Positive result - CCI Legal are off my back and my account is reinstated. I contacted the CEO Robert Hoffmann (streamline.net is also part of Fasthosts and 1&1) and told him what had happened. I received an apology and was told somebody would contact me to resolve things. I got an email later in the afternoon asking for my number, and was called up by somebody who isn't at the Philippines office. They were polite, apologised a lot and acknowledged that there are quite a few problems with streamline.net's current system of doing things, including badly worded or missing renewal reminders. They reinstated my account whilst I was on the phone, made sure I could log in, and said they would contact CCI Legal to make sure I wasn't pursued. It was all very positive, but had I not contacted the CEO I'm pretty certain I would still be banging my head against a brick wall.

I had no problem with streamline.net for a decade, which is why I took out a second domain/hosting account with them. That turned into a nightmare - when I cancelled the second and transferred it elsewhere just before the year was up, they claim they can only accept cancellations up to 7 days before termination of the contract, and can only do it by their ticket system. Legally I believe you are allowed to cancel by phone and it doesn't have to be a mere 7 days before the contract ends. It's a system set up by streamline.net in the hope people will forget and will either renew, or provide them the opportunity to chase them up through a debt collection agency. Because of what happened they cut off my second domain, which I had for 10 years, and is still paid for, for another year. In effect the domain has been stolen from me - I can't claim it back. If you check the domain whois information, they register domains with their own name/address and so you can't even get help from Nominet. If I were you, I would transfer your domain to a more reputable company, and use their ticket system to explain you are cancelling (take a screenshot). Once your intent to cancel is made, they can't deny it. Also contact your bank and make sure they can't take any further payments from your credit card.

It's good in principal, but if I had to pay a lawyer to pursue on my behalf, there's no saying how the costs might unfold. I don't have the luxury of a loose wallet sadly. I will pursue it as far as I can within my means.

Legally I think I have a solid case, but if legal action costs an unknown x amount, and the domain is worth considerably less than x, then financially it's not worth it. I would love to pursue it on principal, but I'm already running up against Nominet - I can't take it much further other than going to Trading Standards. Maybe I will take it up with Andrew Dollarmore personally.

I had planned a formal complaint to Streamline.net themselves, and may well still do that, but without the backing and help of Nominet, sadly I have no way in which to proceed. They have given CCI Legal Services Ltd. my email address who sent the following: ...We have been instructed to contact you in relation to the above unpaid account. To make payment by card or cash via your local PayPoint outlet, click: ... The account they mention is the account/domain that I have paid for until October 2015. I'm not going to respond obviously. They have neither put it in writing, nor phoned (I don't live in the UK), and they have no power or jurisdiction to follow this. I would have relished the chance for them to take it through court proceedings (though I suspect they would have to do so in the language of the country I'm living in), but I think everyone knows that is never going to happen. In the end streamline.net have taken 1 year's worth of domain/hosting, all paid for, from me, and stolen a 10+ year old domain name. Whilst I may not get far from a legal perspective, I am happy to give them all the bad publicity I can to make people aware how unscrupulous they are.

It would have to be a free legal expert. The domain isn't worth very much to me really - I'm just angry that I've owned it for 10 years and and Dollarmore Ltd (Streamline.net) can steal it from me. If I cannot transfer it, it will end up back on the market, and someone will have it before I even get a chance to buy it back. One day they will do the same to someone who has a lot at stake, and they will feel some wrath. I still can't believe the likes of Nominet haven't come down hard on a company such as streamline.net; I can only imagine how many complaints they must have against them. From a business perspective it seems like commercial suicide. Sure, they are probably making better money in bogus debt collection scams than they are in actually hosting, but at a terrible cost to their reputation. You only have to google streamline.net to see what an unscrupulous, immoral company this is.

I have heard back from Nominet and Streamline.net have registered my domain in their name. There's a free mediation service, but if things get more complicated, or the company doesn't respond, an independent expert comes in at a cost of 200 or 750 pounds to mediate things. I suspect streamline.net know this all too well, which is why they've gotten away with stealing domain names for so many years.

Hi Slick132, I will send them a recorded letter, and will threaten legal action. Will keep the forum updated with the results whenever that may be.

Thanks slick132. If they do not return my domain I will try the relavent obudsmen service, icann, nominet and trading standards. Hopefully at least one of them will pursue the matter. The biggest inconvenience is that I have no access to my email anymore and I have fairly important emails going to this account. I have managed to change and inform most sites/people about a change of email address, but I do not know what emails I am now missing. I also provided streamline.net with the following from icaan : "A Registrar has to agree that it will take reasonable precautions to protect the Registered Name Holder’s data from "loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, alteration, or destruction."" Ironic that streamline.net are wholly responsible for loss and even possibly destruction, as I do not know if they have removed the website/emails altogether.

Fair point.

Thanks renegadeimp, but the irony is the word ombudsman comes up with a floating box that says don't bother.

I'd like to ask advice on how to proceed against streamline.net I have two separate domains/hosting with streamlinenet, but on the same account. Despite giving them almost a year's notice that I only wanted a particular domain for one year, yesterday they removed my other account, which I have had with them for over 10 years, and has been paid for until October 2015. They are holding it to ransom, and it is not accessible on the Internet, my email doesn't work, and I cannot even transfer it to another hosting company. I cannot see how this is legal? I called them, and as I fully expected was talking to a brick wall (with a thick Indian accent). I explained I had no debt with them, as I had paid for one year for the other account and had provided them with ample time (almost a year) that I only intended to keep the account for one year. They will not release my domain so I can take it elsewhere, and will not budge. They suggested I deal with their debt collection agency, to which I explained I have had no contact with their debt collection agency (who would need a court order anyway), and that my contract is with them, not some unknown third party. I threatened to seek legal compensation for every day my website is offline. I shall send a registered letter of complaint to streamline.net, but wondered who else I can take my complaint to? I am thinking Ofcom and Trading standards. I have emailed the company and stated ICAAN's policy on being allowed to transfer domains. As this particular domain has been paid for, for a further year, and I currently have no official and recognised legal proceedings against me, they should not be allowed to deny my transfer. A disgraceful company - they have effectively stolen a 10 year old+ domain from me, and at best held it to hostage.

I ready plenty at the time, doing many searches Psychra, and I haven't come across a single person they have pursued with the courts. They just straddle the fine line of legality and try to intimidate people into paying up. I imagine they make more money with their phoney admin charges and debt collecting scare tactics than they do in hosting and selling domains that they take out with Tucows (and that's if they even remember to register them on the paying client's behalf!).

I explained that I made a phone call (just over a year ago) where I told them I only wanted the domain/hosting for a year as I couldn't have a personal email address based on the domain without paying a lot for the privileged. They told me I would need to give them the date, the time and the minute at which I called as they do not keep accurate records (as though my photographic memory stretches back to over a year!). I've told them if they pursue me and try to give me a bad credit rating I will be after them. I expect to hear nothing more from them - there's absolutely nothing they can do legally. I'd actually relish the prospect to see them try and fight it in court, it's about time somebody threw the book at this company. My last email was an automated one that reads as follows: You have a limited time in which to clear your outstanding balance. Unless payment is received within the next 7 days we will have no alternative than to pass your details to a debt collection agency for recovery of your arrears, in addition to the full value of your remaining contract. You will also be liable for any additional charges incurred as a result of this recovery, and you should note this may affect your credit rating. You must make this payment within 7 days.

I don't know if they reply at weekends, but can't wait to see their response. They will not get a penny from me. I've also given them more than a year's notice that I will be cancelling my 2003 domain with them too - they've lost an 11 year old client now. I cannot access my domain anymore from my control panel, but I presume they are legally obliged to release my domain should I wish to transfer it. If they hold that against me I will go after them. From reading other forums, they expect customers to give notice of cancellation 7 days before the account expires. That in itself speaks volumes about their shady practices - obviously hoping people forget about it, so they can try and nail them with their dubious, buried, terms and conditions. I suspect they make more money from their threatening letters than they do from the hosting itself. Complaints go back years - why hasn't trading standards made these people accountable?