Data quality problems after domain name transfer

[Edwin]

This is the first time I've come across this issue - it seems to stem from the new data validation process that Nominet have put in place.

The background: we sold a domain name to a company in Poland.

Because Nominet were unable to verify their contact data automatically at the point of domain transfer, this triggered a series of emails (to us, and to the new registrant)

I will post examples of these emails below, with specifics redacted (italics indicate changes I made) so that you can see what sort of thing you may come across in your own transactions going forward.

1) Email sent to new registrant

Subject: Your domain registration - additional action required (case CASE#)

Domain Name:

* example.co.uk

========================================================================
Unfortunately we have been unable to validate the registrant details that
you have provided for the domain name as you have provided name details
that we have been unable to automatically identify against public data
sources.

Registrant Name: EXAMPLE
Address:
Some address in Poland

It is possible that your details are correct, but that they do not appear
on public data sources available to us. Please review your details by
logging into your Online Services account and making any necessary
corrections to your information ensuring that your name is entered in
full. If on review you find that your name has already been entered
correctly please provide us with documentary evidence (copy of official ID
or incorporation certificate etc) so that we can validate your details and
process your application. Please attach this by reply or send directly to
(email contact at Nominet). Alternatively please fax or post
copies of the documentation to us quoting your domain name.

Please note that any domain names you subsequently register with matching
name and address information will be included in this process

To correct your details please log into Online Services at:
(Nominet log in URL)

* Click on 'Domain List'

To correct the registrant name:
* Click 'edit' next to your registrant name
* You will then be able to correct the registrant name

We have also notified your registrar.

Please contact the Data Quality Team if you need any assistance.

2) Email sent to us

Subject: Data Quality workflow - Registrant Name process commenced notification

With reference to

Account details:

*account-id: (account ID)
*account-name: (account name)

Domain name(s):

*key: example.co.uk


Data Quality

If we do not receive an update by 2014-06-12, the account and all domain
names held on it will be suspended. When a domain name is suspended all
services associated with it, such as email or a web site, will stop
working. After a 30 day suspension period, the account and associated
domain names will be cancelled.

If you need any further information please contact our Customer Services
department on (phone number) or email (email address).

Nominet UK

The net result is that my buyer is frustrated because Nominet don't accept his form of the company name (which may/may not need a bit of fixing - he's talking to them) but in a certain sense blames me for not warning him about this issue that I obviously knew nothing about.

Clearly, it's going to be very important going forward that you get the PRECISE registrant name and registrant type absolutely correct, especially if you're going for the free Self Managed tag transfer where you're going to have to input all the details yourself.

Anyway, it's all a "bonus" hassle we have to contend with going forward, one which I believe is pretty much unique to the UK namespace.

 

[foz]

Came across this in another sale too. Just because the info isn't on a public system doesn't mean the Registrant data provided is false! On top of that threatening with a suspension is crazy talk.

 

[xdnet]

Out of interest is this on a Channel Partner tag or an Accredited Channel Partner tag?

 

[Edwin]

Edwin, this is convincing me that it is probably worth staying away from the free transfers for decent sales. That way the buyer has to input their details, preferably along with their choice of registrar tag at the same time, and accept the domain name. Who pays the £12 to Nominet is immaterial. Once they've accepted the domain name it is entirely their problem.

This wasn't a free transfer - I paid the £12+VAT. Nominet's system balked at the details the registrant themselves supplied at the transfer acceptance stage.

Worth noting that I only saw the "Registrant" email because the buyer left the domain on my tag (I'm in the process of getting them to move it) otherwise I would have been none the wiser. Hard to imagine someone like a 123-Reg is going to take the time to follow up with the customer step by step to get their details right when they're only making a few pence per registration...

 

[Edwin]

Out of interest is this on a Channel Partner tag or an Accredited Channel Partner tag?

Self managed tag, paid transfer, domain remained on our tag but with new owner's registrant/contact details.

 

[Edwin]

Came across this in another sale too. Just because the info isn't on a public system doesn't mean the Registrant data provided is false! On top of that threatening with a suspension is crazy talk.

I had a long chat with their support and data quality teams about this, trying to put basically the same point across. It may be "crazy talk" but it sounds like it will nevertheless happen unless the record gets corrected to Nominet's satisfaction.

One clarification I found out: the "account" in the warning message refers to the registrant's account not the registrar's account i.e. even if you as a registrar have a "badly behaved" registrant (from Nominet's perspective) you're not going to lose your entire business over them!

 

[Edwin]

Okay. Thanks.

Did the transfer to the details that the new registrant provided still go through? Had the new registrant chosen not to specify a new registrar tag during the paid transfer? I am assuming that if the new registrant had specified a new registrar tag during the paid transfer you might not have heard anything about this.

They went through initially but with a subsequent emailed warning. And you're quite right, I'm not sure what would have happened in terms of communication had they retagged the name off the bat.

 

[Edwin]

It's worth taking the time to read through the material on Data Quality if you have any concerns about it
http://registrars.nominet.org.uk/namespace/uk/data-quality

There is a reference there to "minimum proportion at 70% of all new and changed data" as being the data quality standard they expect from registrars. However, this is only the "instant" standard at the moment of the change (new registration, transfer, address update etc.) and by the end of the grace period 100% of the data has to be correct or the domain will be suspended then deleted.

In other words (this is how I interpret the situation - please do your own checking):

1) At the instant of change: 70%+ of changes must pass the (automated) validation check that Nominet uses for the Registrar to be "ok" in Nominet's eyes. Valid domains are marked as such. Invalid domains trigger a series of emailed warnings to Registrar and Registrant

2) Within the first 30 days after the change: the Whois data of any given invalid domain must be "corrected" so that it validates (valid domains get marked as such, and this terminates the "email trail" of warnings from Nominet)

3) If 30 days pass without a suitable correction, invalid domains will automatically get suspended

4) There is a further period (30 days according to the email I quoted above) in which to make any remaining "corrections" so that the Whois validates (valid domains get marked as such, and this terminates the "email trail" of warnings from Nominet)

5) All domains that have not validated at the end of this second period will automatically get deleted, along with other domains that are on the same account at Nominet

Note the use of automation at various steps of the above i.e. this is the programmatic process that Nominet are using to enforce data quality compliance.

So while only 70%+ of changes have to validate instantly, 100% of changes have to validate within the 60 day "grace period" created by the above process or the domains in question (plus potentially other associated domains) WILL be deleted.

 

[Edwin]

I have put together a PDF that I think explains the new process - please let me know if I've made any mistakes!
http://www.memorabledomains.co.uk/nominetdataquality.pdf

 

[Brassneck]

Yes another incredibly unhelpful obstacle to the UK market. I just did 2 sets of transfers using info from the whois for existing domains held by new owners. Both have triggered this review. Just as well go back to the paper transfer process if this is going to happen every time.

 

[grantw]

Yes another incredibly unhelpful obstacle to the UK market.

Totally, who designs/implements these frigging ideas!! Everything implemented over the past few years has been an un-user friendly, complicated mess. From the stupid accounts system to the entire new registrar changes. Proper not impressed :twisted:

Grant

 

[Edwin]

If you encounter a problem, please call Nominet's Data Quality team and ask them POLITELY why the data isn't validating (ranting and raving gets nowhere fast). It is a very new system and my read on the situation is that there are likely to be various bugs to work out, so the more "edge case" data they have access to (stuff that should probably validate but doesn't) the quicker this should start to get sorted out...

 

[Systreg]

I've received the same email as in the the first post of this topic, it's regarding meditating.co.uk that I bought on DomainLore yesterday.

I also hand registered meditating.org.uk via my tag yesterday, the details for which in my Nominet account are:

meditating.org.uk - Contact id: xxxxxxxx - Data Quality: Good

The Who-Is says:

Data validation: Registrant contact details validated by Nominet

For meditating .co.uk in my Nominet account, it says:

meditating.co.uk- Contact id: xxxxxxxx - Data Quality: Bad name and address

The Who-Is says:

Data validation: Registrant name and address awaiting validation

One good name/address, one bad, yet both domains have exactly the same registrant name and address, the only difference is that the .co.uk has a different contact id number after accepting the transfer, and there's no option to merge it with my main contact id account which the org.uk was registered under and under which all of my others domains are held.

Why are domains given different contact id's when you accept a transfer, why can they not just go straight under your main contact id with all your other names?

There used to be a merge button that vanished quite a while ago, it would be handy having that back in the control panel to keep things tidy,

 

[Darren]

When transferring a domain name you are able to login and select which account you would like the domain name to go under.

 

[Systreg]

@ Darren, you can only do that with the old £12 registrant transfer, this was sent as a free transfer from another tag holder and didn't have that option.

 

[Darren]

Ah ok ive not done a free transfer yet.

 

[Systreg]

@ Darren, with the free transfers, after the seller inputs the registrant name/address details etc and does the tag change, it appears as a hand shake with no options to choose which account the domain should go under, so it gets a different contact ID and goes in with all other domains on your tag.