Beware CrazyDomains new 'Features'

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networkn

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#307083 18-Sep-2023 11:06

So, arrived to work today, to an urgent message from a customer who's domains and DNS are with Crazy Domains.

No email, and no website. Can't login to any of their web tools.

Log into their CD Customer portal and find there are NO DNS records at all.

I get into chat. Apparently, the 'server' deleted them, they don't know why.

I calmly ask them to please reinstate them with urgency.

He reinstates some and refuses to do the rest (txt records) until we purchase a 'premium' DNS package.

I suggest that because their server removed the records they should reinstate them at no charge. The records existed, and we received no notice or notification that such behaviour was about to occur.

He point blank refuses to get a manager and then force closes the chat.

I can't recall the last time something this outrageous came across my desk.

I intend to lodge a formal complaint with Crazy Domains and DNC

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#3128937 18-Sep-2023 11:09

I must say my experience has been the complete opposite - I find their customer service one of the best across all industries. I can't believe I am saying this but in the last few years they have been more than helpful through chat.

Sorry to hear what's happened to your client.

networkn

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#3128938 18-Sep-2023 11:17

So a second chat has updated the situation:

1) There is an issue at CD end that caused the DNS records to be removed.

2) I should not have been charged for Premium to restore the records.

3) Without premium, customers cannot make 'advanced' DNS changes like add TXT Records.

4) They will refund my CC for the premium upgrade I purchased to restore the records manually.

We don't have many customers with CD, but we are done, moving the domains over the next 2 days away from them.

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#3128945 18-Sep-2023 11:40

I doubt there's much the DNC would do here. Whilst DNS is a critical service, it's not what the DNC regulates in the .nz namespace.

I've been very impressed with Cloudflare and have moved most of my domains to their DNS service.

tdgeek

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#3128946 18-Sep-2023 11:40

I'm seeing that too

Zero records except NS which are crazydomains.com. They were using openhost.co.nz NS but not for a good while. DNC shows openhost.co.nz NS. Lookup or Security Trails shows that openhost.co.nz NS ended late 2021, crazydomains.com NS since, which are seemingly empty

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3128950 18-Sep-2023 11:43

How do they justify calling a TXT record, something which has been part of the DNS standard since RFC 1035, an 'advanced' service?

RFC 1035, November 1987... that's almost 36 years old.

I'm pleased I ditched Crazy Domains a few years ago. I now use Metaname, which while expensive, has a boring interface that just works. I got sick of GoDaddy and Crazy Domains trying to up-sell crap and changing the interface all the time.

As a side note, I've never hosted DNS with my domains.

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#3128951 18-Sep-2023 11:50

I see the records are now publishing for the domain I am working on, assume that will be the case for the others, unless the user called them which she was going to do

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#3128952 18-Sep-2023 11:52

networkn:

3) Without premium, customers cannot make 'advanced' DNS changes like add TXT Records.

Two names: Metaname and Cloudflare.

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#3128956 18-Sep-2023 12:10

CD bought out OH few years ago. They made such a **** up of the migration it wasn't funny. They effectively lost my email accounts, and wouldn't give me access to things I needed to be able to recover/migrate them myself. They couldn't even get me into my own account control panel. I bailed.....

Then had hassles with them regards to a client I had with them - wanted my name removed from the account (was on it as contact but not the holder). The only way they could remove it, was to delete the whole account !!! Told them to forget it and set up an auto-reply to them for any emails that came to me.....

XPD / Gavin

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#3128970 18-Sep-2023 13:08

freitasm:

Two names: Metaname and Cloudflare.

We have had great fortunes with 1stdomains.

networkn

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#3128974 18-Sep-2023 13:39

There are definitely issues with servers other than openhost. mxtoolbox shows DNS records and then next time, they are gone, 5 minutes later back again.

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#3128981 18-Sep-2023 14:41

I moved a friend off CD for this reason (the advanced DNS thing). Some parts of the move (to hover) were not _great_, but it was predictable at least :)

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#3128984 18-Sep-2023 14:56

Are they really charging $26 per year, per domain, or is does it allow hosting multiple domains for that price?

If it's per domain, that's one hell of a premium for something you can get for free. I note they don't even list NS records as one of the types offered, so you probably can't even delegate to another name server.

What bugs me most about this is e-mail absolutely requires SPF and DKIM records, both of which use TXT. Want your mail to be delivered? Pay another $26, or host with us and let us control the only private key that can sign for your domain. No thanks.

networkn

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#3129002 18-Sep-2023 15:46

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Are they really charging $26 per year, per domain, or is does it allow hosting multiple domains for that price?

If it's per domain, that's one hell of a premium for something you can get for free. I note they don't even list NS records as one of the types offered, so you probably can't even delegate to another name server.

What bugs me most about this is e-mail absolutely requires SPF and DKIM records, both of which use TXT. Want your mail to be delivered? Pay another $26, or host with us and let us control the only private key that can sign for your domain. No thanks.

This is a relatively new thing, and we have already requested all the domain keys from them and will move to another provider.

Absolutely ridiculous. I don't consider the ability to add/remove DNS Records (of any type) to be a premium feature. DNS History, restore, wizard-based advanced integration with other tools, perhaps.

A total waste of 3 hours of my time, when I have other things that really needed my attention.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3129017 18-Sep-2023 16:11

networkn:

This is a relatively new thing, and we have already requested all the domain keys from them and will move to another provider.

I'd create new entries using your own keys. If you need to validate old e-mail for a period of time, just copy the public key records.

Might be a good opportunity to deploy ed25519-sha256 signing as well.

networkn

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#3129018 18-Sep-2023 16:13

onebytemike:

I doubt there's much the DNC would do here. Whilst DNS is a critical service, it's not what the DNC regulates in the .nz namespace.

Presumably, as part of being able to resell .nz domains, you must act in a way that doesn't hold a domain to hostage.

If the original claims were correct, and they stripped ALL the DNS records without notice because the customer didn't subscribe to premium services, when they had previously been available under the free tier, dnc is going to be looking very hard at that.

I could maybe understand not allowing the entry of new entries, but to remove ALL. That's nonsense.

As it turns out, the claims made by their support agent were complete nonsense. The second agent couldn't get the situation clarified fast enough.

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