O'Quin Zone Forum Index O'Quin Zone
Discussions
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

nametech.com - Stay away... stay FAR away!

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    O'Quin Zone Forum Index -> Services Reviews
View previous topic :: View next topic  

Rate NameTech.Com
5 - Outstanding
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
4 - Above Average
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
3 - Average
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
2 - Below Average
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
1 - Poor
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
0 - Abysmal
100%
 100%  [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 1

Author Message
loquin
Site Admin


Joined: 31 Dec 1969
Posts: 76

PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:12 pm    Post subject: nametech.com - Stay away... stay FAR away! Reply with quote

http://www.nametech.com purports to be a Domain Name registrar. In addition, they supposedly act as a broker to buy/sell existing domain names, and are a hosting company.

I can only talk about my experiences with them as a Domain Name registrar, however.

First, I should provide a little background. Domain Names are the heart of the URL address of an internet site. If you know the actual internet address (also known as an IP address) of a site (123.221.17.3 is an example) and you used this address all the time, then no Domain name would actually needed. However, most of us remember names better than strings of numbers. To handle this, domain name servers are used to cross reference domain names (oquin.net, or google.com are two examples) to the IP address where the site is hosted. And, Domain Name registrars charge a yearly fee for registering and managing the domain name record for you.

More than 10 years ago, I registered oquin.com using nametech.com as my registrar. (A little background - it turns out that there aren't that many registrars, and it also turns out that these 'big boys' sell domain name registration 'wholesale' to smaller companies, who then resell registration 'retail' to most of us.)

I got my notification from nametech, in my email inbox, that oquin.com was expiring in early June, 2011... So, I went to nametech before the expiration, logged on, entered my credit card information, hit the 'submit' button, ... and I got an error message! So, I tried again, without the apostrophe in my last name. (Some sites have real problems with apostrophes...) Got ANOTHER error. I KNEW there was no problem with the card, so I immediately went to nametech's 'contact us' link on their site, and put together a nice email, explaining the problem, and the fact that I needed to get this problem resolved, as the domain registration would soon expire.

Two days later, I had heard nothing back. So I sent off an urgent message to them, and tried renewing the domain name again. I get the same error. (At one point, I went online to check the credit card, and there were three (3) 'pending' charges by nametech.com... so whatever the problem, it was at THEIR end.)

At the top of nametech's website page (every page, for that matter) is an 800 number to contact them. So, I give that number a ring... and am notified that this number is not in service! I check and re-check the number as I redial it... and get the same message.

About now, bells - warning bells - are going off in my head! So, I go back to nametech's 'contact us' page, get their local land line number, and call it. IT isn't in service either! I check with the 800 directory and they have no listing for nametech, or nametech.com. The same for the local 411 directory listings for Weston, FL. Uh-Oh.

Now, I send ANOTHER email to every email address on their 'contact me' page. (And, 2 weeks later, I haven't heard back from any of them.)

On the header of nametech's web site, there was a quote from a Dr. Juan G. Gonzales, PhD, saying something to the effect that domain names would be more important than physical addresses in the near future. Turns out that Juan G. Gonzales (who does have a PhD) was also the president/ceo of nametech. But, I also found that he, and others who were associated with the company, are no longer involved with it.

I did a 'whois' search on nametech.com. It listed Juan Gonzales for all contacts for the company, AND it had the 'not in service' telephone number.

By this time, the registration for oquin.com had expired, and the site was down!

Now, it turns out that a registrar must respond within a reasonable time to a request to transfer a domain to another registrar. BUT, only if the domain is not expired; if it is expired, the domain record is locked for 60 days, after which, if it has not been renewed, anyone can register it! So, since <apparently> nametech.com is now defunct, and they were my registrar, the site would be down permanently, and it would be a crap-shoot to see if I would be able to re-register it.

Finally, I took a real close look at the whois record for my site (oquin.com). HEY! It turns out that enom.com (one of the 'big boys') is the registrar of record - NOT nametech. Nametech was apparently one of those bulk resellers for them...

After three or four days of telephone and email contact with enom support, I was able to get an account set up with them, get oquin.com switched over to them directly, and was FINALLY able to renew the account and get back online...

Here's the moral. If you want to do business with a company without any support at all, with a set of published contact numbers which aren't in service, and which, if this site were a commercial outlet, would aid and abet it in going under, use nametech.com. Otherwise, RUN AWAY, long before your site is due to expire!!!

Note: There apparently IS some activity surrounding nametech.com; While they still list the invalid telephone numbers, they have pulled the quote by Juan G. Gonzales from the site header...)
_________________
"Lisa, in this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" - Homer Simpson, to daughter Lisa, on discovering that she has built a perpetual motion device.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    O'Quin Zone Forum Index -> Services Reviews All times are GMT - 7 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This site hosted by:

Forum powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group