Review Of Course BLUEHOST + GODADDY = PROBLEMS
May 28, 2018I've been a loyal Bluehost customer for about 10 years and had a pretty good impression of their service and support for web-hosting.
But my last two experiences with Bluehost have left me doubting.
The first experience - around a month ago - related to my server being down for 48 hours. A terrible experience that requires its own separate review.
The most recent experience however, which is still on-going (incredibly over a week now!), relates to domains.
Bluehost has a problem when you buy an expired domain from Godaddy, and then try to "assign" it to your Bluehost hosting account.
IT WON'T LET YOU DO IT! That is, if the previous owner hosted the domain's website on Bluehost.
Here's why...
Bluehost has a policy whereby to "assign" such a domain to your hosting account so you can create a website, you MUST MUST MUST provide the EPP code to verify ownership of said domain.
Problem is, Godaddy's policy is they don't give out the EPP code on newly-purchased, expired domains for 60 days!
Could it be a strict ICANN policy? Could it be Godaddy locking-in customers by preventing transfers-out?
Whatever the case, it's been 2-3 hours on the phone so far trying to sort this out (unsuccessfully).
Bluehost says they never heard of a registrar not providing an EPP code.
Godaddy says they never heard of a hoster requiring an EPP code - it is only used for registrar-to-registrar transfers.
And so it goes, back-and-forth between the two for over a week now!
Who ever is right, I'm stuck in the middle - in domain limbo.
I've got several domains already suffering in this limbo...with more on the way.
Seems like there are only two choices in this situation:
Either let the domains fester away unused for 60 days while waiting for the EPP code to be released by Godaddy.
Or get another hoster (pain in the keester).
Hard to believe there is no mechanism in place over at Bluehost to accommodate a pretty common transaction I would think.
After all, Godaddy is the world's biggest domain registrar. And Bluehost is a very popular hoster.
Yet everyone I've spoken to at both companies makes it sound like it's the first time this has ever happened! Amazing!