ID Protection in domain addon tab--does it do anything besides charge the client?

[Troy]

Enom ID Protection for an already registered domain name has always been a pain with WHMCS, but I figured version 5 with the addon tab in domain details and the option to add ID Protection surely must be there to actually automate the process of toggling ID Protection for an existing domain--including purchasing and enabling at Enom.

 

However, I've had a client use it, and then ask me when it would become active, and upon investigation it appears the client paid the fee, and the option was toggled on the domain record, but nothing happened at Enom. Is that standard, or am I missing something? If that's the way it works, what a sorry implementation! It doesn't even create an order or to-do entry to let us know something needs to be done manually!

[Alex - Arvixe]

I believe the process is designed to be fully automated.

 

1. Does every other feature work (Updating nameservers automatically etc...)?

2. ACP -> Setup -> Product / Services -> Domain Pricing:

a) Is ID Protection ticked for the relevant TLD in this case?

b) Did you set the pricing for Id protection?

[Troy]

I believe the process is designed to be fully automated.

 

I challenge you to back this up using the WHMCS documentation. I haven't found anything that addresses this. I have a ticket in but haven't received an answer.

 

1. Does every other feature work (Updating nameservers automatically etc...)?

2. ACP -> Setup -> Product / Services -> Domain Pricing:

a) Is ID Protection ticked for the relevant TLD in this case?

b) Did you set the pricing for Id protection?

 

Most everything else works. Transfer update emails don't seem to send, and client's can't lock domains (see this thread.) Registrations, transfers, dns server changes etc. all work so the API connection is perfectly fine.

 

We held off with the 5.1 upgrade because of all the problems, but finally took the plunge a couple months ago. At the same time we finally changed to a template based on the new default template where this ip protection addon feature exists. I just assumed (perhaps silly of me based on the history of other half-baked WHMCS features) that this feature would automate the addition of id protection to an existing domain.

[othellotech]

if the registrar module supports the "toggling" of the id protect field, then yes, it works (we use it in our registrar module regularly, and as an addon-product for adding to an existing domain)

[Troy]

if the registrar module supports the "toggling" of the id protect field, then yes, it works (we use it in our registrar module regularly, and as an addon-product for adding to an existing domain)

 

Well, not quite true, unless I'm not getting your meaning exactly. WHMCS just informed me that this feature has NO automation behind it. All it does is toggle the ID Protection field in the WHMCS database, and nothing else. Their response said I should get an order to let me know manual intervention is required, but that doesn't happen either!

 

Here's their response:

 

There isn't currently any automation with the ID Protection addon, however you would receive the notification of the order and payment, so that would be the notification to manually add it to the domain on your registrar's website. However we welcome suggestions for new features on our feature request system: http://requests.whmcs.com

Feel free to search existing feature requests, vote, comment and submit your ideas.

[Alex - Arvixe]

Well, not quite true, unless I'm not getting your meaning exactly. WHMCS just informed me that this feature has NO automation behind it. All it does is toggle the ID Protection field in the WHMCS database, and nothing else. Their response said I should get an order to let me know manual intervention is required, but that doesn't happen either!

 

Here's their response:

 

I think the rep is mistaken personally, I am 99% sure I have seen another eNom reseller use this feature with full automation.

 

To back this up:

http://www.whmcs.com/partners/enom/

"Integrated domain management including…

Lock/Unlock Domain + ID Protection"

 

/Setting up a test install & will get back to you

[Troy]

Bear in mind that this question only pertains to adding id protection to an existing domain. Adding during registration is and has been automated since we started using WHMCS in 2004. This is a newer addition to the new default template and simply doesn't seem to be automated in any fashion so far as I can tell.

[Troy]

More info from WHMCS:

 

I've checked with a developer and can confirm that currently no order notification is sent to admins when ID Protection is ordered. However I can see how this would be beneficial, so I've added to to our dev list to be reviewed in future.

 

However I would also recommend making/voting for a feature request on our feature request system too.

 

So basically it's a half-baked feature, potentially very frustrating for users. How many WHMCS users are using the default template and have ID Protection turned on but don't realize a client may order ID Protection for an existing domain without anything to notify admins that manual intervention is required?

[ikasp]

The registrar module must make sure the service is purchased, whmcs as such just sets the flag in the db.

 

We use our custom enom module and the function

 

customenom_IDProtectToggle()

 

checks whether the service has been purchased from enom or not. If not, a purchase is done.

 

Wether WHMCS native enom module does this, I dont rember, but I dont think so.

[Troy]

The WHMCS Enom module does nothing other than toggle the value in the WHMCS database. It doesn't even alert the admin via an order or a to-do item that ID Protection has been paid for! That's the inexcusable part as far as I'm concerned.

 

In general I'm a fan of WHMCS and am hoping the partnership with cPanel does something good to the product, but encountering these half-baked features out of the blue that you sort of expect to at least NOTIFY an admin so he can manually add id protection is very frustrating.

[SEHIan]

Is this still accurate? has this feature been improved/added/fixed yet??

[danning]

I would like to know if this is still accurate as well ?

[techdruid]

Currently, I'm anticipating that I'm going to be disabling this ID Protection feature from my WHMCS install. It appears that several people have paid for this service and never received it from my company. I've never received any emails alerting me that I need to manually intervene and set this up for anyone. Additionally, when a domain is transferred and ID Protection is enabled, they simply never get what they paid for.

 

Unless someone responds to this thread indicating this problem is fixed, I cannot offer this dysfunctional half/working service to customers.

[blakeh]

I had the same trouble with this. My client ordered it with the domain and it was turned on, but on domain renewal the id protection didn't get renewed so the customer lost the protection and their details were published in whois. They found out when a competitor called them to inquired about a domain they owned.

 

Why have the feature if it doesn't work right? Are their other enom modules out there that work better?

[ScottN]

I'm a new WHMCS user, having come from a different billing system (AWBS). 95% of WHMCS I like, but it's this kind of thing that sometimes makes me wish I had never switched to WHMCS. With AWBS, ID Protect was completely automated, whether it was for a new domain registration or an existing registration.

 

Why is WHMCS working on new features, like improving the "Help Desk", when it can't do basic functions like automate the ID Protection feature, despite at least 2 years of requests/complaints? It boggles the mind.

 

Anyway, I can confirm, even in the latest version of WHMCS (v6.2.2), when a customer adds ID Protection to their domain, it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (other than tell the customer it's enabled, which it surely is NOT). It does not create a To-Do item. It does not send a toggle to eNom to enable ID Protect. It does NOTHING but frustrate the customer (and me).

 

- Scott

[munkitkat]

Is this still accurate? has this feature been improved/added/fixed yet??

[brian!]

Is this still accurate? has this feature been improved/added/fixed yet??

there's a mention of an update to the NetEarthOne ID Protection in the v6.3RC1 release notes...

 

CORE-8591 - Updates to NetEarthOne ID Protect toggle

but that wouldn't fix any issues that Scott is seeing as he uses the eNom module.

[ScottN]

I wonder what the ratio of NetEarthOne users are, to eNom users?

 

- Scott

[hsojhsoj]

Has anything changed? Does it work now that it has been 4 years?

[Vox]

Nope, still not supported by the Enom module supplied with WHMCS.

See screenshot from admin area of a domain record.

 

[ScottN]

My experience with eNom ID Protect feature in WHMCS:

1. If the customer orders ID Protect during the time of initial registration, WHMCS sends an order for ID Protect and the registration to eNom and both get created perfectly.
2. If the customer orders ID Protect SEPARATELY (for example, they decide to add ID Protect at a later date) then WHMCS bills the customer but DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It does not create a "To-Do" item. It does not send an order to eNom to order the service. It does nothing but take the customer's money!!
3. At domain renewal time, it will bill the customer for both the domain renewal and ID Protect, and it will send the renewal and ID Protect orders to eNom, and they will be handled perfectly.

So, for me, the solution was to create a filter in my email client to look for ID Protect add-on orders, and to filter them to raise a warning that manual labor is required to log into eNom and order ID Protect for the customer.  

I guess now that eNom was purchased by TuCows, WHMCS does not care anymore about eNom things.  Perhaps our only hope is that ID Protect will go away, now that EU Privacy Laws may render it obsolete. Discussion here.

- Scott

[brian!]

12 minutes ago, ScottN said:

I guess now that eNom was purchased by TuCows, WHMCS does not care anymore about eNom things.

I suspect that if there's $$$ in it for them, WHMCS will still care.

[ScottN]

Just now, brian! said:

I suspect that if there's $$$ in it for them, WHMCS will still care.

Well... what I mean is... one would think that the domains will eventually be ported over to TuCow's system, and so WHMCS will need to focus on improvements to the TuCows domain management system. I might be totally wrong... maybe if two companies merge, their systems might still stay separate.  However, usually when one company buys another, for cost savings, development synergies, etc., usually the systems merge.  Maybe it's a bad assumption. Honestly, I just would like this fixed, but I don't see it happening.

- Scott

[brian!]

Hi Scott,

2 minutes ago, ScottN said:

one would think that the domains will eventually be ported over to TuCow's system, and so WHMCS will need to focus on improvements to the TuCows domain management system.

going from the OpenSRS blog from January (we're one of their resellers in theory, but they're not cheap!)...

Quote

As for day-to-day operations, absolutely nothing will change anytime soon. OpenSRS resellers will continue to operate on the OpenSRS platform through the OpenSRS API and have access to all OpenSRS TLDs and products. eNom resellers will continue to operate on the eNom platform through the eNom API and have access to all eNom TLDs and products.

Over time, the goal is certainly for everybody to benefit from the combined knowledge, insights, code, tools, features and product portfolios that comes with this scaled business. However, we will not be issuing any changes quickly or abruptly and we will always make minimizing resellers’ pain or disruption a priority. We will issue long timelines on any changes and communicate early, often and clearly throughout the process.

I wouldn't disagree that, down the road, there will be some consolidation with the two platforms - but I would expect that to be a year or two away... and not in any sort of time frame that would give WHMCS the justification not to fix any bugs with their current eNom module.

[hsojhsoj]

Is there a domain reseller that integrates with whmcs and works?