[registrars] Details on NSI/Verisign process prior to auto-nack

["CORE Secretariat (W)" <secretariat@corenic.org>]

Dear all,

It may be useful to describe how the process leading to auto-nacks currently works 
at NSI/Verisign. This is based on a 

1) Lack of time to confirm 
 15 Jun 1999                Domain registered under NSI de-facto monopoly
 11 Jun 2001 13:41:28 -0000 transfer request issued
 12 Jun 2001 14:01:26 -0000 cryptic NSI email to admin contact asking for confirmation
 13 Jun 2001 21:13:03 -0000 very clear email from NSI: "Get a free personalized T-shirt 
                            when you renew your Domain Name"
 14 Jun 2001 18:18:03 -0000 NSI email to admin contact " Request to Change Not 
                            Confirmed/Denied", thanking for "continued business"
 15 Jun 2001 00:35:58 -0000 rejection email received from registry
 15 Jun 2001                Expiration date of domain

 Time between first email to admin-c and rejection email:  less than 2.5 days.
 
2) Lack of clarity of confirmation request:
 - NSI sends and email without indicating the domain in the subject line
 - The message overall looks very similar to a spam and is easily mistaken as such.
   It was taken for a spam in the case here although the customer was warned that
   he needed to respond to a confirmation message.

3) Difficulty in confirming:
 - Customer must copy and paste a string like 
              [NIC-010611.xxxx]:THEDOMAINTOBETRANSFERRED.COM:TRANSFER=YES 
   from the body of the text into the subject line of the reply.
 - By contrast, the NSI "Get a free personalized T-shirt when you renew your 
   Domain Name" only requires a click to get to a form pre-configured for a
   two-year renewal at USD 63.00. 

NSI/Versign previously ack'ed transfer requests almost immediately, *prior*
to writing to the admin contact AND other contacts, one of whom would easily
challenge the transfer because of a misunderstanding. This method certainly
had an effect of maximising problem reports.

Regards,

Werner

-- 
CORE Internet Council of Registrars   http://corenic.org    
WTC II, 29 route de Pre-Bois, CH-1215 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel +4122 929-5744 Fax +4122 929-5745 secretariat@corenic.org