I've been stuffed buying .xxx

[janeyweb]

Before I start my rant feel free to tell me I should never have bothered with .xxx - I know now that is just what I should have done...

Having been completely taken in by the registry's sales pitch and in the hope of securing 'my' domains, I went ahead and followed their procedures... FOOL!

I am aware how the majority of you feel about this process and so won't expect any sympathy, I just want to document this in case anyone else is even considering buying (or trying to buy) theirs.

I 'pre-reserved' - now this is being called 'expressed an interest in'- 'my'.xxx domain. I joined the 'sponsored adult community' - yes I know... MUG!

I have owned and operated janeyweb.com since 2000. I also own a large suite of top level domains (.coms and .co.uks as we are UK based) most of which contain janeyweb or janey in them.

My company trades as Janey Web Productions Ltd. My stage name is Janey Web.

Our registrar secured one .xxx domain with no problem - www.janeysweb.xxx - this in fact is a name we did not oringinally 'express an interest' in, we just decided to get it as we use the .com as a pay site.

We were then told by the registrar that janeyweb.xxx AND the second domain we were 'interested in' were blocked so they couldn't buy them for us.

ICM confirmed that these domains were on their "Premium List".

This means that they are not available in Sunrise A even though I own the top level domains. They MAY be up for auction in November (but they MAY NOT), or we can wait for Landrush in December if someone else didn't already get them or if the registry actually decide to release them at all!

I asked the registrar to refund the domain we have secured as I do not want to do business with ICM any longer - in fact they have stopped corresponding with me despite never once answering all of my questions, including whether someone else had 'expressed an interest' in the domains - this I understood would be the only reason I wouldn't get them straight away under sunrise A.

The registrar says they cannot refund the registration fee according to their T&Cs, but as we are a long term customer they'll part refund it as a goodwill gesture...

So I am out of pocket, left with a domain we don't want and without the ones that I did want - sorry 'expressed an interest in' - YEP, SUCKER!

Anybody else been screwed...?

Thanks all.

[charlie g]

Wow, fucking balls. This whole xxx bulshit is fucking dirty politics and a major money grab. Sorry to hear it Janey

[sponsorpimp]

It's all one big scam - I defiantly will not be buying any .xxx

[scottybuzz]

you said you dont expect sympathy and you are not going to get any from me. so much info about it that you should have read. Lets hope however people read this and don't fall in the same trap.

[Emil]

[cooldude7]

xxx = scam

[Caligari]

its one more sad story in the .xxx fiasco, avoid the scams at all cost.

[ruff]

There will be many more people ripped off before it's over. The only thing you can do is salvage what you can and warn others about your experience. This extention is just a bad move for any serious adult webmaster.

[DWB]

Awwwwwwww.

Well now ya know.

[Nikki_Licks]

Man! Good you told your story here so others can see this is nothing but a worthless money grab brought on by an idiot (Lawley) using "Protect the children" as a guise for his greed.

You should post this on ripoffoffreport and scams or any place you can find....get the word out.

Fuck ICM and .XXX

[just a punk]

I asked the registrar to refund the domain we have secured as I do not want to do business with ICM any longer - in fact they have stopped corresponding with me despite never once answering all of my questions, including whether someone else had 'expressed an interest' in the domains - this I understood would be the only reason I wouldn't get them straight away under sunrise A.

Never ask for a refund if you were scammed. Do a CHARGE BACK instead.

P.S. Yes, now you know how the whole ".xxx" swindle does stink for real...

[BlackCrayon]

so they are putting clearly non generic domains in their 'premimum' lists..hmm. that sounds like they are violating trademarks by doing this.

[Sophie Delancey]

Damn, that's good to know. It's interesting to see the real-life ramifications of this process.

[blackmonsters]

so they are putting clearly non generic domains in their 'premimum' lists..hmm. that sounds like they are violating trademarks by doing this.

The premium list probably contains all adult domains that have been active for more than a year.

[alias]

Not surprised.

[BlackCrayon]

The premium list probably contains all adult domains that have been active for more than a year.

.xxx is turning out to be an even bigger scam tham i imagined. just think of how much money is being made off people who have their applications rejected due to being on the premium list..there is no where to see this premium list and thus no way to avoid getting fucked over with their non refundable application fee.

[pornguy]

Got slapped in the face with the .XXX cock..

Should have read about it on multiple boards before you wasted money.

[alias]

Most of us saw this coming.

[L-Pink]

Wish I could feel sorry for you.

.

[BFT3K]

This is what buying .xxx domain names is like...

[Giilo]

this xxx thing is so stupid

[cherrylula]

I went to pre-reg one too, and read up the fine print and they don't even guarantee you get the domain but take your money. lol

no guarantee, no money from me!

[L-Pink]

I went to pre-reg one too, and read up the fine print and they don't even guarantee you get the domain but take your money. lol

no guarantee, no money from me!

So if 100 people try to reserve the same domain 99 will lose their money?

.

[BAKO]

Its a scam. First of all domains don't really matter that much these days. Look at some of the bigest tube sites and there domains.

[Nikki_Licks]

So if 100 people try to reserve the same domain 99 will lose their money?

.

Ponzi scheme?

[BIGTYMER]

That's what you get. I hope you didn't get burned to badly.

[AdultKing]

If one of our trademarked names gets registered, just one, then we will sue ICM and also issue civil proceedings against every single director of the organization in Australia.

It is a scam, it does violate law in our country at least, there are issues here such as third line forcing, unconscionable conduct and misleading and deceptive conduct.

ICM better not fuck with us because I have the tenacity of a mule.

[Achmed]

I have make special present for .xxx peoples. I deliver at next Phoenix Foursomes show.

[TheLegacy]

Mostly everyone saw this coming and really surprised that in some office there are people considering it a good idea. I know you were screwed and on some levels am sorry - the other side is that if you did your homework and read up on things - read the fine print along with searching message boards then you would have known.

If anything I hope this servers as a reminder and warning to anyone else about xxx

[LeRoy]

Lawley doesnt care about this biz or anyone in it

He wants the cash and he's selling out everyone

He'll be calling all of us virus & malware pushing pornographers. Oh wait he already is

[seeric]

This is the tip of the iceberg.

[helterskelter808]

First of all domains don't really matter that much these days. Look at some of the bigest tube sites and there domains.

Yep. I don't understand why people are buying up their .com name under .xxx anyway, when presumably they are not bothering to register under other cc/TLDs. Isn't .xxx $200+ or something too?

Janeyweb, for example, is available in every extension other than .co.uk, .com, .net (the latter seemingly registered by someone else). Even the .org is available, so why bother with .xxx?

If one of our trademarked names gets registered, just one, then we will sue ICM and also issue civil proceedings against every single director of the organization in Australia.

It is a scam, it does violate law in our country at least, there are issues here such as third line forcing, unconscionable conduct and misleading and deceptive conduct.

ICM better not fuck with us because I have the tenacity of a mule.

Do you mean if they "blocked" it or put it on their "Premium List" or just if someone happened to register one of your names under .XXX?

[AdultKing]

Do you mean if they "blocked" it or put it on their "Premium List" or just if someone happened to register one of your names under .XXX?

If it goes on their premium list or someone registers one then it's all guns blazing. They have no right to infringe on our intellectual property rights and we have provisions in Australia to take them to task in our courts here and enforce judgements globally through various treaties.

[cooldude7]

icm and everybody thinks there is shitload of money in porn.

[DaddyHalbucks]

I have no plans to buy .XXX

[lazycash]

I went to pre-reg one too, and read up the fine print and they don't even guarantee you get the domain but take your money. lol

no guarantee, no money from me!

We've been trying to tell you this for 6 months, yet you continued on with your desire to buy a .xxx domain

[will76]

I went to pre-reg one too, and read up the fine print and they don't even guarantee you get the domain but take your money. lol

no guarantee, no money from me!

awe so you not all excited about getting a .xxx domain any more then?


(news flash, you don't have the money to afford to buy one anyway. no loss there.)

[will76]

Lawley doesnt care about this biz or anyone in it

He wants the cash and he's selling out everyone

He'll be calling all of us virus & malware pushing pornographers. Oh wait he already is

not to mention that he was never in this industry to start with and that 95% of us have been fighting him and trashing him for the last 10 years. Of course he wouldn't give two shits about us. If anything he is going to try to stick it to us as hard as possible. These bullshit tactics and the fees are just the tip of the ice burg. I'd bet anything he is already lobbying to have .xxx mandatory for porn and Jane is his barking dog leading that campaign.

[seeandsee]

.xxx comes to you

[CyberHustler]

What a mess. Glad I'm not caught up in it.

[bean-aid]

charge it back

[Rochard]

What a bunch of fucking assholes.

[L-Pink]

so if 100 people try to reserve the same domain 99 will lose their money?

.

???

.

[PornMD]

It's amazing how ICM kept saying the adult industry was on board and shit like that, and they're nowhere to be found here in threads like this. Isn't this the largest adult webmaster forum, aka what should be their biggest source of customers if what they said was true?

[janeyweb]

Thanks everyone for your comments - this is why I love GFY!

I might not post here regularly but I do and have watched the boards for years and have learnt a lot from it. One post here today and I finally got a response from ICM :-)

This afternoon I've received an email from the registry saying they have been trying to contact me, as well as a post appearing on the 'question' I had left days ago.



Prior to my post, I had not received any emails since my last post in their members area on 17th.





I have been sitting waiting on this (and any time previously they replied to my 'question' I got an email) so have not cleared my spam/deleted items for days
in case I missed something important - more than ten years of spam OCCASIONALLY I delete one I need to read by accident and paranoia had set in!

I've also checked my phone number on our whois/domain info and also on my registration profile as a member of the sponsored community. It is correct on both counts.




We have been receiving calls on this number no problem, including calls from our registrar Easyspace regarding the .xxx registration process and refunds/ trying charging back (READ BIG headache)...

We have a functioning answerphone. There have been no phone calls on this line from ICM and there have been no messages left by ICM.

I am now told that I am part of their 'Talent Program' which they are in the process of rolling out and they are working on a way to get the domain name to me....



I did a search on 'Talent Program' which showed no results (same as I did when they threw in 'Premium List' - no results)



Firstly I don't understand why they didn't just tell me this from the get go - previously the name was on their 'Premium List' now it is in the 'Talent Program?

Secondly I still dont get why we weren't given the domain straight off being that we're the top level domain owners!

GGGGRRRRR!!!

Tired UK webmaster, wife and parent who should be chillin on a Friday night...

[CyberHustler]

The power of GFY...

[Internet Guy]

Talent Program?

Hey ICM: Fuck you, leeching faggots.

[cherrylula]

So if 100 people try to reserve the same domain 99 will lose their money?

.

I guess they'll have 99 chargebacks too?

[cherrylula]

We've been trying to tell you this for 6 months, yet you continued on with your desire to buy a .xxx domain

I'm still going to buy one dumbass, you're lucky I even noticed your post as I scrolled.

[papill0n]

let this be a lesson for other idiots like you