Hi, Brian.
Yes, we have a specific whois entry in the json file and it works properly when we use standard whois. Unfortunately, when using standard whois, we don't get any premium pricing information back from the general provider which will cause an even bigger headache for us.
Yes, they do offer them but we don't register with them (obviously). Our main reason for wanting to switch is that our direct EPP connection to the registry means we get instant updates on availability whereas the provider appears to be using a delayed/cached lookup and we've had a few instances where we've sold unavailable names.
Thanks for taking the time to respond 🙂