March 24, 2008

Pushing Back - My Conversation With Network Solutions

I just spent 30-40 minutes on the phone with Network Solutions (based in PA), complaining about their removal of the fitnathemovie.com website.
Ultimately, I was only able to get as high as a woman named Shannon, the Assistant to the Executive Officer (his name is Roy Dunbar), who gave me a polite brush off, without actually answering any of my questions.

But I was making her very uncomfortable...I could actually hear her blanching over the phone!
I explained why I was contacting her (she was already aware of Fitna), and when I was done explaining my gripe (forcefully), she asked me if I had any specific questions for her.
So I asked her some specific questions, and informed her they were for an article I was writing for a popular conservative blog...where upon her voice became even gloomier:

1. "Why did you remove a website for TOS violations when there was nothing but a parking page with the text "Coming Soon", and a photo of the Quran?"
She directed my attention to the notice on the page, saying "It is what it is."

2. "Why is an American based company willing to practice preemptive censorship, when there has not yet been any violation?"
Again, she had no answer.

3. "Is it Network Solutions' common practice to remove websites on the day prior to their launch, after months of work have gone into promoting those websites?"
She said she was not aware of such a practice, but she could forward my question upward.

4. I informed her I was in the process of building a new, massive website (true), and that I had planned to host with Network Solutions prior to this debacle (not true).
I asked her why American companies should give Network Solutions their business, when her company has demonstrated their willingness to ruin their customers' livelihoods for the sake of political correctness, and their own bottom line?
She just sort of sputtered, told me she understood my point, and assured me she'd look into it.

5. I asked her why an American based hosting company is more concerned about disgruntled Muslims than protecting free speech on the Internet?
Dead silence.

6. I asked her for contact information for her boss, Roy Dunbar (CEO of Network Solutions), as she was unable to provide me with answers to my questions, and she declined, stating she could not allow every complaint to go directly to him, because he was a busy man.

I informed her I too am a busy man, and that I had just wasted more than a half hour of my time, being shuffled from person to person, trying to get answers she was ultimately unwilling or unable to provide.

I informed her I knew she was not personally responsible for this debacle (I had been pretty tough on her), and I apologized for what I was going to have to do.
I explained that, unlike radical Muslims, law abiding citizens did not have the option of issuing threats or becoming violent, thus our only recourse is to become such a pain in the ass that companies such as Network Solutions find offending Muslims preferable to the time and resources wasted dealing with us.

I told her I would be posting the gist of our conversation online, at a popular site, and that she was in for a bad week. I really hope I'm right.

Network Solutions
Roy Dunbar, CEO
10 Azalea Drive
Drums, PA 18222
800-333-7680
www.networksolutions.com

Give 'em hell Jawas!

Don't let yourselves be brushed off by the first few people you talk to... and don't waste a lot of your time talking to them. They are low level functionaries, and you are better off wasting the time of someone at a higher pay scale.
Just keep asking to speak with someone in the corporate offices until you are connected. Be polite, but firm.

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UPDATE:
In the comments section, a bit of levity from "mick187tharct" -

I also had endless fun talking with Networks Solutions this afternoon. I believe I also spoke to the aforementioned Shannon. I inquired legitimately as a potential customer who was interesting in launching a site exposing Left handed Lithuanians and their sacred religious texts. I was seeking legal guidance as to who I could offend and how much and whether potential violence on the part of the offendee would play any role in how fast my site was suspended pending review. I informed them that I had done extensive research on the violent tendencies of offended Lithuanians toward suicide hijackings, Chlorine truck bombings and beheadings and could assure them that none had been recorded. Alas I got no where, but much tongue in cheek fun was had by all.

And an interesting observation by "Thanos" -

On February 6, 2007, Network Solutions announced that General Atlantic, a private equity firm, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Network Solutions from Najafi Companies (formerly Pivotal Private Equity). Although terms of the deal were not released, the Wall Street Journal reported in a story on May 30, 2007 that the price tag was “around $800 million.”

In 2003 nearly 90% of the company’s revenue was from domain-name registrations, said Network Solutions Chief Executive Champ Mitchell. Since 2005, the company has added 69 services and products and today these new offerings are fueling Network Solutions’ growth. Now only 45% of the company’s revenue comes from domain-name registrations.

At the end of July, 2007, Network Solutions had 6,659,150 domains under management and was in the top five wholesale domain registrars following Go Daddy with 19,709,215 domains and eNom with 7,646,676 domains. Tucows, the largest publicly traded registrar, has 6,622,982 domains under management with its recent acquisition of ItsYourDomain.com. Melbourne IT, a publicly traded company located in Australia, trailed with 4,664,019 domains under management.
In addition to being a wholesale registrar, Network Solutions provides web services such as web hosting and website design.

So Network Solutions is now owned by a global growth equity firm, General Atlantic, on their page they have a contact email at the bottom.

“Najafi” is also a name with Persian/Shia etymology, meaning “of Najaf” if I am interpreting right. It’s also noteworthy that when global equity firms buy companies, they typically leave old management in place and just insert their controlling influence in the board of directors.