News: GoDaddy bans http://theybannedme.com

{Editor: Originally posted by the site owner on NoDaddy's "Horror Stories".}

Hey everyone.  We run a site for people who were banned from other forums and websites - http://www.theybannedme.com

Given that our members are usually banned wherever they go, things can get a little offensive.  Anyway, Godaddy pulled the plug on us and I stupidly was both registered and hosted by them so they had me over a barrel.  They of course also stripped my private registration and extorted $75 out of me to unlock the domain so I could transfer the domain and get my personal information off whois.

Here's my story (as posted on our site as):

Banned by Godaddy

Some of you are probably wondering what the @### happened here over the past week or so. Short answer: Godaddy #@#@ greasy Ukrainian #@@#.

Here’s how it went down. Around noon on Monday, I received a call from Godaddy’s abuse department informing me that TheyBannedMe.com was “flagged for immediate suspension.” I asked the agent on what basis this action was being taken. He simply told me that we had “violated the Terms of Service.” When I pressed him for the specific term we allegedly violated, he became very agitated and told me that the site contained “illegal content.” I calmly explained to the agent that the site hosted a forum and that #@#@#@#@ losers constantly threaten to post illegal content and report their own posts to Godaddy to get us shut down. I also stated that if someone posted something illegal, it not only violated Godaddy’s TOS but our site’s TOS as well and that I would remedy the situation immediately. I was abruptly and rudely hung up on.

I sprinted to my computer and tried to download as many of the files as I could (thankfully, I had backed up the database the prior night). Approximately 5 minutes later, Godaddy pulled the plug and unfortunately, I was unable to back up the arcade games (which we are in the process of reinstalling). Most egregiously, Godaddy also canceled my private registration on the domain - without notice - which resulted in some of my PI being listed on whois for about 36 hours. {Editor: Oh wow!}

Calls back to customer service (although friendly) resolved nothing. I requested to at least be able to back up the server’s files, which was summarily denied. To date I have yet to receive any explanation of what this supposed “illegal” content was. Then, Godaddy charged me a ransom fee ($75) to release our own domain name - which we own - back to us so I could transfer it to another registrar and re-institute private registration and get the site back up. Godaddy treated us like a criminals and acted as judge, jury and executioner without even allowing us to know what we were being accused of. Then, they not only canceled our hosting account, but also willfully and maliciously released my personal information (which I had entrusted to them and paid them to keep private) to extort $75 out of me so that I could get the URL back.

Godaddy made several piss poor decisions. First, refusing to allow a customer an opportunity to rebut allegations made most likely anonymously by E-Mail, is a horrible and cowardly business practice. What are they afraid of? My contention is that they lack confidence in the veracity of their allegations and simply crumbled in the face of manufactured controversy. Their next, and worst, terrible decision was removing my private registration without notice. Even if they had a basis to suspend the account, what would motivate them to take such an excessive and punitive action? Money. Since I had paid for private registration, Godaddy knew I valued my privacy. They assumed, correctly, that if they exposed my PI to the entire world, I would be an easy mark to extort their $75 “administrative fee” from in order to unlock the domain so I could get it the fuck away from them. A reputable company would have given me a reasonable amount of time (24-48 hrs) to transfer the domain before they flooded cyberspace with my personal information.

In the end, a company that promotes itself with several lascivious and, ironically, banned commercials proved to be cowardly hypocrites. Not only did they allow themselves to be used by idiots who made it their mission to destroy our forum, but they refused to even discuss the reasons we were banned. Obviously, as a private company, Godaddy can refuse service to basically anyone they want but their actions in suspending us were utterly indefensible, in my opinion.

A word to the wise: never, ever use Godaddy’s services and assume your personal information is safe with them. Find a registrar and host with the balls to at least discuss the situation with you if they have a problem with your site. I invite Godaddy to E-Mail me if they wish to respond to this article but I’m not expecting them to man up any time soon.

That sounds about right, the terms of service is loosly written so they can do whatever they want and say it violates the terms of service.  It is funny how GoDaddy claimed that the site had "illegal content" but failed to elaborate what that content was.  'Illegal' according to whom, if there were posts about GoDaddy, of course they are not going to host that content or any content that portrays them in a negative light.  You should have known better, registering AND hosting with them.  As far as the $75 transfer fee, I would make a complaint to ARIN as I believe it is against their rules, understand however, 'administrative fee' may be allowed, wrong in many ways, but allowed.

I missed your site, bastard.

GODADDY SUCKS!

they can't delete accounts due to "legal considerations."

That is probably their record retention policy.

"Illegal Content" = Anything GD doesn't like!

Yes, we never have had--and would never allow--illegal content on http://www.theybannedme.com

That sounds about right, the terms of service is loosly written so they can do whatever they want and say it violates the terms of service.  It is funny how GoDaddy claimed that the site had "illegal content" but failed to elaborate what that content was.  'Illegal' according to whom, if there were posts about GoDaddy, of course they are not going to host that content or any content that portrays them in a negative light.  You should have known better, registering AND hosting with them.  As far as the $75 transfer fee, I would make a complaint to ARIN as I believe it is against their rules, understand however, 'administrative fee' may be allowed, wrong in many ways, but allowed.

There was never any illegal content on the site.  Ever.  We are pretty hated by a lot of people, especially sites that ban a lot of people that find their way to our site and complain about the asshats that banned them.  So I admit our site was offensive.  You're right, Godaddy has a broad disclaimer that lets them ban for anything.  If they had simply suspended my account and explained that they don't allow porn or swearing on sites they host, I would've understood and taken my business elsewhere without any animosity.  But refusing to tell me what we were accused of and then releasing my personal information to the entire world was bush league.

They know once they suspend you, you'll never patronize them again, so they lock your domain and take off your privacy to pressure you into giving them a final $75 before you cancel your account.

By the way, do you know it is IMPOSSIBLE to cancel a Godaddy account?  Called them today and demanded ever piece of my information needs to be removed ASAP from their server and they said they can't delete accounts due to "legal considerations."  They didn't even know who I was so it has nothing to do with the fact that I have a suspended account.  Worst company ever.

There is no smoke with out fire! Why are you crying like a baby in here when you slate every one else for the same thing ? Cry baby boo hoo my forum got broke boo hoo! You decided to run with dogs and now you are surprised you have caught fleas? So GoDaddy busted you? I thought you was a hot shot aggresive lawyer? Or is that just another of the lies to spew from you? The SPM will troll you black  mail you steal from you wreck any reputaion you think you may of had and in the end they will close you down for good. As it is the traffic on TBM has ground to a halt. Good move there RB.

I can vouch for rb and theybannedme having no illegal material on the site and other users threatening to post CP, my hosting service was also contacted with bogus information...thankfully it wasn't blowdaddy.

[This is a warning.]

This is a warning.  This topic has gone well beyond the scope of NoDaddy and is now addressing topics which have nothing to do with domain names or registrars.

Further off-topic posts added to this thread will be trimmed.

Well, Mr. Butthurt seems to be taking a little too much interest in theybannedme.com versus godaddy, don't you think? When did this become personal between a third party and theybannedme.com? From the perspective of the administration of "TBM", it never was personal. It still isn't.

The issue was not whether or not GoDaddy disagreed with the content. Their blanket "at our discretion" and "hold harmless" have them covered for any liability relative to the content hosted by their customers. The issue is the lack of notice, the lack of explanation, the audacity to charge a fee for the release of the domain name, and the other various and assorted issues explained by the initial post.

Yes, anyone, including TBM can find another registrar, and another host, or both. Yes, the content is objectionable to some for moral, religious or other reasons. TBM operates under the Constitutional definition of free speech, meaning you have the right to say what you choose, so long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others. The gross irony here is in that the individual responding so adamantly in opposition of TBM is not, in fact, a citizen of these United States, and is therefore entirely unprotected by the laws governing our website. His nations laws are much stricter, and perhaps that is the heart of his personal platitudes against the site. Last I checked, however, nearly every civilized nation had some form of free will. If not, I'd like proof of diress in the response. The threat of legal action against theybannedme.com, its owners, officers, or agents is idle at best, and frivolous at worst. There is no prima facie case.

The issue, in its entirety, remains theybannedme.com and many sites in our exacting or similar situations with godaddy.

Locked.  Take this somewhere else please, only relevant posts have been preserved.

Thenbannedme.com  Story

http://www.theybannedme.com/?tag=godaddy-sucks