This story teaches us that we shouldn't impulsively reset our phones.
Regarding the current domain yuhang.ch, it is the simplest combination of the full spelling of my name and the initial ch of Chen. I had coveted it for a long time during my undergraduate studies, but due to living expenses (which was only ¥120/1yr), I could only choose to play with some promotional domains that cost a few bucks a year. In December 2018, I suddenly thought of this domain again, immediately checked on Godaddy, and found it available. I was so happy at that moment, without thinking too much, I bought it for a year, feeling quite satisfied.
The tragedy happened after I logged in one time. Driven by the obsession of clicking on red dots, I clicked to enable two-step authentication, and with a reckless mindset of trying new things, I chose the OAUTH method, using an open-source app from the App Store. When resetting my phone, due to my strong trust in icloud, I didn't click on backup. At that time, I had a worst-case scenario in mind regarding Godaddy's two-step authentication: at worst, I would just receive an email to disable the authentication.
As it turned out, I was too optimistic T_T. In December 2019, I started receiving renewal reminders, and when I tried to log in with my account password -> Please enter the two-step authentication code, my heart sank. I clicked to learn how to disable two-step authentication, and well, the process was a whole page long. Following the steps, I sent an email, feeling relieved since it was my own domain. I took a bunch of random photos of my ID, thinking, can't this prove that this number is mine?
Three days later, it turned out I was still too optimistic. The reply was as follows:
Thank you for the additional information, we are happy to continue. A certified English translation of your government-issued photo ID or alternate identification in English is required to move forward. We recommend utilizing your favorite search engine to find local companies in your area that are certified to do official translations of documents. A Certified Translation consists of the following three parts:
• The document in the original language text
• The document in the translated text
• A statement signed by the translator or translation company representative, with his or her signature notarized by a Notary Public, attesting that the translator or translation company representative believes the translated document to be an accurate and complete translation of the original document. Sometimes this statement bears the title "Certificate of Accuracy" or "Statement that Two Documents Have the Same Meaning." Some translators will attach a Curriculum Vitae to the notarized statement.Once this is received, we will inform you if there is anything additional needed to process your request, or we will let you know that your request has been completed.
Seeing this, I was a bit annoyed. Does such a big company not even have a domestic staff? Do I really need to translate my ID card for you? Anger aside, out of love for this domain, I honestly searched for qualified translation companies in China and checked the prices. My goodness, it was even more expensive than my domain's annual fee, and my heart sank again by a quarter. Holding onto the hope of a dead horse being treated as a live one, I sent the application again unchanged, and the reply was the three bolded steps:
Thank you for your documentation unfortunately we cannot accept. A certified English translation of your government-issued photo ID or alternate identification in English is required to move forward. We recommend utilizing your favorite search engine to find local companies in your area that are certified to do official translations of documents. A Certified Translation consists of the following three parts:
• The document in the original language text
• The document in the translated text
• A statement signed by the translator or translation company representative, with his or her signature notarized by a Notary Public, attesting that the translator or translation company representative believes the translated document to be an accurate and complete translation of the original document. Sometimes this statement bears the title "Certificate of Accuracy" or "Statement that Two Documents Have the Same Meaning." Some translators will attach a Curriculum Vitae to the notarized statement.Once this is received, we will inform you if there is anything additional needed to process your request, or we will let you know that your request has been completed.
In despair, I thought to myself, after studying English for so many years, even though I can't speak or understand it, I can still read and write, so I prepared to translate for myself and issue a statement for myself:
Looking at my signature that I thought looked cool, I thought that although the hope was slim, I would send the application again. The reply was very real, word for word the same as the last time. My anger meter was already full, and being polite wasn't working, so I took out my keyboard warrior identity and started to vent:
Thanks for the quick reply from the first two letters. You have the same content twice for me. In the attachment, I provided a clear picture of the ID card, the original Chinese text of the ID card, the English translation of the ID card, and the required statement is provided attached on the third page. What other needs are there?
I did find a local translation company in my favorite search engine. Their quotes far exceeded the value of my account, about forty dollars. Of course, I can wait for my domain name with a half-year deadline. I will apply again from other service providers, but I don't think this is the service that you, the best service provider in the world.
For my application, I feel that you can transfer my application to a staff who master Chinese. The text on the ID card is very easy to understand and it is easy to prove my identity.
If the application is still rejected, I think I prefer that after the domain name in this account expires, I will use the services of other service providers instead of continuing to submit the application.
Looking forward to your reply.
Please ignore my awkward English; the general meaning is as follows:
Fake thanks
I sent my ID card, translated it, what else is missing?
I found a translation company, and the translation fee is more expensive than my domain, what can I do?
If you say my translation is not good, can you get a mainland employee to help me review it?
Threat: You are a big company bullying customers; I won't come back again!!
After a few anxious days, the final review came out:
Unfortunately, we will not be able to assist you with your request as you are not the current account holder. Our department can only make this type of change after verifying the consent of the account holder on file with the required documentation. You will need to contact the person listed on record regarding any assistance with access, or advise them to submit their documentation directly for review.
Questions? Please contact Customer Support at https://click-email.godaddy.com/2omydpwHn5Ih2u7KtpJ9K/?currencyId=USD&eid=ocp.email.transactional/3303.LayoutSimple/Text/Headline.link.click&marketId=en-US&redir=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.godaddy.com%3Fisc%3Dgdbb3303%26utm_source%3Dgdocp%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Den-US_other_email-nonrevenue_base_gd%26utm_content%3D190918_3303_Engagement_Other_Service_Customer-Service_gdbb3303_2omydpwHn5Ih2u7KtpJ9K, or call 480-505-8877 anytime, 24/7. We’d be happy to help.
In any case, I couldn't prove that I was me. The reason for the consistent rejection of my application made me think later that it might be because when I registered, I filled in the full English spelling, so the photo of my ID card couldn't prove that Chinese is English. But in the end, I still couldn't log in to see that account, and all of this became a mystery.
Although the final review result was despairing, it also contained some fresh content. Seeing the heartfelt invitation for customer service at the end, I quickly found a quiet place to start dialing. Before calling, I was a bit anxious; what if it was an English-speaking customer service? My spoken English might not be able to handle it, but for the sake of the domain, I charged ahead!
After several prompts, I finally heard a human customer service representative. It was a Mandarin-speaking representative, and I breathed a sigh of relief, starting to explain, from reasoning to playing the sympathy card:
Q: I want to disable two-step authentication.
A: There are prompts when logging in; you need to send an email.
Q: I sent it, but they said it's not me. Is there any other way?
A: ...none.
Q: Is it unreasonable that I need to translate my Chinese ID card?
A: ..., well, but currently, this is the only way.
Q: ..., thank you.
A: Okay, wish you a pleasant life.
After the call, there was only one last method left: wait until the domain expires and apply again with another account. Whether someone would grab it during this period was left to fate.
So, after the domain expired, I started checking daily to see if my precious domain could be registered again.
First, in the days immediately after expiration, my DNS still existed, but then it became invalid, and searches still indicated unavailable, which made me a bit anxious. I checked related information:
Day 1 We will attempt to bill for renewal for the first time (a total of three attempts). If billing fails, the domain will expire and be parked. The registrant can renew this domain for free. Day 4 We will attempt to bill for renewal for the second time. The registrant can still renew this domain for free. Any associated websites or email services may be interrupted. Day 12 We will attempt to bill for renewal for the third (final) time. The registrant can still renew the domain without paying additional fees. Day 19 After paying the renewal fee for one year plus an $80 redemption fee, the registrant can renew the domain. Day 25 We will place the domain in the expired domain auction. Day 31 The domain may no longer be redeemable. Day 36 The expired domain auction ends. If there are no registrants or bidders during the auction, we will list the domain for clearance auction. Day 41 The clearance auction ends. Day 42 We will return the domain to the registry. The registry will hold the domain before it is made available for regular registration.
This made me anxious; different registries have different situations, and the uncertainty increased, but I could only check once a day.
The silver lining is that hard work pays off. After about a month and a half, I sleepily opened the link as usual, and it was available!! I jumped up from the bed, opened my computer, and didn't even have time to find where to fill in the discount code. Shopping cart, payment, Alipay scan. After forty-five days, I finally regained ownership of yuhang.ch, let the celebrations begin 🎉.
For the new account, I chose the phone and SMS authentication method, which is really quite nice.