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Do Not use namecheap.com for any large site or important domain

14 points by highclass ↗ HN
Namecheap.com seems popular for a lot of tech companies. However, they seem to be not only cheap in price but in management.

I run a forum site with MILLIONS of visitors and about 5,000 TB of traffic per month. Namecheap.com suddenly sent me a link warning that they will suspend my domain completely within 24 hours, if I did not delete two problem images (which were inappropriate/troublesome images but in the context of the forum posts, "a very poor attempt at humor"). I deleted the images and avoided being suspended, but the way they threatened to suspend my domain due to two images was ridiculous. If I missed the warning email or checked my email after 24 hours they would have completely suspended my domain. I'm talking about a site with MILLIONS of visitors per month and ten thousands of posts per day, not some small blog.

They may be suitable for some blog, but I can now say to NEVER use them for any enterprise site.

22 comments

[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 47.5 ms ] thread
Slaul
Interesting, I hadn't heard of any problems like this when I decided to use them for my last few domain name purchases. Maybe I should look into switching. Do you have any recommendations by any chance?
highclass
I'm looking around right now. The registrar for reddit.com and ycombinator.com both are https://www.gandi.net/

I am considering them and a few foreign registrars right now.

I still am in shock how namecheap might have suspended my domain.

finid
I think they were just been paranoid about potential legal penalties, so take it easy.
highclass
That is ridiculous. They threatened to suspend my domain within 24 hours if I did not delete two images.

I don't even use their nameservers... They threatened to yank my domain in a registrar level which is so amateurish it shocked me.

andrewmcwatters
I've always heard great things about Gandi. I might move back to them after hearing about this. Thanks.
finid
I've never had any problem with Namecheap, but then I use them only as a domain registrar. I host my servers on DigitalOcean. That means I'm responsible for my servers, buy that's how I like it.
highclass
I didn't have any problem until today with namecheap. I think you can tell a good service from a bad service when a real issue arises like today.

It is ridiculous that they gave me 24 hours to delete two images or suspend my domain without any warning. I didn't even know that was possible! If I had missed their email or checked my email 24 hours later, my domain could have been suspended. This is a site with visitors in the range of hundred thousands per day...

I am still shocked on how they managed this.

andrewmcwatters
> They may be suitable for some blog, but I can now say to NEVER use them for any enterprise site.

If this is action they take at scale with millions of visitors I wouldn't even risk it with something so intimate as a blog.

coreyp_1
Were they hosting the site, or are they just the domain registrar (and your site is on servers from another company)?
highclass
I was using a third party DNS AND my own hosting/network. They threatened me on a Registrar level, which is nearly unheard of.
coreyp_1
Indeed. I would suggest that you leave them immediately.
ploggingdev
Send them an email asking for an explanation and also let them know why this is not a good way of dealing with inappropriate content. Also reach out to their customer support asking for an explanation. Let us know when you hear back from their support team.
highclass
I agree the two images were problematic, but they were mixed into millions of forum posts...

Anyways, if your domain sites contents break the AUP at https://www.namecheap.com/legal/universal/universal-tos.aspx , it seems they will suspend your domain that fast...

Again ridiculous. They even replied "Yes, we have checked the content of the web-site and based on its not deliberate nature we have provided a reasonable time-frame for removing the illicit content."

Reasonable time-frame being 24 hours. More ridiculous.

magma17
4chan
gt2
I would think a site like 4chan would get these kinds of issues daily.
tarikozket
Amazon has the same procedure with hosting.
highclass
I don't have anything hosted on namecheap. Not even the sites DNS uses namecheap.

b.t.w. hosting and DNS registration are totally different, legally and technically.

idoh
Where are you planning on moving your domain to?
tinalumfoil
I've heard good things about Gandi. Since they host reddit I'm sure it would take a lot for them to shut down a site.
LorenzoLlamas
Maybe I missed it, but did someone point to the actual site with "millions of visitors and 5 PETABYTES of traffic per month"? Is that right?

Don't want to seem harsh, but I don't care for unqualified rants against a named entity, when the "accuser" doesn't name his own source.

And using vague words like "inappropriate/troublesome" seems a bit mysterious. Were they ISIS propaganda posters, nudity of celebs, or penguins making out? Might make a difference.

And as others have already stated, it's pretty SOP for hosting and domain companies to have this standard in place. Hate to say it, but it's in the User Agreement. Else, run your own servers and domain name registrar (oh, and also be liable for those same posts possibly).

Why we insist on not understanding that DNRs and hosts are, basically, publishers, who have some rights, is beyond me.

Let me guess... this guy is upset because he might have not gotten the email within 24 hours (in 2017... yeah, right). Is he off-the-grid hunting sea lions in the north sea? And if his site is so big, he has no one to help him and no backup staff except... only him?

This same crowd will balk that FB didn't remove that last murder video in 12.3 seconds, but demand that THEIR host or registrar give them 30 days.

Sheesh... internet shenanigans never stop, do they?

highclass
I have actually run a domain registration/reseller business in the past, with 20,000 domains registered (which is a lot).

I did not "police" a single one of those domains.

Like I said below, I was NOT using namecheap DNS or hosting.

> And using vague words like "inappropriate/troublesome" seems a bit mysterious. Were they ISIS propaganda posters, nudity of celebs, or penguins making out? Might make a difference.

I don't care how much problematic the images were. 24 hours warning for threatening to suspend a domain is ridiculous.

> Let me guess... this guy is upset because he might have not gotten the email within 24 hours (in 2017... yeah, right).

Yes that is reasonable reason to be upset. I thought the email was spam/phishing at first. The email also could have easily have been deleted by spam filters.

highclass
The first contact that namecheap made, was just an email that said they will suspend my domain within 24 hours if I do not respond. No matter what content the images had, that is inappropriate business behavior.

The even acknowledged the the site "Yes, we have checked the content of the web-site and based on its not deliberate nature". I have no idea if they really would have suspended within 24 hours, but that is definitely is not how a customer should be treated.

I don't think any important domain should be on such a service, when other equal services will be much less threatening to customers.