Warning: Dotster Domain Renewal Problems
Monday evening, I tried to renew a domain through the Dotster web site. No matter what I tried, I could not get the username and password to be accepted.
I figured my password was incorrected and used the password retrieval system. This system sends an email to an account associated with the domain. The email has a link for resetting the password which has to be used within 48 hours. The password retrieval option also failed several times.
I have a Mac Mini with Macintosh OS X and use the latest versions of Opera, Firefox, and Safari browsers. Not the fanciest machine but it does (most) of what I need.
Some web sites are coded towards a specific browser and operating system (Internet Explorer on Windows, for example). These sites do not work properly on other platforms or browsers. Facebook, for example, has issues when the site is accessed from within Opera. Some of the Facebook applications work and others do not.
I tried all of the browsers without success. After the second day, I called Dotster’s tech support. I spoke with a nice man who said he had written an email for people who have trouble using the password retrieval system.
While we were discussing the issues, he mentions that the Dotster site has problems with Firefox 3 but not Firefox 2. It also has problems with Opera and Safari.
I had to boot my portable into Windows XP and use Internet Explorer to complete the domain renewal. No messages or warnings are given: the site refuses the username.
When you try to retrieve a password and the retrieval page says enter your account or domain, don’t believe it. If you enter the domain name, the login won’t work either even if the correct information is entered.
Stupid stupid stupid.
Thank you!