Domain Transfer Nightmare

[#1]

I was advised by Plusnet to transfer a domain to a cpanel host as I wished to use Mysql and cgi, Simple enough you would think and something that from experience takes a couple of hours to complete - NOT WITH PLUSNET!!! I went in to the transfer domain option and input my new hosts Tag on Saturday at 9:27am which raised a Service Ticket in Help Assistant, that afternoon email to my domain stopped. I assumed that the Named Servers would be updated and the Tag Changed. We are now Monday afternoon, Plusnet tell me that all they do is change the Tag, the new host then has to update the Named Servers, Nominet records still show the Tag as FORCE9 and my new hosts cannot access the record. What are Plusnet doing - nothing as far as I can see. Maybe be Jamie Ford should start kicking some backsides!

[#2]

Hi there,
Sorry to hear you're having problems. Looks like your new hosts use the handshake approval system of transferring .uk domains. This is where the gaining registrar needs to approve the transfer in before the IPS tag can be updated.
We definitely sent a handshake request from what I can see, although we'll submit another for good measure:
[quote author="Nominet"]Your request for a registrar change has resulted in a handshake
request to the receiving tag. The receiving tag has up to 5 days to respond, after
which the request will be expired. You will be notified of the success or
failure of the registrar change by email.
Domain Name(s):
[-removed-].co.uk
If you have any questions please contact support@nominet.org.uk.
Documentation on the automaton can be found on the Nominet Web
site at http://www.nominet.org.uk/go/automaton
I'm guessing our systems remove the zone records for your domain after a predetermined period of time following the transfer request which is why your mail is no longer working:

~$ dig [-removed-].co.uk @ns1.force9.net mx
; <<>> DiG 9.3.4-P1.2 <<>> [-removed-].co.uk @ns1.force9.net mx
; (1 server found)
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: REFUSED, id: 40806
;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;[-removed-].co.uk.                     IN      MX
;; Query time: 2 msec
;; SERVER: 195.166.128.16#53(195.166.128.16)
;; WHEN: Mon Mar 19 15:44:18 2012
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 27

Have you notified the gaining registrar that you're transferring the domain in?

[#3]

Hi Bob, Thanks that explains the system, yes my new hosts are aware, when was the handshake transfer request  sent? was it Saturday or today! it would be good if this information was available in a help guide.

[#4]

Sent on Saturday I believe and was resent again earlier this afternoon after I saw this forum thread.

[#5]

OK problem resolved, to be fair there was some confusion between myself and the new hosts, I paid the registration fee by PayPal which meant that it did not go through their automated process so the handshake request sat in a holding file at their end as well - the deletion of email facilities before the transfer has happened is really my complaint now and I do feel that the transfer process could be explained better in the help guides - every company seems to have a different approach which creates headaches for poor users like me.

[#6]

Glad to hear it's sorted and sorry about the confusion. I don't think the handshake approval process existed when our systems were developed.