Network Solutions Advertises On Your Sub-Domains

Wowsers writes "The Register reports that customers have found that their defunct or forgotten-about sub-domains have been taken over by Network Solutions to send users to ad pages. By digging through a 59K-word user agreement, you can find the following text: 'You also agree that any domain name directory, sub-directory, file name or path (e.g.) that does not resolve to an active web page on your Web site being hosted by Network Solutions, may be used by Network Solutions to place a "parking" page, "under construction" page, or other temporary page that may include promotions and advertisements for, and links to, Network Solutions' Web site...'" TechCrunch first brought this NetSol practice to light, and Ars explained how to opt out of it if you host there.

If there is one lesson that I have learned

[pembo13]

Is that registrars have don't care who has a domain. They will happily forget to send you an email and have your domain expire and sell it to a spammer.

The simplist way to deal with this problem...

[thegermanpolice]

Switch to another provider. Vote with your feet.

The only problem with geeky nerds is they are probably very smelly ones.
I know mine are...

Ridiculous prices anyway

[MisterSquirrel]

Having a domain registered with them since 1999, I received a renewal notice... wanting $35.99 to renew for a year. When I called to tell them what an absurd price that was, they said well that's just their regular price, and they would have someone call me back about maybe getting a lower price. I've always hated marketing tactics like that, so I am of course just transferring it to be registered elsewhere. I highly recommend not using Network Solutions as your domain registrar, just based on my own experience with them.

Shameful

[Skynet]

They could make this agreeable to domain owners by making it opt-in and offering a cut of the profits to the domain owner.

Re:Read it even more carefully.

[corsec67]

No, I read that differently. If you own soggyballs.com, this would be if you had used i.have.soggyballs.com, but are no longer using the i.have. subdomain.

The webpage you would get sent to is probably quite like what you described.

59K-word user agreement!!!

[GerardAtJob]

Network Solutions user agreement - ~59,000 words
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 76,944 words
no comments...

Alternatives?

[SpeedyDX]

I've been reading about the evils of Network Solutions and GoDaddy and the like. I was wondering if anyone had any alternatives to recommend for anyone looking for a decent registrar?

Thanks in advance.

Re:Alternatives?

[hardburn]

PairNIC has always been my choice. However, IIRC, all registers have to go through Network Solutions for .com/.net/.org/.info/.biz domains, so there's a limit to how much "voting with your feet" you can do.