Lost count of the amount of time / effort / emails / phone calls I have lost in attempting to transfer websites from website design companies when their client decides they want to have us to register / host / support / promote their site, the example conversations below demonstrate how ‘painful’ it can be to transfer a .com domain from a ‘part time’ website designer that has no reason to rush to help us. The transfer process eventually took more than 9 weeks and put the whole project back and although this is rare it really is an annoyance to come across web companies that seem to want to go out of their way not to help their ex-clients move to a new website design company.
[New Web Designers to old ones]
1 The website owner has given us his permission to contact you directly to officially request the transfer of the website as we are building him a new website. The client is a personal friend and we are hoping to get this transfer done quickly for him.
Therefore please can you unlock the domain and provide us with the EPP code to enable the transfer and if you need to phone / email me I can be contacted by the numbers below and can reply to emails within 1 hour during work hours.
2 Hope all ok can you unlock the domain and give us the EPP Code please as we was hoping to start transfer / website today, feel free to give me a ring if any problems
3 Did you have chance to unlock the domain and get the EPP code?
[New Web Designers] They now suggest that it would be easier for them to simply change their DNS entries to point to our hosting. In my opinion that is not a good suggestion at all, I wont comment on why they are saying this but they ‘ideally’ need to send you the website files first (but I have got these already so not really necessary but its professional courtesy to do this) then unlock the domain and send us the transfer code.
So simply ask them this: Please unlock the domain then give us the EPP code (this is the code that allows us to do the transfer) This is approximately 5 minutes work and there is no need to give any login info or create accounts for us.
[Old Web Designers] I have unlocked the domain and have requested the EPP code from the registrar. Apologies, but I need to be honest, I have a family, full time job and run a football club so am doing this as and when I can. I will come back to you once I have the EPP code but cannot guarantee that this will be today.
[Website Owner to Old Web Designers] We have done everything required to complete this transfer I scanned my Driver’s license and my Passport sent them to you to get this transfer done quickly. You told me I need to sign the form my new website designers completed this for me so and scanned my ID the day you requested it and we returned it to you within 12 hours but since then we have had no contact from you for about a month. Could you tell me what’s happening with the codes. We sent all details for you to send to the website registrar ages ago. The new website designers have tried to contact you to find out what’s happening with no reply. I know you are busy, I know you run a football team and know you have a great family you spend time with.
I have been really nice about it, You have deleted me off Facebook and I get the message. You also know I am a nice bloke that wants to try my best for my family. All I want is to be updated with what’s happening with the codes as I have promised my staff I will keep them updated. I understand a few of them know you, they have families and want to be earning money for their children, All of them are on my back and I have been telling them every week where we are, I tell them the same thing. Sent the documents over a month ago so we should have the EPP code back in 5-7 working days.
Even if you don’t have them yet please keep us informed and updated.
[Old Web Design Company] I have no idea why this is not already complete.
I recommended putting a re-direct on the domain name at the outset and this would have sorted you immediately. Your web guy did not want to do this so you are still waiting – this wait was not necessary, you could have got another domain for close-to-nothing and been up and running on that day. I told your web guy that was a pig to do – I have tried before and it is – I was not being obstructive, I was trying to help. The delays were 100% avoidable or were you not being told that? All your staff would have been up and running, it was strange that your web guy would not implement a tacticle solution with this being such a big rush. I will take a look this week to see what the hold up is and come back to you.
Re our ‘friendship’, this ended long ago – if there ever was a friendship. Once your ‘site’ (if you can call it that – you never provided all the content) was up and running, you hardly ever made contact with us. Before that, you were on the phone and or over our place. The only time you ever contacted me was when your site was down. Trust me, I got that message.
And guess what? You contacted me when I was on business to renew your domain and I did this from Poland. Then you tell me that you want to transfer. See it from my side. Anyway, I am wasting my holiday time on this email. I will look at this during this week and come back to you.
[New Website Designers] His comments are just silly. Yes you could have got a new website but that would mean you lost all the ‘power’ from your existing one and would mean loads of hassle and confusion over both domains.
He could have pointed the domain to our hosting but long term do you really want him involved / trusted in anyway in your business? I suggest not seeing he decided to host it in Singapore and has spend 2 months avoiding doing 2 minutes work to facilitate this transfer, he says this was a ‘pig’ to do, I would say a pig could probably have done it by now as any competent person could do this in 2 minutes. We simply need to wait for ‘epp code’ / transfer code from him now.