FC: Man reportedly goes on hunger strike against NSI over $35 fee

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Sat Jun 23 2001 - 12:09:34 PDT

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    Summary of below message: This poor sap's domain name, ezgi.com, was 
    apparently put on hold for nonpayment to Network Solutions/Verisign. The 
    fee NSI would require to reactivate it is $35. But, due to astonishingly 
    bad communications between NSI, this guy, and his Internet provider -- and 
    the usual NSI bureaucratelia -- he didn't get a clear answer on what he 
    needed to do to reactivate the domain.
    
    So, like any reasonable person, Mustafa Karaoglu says he responded by 
    promising to starve himself to death until the domain name is back. (He 
    claims to be a veteran, if not a very well-fed one, of this practice.) As 
    of now, ezgi.com seems to be accessible and shows a default Apache 
    configuration screen, so perhaps it's time for Mustafa to order some pizza 
    or something. I welcome NSI to respond.
    
    -Declan
    
    ---
    
    From: "L Gallegos" <jandlat_private>
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 13:47:59 -0400
    Subject: (Fwd) Here's a creative approach to the UDRP!!!
    
    This is pretty bad, Declan.  Unfortunately, it is not unusual, but this
    person is taking it to a new extreme.  The attachment is a
    chronicle of the NSI experience.
    
    Leah
    
    ------- Forwarded message follows -------
    
    -------- Original Message --------
    Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 12:08:01 +0300
    From: "Mustafa" <ezginet@e-kolay.net>
    To: <info@ador-doc.org>
    
    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,
    
    I, Mustafa Karaoglu, have been on hunger strike since June 18,
    2001
    
    a) in order to PROTEST the NETWORKSOLUTIONS  attitudes
    towards the
    registrants
    
    b) in order  to get the attention to tyrannious behavior of
    Networksolutions.
    
    The problems still remains unsolved and Networksolutions still
    pretends not
    to comprehend subject matter.
    
    Today,after two days of warning  "hunger strike", it will be turned
    into "hunger strike to death"
    
    I enclosed necessary information in case someone be interested in
    details.
    
    The HUNGER STRIKE will CONTINUE:
    1-until having a good explanation of WHY my domain has been
    LOCKED
    since JULY 2000 and who requested it 2-until finding out who is
    responsible 3-until the person or company who is responsible from
    the
    results will compansate the outcome. 4-and the hunger strike will
    not
    be stopped after a certain day of any phsical damage, even if
    problems
    are solved.
    
    Sincerely
    Mustafa Karaoglu
    
    ---
    [Below is the MSWD document I converted to ASCII text. --DBM]
    ---
    
    
    I have decided this severe action after a month seeking solution to a 
    simple problem in real but became difficult because of the Networksolutions 
    attitudes.
    
    On May 16, 2001, my mail accounts on the domain ezgi.com stopped 
    functioning.  So I contact to my hosting provider INETU about the 
    matter  and I was informed that my domain name was on halt by Network 
    Solutions, for the payment of $70 (please see mail 1 below).
    
    I could not understand this action of  Networksolutions  as the due date 
    was 25 May 2001 for renewal and I wrote e-mail to "help" but I got 
    neither  a response nor an explanation.  Then I paid 35$ on May 17, for a 
    year.  In this way I got the feeling that I was forced to pay before the 
    due date.
    
    Assuming that I could modify records of my domain, On 18 May, 2001  I 
    applied for contact mail modification (NIC-010520,20a6) and sent an 
    authorization fax for this modification on 18 May, 21 May, 23 May and 
    another fax on May 24 for the nameserver change for the NICs 
    010524.aed   and 010523.6146.
    
    After those faxes, I had to do 2 international telephone calls one of which 
    was 5 minutes of listening to music and second was 15 minutes of talk to 3 
    different people about the problem. Then I was asked to fax again for the 
    NIC-010520.20a6 and I did on 25 May at 01:01 and 28 May at 18:57 So my 
    contact mail at last was modified
    
    In this case, assuming that I could be able to modify the nameservers in
    normal process I applied  for the modification of nameservers again
    (NIC-010529.1481 and NIC-010530.1773) on 29 May/30 May, 2001.    I was 
    asked to fax again informing that  the domain status is locked .
    
    Its really annoying to hear that after six faxes and two calls without any
    explanation of why the domain is locked.   The only reason could be the 
    payment but I paid it by credit card before the due date (25 May, 
    2001).  Again I faxed for [NIC-010529.1481] on 31 May at 03:59 and also 
    asked who requested the the domain to be locked.
    
    To those requests I was informed on June 4, 2001 -namely after 18 days 
    -  that the domain was locked on July 2000   by a request from ISP (please 
    see mail 3).  I asked my isp INETU if they requested my domain to be locked 
    and they told me that they did not (see mail 5).
    
    This was the last straw to break camel's back. My domain was on lock for a 
    year and I was not informed about this.  And I learn it after a year when I 
    tried to modify records.  Networksolutions still asked me to fax and I 
    sent  faxes for [NIC-010529.1481] on June 4 at 18:09 and on June 5 at 15:21 
    to unlock the domain.
    
    Meanwhile,  I sent two faxes one of which to Verisign on June 1 at 14:40 
    ;  the other to Networksolutions at 14:06 trying to find an authority to 
    solve the problem. They only informed me to contact idnamesat_private 
    <mailto:idnamesat_private> or call 1-800-IDNAMES.
    
    I contacted them. They, instead of explaining what is going on, wrote me a 
    sentence "6/29/00 placed on lock per partner VIP name " with no 
    explanation, and then they asked me to contact baoat_private 
    <mailto:baoat_private>   I contacted them on June 11 at 12:44  but I did 
    not get any answer.
    
    What is more comic, my isp INETU, with an e-mail on 19 June, still suggests 
    me(see mail 6) to pay 35$ renewal (which was paid on May 17). Inetu also 
    says that this matter has _NOTHING_ to do with INetU.  So what does this 
    mean "6/29/00 placed on lock per partner VIP name"
    
    As far as I know  Networksolutions and INETU are PREMIERE PARTNERS. And as 
    far as I can see INETU and Networksolutions, using such a method, force the 
    registrants (customers) to pay for renewal.  They first deactivate domain 
    or mails and then ask the customer to pay for renewal. So they keep the 
    registrant with
    Networksolutions and make a few dollars for themselves.
    
    That is a method which includes hidden disgusting cooperation, that is an
    illegal monopolist action.
    
    For a month I am trying to solve a problem which, in practice, should be
    easly handled. But Networksolutions  incomprehensive approach with complete
    disregard to registrants -if not deliberately then because inefficiency- not
    only caused the tension increase but also destroyed me psychologically and
    economically.
    
    As far as I can find out, Networksolutions and INETU pretends not
    to comprehend the matter.  Both INETU and NETWORKSOLUTIONS tries to keep
    themselves out of the problem and I suffer loss as a weak player of the
    game.
    
    I  have suffered loss since my site with 6500 members is not functional for
    a month and some of customers stopped their hosting with ezgi.com.   I
    should not be the one to compansate the results that  Networksolutions and
    INETU caused.
    
    I know The Government, ICANN and WIPO will do nothing for this situation.
    But I will, even if die.  If I will pay for the results, Networksolutions 
    and INETU will also pay for it. In case of any doubt about how I am 
    determined please visit
    <http://www.uni-stuttgart.de/FaVeVe/Ueberregionales/basin/msg03251.html>
    
    -My domain has been locked since July 2000 and nobody knows who requested it
    -Though I am the registrant, administrative, technical & billing contact I
    was not informed about it.
    -Though I am the registrant, administrative, technical & billing contact I
    can not modify records.
    -Though I am paying for the domain I can not use it.
    -Though I am trying to communicate the core problem I am still having mails
    saying me to fax again to modify DNS.
    
    
    
    
    Sincerely
    Mustafa Karaoglu
    
    REFERENCED MAILS
    
    
    MAIL 1
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "INetU Support Team" <supportat_private <mailto:supportat_private>>
    To: <ezginet@e-kolay.net <mailto:ezginet@e-kolay.net>>
    Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 9:42 PM
    Subject: Re: ezgi.com mails
    
    Hello,
    
    Your Domain name is on halt by Network Solutions, for the
    payment of $70
    
    You can make payment at the following URL:
    
    <http://www.networksolutions.com/payments/>
    
    or contact them directly.
    
    Once this $70 is paid, then your email accounts and website
    will all be
    working.
    
    
    
    Best Regards,
    
    Joel
    
    
    
    
    MAIL 2
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Anthony, Jessica" <janthonyat_private <mailto:janthonyat_private>>
    To: <ezginet@e-kolay.net <mailto:ezginet@e-kolay.net>>
    Sent: Friday, June 15, 2001 7:04 PM
    Subject: EZGI.COM
    
    The domain was never placed on "hold" for non-payment as the
    original due
    date of the invoice was 6-1-01.  If your email was not
    working it was not
    due to Network Solutions deactivating the domain.
    
    Best regards,
    
    Jessica Anthony
    Executive Customer Service
    VeriSign, Inc.
    Janthonyat_private <mailto:Janthonyat_private>
    703-925-6804
    
    
    
    MAIL 3
    
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Domain Registration Role Account" <domregat_private 
    <mailto:domregat_private>>
    To: "Mustafa" <ezginet@e-kolay.net <mailto:ezginet@e-kolay.net>>
    Sent: Monday, June 04, 2001 4:45 PM
    Subject: Re: [NIC-010601.2454] Networksolutions
    
    Thank you for contacting Network Solutions, a Versign company.
    
    
    Your ISP requested to have this domain name locked in July of 2000.
    
    
    This domain name is currently in a locked status.
    
    In order to unlock it and process your modification, you will need to
    send us a fax requesting it to be unlocked.
    
    MAIL 4
    
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Domain Registration Role Account" <domregat_private 
    <mailto:domregat_private>>
    To: "Mustafa" <ezginet@e-kolay.net <mailto:ezginet@e-kolay.net>>
    Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 7:32 PM
    Subject: Re: [NIC-010601.2454] Networksolutions
    Ø
    Thank you for contacting Network Solutions.
    In order to receive more information regarding your domain name ezgi.com 
    being on a
    locked status, you must contact idnamesat_private 
    <mailto:idnamesat_private> or call 1-800-IDNAMES.
    
    
    
    
    
    Please know that your inquiry is important to us, and
    we value your business.
    
    Sincerely,
    
    Network Solutions, a VeriSign company
    <http://www.networksolutions.com>
    
    
    
    MAIL 5
    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 21:52:17 -0400 (EDT)
    From: INetU Support Team <supportat_private <mailto:supportat_private>>
    To: INetU Credit Department <creditat_private <mailto:creditat_private>>
    Subject: Re: ezgi (fwd)
    
    
    Hello,
    
    We do not lock customers' domain names.
    
    Thanks
    Tom
    
    MAIL 6
    
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "INetU Support Team" <supportat_private <mailto:supportat_private>>
    To: "Mustafa" <ezginet@e-kolay.net <mailto:ezginet@e-kolay.net>>
    Cc: "Anthony, Jessica" <janthonyat_private <mailto:janthonyat_private>>; 
    "INetU Credit Department" <creditat_private <mailto:creditat_private>>
    Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 2:37 PM
    Subject: Re: monopoly
    
    
    Dear Mustafa,
    
    I'm sorry you are having trouble with your domain name.
    
    Please understand, this matter has _NOTHING_ to do with INetU.
    
    We do not get any money if you renew your domain name with Network
    Solutions.
    
    Any Registrar, including Network Solutions, may put a domain name on hold
    if its not paid for.
    
    This can also prevent another registrar from taking over the domain name.
    
    You need to visit Network Solutions web page and pay for 1 year renewal,
    that will solve your problem for $35 one-time. You can than transfer your
    domain name.
    
    Again, please understand, this has nothing to do with INetU.
    
    I would suggest you pay the $35 and continue to operate your web site. You
    would have been able to transfer your domain name without this hassle if
    it was done before it became past-due.
    
    There is little we can do to help except recommend you pay your
    outstanding balance with Network Solutions.
    
    Best regards,
    Dev
    
    
    
    
    
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