WARNING: GoDaddy sends incorrect auth codes ON PURPOSE for domain transfers

Hey everyone,

So I have tried to transfer a domain out from GoDaddy twice now, and each time I get "bad auth code" on the new registrar, even though I have triple checked and it's 100% the correct code that GoDaddy sent me. I also went through this issue 2 years ago and lost a money site domain due to the exact same problem.

I tried to find more information about this and found a community thread on GoDaddy with people experiencing the exact same issue.

https://godaddy.com/community/Domain-Transfers/Authorization-code-for-transfer-is-invalid/m-p/126298

"No, it looks systematic. GD lost its positions as number one registrar. I tried transferring out one of the domain names, just a few days before expiration. Bad auth code. telephone support keeps saying it';s valid, accepting registrar - 'wrong'. Pretty certain, bad codes are being sent for purpose."

There's also a whole sleeve of threads about people not getting their code at all. The dirty tactics GoDaddy play is just baffling to me, how the fuck are they still with ICANN?

Just wanted to warn anyone from using this absolute joke of a registrar, and also wanted to ask if there's any point forming a complaint with ICANN about this?

Why does anyone even use these legacy pieces of shit like HostGator/BlueHost/GoDaddy?

Namecheap is amazing

GILGAME$H said:

Why does anyone even use these legacy pieces of shit like HostGator/BlueHost/GoDaddy?

Namecheap is amazing

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I always use namesilo/namecheap/porkbun, however these were expired domains I purchased from a seller and they had them on GoDaddy, so they transferred the domain from their Godaddy account to my GoDaddy account.. Big regrets right now.

I usually use it to buy cheap domains for the first year (@ $1), haven't had any problems so far, but my favorite is name.com.

GILGAME$H said:

Why does anyone even use these legacy pieces of shit like HostGator/BlueHost/GoDaddy?

Namecheap is amazing

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Agreed Namecheap is all I use these days

I have a few dozen domains with GoDaddy - never had an issue. I wanted to vote 'No', but obviously you didn't give that option.
Have you tried contacting support?

P.S.

I like PorkBun, as my second choice domain registrar

Domain.com has a quick domain search tool that you can use for your domain name research. Their search also shows you premium domains as well. So I think Domain.com is good.

se900se said:

I have a few dozen domains with GoDaddy - never had an issue. I wanted to vote 'No', but obviously you didn't give that option.
Have you tried contacting support?

P.S.

I like PorkBun, as my second choice domain registrar

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So let me get this straight, and I'm not trying to sound like a dick here;

You prefer GoDaddy that:

• Charges $20 for a new .com domain
• Charges $24 for .com reneweal
• Charges $10 for WHOIS protection
• Has no proper customer support (not even an email, ehh?)

VS PorkBun that:

• Charges $5 for a new .com domain
• Charges $9 for .com renewal
• Free WHOIS protection
• Proper customer support

Legitimately wondering how and why? Maybe your #1 domain registrar isn't GoDaddy, not sure exactly what you meant.

Yes, I've tried customer support but:

1. No email, and the chat never works (just "loading..." constantly, tried 3 different browsers + my phone)
2. No customer support phone number in the country where I'm currently on vacation

By the way, I just tried transferring it for a third time, and guess what? Bad auth code again. This is not by accident, this is done on purpose by GoDaddy. What a joke. I will be reporting them to ICANN, even though that most likely won't do any difference.

rafark said:

I usually use it to buy cheap domains for the first year (@ $1), haven't had any problems so far, but my favorite is name.com.

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Never any problems about transferring a domain out of there? Or just in general?

I also had an absolute nightmare with a similar issue - I transferred a CC domain from godaddy to another registrar.

The auth code was not accepted at the new provider, but the domain disappeared from godaddy. They insisted that the transfer had been accepted.

I don’t know if it’s the same issue or if it was their fault but it was a real pain; took over 10 days to get resolved.

To be fair it was the receiving registrar that managed to eventually resolve it and pick up the domain.

I have a suspicion that this may occur when the two registrars concerned are using the same wholesaler for the domain - thus it becomes more like an internal transfer and the auth codes don’t work as expected.

davids355 said:

I also had an absolute nightmare with a similar issue - I transferred a CC domain from godaddy to another registrar.

The auth code was not accepted at the new provider, but the domain disappeared from godaddy. They insisted that the transfer had been accepted.

I don’t know if it’s the same issue or if it was their fault but it was a real pain; took over 10 days to get resolved.

To be fair it was the receiving registrar that managed to eventually resolve it and pick up the domain.

I have a suspicion that this may occur when the two registrars concerned are using the same wholesaler for the domain - thus it becomes more like an internal transfer and the auth codes don’t work as expected.

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Thanks for your reply!

When you transferred the domain out from Godaddy, what registrar did you try to transfer it to, if you don't mind me asking?

Unbelievable that this is how they roll, how can ICANN let them keep doing this? I just submitted a transfer complaint against GoDaddy via ICANN, we'll see what happens. Time is running out though, domain expires in 2 days.

In my case, the domain is still showing in my GoDaddy account, however it's just that the authcode itself is incorrect, 3 times in a row... (I bet my life that it's on purpose, as I've never had this issue, EVER, transferring between other registrars)

I have also contacted PorkBun about this, but it seems like their customer support is only open on weekdays (like GoDaddy), which kinda puts me in an awkward position as the domain expires on Monday.

I found one thread on GoDaddys forum, and they're claiming that "if an authcode has odd symbols in it, it might not work" - Ehh, all authcodes I've ever gotten all have symbols and stuff, not just letters and numbers.

If you hadn't gotten the other registrar to help you, I bet GoDaddy would've kept telling you the transfer was complete, and a week later have it for sale as a premium domain. Nothing surprises me with them anymore.

PS. Do you think an ICANN transfer complaint will do anything at all? I have a feeling GoDaddy has gotten a fair share of those considering their practices.

It’s 2020 and yet people use godaddy sigh ....

Mr Positive said:

It’s 2020 and yet people use godaddy sigh ....

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Again: I personally never use them, but I bought some expired domains from a seller here on BHW and they had them on GoDaddy (for some reason), so I had to create a GoDaddy account to get them transferred to me.

Stackz said:

Thanks for your reply!

When you transferred the domain out from Godaddy, what registrar did you try to transfer it to, if you don't mind me asking?

Unbelievable that this is how they roll, how can ICANN let them keep doing this? I just submitted a transfer complaint against GoDaddy via ICANN, we'll see what happens. Time is running out though, domain expires in 2 days.

In my case, the domain is still showing in my GoDaddy account, however it's just that the authcode itself is incorrect, 3 times in a row... (I bet my life that it's on purpose, as I've never had this issue, EVER, transferring between other registrars)

I have also contacted PorkBun about this, but it seems like their customer support is only open on weekdays (like GoDaddy), which kinda puts me in an awkward position as the domain expires on Monday.

I found one thread on GoDaddys forum, and they're claiming that "if an authcode has odd symbols in it, it might not work" - Ehh, all authcodes I've ever gotten all have symbols and stuff, not just letters and numbers.

If you hadn't gotten the other registrar to help you, I bet GoDaddy would've kept telling you the transfer was complete, and a week later have it for sale as a premium domain. Nothing surprises me with them anymore.

PS. Do you think an ICANN transfer complaint will do anything at all? I have a feeling GoDaddy has gotten a fair share of those considering their practices.

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123-reg.
Best bet is contacting godaddy support.
I’m sure there’s a window after expiration at which time you can still renew it so hopefully godaddy will get it sorted despite the impending expiry date.

I’d suggest your best bet is contacting their support on Monday and be nice; remember that despite godaddy being crap, you’re only dealing with an individual so if you’re friendly they’re more likely to help.

good luck!!

I've got my first couple of domains stuck with GoDaddy simply because I didn't know any better at the time. Otherwise I'm mainly using Namecheap.


Wasn't WHOIS private info availability changed with the GDPR though? GoDaddy still offers 2 options for "private data". Without really knowing much about it, aren't they simply just blatantly selling away that information unless you buy one of the 2 options or something like that? That was one thing, the other big oof is the non-existent support... And the prices... Spent $57 to renew a single meh domain for 2 years. Additionally, all the vital information is hidden away so you have to dig deep to find it, a lot of extra steps to do simple things.

Knowing about all these shady tactics they employ, I haven't even tried to get the first few domains away from them because it's almost guaranteed they will try to stop the processes from ever taking place properly.

davids355 said:

123-reg.
Best bet is contacting godaddy support.
I’m sure there’s a window after expiration at which time you can still renew it so hopefully godaddy will get it sorted despite the impending expiry date.

I’d suggest your best bet is contacting their support on Monday and be nice; remember that despite godaddy being crap, you’re only dealing with an individual so if you’re friendly they’re more likely to help.

good luck!!

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Okay I see.

Yeah I will give it a go, and yes I'm always nice to support - They're just doing their job. However I feel like they'll just check their backend and "confirm" that the authcode is correct, even though it's not, because the fault is on GoDaddys automatic auth system and not on the support guy. But I'll give it a go, thanks for the help!

Thulf said:

I've got my first couple of domains stuck with GoDaddy simply because I didn't know any better at the time. Otherwise I'm mainly using Namecheap.


Wasn't WHOIS private info availability changed with the GDPR though? GoDaddy still offers 2 options for "private data". Without really knowing much about it, aren't they simply just blatantly selling away that information unless you buy one of the 2 options or something like that? That was one thing, the other big oof is the non-existent support... And the prices... Spent $57 to renew a single meh domain for 2 years. Additionally, all the vital information is hidden away so you have to dig deep to find it, a lot of extra steps to do simple things.

Knowing about all these shady tactics they employ, I haven't even tried to get the first few domains away from them because it's almost guaranteed they will try to stop the processes from ever taking place properly.

Click to expand...

Yep, they're horrible. I'm starting to realize I won't get the domains out of there, they'll be there forever. Just gotta suck it up I guess.. ugh. I'd rather pay $1000 at a different registrar than paying GoDaddy a cent, but oh well.

Haha, of course they're selling your info too - Didn't even think about it, but that would not surprise me one bit. They're so insane it's unbelievable, can't see any reason why anyone would use them.

Yeah the prices are literally marked up by x3-8 times higher than any normal registrar. Disgusting. The support is definitely a joke, and I know exactly what you mean with the need to dig like crazy just to find any type of information on their site, purposefully hidden of course. Wix pulled similar stuff in the past.

All I'm hoping is that this thread will rank high on Google as a parasite and get others to move away from them. Might purchase some HQ backlinks pointing to this thread lol.

Stackz said:

Okay I see.

Yeah I will give it a go, and yes I'm always nice to support - They're just doing their job. However I feel like they'll just check their backend and "confirm" that the authcode is correct, even though it's not, because the fault is on GoDaddys automatic auth system and not on the support guy. But I'll give it a go, thanks for the help!



Yep, they're horrible. I'm starting to realize I won't get the domains out of there, they'll be there forever. Just gotta suck it up I guess.. ugh. I'd rather pay $1000 at a different registrar than paying GoDaddy a cent, but oh well.

Haha, of course they're selling your info too - Didn't even think about it, but that would not surprise me one bit. They're so insane it's unbelievable, can't see any reason why anyone would use them.

Yeah the prices are literally marked up by x3-8 times higher than any normal registrar. Disgusting. The support is definitely a joke, and I know exactly what you mean with the need to dig like crazy just to find any type of information on their site, purposefully hidden of course. Wix pulled similar stuff in the past.

All I'm hoping is that this thread will rank high on Google as a parasite and get others to move away from them. Might purchase some HQ backlinks pointing to this thread lol.

Click to expand...

what I did was I took screenshots of the auth code and then of the message showing that it was not being accepted. That way they’ve got visual proof that there is a problem.

You could also try transferring to another registrar, just in case it’s an issue with the receiving host.

davids355 said:

what I did was I took screenshots of the auth code and then of the message showing that it was not being accepted. That way they’ve got visual proof that there is a problem.

You could also try transferring to another registrar, just in case it’s an issue with the receiving host.

Click to expand...

That's a great idea, I will do that now!

That's also a great idea, I will try another registrar now and at the same time screenshot the whole process.

Thanks a lot for your help, much appreciated.

Stackz said:

So let me get this straight, and I'm not trying to sound like a dick here;

You prefer GoDaddy that:

• Charges $20 for a new .com domain
• Charges $24 for .com reneweal
• Charges $10 for WHOIS protection
• Has no proper customer support (not even an email, ehh?)

VS PorkBun that:

• Charges $5 for a new .com domain
• Charges $9 for .com renewal
• Free WHOIS protection
• Proper customer support

Legitimately wondering how and why? Maybe your #1 domain registrar isn't GoDaddy, not sure exactly what you meant.

Yes, I've tried customer support but:

1. No email, and the chat never works (just "loading..." constantly, tried 3 different browsers + my phone)
2. No customer support phone number in the country where I'm currently on vacation

By the way, I just tried transferring it for a third time, and guess what? Bad auth code again. This is not by accident, this is done on purpose by GoDaddy. What a joke. I will be reporting them to ICANN, even though that most likely won't do any difference.




Never any problems about transferring a domain out of there? Or just in general?

Click to expand...

Yes, I do, you got that 100% right . It looks like the only argument you offered is a higher price. Well, I don't mind paying more for better service. That's why there are Toyota and Mercedes, but you can get well on foot too.

This time we live in... too many people with egos, who think everyone owes them.
No need to generalize and think that your bad experience is how actually the company works. If it was actually scamming its customers it wouldn't get to be one of the most popular and successful companies in the niche. It's just silly to assume they want to scam you.

I never had an issue with GoDaddy, I love their support, services, and auction. I don't mind paying extra bucks and keeping all of my domains (and I think I own a lot vs average person) in the same place.

se900se said:

Yes, I do, you got that 100% right . It looks like the only argument you offered is a higher price. Well, I don't mind paying more for better service. That's why there are Toyota and Mercedes, but you can get well on foot too.

This time we live in... too many people with egos, who think everyone owes them.
No need to generalize and think that your bad experience is how actually the company works. If it was actually scamming its customers it wouldn't get to be one of the most popular and successful companies in the niche. It's just silly to assume they want to scam you.

I never had an issue with GoDaddy, I love their support, services, and auction. I don't mind paying extra bucks and keeping all of my domains (and I think I own a lot vs average person) in the same place.

Click to expand...

No, my other argument is: No proper customer support, and the fact that they send incorrect authcodes (and I'm not the only one with this issue), AND charging for WHOIS protection which is free on almost every other registrar. That's three other arguments... Outside of the fact they charge at least 3-6 times higher prices for domains. Are you even for real?

Better service? You're buying a domain, literally the only service that can be better is customer support and/or price? Dude you're not making any sense at all, in any thread I see you commenting on. I'm starting to think you're trolling, and hard at that.

The only thing I think any company owes any customer is a basic level of customer support, i.e. providing the correct authcodes and proper customer support.

My bad experience? Just read the thread (even a moderator on this forum had an issue that took 10 days to resolve), and the threads on GoDaddys own forum, where people have the same issue. Are you actually for real with this response? I can't even fathom what you're saying as someone who's a customer of GoDaddy, unless you're involved with them somehow.

Stackz said:

No, my other argument is: No proper customer support, and the fact that they send incorrect authcodes (and I'm not the only one with this issue), AND charging for WHOIS protection which is free on almost every other registrar. That's three other arguments... Outside of the fact they charge at least 3-6 times higher prices for domains. Are you even for real?

Better service? You're buying a domain, literally the only service that can be better is customer support and/or price? Dude you're not making any sense at all, in any thread I see you commenting on. I'm starting to think you're trolling, and hard at that.

The only thing I think any company owes any customer is a basic level of customer support, i.e. providing the correct authcodes and proper customer support.

My bad experience? Just read the thread (even a moderator on this forum had an issue that took 10 days to resolve), and the threads on GoDaddys own forum, where people have the same issue. Are you actually for real with this response? I can't even fathom what you're saying as someone who's a customer of GoDaddy, unless you're involved with them somehow.

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All your points are ‘I’m unhappy’, and you support it with similar claims and you come to BHW which has nothing to do with GoDaddy to tel us how unhappy you are and looking for supporting comments. Of course you’re not happy that you didn’t get 100% support and the guy like me says he’s actually okay with it. That’s some serious ‘ego’ issues. Among millions of customers there will always be some customers who are unhappy about something, in every business.

You ask me if I’m being serious - I ask you the same question - are you seriously saying godaddy got that big because they scammed everyone? The question is rhetorical, I know what you’ll answer.

It is harder to get positive review but very easy to get a negative. That’s how human psychology works, I wouldn’t take it seriously.

It’s similar to comparing Mac and Windows, iPhone and Android, Toyota and Mercedes. You will always hear the windows/android/Toyota is better because it’s cheaper, some other reasons etc, but it’s just a matter of choice.

If a mod prefers old Toyota that doesn’t mean Toyota is actually better for you, nor being a mod make his opinion more authoritative then yours.

As you pointed out in the other thread - nothing is black or white, but for me it’s on the white-ish side, and I am happy to pay extra for that. The support was always good for me, I get a lot of perks, and at least as of now I have nothing to complain about. I do use porkbun for my business things, but for personal it’s godaddy.

Saying what’s on my mind doesn’t make troll, I obey the same forum rules as you do.