domain name transfer

[#1]

I have a domain name with Madasafish and had intended to get broadband with them to keep the domain name but there were glitches and I could not handle it.
I got broadband with plusnet and ticked the box to pay the quid a month to have a co uk domain name with them hoping I could bring in the domain name  from madasafish
I know that I have to pay £25 to do this and would happily to this if I understood what I have to do .
I got confused with Madasfish because they were changing the way they did things at the time I was maiking enquiries and there was a glitch with my own access to My Account do to circumstances beyond all control. At present I have no idea how Madasafish orgainises name transfers - Ijust know it used to be easy and now it is complicated and I think you have to phone which is really diffficult for me. And of course I do not know what happens at the plusnet end
(Generally Madasafish are very good I just had bad luck and I am not very bright so find things difficult to understand and cope with)
With plusnet I go round in circles with the domain name help and advice  references and just find it intimidating.
I know the ipstag has to be transferred fom MADASAFISH to the plusnet FORCE  but I am not in charge of that
Frankly I do not understand how the plusnet system works and am foggy about the domain  registration.
I am thinking it might be easier to transfer it to commercial hosting where  and I would have a panel so I could see what was happening with my settings. I think it was mistake to pay for the domain name with plusnet because I cannot make any sense of how it works and who registers what or how you connect it to your webspace. Obviously other people are doing well with it
Could anyone please help?

[#2]

Right,
so one step at a time.
You had Domain Name hosted with another Name Hosting Service.
Have you "Transfered" your domain name "in" to PlusNet?
I assume that is the £25 "transfer in" fee.
(Check on the Portal My Account > Domain Names)
If you have, then you need to know where it is your domain needs to point to.
If your website is hosted on one of your PlusNet Webspace locations, it is not too much sweat.
(These maybe http://www.username.plus.com - http://ccgi.username.plus.com etc ...)
then it's just a case of setting up the settings with the Web Pannel provided to direct the domain correctly to the webspace.

The guides maybe confusing as they are designed to cater for everyone.
Which is not the best way about things.
Jim,

[#3]

Dear Jim.
Thanks for your reply.
Plusnet offers a lot for people who are capable of understanding how it operates.
I just get confused and agitated and do not know what to do.
I made a mistake signing up with plusnet and have not got a clue about the domain name setup and the registration system.
I assumed  that paying that pound would give me the option of bringing in the domain name from Madasafish and they would take over the registration from Madasafish. But  Madasafish no longer offer an easy facility for domain name transfer.
So I am just stuck and do not understand way plusnet operates generally.
They are good - but not for me
Only solution is to buy myself out of plusnet.
Best wishes,
Carol
.

[#4]

Hi, I feel for you. I find the tec. side of PN of little help, bordering on useless.
BG

[#5]

Can I suggest that you give Plusnet a chance at this stage as they really are a good ISP. Given that Madasafish is managed by Plusnet (they are both owned by BT) it should be relatively easy to resolve.
Assuming the IPStag of your domain is still with Madasafish you will need to contact them to transfer it out. Are you not able to use there online support? If not telephone maybe your only option.
Plusnet are expensive for managing domains. The cheapest and probably best option is to sign up with someone like 123-Reg which offers free transfers and will charge about £6 to manage a UK domain for 2 years.
http://www.123-support.co.uk/cgi-bin/123_reg.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=205&p_created=11704...
Once you have it managed by 123-Reg then you can arrange for Plusnet to host the domain free of charge. It is then a matter of following these instructions to get Plusnet to host it for free:-
http://www.plus.net/support/domains_and_dns/dns/dns_hosting.shtml
It might sound complicated, but it is relatively straightforward to arrange. It can take up to 48 hours for the domain to transfer out of Madasafish and then a further 48 hours before the domain is hosted with Plusnet.
You can then cancel the £1 a month domain option with Plusnet. 

[#6]

Thanks for the replies which are helpful. I was feeling stranded.
The plusnet  Help pages are very confusing about domain name registration; some sections seem to imply you get a free one with the monthly pound.
But I am wary of that,
It would seem safer to take domain names to company like 123 reg- which I  will check out
Some people obviously do very well with the hosting at plusnet .
But given my own modest capabilities I think it might make sense for me  to get independent hosting that is cheap and user friendly and perhaps  play around with webspace here.  I will think about it
I arrived at Madasafish from their acquisition of freenetname which was user friendly and Madasafish does have some of that tradition. The takeover caused a technical disruption which led to my joining plusnet because I needed to get broadband 
I can see that the rational case for staying and this forum seems to be friendly and technically helpful so you make me feel more positive.
Thanks very much. You cheered  me up.
Best wishes,,
Cameron

[#7]

I had serious breakdown with customer support about the domain name and hosting.
It did seem that the support team were replying without reading the question and were a bit at odds with the advice of their own colleagues,
My own technical knowledge is pretty limited and some of them seem to know a lot and others I feel just quote inappropriate bits of the help pages.
I got disorientated and exhausted and did not know what to do,
They obviously regard me as bloody nuisance and so they are pleased to see me go.
I don't really have much choice.
Yes I am very upset.
Maybe I was a nuisance but I did do my best to work through the help pages and I did follow the advice they gave and because of their lack of coordination it got catastrophic.
I have just joined I am going to have to pay cancellation fees and hosting for my site and I had hoped to enjoy the community aspect of plusnet.'
But that comes from the forum where people do care.
This is what I am sorry to leave.
Carol

[#8]

Quote from: cameron

It did seem that the support team were replying without reading the question

An allegation that appears with annoying regularity. I have suffered this a couple of times.
There may be mitigating circumstances but at the time they don't seem relevant. 

[#9]

First things first:
Is this a uk domain name.
Second thing: Is the domain correctly registered in your name?
If the above are both true then I think you can apply to Nominet (or whatever they're called now) to have the domain transfered to your choice of host.
If not then it depends on Madasafish playing fair. Then again if they are part of Plusnet that ought to help.