As suspected RatingsPlanet is Owned by BestPriceCameras

[JohnB99]

Ever wonder why terribly rated camera stores have "Trusted Seller" logos from RatingsPlanet and only glowing reviews at that site?

BestPriceCameras.com (IP: 82.165.154.187)
BestPriceCameras.com is hosted on a Schlund.net IP (1and1's parent).
RatingsPlanet.com's iCANN registrar is Schlund and their DNS server is 1and1.

So BestPriceCameras is hosted at 1and1 (Schlund owns 1and1). The fact that RatingsPlanet is not hosted by 1and1, yet has Schlund (1and1) as its registrar AND DNS, makes it unusual. Bestpricecameras likely obtained the RatingsPlanet name and registered it at (or transfered to) 1and1, but decided to host it elsewhere to keep people from making the connection. You slipped up with your registrar and DNS though folks. You could have easily chosen Godaddy, Register.com, Network Solutions, etc etc, but nope, you picked your bread and butter that you were already setup with for BestPriceCameras, 1and1.

domain: ratingsplanet.com
Server Type: Microsoft-IIS/6.0
created: 17-Nov-2005
last-changed: 12-Dec-2005
registration-expiration: 17-Nov-2006
nserver: ns29.1and1.com 217.160.224.2
nserver: ns30.1and1.com 217.160.228.2
ICANN Registrar: SCHLUND+PARTNER AG
Created: 2005-11-17
Expires: 2006-11-17
Registrar Status: ACTIVE
Whois Server: whois.schlund.info
Name Server: NS29.1AND1.COM

Website Title: BestPriceCameras.com
Server Type: Microsoft-IIS/6.0
IP Address: 82.165.154.187 [Whois] [Ping] [DNS Lookup] [Traceroute]
IP Location: United States - Schlund + Partner Ag

[branchpoint]

Many thanks for digging that out. Do you know whether BestPriceCameras.com is an alias of Save Here Distribution, which was sued by the state of New Jersey on 12/4/06 for multiple fraud counts? http://news.deviantart.com/article/24512/ lists other aliases, as well as the original lawsuit link. The notorious ExpressCameras.com is on that list but not BestPriceCameras.com, which surprises me since both flaunt glorious reviews by RatingsPlanet.com that could not possibly be written by real customers.

[Peter Cornstalk]

1AND1.com is a HUGE isp... that means nothing. Tiger Direct has a 5 star rating there from one user's post. If you look, the rating for bestpricecamera is based on only 19 posts and most all of them were probably the store shill rating.

[branchpoint]

So are you saying you think RatingsPlanet.com is legit? That's very hard to believe regardless of who owns it, for a couple of reasons. One is their sterling rating of ExpressCameras.com, whose record is so bad they've been sued by their own state government, and in spite of all the posts up now calling them crooks (which I can say from personal experience are absolutely accurate). Another is the fact that a careful reading of RatingsPlanet.com's own self-description will find nothing but warm fuzzies answerable to nothing, not even an opportunity for explanation or appeal of reviews they choose to ignore. The only sign of legal review of that document is care in avoiding any obligation ever to do anything.

Who actually owns it would be a good thing to know. Surely it's a matter of public record somewhere. Does anyone know how to pursue that?