SOLVED GoDaddy error: This domain is owned by someone else or in a different shopper account

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Santeri
Posts: 287
Joined: 2017-7-5 09:58

Unread post by Santeri » 2020-3-1 08:47

Update 2021-08-26: As GoDaddy PRO support has stopped working, I wrote the following instructions for a permanent solution to the issue: GoDaddy error message "This domain is owned by someone else or in a different shopper account". Please use
the new instructions. The solution on this post is no longer viable.


When you try to add a DNS hosting on GoDaddy, getting the following cryptic error means that if you don't happen to have access to GoDaddy PRO support, you are screwed and it is time to move to another hosting company:
This domain is owned by someone else or in a different shopper account.
When you receive this error, you will not be able to 1) see your DNS records, 2) edit your DNS records, 3) add DNS hosting, 4) import/export Zone File or 5) remove DNS hosting. Here is how the error looks like:
Image With DNS hosting, you can manage your domain's DNS on GoDaddy and access it with GoDaddy DNS API keys to automate various tasks such as Let's Encrypt SSL certificates as well as manage your email settings using Cpanel.

I contacted GoDaddy support chat 4 times and spent 6 hours for getting the following pieces of advice:
  • Contact your domain registrar, the problem is in their systems
  • It is 3rd party problem and it has nothing to do with GoDaddy
  • You must change or add an A record in your DNS
  • Set your nameservers to point to GoDaddy and wait 48 hours
  • Wait for 48 hours and it will start working
  • In Cpanel, you need to add the domain as an add-on domain
  • You must move your domain to GoDaddy
  • GoDaddy hosts only domains that are registered on GoDaddy
  • Various links to completely irrelevant instructions on GoDaddy website
  • Your support contact pin is wrong, I can not help you (after sending me three times an OTP text message)
All the chats were interrupted by the Indian Guide/Agent suddenly hanging up the chat or kicking me out. Needless to say, none of their advice worked and if I had been at the mercy of the support, the issue would have never been solved. Moreover, if I had been a newbie, they would have sold me services and products to fix the issue that wouldn't have actually fixed anything.

Image

GoDaddy PRO support

Finally I got lucky and found from GoDaddy PRO (a free service for "professionals" to help to push WordPress websites for their customers) a way to send a support ticket. The "Advanced Technical Support" who replied to ticket seemed to know what is wrong and talked about some kind of magical "system" blocking adding DNS hosting, and finally, after more 4 days of messages and waiting, adding the DNS hosting worked again.

I asked them the following two questions which they refused to reply:
  1. Would you mind explaining what is this "system" of yours that is
    preventing DNS hosting?
  2. How can I check have you added there any other domains I work with?
In this case the lack of answers told me more than any answer could have ever told. GoDaddy is sabotaging their customers to make it harder to leave them, which is naturally the worst ever customer service that anyone can offer.

GoDaddy Premium DNS

After successfully adding DNS hosting, if you ever manage to do it, you will get an email message informing you that
Please note that since you are not a Premium DNS customer, this off-site zone will be deleted in 30 days.
After you have successfully added a DNS hosting, the user interface and Advanced Technical Support, on the hand, tells you that
Zones not associated with a product will be deleted after 30 days.
The difference between those two is that GoDaddy Premium DNS will cost you US $3/month and you get absolutely nothing in return for your money, making it yet another typical, useless GoDaddy "product" peddled for clueless beginners.



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