According to DomainNameWire.com, Godaddy may be forced to eliminate their 60 day transfer prohibition policy enacted when a client changes Whois information. ICANN’s new advisory, in the public comment state for the next 30 days would appear to prohibit Godaddy’s policy:
“1. Registrars are prohibited from denying a domain name transfer request based on non-payment of fees for pending or future registration periods during the Auto-Renew Grace Period
2. A registrant change to Whois information is not a valid basis for denying a transfer request.” — Source: DomainNameWire.com
I’ve always found this policy to be an annoyance. I shouldn’t have to keep my domain names at Godaddy simply because of a change in Whois contact information. I understand the 60 day policy pertaining to new registrations because I should register my domain names at my registrar of choice, however, when buying domain names in the aftermarket, I am not given my choice of registrar.
Just as Andrew (the editor of DomainNameWire.com) stated, I was also able to contact my Executive Account Manager at Godaddy to request that the policy be lifted for individual domain names. They were always willing to accommodate me, but it was annoying to have to take this extra step.
Good news Elliot! I had tons of trouble with Wild West Domains (GoDaddy reseller) due to exactly this stupid policy. I reported on this over a year ago on my blog http://www.domainsmalltalk.com/2008/01/30/wild-west-domains-violates-icann-transfer-policy/ and if you take a look a the comments made, there are plenty of other annoyed customers.