Domain squatter - one i know!

[sparklestar]

A very good friend of mine is starting a business. She's had some good publicity using a particular brand, and asked my little sis's boyfriend about how much it would cost to build a website. He ummed for a while, then gave a massively high quote. Friend decided she couldn't afford that at the moment and forgot all about it.

Fast forward a few months and friend's cashflow is now better. She decided to go ahead and register the domain only to find that he'd already registered the domain and was effectively squatting. The branding is somewhat unusual and of no use except to my friend.

I feel somewhat responsible for introducing them, how do I politely bring the subject up with Techno Squatter? He may have forgotten that he registered the domain and be okay about signing it over at cost. He may also get peeved that friend doesn't want him to build the site. At no time did she commission him or tell him to go ahead with the website. Usually a web designer will always register domains in his client's name or register in his own name and sign it over to the owner when they are paid. Friend is happy to pay any costs but not any extra money profiteering from her business.

[katarain]

She's probably better off just thinking of a new domain name.  Add a hyphen, use .org instead of .com, add a word--any of those things will work.

Didn't people try this with big companies back when the Internet was really starting to take hold? Many of them just changed their domain name.  People quickly figured out what the real url was.

I think you have to reregister addresses every year, or something like that.  So, if she waits, she can probably get the domain she really wants later on.  But she'll be just fine with another one for now.

[Twik]

I think that, before one assumes he's "squatting", it would do no harm to ask. He may simply have filed it under "pending", and have no objection to letting the domain go.

[Namárië]

"Hey Techno Squatter, I heard that you registered the totallysweetdomain.com. Are you going to sell it to BusinessFriend?"

Also, I recommend that BusinessFriend check with ICANN. There are ways to recover an address from a squatter that don't involve being extorted, especially if she has proof that it's her idea.

[rashea]

I think she can certainly ask and see if he's willing to give it up. I'd make that the first move.

[Elle]

I think she can certainly ask and see if he's willing to give it up. I'd make that the first move.

POD, there's certainly a chance that he's holding it for her.

Or maybe he'd be willing to sell her the domain (which sounds like sleazy business practice, she tells him she wants it and then he snatches it up to sell to her). If this is the case I'd definately get someone else to do the web design. There's standing up for principle, and there's getting what you want/need and washing your hands of the individual.

Oh, and *you* don't bring this up with him. You are in no way responsible for this. This is now a business issue between your friend and him. Stay out of it.

[Queenie]

He's free to register whatever domain he's allowed to.  Your friend can ask him about signing it over to her or she can think of a new name and do an end run around him (which is exactly what he did to her).  That way since the branding is unusual he has a domain name that is essentially worthless to him.

Personally I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of asking.

[Hanna]

I would ask him.  It's very possible he was simply saving it for her.

[sparklestar]

Little sis actually rang me today - we got into a discussion about something else her BF had done which really got up my nose, her basically defending him.  She brought up "all the work" he'd done for my friend, and it seems he's made out that he was commissioned to do the website and was never paid.  I put her right, as I actually saw the email she sent him as I was copied in on it.  She simply asked for a quote, and then BCCd me on the email saying it was too expensive for her to go ahead.  I offered to forward these to little sis. 

Half the problem with Techno Squatter is he seems to over obsess on his own importance in the grand scheme of things.  Hence his oh so important work he did on this website (which he was never commissioned for in the first place!).  I explained I was really embarrassed that he was putting me in this position and that he'd basically been badmouthing my friend to my sister.  She said I should definitely approach him as he was playing the "I'm not chasing this for payment because she is Sparklestar's friend" card with my sister. 

GRR!!!

[Shoo]

I don't think your friend should give this guy the satisfaction of asking him for the domain name.  What he did was pretty sleazy, IMO.

[evely28]

How do you know he is the one that registered the Domaine name?

[sparklestar]

How do you know he is the one that registered the Domaine name?

His name is registered as owner and he's admitted he went ahead and bought it to my friend when she told him that she couldn't afford his fees. 

It's possible that he intended to sign this over to my friend and some gentle prodding might achieve this - little sis seems to think this is the case. 

The sceptic in me suspects that he's peeved he isn't getting the work and that he'll become beligerant if she asks for the domain, especially if he suspects there is a commercial value to it. 

I'm hoping that we can somehow retrieve it without alerting him to it thru ICANN or simply when the domain expires (I suspect it was only bought for one year and it should be coming up for renewal in a few months...). 

[Salvage3]

Honestly, I would just go with changing "com" to "biz" or similar.  We had to use "biz" for our website, as other names were pre-owned; and it has not made any difference in our "hits", etc.

[RingTailedLemur]

Little sis actually rang me today - we got into a discussion about something else her BF had done which really got up my nose, her basically defending him.  She brought up "all the work" he'd done for my friend, and it seems he's made out that he was commissioned to do the website and was never paid.  I put her right, as I actually saw the email she sent him as I was copied in on it.  She simply asked for a quote, and then BCCd me on the email saying it was too expensive for her to go ahead.  I offered to forward these to little sis. 

Half the problem with Techno Squatter is he seems to over obsess on his own importance in the grand scheme of things.  Hence his oh so important work he did on this website (which he was never commissioned for in the first place!).  I explained I was really embarrassed that he was putting me in this position and that he'd basically been badmouthing my friend to my sister.  She said I should definitely approach him as he was playing the "I'm not chasing this for payment because she is Sparklestar's friend" card with my sister. 

GRR!!!

Wow - is he Evil Duckie's BIL?!

[sparklestar]

Little sis actually rang me today - we got into a discussion about something else her BF had done which really got up my nose, her basically defending him.  She brought up "all the work" he'd done for my friend, and it seems he's made out that he was commissioned to do the website and was never paid.  I put her right, as I actually saw the email she sent him as I was copied in on it.  She simply asked for a quote, and then BCCd me on the email saying it was too expensive for her to go ahead.  I offered to forward these to little sis. 

Half the problem with Techno Squatter is he seems to over obsess on his own importance in the grand scheme of things.  Hence his oh so important work he did on this website (which he was never commissioned for in the first place!).  I explained I was really embarrassed that he was putting me in this position and that he'd basically been badmouthing my friend to my sister.  She said I should definitely approach him as he was playing the "I'm not chasing this for payment because she is Sparklestar's friend" card with my sister. 

GRR!!!

Wow - is he Evil Duckie's BIL?!

Do you mean there are TWO of these evil people walking the earth??