Be Excellent To Each Other

I want to transfer one of my .com domains and amazingly the company that currently holds it wants me to pay £5 for them to release it!
They're in breach of their Registry-Registrar agreement, aren't they?

Nope, sorry.

Fuck.
How can they be "providing the Registered Name Holder with timely access to the authorization code" if I refuse to pay for it?

Unfortunately them releasing it is a service, and legally they are entitled to charge for it. It's all swings and roundabouts because some companies charge for transferring in, but not out; others are vice versa.

If you don't like it you can go directly to Nominet and change it there. They will, however, charge you £11.50. Your registrar isn't obliged to do it for any cheaper than that, I believe.

I had an amusing one recently where the company implied they'd want £250 to do it. At least this spurred me to register and log in to Nominet.

I've already paid £10 to start the bloody transfer process.
Ho hum.

Except Nominet have no governance over .com domains.

Oh I didn't notice it was .com. Ignore me.