When I started this blog, it was before the NPP internet tourneys. Besides writing up our home NPP games, I also visited internet poker sites and posted my review here. I told you what sites were simply skins of another site and what the 'main' site was. I told you how the software looked, how many players were there and how to get your cash in and (hopefully) back out.
I have visited 270 on-line poker sites and have lost hundreds of dollars because of it. No, not at their tables. That only happens to me on Poker Stars. I lost it when sites shut down or the site changed the rules for withdraw - and asked for things like a copy of my passport in order to get my money out.
When NetTeller was forced by our benevolent government (citizens doing what they want with their money is a problem, but paying social security benefits to ILLEGAL aliens is no problem) to close to US citizens, this shut off my withdraw methods to certain sites as well. The fees for getting a check were higher than some of my deposit amounts to try the site.
Anyway, I now limit my play to four sites and that is soon going to ONE!
BoDog Poker is ok and the money moves ok too. But not alot of players for tourneys and I just HATE their software. I will tinker with SNG's there and an occasional tourney, but I'm not stopping by often.
Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet Poker have merged. Their email response time is crap, but they do offer chat and a phone number and that works fine for service. But the Russ Hamilton scandal has crippled their player base. And their tournament schedule is filled with qualifiers.
I don't like qualifiers. I hate to 'win' one tourney so I can lose in another. It's my lack of talent. I rarely do well in one tourney, so why would I think I could win two in a row? So lack of players and tourneys is the reason I am leaving them. Again, an occasional SNG when Poker Stars has 'bad beat' me into a rage.
That leaves me with the #2 site on the internet for US players - Full Tilt Poker. A recent score there had me attempt to get some cash out for the holidays. That withdraw was made Dec. 12th. I was told it was going to take 15 business days for the money to transfer!
It used to take only three days! Doesn't matter, I still don't have it after 28 days. Emails to Full Tilt Poker to both their 'cashier' and 'support' are not answered.
Sooooo, it looks like #2 is on bad financial legs for some reason. Even their own Full Tilt Blog has players complaining about NO service and NO payouts.
With no other recourse that I could see, I emailed CardPlayer Magazine with this:
Dear Card Player,
You have an advertiser in your magazine that is lying to your readers and providing terrible service to their customers. I am asking you to speak to them on my behalf, or give me the phone number and direct email of someone I can speak to. I am speaking of Full Tilt Poker.
Now before you send me the standard letter stating that you are not affiliated with that poker site, I want to state now that I reject any attempt at that claim.
First of all, you accept advertising profit from them.
Second, one of their spokespeople writes articles for you and others who are spokespeople for that site – have written for CardPlayer in the past.
Third, your advertisement sends readers to the Full Tilt site, where they blatantly lie. You are assisting in their farce.
This poker site is currently delivering the worst customer service of any of your advertisers. I will assume you are not aware of that fact.
I withdrew some of my winnings from their poker site over a month ago with a direct withdraw to a bank.
The money is not in my Full Tilt account and it is not in the bank – after four weeks of time.
I have written Full Tilt’s 24/7 Customer Service 3 times in a week and have not received a reply. This is from the site stating they have outstanding customer service. I have visited some poker blogs – including the Full Tilt blog itself, and my experience is not unique.
I am sympathetically requesting that you step in and help one of your customers and long time readers. Things need to improve at Full Tilt Poker and your efforts would help thousands of your loyal readers – not just me.
Sincerely yours, Faldo - end of letter
No response from CardPlayer. Not suprising either. I'm just their customer.
There is a saying that "Poker is Life". Well it is certainly true. In poker the payer gets treated the same way by the collector as the citizen of the United States. Robbed, then ignored.
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4 comments:
That was a phenomenal post. Not that it's happening to you but just how you've expressed it. Very well done.
Personally I only play on Poker Stars and have never won or lost more than $100 (actually, I take that back, I was up $216 once...once) so I don't put enough money on the line to really care that much. And I'm sure that's what these sites are relying on, people like me who lose a little here, win a little there, but always pay the extra .50 to play in the tourney but don't care enough to complain. So thank you for speaking for those of us too lazy to do it ourselves.
Hopefully one day I will have the problem of needing to withdraw monies. Ironically my worry has always been how to ADD to my pokerstars account by any means, including winning.
Nik, I do not think Full Tilt is in any kind of financial trouble. Just look at all the people that are playing at any one time. But, I do agree it has taken too long to get your money. I suggest in the future to set up a small deposit relationship between your bank account and Full Tilt using Instant Echecks. Then all future withdrawals can use that method, rather than a check. It will go directly to your bank account. It's much faster. Good Luck!
Little, it is exactly the bank transfer that is on hold for THIS long and is still on hold!
Secondly, regardless of transfer time, their service is God awful.
Third, the money should either state it is in transfer mode on Full Tilt or in my account - and not evaporated.
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