When clients cancel and abandon their names, we put them up for sale on Sedo – I like Sedo. They’re quick, they answer questions, and I had a few domain names that I tried to broker myself and it was just too much hassle. So, we put them on Sedo.

One of our Sedo domains apparently was shown to a GoDaddy client, and GoDaddy sent us an email offering to broker the same between us and their client because that’s how the client wanted to buy. I have a rule to deal with GoDaddy as little as humanly possible after a really horrible experience with the company (cough see this post cough), but it wasn’t that much money so I figured what the heck.

I answered the emails, opened an account just to sell the domain, and did everything I was supposed to do. I added my PayPal account to get paid. All was well. Took about two weeks. Got a transaction completed notification and a fare thee well thanks three days ago.

But no money.

Now, color me crazy, but if the transaction is completed one would think that everyone got what they were supposed to get. Buyer got domain name. GoDaddy got brokers fees. My company gets paid. You know, all the little things that make up a completed sale.

Apparently not.

I waited three days after the completed notification, and waited for the money. I mean, I’m in this industry – sometimes crap gets screwed up, things take time. I got that. But three days? I called to see what was going on.

1. I called the number given for domain sales.
2. I pushed the automated button that was supposed to get me to the “Domain Buy Service team”.

I got a regular tech support person, who had to put me on hold for five minutes to talk to the “Domain Buy Service team” to find out why I hadn’t gotten paid because the actual people that do the domain brokerage can’t be spoken to by mere peons.

They don’t have phone extensions, though GoDaddy gives you a number and automated system and directs you to call the “Domain Buy Service team” who you get is actually get is a regular technical support person that doesn’t even have access to the information and who talk back and forth by phone to the people you aren’t allowed to talk to by phone that you were directed to call the number and push the button to speak to.

And general tech support guy will repeatedly sidestep any specific questions you have by repeatedly reminding you he is not, in fact, one of the Domain Buy Service team members.

While telling you they are just technical support, don’t have the information, and no, you can’t talk to the Domain Buy Service team and yes, they realize that the number you called and the buttons you pushed got you to someone who appeared to be in the Domain Buy Service team department even though there is no real actual number to get to the Domain Buy Service team he just keeps saying “I don’t know” as well as that no, he can’t transfer you to the Domain Buy Service team because no one is allowed to speak to them.

Are you serious?

In short, he told me it takes 20 days to be paid from the date they paid GoDaddy and that they hold the domain in escrow until I’m paid. I asked what date they paid, and he didn’t know and couldn’t ask. I asked what they mean by holding the domain in Escrow and he said the buyer wouldn’t have access to the domain until I was paid. When I pointed out they had a site up already, he didn’t answer.

We argued a bit more but, in short, they gave the domain name to their client, they won’t tell you when they were paid, and you’ve already given up your domain to someone else’s use before you ever see a dime. And if you have a problem with the sale well, that’s just tough – you can’t talk to the Domain Buy Service team doing domain brokerage and you can’t have any information on anything because he isn’t the Domain Buy Service team and only they have information.

Yes, ok, I finally Googled the TOS.

Proceeds from a sale will be made to your selected Deposit Account approximately thirty-one (31) days after Buyer’s deposit of funds in connection with such purchase.

My bad. Stupid as hell, and hope they enjoy the interest, but fine. I’m one of the idiots that didn’t read the TOS. Har Har. Joke’s on me.

You know what’s also in the TOS?

5. DISPUTE POLICY

Occasionally, a dispute might arise regarding a transaction begun or completed through the Services. In such instance, you agree to be bound by Go Daddy ‘s Dispute Policy. Go Daddy reserves the right to modify the Dispute Policy at any time, without notice.

Filing a Dispute

To file a dispute, you must submit an email to AuctionDisputes@godaddy.com. The email must include:

• Your account number;
• Your name and contact information;
• The order number associated with the transaction;
• The domain name over which the dispute arises; and
• A detailed account of the dispute.

Such email must be received within fifteen (15) days from the sale date.

Date of sale was 7/07, 9 days ago, the date I clicked the little button to agree to sell, so I have until Thursday, July 22, 2010 to file a dispute.

Tech told me to “assume” the completed email is the date they were paid, which was July 13th – so if the 20 days the tech told me is correct, that’s Monday, August 2, 2010, or the 31 days the TOS says puts it at Friday, August 13, 2010.

If they were paid the very same day I agreed (the date of sale), that puts the 20 days at Tuesday, July 27, 2010, and the 31 days by their TOS at Saturday, August 7, 2010.

So, if you don’t get paid 31 days from the sale date, you have 15 days from the date of sale to file a dispute, with every possible payment date being after the dispute deadline? You’re kidding me, right?

That’s cute.

Never again.

Tags: GoDaddy

This entry was posted on Friday, July 16th, 2010 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Random Rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.