I had an experience today. A client had a domain but didn’t have a website. He wanted my company to do the website. He called the dude that registered the domain and the guy said he will send the logins. That was 2 weeks ago.
Now the site is done, the clown refused to send the logins. He kept giving excuses and asking the client for some fee to transfer the domain. The bottom line is, he doesn’t want to hand it over.
All I want to do is upload the site to the domain. The client already has existing email facilities on the domain which works perfectly.

The question is, why does he not want to hand over the logins?
Possible reasons:
1) He is scared that my company will start managing the domain.
2) The annual hosting or maintenance fee he charges the client will come to me.

Now the client is pissed and wants to register a fresh domain and has given me the go ahead.
As a business man I feel sad for him. He has to change his letter heads, business cards, email address and other contacts just because the previous developer refused to hand over the logins.

How much hosting and maintenance fee does he collect that is enough to ruin another person’s business?

That's why it's advisable not to allow an individual register your domain cos they can hold you to ransom when they deem fit. It's always advisable to register it with a reliable company not individual.

^^ That shouldn't be the case. It is a matter of business ethics.

Based on the use of the word, "individual", I am going to assume that this is one of those guys with a briefcase as their headquarters, who charges 10K per website, or thereabout. If my assumption is correct, then therein lies the problem. You need to deal with reputable people and not people who offer the least.

^^^that is telling them!

@op, the same thing happened to me 3yrs ago when a Nigeria developer collected 160k to build a blog for me including domain registration. After 12 months, I made about $400 only and decided to flippa it, then I was so lucky a client from California offered $1300 to acquired the same blog which I accepted.

I contacted the guy to transfer the same domain to the client's Godaddy account, guess what he charged me? $300 to do it and since then, I stopped working with Nigeria developers.

After I sold the blog, I hired a white guy who charged me $150 to purchased domain and host the same blog whereas a nigeria developer collected 160k previously.

My broda dat thing dey similar to ma case now ooo, one client from England gave ask me to redesign her org website, but when she contacted d formal webdesign to request for cpanel logins, at first d guy released the password but before I could upload, my guy don go change d login again. So getting pissed off I ask my client to just register a fresh one and she said she still wants d same domain, so when I check d whois to see, I notice d site had expired, but my problem is am watching over d site for godaddy to completely delete the site, and I don't know how long it will take for dem to wipe it off since no one has come to renew the domain. I wantd to transfer d domain but d epp code, d guy ignore me totally.... Am just waiting patiently for the hosting company to wipe it off.

it takes around 3 months for an expired domain to be back on the market provided in-house does not show interest in it along the way.

Where is my post

^^^lost in transit!

<B>pls how much do pple charge 2 host a website or domain? Tanx</B>

Same happened with me.When I was reading your post for a once I thought who wrote my story there.

Hmm...thought I was d only one having this issue....been waiting for almost a week for d cpanel logins of the website I was asked to redesign....I tire ooo

*dhtml:
^^^lost in transit!

Mr man, give me my post!

^^^i don swallow am with peppersoup!

^^ Did you drink my beer?

Web developers have to understand that when you register a domain for a client, the domain DOES NOT belong to you.
You are just a middle man. The client paid for the domain and owns it.

The web pages also belong to the client. They paid for it right?
However, the design template still belongs to you. You can use the same template for 100 other sites. No issues. Although you will not win new clients that way.

Look at it this way, a man hired an Engineer to build his house. After building it, the dude refuses to give the owner the keys. What?
I personally look forward to when such worthless developers are arrested and tried in court. It is criminal.

Number_One: Web developers have to understand that when you register a domain for a client, the domain DOES NOT belong to you.
You are just a middle man. The client paid for the domain and owns it.

Depends on the Contractal Agreement. Some package them seperately. Clients of all works of life need to know wwhat states what. In my case I have over everything but what works for 'Taiye' might not be the same with 'Kehinde'. So if you are a client you need to shine your eyes well well

Cud a lawsuit aid in such matters?
In a nigerian court.

NumberOne2: I had an experience today. A client had a domain but didn’t have a website. He wanted my company to do the website. He called the dude that registered the domain and the guy said he will send the logins. That was 2 weeks ago.
Now the site is done, the clown refused to send the logins. He kept giving excuses and asking the client for some fee to transfer the domain. The bottom line is, he doesn’t want to hand it over.
All I want to do is upload the site to the domain. The client already has existing email facilities on the domain which works perfectly.

The question is, why does he not want to hand over the logins?
Possible reasons:
1) He is scared that my company will start managing the domain.
2) The annual hosting or maintenance fee he charges the client will come to me.

Now the client is pissed and wants to register a fresh domain and has given me the go ahead.
As a business man I feel sad for him. He has to change his letter heads, business cards, email address and other contacts just because the previous developer refused to hand over the logins.

How much hosting and maintenance fee does he collect that is enough to ruin another person’s business?

There are few interesting points in the above responses that I agree with, how ever I disagree with some of the responses. But I guess your post is more of a concern rather than to spark a debate.

You can't blame the domain registrar, your client should have read the terms. And in most cases you would be charged a domain transfer fee anyway, so it's always good to read the terms, making sure it's well understood.

Secondly, you would find out that most people that claim to be web designers or developers aren't. You have wannabes, you have the self taught, they dominate the market and you have a minority of the real qualified ones. So you basically need a kin eye to separate the wheat from the chaff.

In web design or development, the tell-tale is always the price tag, that should send in the alarm bell

So my point is that, it's always a good idea to do a thorough research about a web design or development company before committing to part away with your hard earned cash.

And finally, if you know how, you can retrieve the domain name for your client, as long as the domain is registered in that client's name and within ICAAN regulations. I have done this a number of times for clients that found themselves in similar situation.

Here you go, make this your starting point https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/name-holder-faqs-2012-02-25-en

Hope this helps.

Dhtml and Co, I think we are beginning to have touts in this industry of ours, I want to believe the dude holding the Op to ransom isn't a webprogrammer. Maybe those "2k per site" kind of guys.

As for me I don't trouble my self about registering your domain and receiving payments. All I do is I suggest a good host for you, you go there register and pay so you have the login details with you. While I work on the site

Do I even have time for such sef...