Avoid buying domains from Yahoo!
Why? Yahoo! is a reseller. I am unsure how many companies they resell for, but I got stuck with Melbourne IT. At the moment when I bought the domain I needed it fast and there’s a problem with my main registrar. Now that I need to transfer my domain, it’s really hard.
I first contacted Yahoo! and this is their reply – after a few days:
Hello Ady,
Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Domains. I hope this mail will resolve
your issue.Look Ady, if you are transferring your domain registration to another registrar (away from Yahoo!) and your new registrar asks for an authorization (An authorization code is a key code only applicable for .us, .biz, .info and just recently .org domain names) code, Yahoo! cannot provide this code to you. In order to retrieve your code, we will need to release your domain name to our partner registrar, Melbourne IT. Please do the following:
To prevent future billing, please cancel your Domains service. Please note, that moving your domain registration away from Yahoo! does not automatically cancel your account.
Please Note – Update the Administrative contact email address listed on the “WHOIS” Database before you cancel the account as this is address on which you will receive your Registry Key. You can make this change through your Domains Control Panel by clicking on “Registration Info.”
Once you cancel your account please let us know by a reply mail so that we will proceed with the release of the domain name.
Once released you can contact Melbourne IT to retrieve this code at:
I look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Ugo
Yahoo! Customer Care
For assistance with all Yahoo! services please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/
Next, I deleted the service from Yahoo! Domains control panel and replied to Yahoo!.
After that, I contacted Melbourne IT and this is the reply after a few days:
THIS IS A SYSTEM GENERATED MESSAGE
A Melbourne IT Reseller manages the domains specified in your message.
Please contact this reseller using the details below for any assistance you require. If the person you contact refers you back to us, ask them if they would please contact us on your behalf.
Reseller details:
Yahoo Inc.
Web address: domains.yahoo.com
Email address: [email protected]If after 48 hours you have yet to obtain a satisfactory response:
FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE FROM MELBOURNE IT YOU MUST REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. TO ENABLE TRACKING OF YOUR REQUEST, DO NOT ALTER THE SUBJECT LINE OF THIS EMAIL.
Please provide us as much detail of any correspondence with the reseller which relates to this request.
Please note: In an effort to resolve this matter quickly we will notify the Reseller of this request including any details you have given us.
Kind Regards,
Melbourne IT Customer Support——————————
The status of your case is now closed.
If you need to reopen this case with additional information, please reply to this email. If you need to contact Melbourne IT by phone please quote this case ID
XXX-XXXXXX
——————————
As you can see, it’s damn troublesome and support is really really bad. If you go shopping for a domain next time, buy them from a first level registrar. My emails to both Yahoo! and Melbourne IT have not been responded to since then.
Avoid buying domains from Yahoo! It’s quite funny and disappointing, as Yahoo! is not a small business and they still resell important things like domains 
Well, at least avoid for now, until Yahoo! decides to handle the domain themselves.
Update 22 September 2006:
Finally the domain have been released to Registerfly. This case actually is caused by the lag of response from Yahoo!, Melbourne IT, and Registerfly. Registerfly’s system kept asking for an authorization code, eventhough Melbourne IT already said that the code is not needed.
About Yahoo!, I don’t have anything againts them – it’s just that if they resell domains like this, they can’t do much when we (clients) ask for help. I am a Yahoo! customer for other services than domain so that’s why I am quite surprised with them reselling domains. Lesson learnt.
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