18 Sep 08 More of the same

I have a similar story to everyone who has posted on your site. I used GISOL for quite a while before I had any issues with them; must have be 2 or 3 years. Then they let my domain go into redemption and threatened to charge me ~$750 dollars in ‘penalties’ for letting it go that far…the domain was registered in their name, as usual. Not sure how I can be charged for a domain they have registered, especially when they didn’t notify me or request any info.

Anyway, after an hour on the phone with ‘Steve’ I finally got a’manager’ to talk to me and he said I could have my domain back, without penalties, but my old package wasn’t available anymore so I’d have to get a new plan which was like $40/month. I was strapped for cash and told him ‘no way, can’t afford it, your penalty fee is ridiculous and you can have the domain, and you can come and try to claim your penalty fee’.

I was about ready to hang up on him and try to find the ICANN rules on domain redemption when he changed his tune a bit and offered to get my service back, at my old rate. The only catch was I’d have to pay for the new rate, and ‘if I promised to refer 3 friends to them’ I was eligible for a rebate for the difference. It would automatically be credited back to me in 30 days.

I should have smelled a rat, but didn’t - I’ve never encountered anyone so boldly false in my life, and I’ve met some pretty nefarious folks. And my rebate never came through - that date would have been 28 AUG 2008. So I (my wife) called to inquire about it and they completely denied any rebate could have been issued, saying they don’t do that.

To top it off, I waited 10 days for them to reinstate my domain and they didn’t do it until I called them back and complained about it not working. ‘Steve’ tried to tell me a domain sniper had nabbed my domain before they could re-register it and I got hopping mad because I was looking right at the whois database that showed the domain was available (I know they aren’t always accurate/up to the minute). I argued with him for about 10 minutes and he finally said that maybe the ‘tech admin’ could do something and voila, it started working while I was on the phone. That’s when I KNEW something was not right.

Incidentally, I’ve talked with them several times on the phone and I always talked with ‘Steve’ - he has a very distinctive voice and I’m good with voices anyway. So, since my wife inquired about the failed rebate we have been trying to call them back to ‘confirm the status of our rebate’, and if it isn’t forthcoming, which we now know it won’t be, to cancel service and demand a full refund, but we haven’t been able to get through - always busy.

We’ve put a dispute on our credit card for the amount of the rebate, which was well over 1/2 the cost and requested a new card too. The only thing I can see that is different in my case is that I badgered them up front about the full cost, and they told me. Where with most others here it seems they were clearly defrauded, in my case I was just lied to and then possibly defrauded, if I can prove the rebate thing. I’m sharing this to help build your information base on them. I have since stopped using their servers for anything (except junk mail still goes there, I can’t stop that) and I consider my contract with them canceled, even though I can’t contact them to do so formally. I know about their cancellation page, but I refuse to use it. I want a name, badge ID, phone number, and witness to my cancellation.

I want my money back, and my domains transfered if possible, but more than that I want to see justice done. As responsible citizens it’s our duty to police ourselves. I only wish I lived anywhere near LA, I’d be much more proactive in dealing with them. I hope this helps in some small way to create a case against them and to help those who got taken for a worse ride than I did.

After sharing my story with Mike (report-gisol.com) via email, he asked if I’d post it here so I am. He also suggested that I contact the Det. Kaplan, which I have. Keep dogging them, they’ll get what’s coming sooner or later.

Danny