I read an article on DomainGang.com about a domain name that appeared to have been repossessed by its registrar, Go Daddy. The registrant showed up as “Repossessed by Go Daddy,” and according to a DomainTools email search, just under 50,000 domain names are registered to the email address associated with this particular account.
I reached out to GoDaddy to ask four questions about the repossessed account maintained by the company, and I received a reply from Go Daddy’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Zimmerman (the questions and answers weren’t specific to the domain name in the DomainGang article). Learn about how domain names go into the “Repossessed by GoDaddy” account.
Why would a domain name be repossessed?
“Go Daddy’s Payment Verification Office reviews every transaction through our system using either an automated or manual review process.
Products and services can be repossessed during this process if a payment is suspected to be fraudulent. In addition, domain names are repossessed when a chargeback is processed on a payment.
If a payment is fradulent or charged back within the first five days after a domain name is purchased, the domain name is returned to the registry.”
How can a domain owner get a name out of that account?
“If a product or service is repossessed due to suspected payment fraud or chargeback, the account holder can work with the Payment Verification Office to resolve the matter.”
When did Go Daddy institute this account/policy?
“Go Daddy has always implemented payment verification and chargeback policies, with minimal changes to the procedures over the years.”
How many names are repossessed?
“While specific numbers of repossessed domain names cannot be discussed, it is around one-tenth of a percent of our entire portfolio.
Go Daddy has a 24/7 team available to work with any customer to resolve a repossession.”
