[peter maybury]

I do not have the time to come on here that often. I will have a look tomorrow.  If they are saying that  that you should have changed the nameservers then  you should have access to a control panel to do this .60 pounds a month is a hefty price to pay for hosting.. As I have said you need to find control of your domain , hosting is not a problem I have unlimited server space if you need to move it over, you just need to understand how to change the nameservers  so these conmen cannot hold you to ransom.


Peter

[David Deer]

I quite agree, changing the nameservers is the first step and to be sure unlock the domain.

If you are really desperate you could try the icann dispute route. You should qualify under this section:

Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy

The Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy applies to transactions in
which a domain-name holder transfers or attempts to transfer a domain name to
a new registrar.  The  concerns registrar disputes under the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy,
which is followed by the .biz, .com, .info, .name, .net, .org, and .pro TLDs.
Proceedings under them may be filed with the appropriate registry
operator or with an independent dispute resolution provider.  Any
-accredited registrar may initiate a  proceeding against another
registrar by submitting a complaint in accordance with the selected registry
operator or dispute resolution providers' supplemental rules.

• Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy
• List of Approved Dispute Resolution Service Providers
  

As your domain is registered by a third party through tucows you could always contact them
Tucows/OpenSRS Compliance Department
After that you should really start praying.

• Do not let your web designer buy your domain name
•   Do not let him do your hosting (it's often outsourced to larger operations anyway - you're just charged more!)
• Always hold an updated copy of your  website
•   Do not pay upfront for a job
• Move on if there is no natural synergy. Remember, bad web-designers work off the principle of 'whatever they can get away with'!

domain info:
Domain Name: ASTRACLEAN.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS DOMAINS INC.
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 69
Whois Server: whois.tucows.com
Referral URL: http://www.tucowsdomains.com
Name Server: NS.CHAPTEREIGHT.COM
Name Server: NS.CHAPTEREIGHT.EU
Name Server: NS.CHAPTEREIGHT.NET
Name Server: NS.CHAPTEREIGHT.ORG
Status: clientTransferProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 18-may-2015
Creation Date: 13-may-2000
Expiration Date: 13-may-2016

[David_Annable]

Remember, bad web-designers work off the principle of 'whatever they can get away with'!

Just as true of the Professions in my experience.

[clive ware]

Thanks for you help and advice chaps - really appreciate it!!
bit of a stalemate at the moment. Turns ou that the MD of Electric Ink Media who have taken over my site and domain was the MD of Chapter Eight who went under at the begining of the year!!
EIM are adament that I need to pay them £234.00 (They have sent me a credit not for £60 for hosting my site in May which is nice of them as theyve taken my sight down in April!)before they will release my domain and site to Southcloud who I have now paid to host everything. The chap who I have been dealing with there reckons they are the most unethical company he has ever come across. Tempted now just to pay them and draw a line under a very bad experience if it means that my site will be back up and running in the not too distant future!!

[David Ware]

Commiseration to you Clive it could happen any of us. Some times we are all a bit to trusting of everyone. Seems like they have you by the ''short and curlies'' it could cost you as much to get the legal people involved.
David

[David Deer]

they are the most unethical company he has ever come across.

One.com would come a close second. I am still getting demands from an Irish law firm for outstanding payments on an account I closed 2 years ago.
Sometimes you have to consider the effect on the page ranking. The longer you leave it the lower the domain is worth from a google perspective. If you have a high google position then the seo cost to restore a lapsed site to it's former ranking would certainly be more than the £300 quid you pay the registering company.