Domain Experts I need help!
 

Here is the situation, There is (.com) domain name I'd like to grab & here are some data:

*it's not an adult domain
*It was registered about 3 years ago and never been active, also currently goes to a blank page
*It will be expired in 4 months
*It's not locked
*Whois admin contact phone not working
*Whois admin e-mail not responding
*I've reached another contact by mail server that responds (redirected) to admin e-mail but no answer for a week

What should I do? Try to transfer now or backorder at somewhere? Also who provides the best backorder service? Any suggestions? :helpme

I wouldn't recommend trying to transfer it without the owner's consent. This is considered a hijacking attempt and even though the domain is unlocked, I think it is bad form to try such a tactic. Your best bet is to keep trying to contact the owner. Have you tried writing a real letter and mailing it to the physical address listed in the whois profile?

The name could be available for you to backorder in the next 4-6 months, based on the expiration and any potential pending-delete cycle the name might go through.

Your best bet to get the name is through Pool.com, SnapNames, or Enom's ClubDrop. If you really want to go after it, you can try to get it everywhere. So you could also add GoDaddy, BlueRazor, and NameWinner to the list of services.

Now if the domain name is nothing special (no traffic, it isn't a one-word premium name, or name/phrase that receives a lot of searches), you could just choose to hand reg it on the day it drops and save a few bucks.

Good luck.

:)

Paxton, thanks for the help... I'll try to snail mail first than backordering...

If only 4 months left on the registration, then simply back ordering it is likely the way to go...

With that said, you could utilize the Whois Data Problem Report System (WDPRS) to your advantage ... here's what you do:

1. Visit http://wdprs.internic.net/

2. Indicate what info is wrong, such as email, address, phone, etc; even a missing country code in the phone number is enough to file a legitimate report!

3. Place back order, if not already done.

4. Wait ...

The wait may not be that long either ... every registrar I've contacted so far has skirted my questions regarding their specific policy regarding Whois Data Problem Reports if the registrant doesn't respond.

In a nutshell, if the registrant doesn't respond in as little to 5 calendar days, their domain can be suspended; 15 calendar days it can be deleted! I guess ICANN figures people don't go on holiday ... 15 days and one can lose their domain!

Folks who think account passwords, registrar-lock, etc protects them are sorely mistaken ... the WDPRS is a huge security hole - some folks already use it to grab registered domains they desire.

Good luck ...

Ron

Thanks Ron, that might work. I'll try that if snail mail also fails...