BC Ferries domain name renewed? No it expired

UPDATE - CTV reports it was a techical error? Was it someone messing around with the DNS and entered the wrong IP? I sounds plausible since the holding page is a network solution branded link-farm.

UPDATE - As of September 1st 8:24AM PST, looks like they got their site back online. The domain name sniping that took down the BC Ferries website was first reported by Twitter'er rockinronnie at 12PM PST on August 31st. However, the WHOIS record has not changed yet and the Administrative contact is still of the Spammer/Domain Sniper. So they probably just changed the DNS back.

Looks like someone forgot to renew BC Ferries' Domain name... as of early this morning, even www.bcferries.ca forwards to www.bcferries.com.

I propose September 1st be the date set aside for webmaster around the world to dedicate the morning to check the renewal dates on all their work related domain names. Gives you a good excuse to tell your boss to need to spend the whole morning on GoDaddy and that if you rush it you might accidentally subscribe to a crappy web hosting or email plan.

Although the privatisation of BC Ferries might have resulted in some staff changes, there should be procedures in place to prevent an oversight like this from occurring. But if September 1st becomes DDR (Day for Domain Renewal) then a tragedy like this will never happen again.

This could be the first big case for ICANN's newly formed council dedicated to Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery.

For schedule information you can call 1-888-BC-FERRY (1-888-223779).

After some searching on google, looks like the new Administrative

is a spammer and a domain name sniper.

Below is the new WHOIS record:

------------------------------------------

Registrant:

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc.

ATTN: BCFERRIES.COM

c/o Network Solutions

P.O. Box 447

Herndon, VA. 20172-0447

Domain Name: BCFERRIES.COM

Administrative Contact:

Loussarian, Paul

British Columbia Ferry Services

ATTN: BCFERRIES.COM

c/o Network Solutions

P.O. Box 447

Herndon, VA 20172-0447

570-708-8780

Technical Contact:

Doerksen, Brian

BC Ferries

ATTN: BCFERRIES.COM

c/o Network Solutions

P.O. Box 447

Herndon, VA 20172-0447

570-708-8780

Record expires on 17-Jun-2019.

Record created on 18-Jun-1998.

Database last updated on 1-Sep-2009 03:11:10 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.RADINTL.COM

NS2.RADINTL.COM