I moved the db.org domain to GoDaddy back in 2005/2006 in a desperate attempt to escape the predatory “competitive practise” of VeriSign/Network Solutions and the limitless incompetence of register.com. At the time this worked out great, and why wouldn’t it. It’s not rocket science!
I don’t ask a lot of a registrar. Just make sure the TLD publishes NS records for my domain along with any necessary glue records. And of course a way to modify said records. Sounds simple enough…
Sadly something has gone terribly wrong at GoDaddy since the last time I had to deal with them. Have a look at their web site. Where one would hope to find helpful technical information, you get pictures of b-list celebrities. Where one would hope to find tools for domain registration management, you get “special offers”, discounts and deals. Where one would hope to find customer support contact information, you get the always present, never ending drivel of “Bob Parsons, CEO”.
All I wanted to do was change the NS records for botnegaten.org. Not a lot to ask of a domain name registrar I thought. How wrong I was…
From: bob@db.org To: support@godaddy.com Subject: Setting nameservers for domain Date: 2009-12-21 09:05 +0100 I'm trying to set: a.ns.db.org b.ns.db.org as nameservers for botnegaten.org, but I keep getting the following error message for both nameservers: "Nameserver not registered." What am i doing wrong?
From: donotreply@godaddy.com To: bob@db.org Subject: Request Received - Incident ID 8026729 Date: 2009-12-21 09:07 +0100 Your question has been received. You should expect a response within 24 hours. This is your Incident ID: 8026729
Huh; the form where I filed the incident promised me a reply within 4 hours. Clever trick really; as they sent me the above auto-reply in just a few minutes, they have technically upheld their promise of a response within 4 hours…
From: support@godaddy.com To: bob@db.org Subject: Update [Incident ID: 8026729] - Support Question Date: 2009-12-21 14:00 +0100 Dear B. Johannessen, Thank you for contacting online support. You are not required to register hosts, but if you intend to set up your own Domain Name Server (DNS) service, you can register your own hosts. You can enter up to 13 hosts, depending on the maximum number of hosts the top-level domain (TLD) registry allows. WARNING: Unless you have a thorough understanding of this process, we recommend that you do not use this feature. To Register Your Own Hosts Log in to your Account Manager. In the My Products section, click Domain Manager. Click the domain for which you want to create a host. In the Host Summary section, click the add hyperlink in the header. In the Host name field, enter the host name you want to register. NOTE: Do not enter "www" as part of your host name. In the Host IP fields, enter the IP address(es) you want to add to the host. Click OK. It takes 4 to 8 hours to register hosts for .COM and .NET domains and 24 to 48 hours for all other domain extensions. Thank you, Jennifer T. Online Support
Thanks “Jennifer”, I’m sure you’re right, but that’s not what I asked. Apparently support@godaddy.com is manned by the trained monkey squad, and the monkey training leaves a bit to be desired! Let’s see if we can get this escalated to someone with above room-temperature IQ (or a least a basic understanding of the DNS).
From: bob@db.org To: support@godaddy.com Subject: Re: Update [Incident ID: 8026729] - Support Question Date: 2009-12-21 14:22 +0100 Please, please, PLEASE escalate this to someone qualified to do something other then return a pre-written reply! I'm trying to set the nameservers for botnegaten.org to A.NS.DB.ORG and B.NS.DB.ORG, but when I do so, I get an error message saying "Nameserver not registered." for both values.
My father always says you should hope in one hand, spit in the other and check to see what hand ends up the fullest (sounds a lot better in Norwegian, but you get the idea). So; at this point I’m sitting back hoping for intelligent life at GoDaddy support…
From: donotreply@godaddy.com To: bob@db.org Subject: Request Received - Incident ID 8026729 Date: 2009-12-21 14:23 +0100 Your question has been received. You should expect a response within 24 hours. This is your Incident ID: 8026729
Good to know…
From: support@godaddy.com To: bob@db.org Subject: Update [Incident ID: 8026729] - Support Question Date: 2009-12-21 19:13 +0100 Dear Bob, We will need to see the exact error that you receiving when trying to change the nameservers. The term screen shot refers to "grabbing" a still image of the contents of your computer monitor that can be saved as a graphic file and printed, faxed, or emailed. Screen shots are very helpful in explaining what you are seeing on your computer when working with customer support. It is often easier for you and for the support representative if you take a screen shot of what you are seeing and simply send it in. Here is a quick step by step on how to do it: ... ... ... Regards, Alfonso P. Online Support
I’ve heard a picture is worth a thousand words, but this is ridiculous. Guess I was mistaken about who’s manning support@godaddy.com. The untrained monkey squad is clearly taking over!
From: bob@db.org To: support@godaddy.com Subject: Re: Update [Incident ID: 8026729] - Support Question Date: 2009-12-21 20:54 +0100 I've told you what "the exact error" is two times already, but if you find pictures easier to understand I guess that's my problem. Please find attached a screenshot showing the "Nameserver not registered." message in question. Problem description: I'm getting this message when trying to change the nameservers for botnegaten.org to A.NS.DB.ORG and B.NS.DB.ORG. Is it acceptable to include the problem description in plain text, or would you prefer I make a screenshot of that too? Attachment: godaddy.jpg
Wait for it…
From: donotreply@godaddy.com To: bob@db.org Subject: Request Received - Incident ID 8026729 Date: 2009-12-21 20:54 +0100 Your question has been received. You should expect a response within 24 hours. This is your Incident ID: 8026729
Another fine answer. To bad it’s not an answer to anything I’ve asked..
From: support@godaddy.com To: bob@db.org Subject: Update [Incident ID: 8026729] - Support Question Date: 2009-12-22 04:24 +0100 Dear Bob, Upon review, neither of the nameservers given are registered at this time. You would need to register them and then add them to your domain in order for it to work. You can setup custom nameservers for your domain name by using the following instructions. * Select "Domain Manager" from the gray "My Products" drop down menu on the left side of the page. * From the domain name list click the blue link that is the domain name in question. * Click the "Edit" link under "Host Summary" on the lower left hand side of the screen. * Enter the appropriate Host Names and IP Addresses for the nameservers you wish to create. * Click the Orange "OK" link to save the changes. Note that you must still change the domain name's nameservers to point a domain name to any custom nameservers that you create. To change the nameservers for a domain: * Check the box to the left of any domain names that you wish to change the nameservers for. * Click on the "Nameservers" button in the row of buttons just above the list of domain names. * Under the "Custom Nameservers" tab you will be able to enter the necessary nameservers for the domain name(s). * Click the orange "OK" button on the right hand side of the page to save the changes. Please allow up to 24-48 hours for the changes made to the domain name(s) to take effect. Please let us know if we can assist you in any other way. Sincerely, Stacey P. Online Support Team
I’ve heard that given enough monkeys and enough typewriters, eventually one of those monkeys is bound to type out something useful. Clearly this is the strategy used in the GoDaddy support department. Hey guys! You need more monkeys!
From: bob@db.org
To: support@godaddy.com
Subject: Re: Update [Incident ID: 8026729] - Support Question
Date: 2009-12-22 04:47 +0100
I ask once again that you escalate this to someone with a
clue. The procedure you're suggesting will only allow me
to register namservers in the botnegaten.org domain. I'm
trying to use nameservers in a *different* domain.
Once again; I'm trying to use a.ns.db.org and b.ns.db.org
as nameservers for the domain botnegaten.org. Using the
procedure you suggested would allow me to register
a.ns.botnegaten.org and b.ns.botnegaten.org for use as
nameservers, but this is *not* what I'm trying to do!
Either I'm missing some essential peace of information,
or it's not currently possible to preform this operation
using your web-interface.
Please see that this is escalated to someone capable of
understanding the problem!
Bob
Back to watching paint dry…