them, and they have been nothing but phenomenal.

      • GoogIPO, on 07/10/2008, -0/+0I agree, they are pretty good. A bit pricey but 100% reliable and professional.
    • 360news, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Here is a list of ICANN accredited registrars - there are LOTS :
      http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.ht ...

      Get on some forums where there are some knowledgable professionals and do some research for yourself concerning the 'best'.

      Whatever you do, DO NOT go near Registerfly / Regfly.
      How they retained ICANN acreditation for as long as they did was the biggest joke in the domain industry for years.
    • RJinLA, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0I personally recommend namecheap.com , good prices and an excellent interface. I've used them for years and never had a problem. Also they offer free whoisguard with new registrations, nice little extra.
    • GoogIPO, on 07/10/2008, -0/+0- http://www.Moniker.com
      - http://www.NameCheap.com
      - http://www.DreamH0st.com
      - http://www.Name.com
  • bleutuna, on 06/30/2008, -2/+9Maybe THAT'S why my useless ass domain that they were trying to extort from me for $91.00 was actually bought. Jerks.

    CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!
    • phorty40, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1yes. its complete *****. they did the same to me.
    • paradexes, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1This is not improper. This would actually fall under the legal definition of fraud. So not improper but illegal. It is the same as eBay's VPs bidding against items, just to raise the price so that they get a higher fee. This is fraudulent behavior.
    • Kasar99, on 06/30/2008, -0/+0I had to leave the primary domain on my host unregistered for six months rather than pay them $80 for the name after I let it lapse. The domain itself's not used except for administrative stuff, so I got by with IP addressing, but it seemed stupid.

      I might use actual information registering if it didn't cost extra to opt out of the endless fake Rolex and bag spam that started the day after I registered the first domain. That's the only address godaddy will ever have of mine. Sure it was PROBABLY harvested from whois, but you can never be certain.
  • AlienMushroom, on 06/30/2008, -1/+4Adam Dicker is the owner of DNForum.com which charges hundreds of dollars in fees for an Exclusive membership.
    This cheater owns SM.org, which I do not recommend anyone to buy.
  • malonie, on 06/30/2008, -3/+3is he also bidding on that ***** in the commercial? you better win boss!
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