[andrew21]

Hi guys

I sent my story of sadness to IBAS - but i don't think they care. They are from UK, as Betfair is. IBAS proved to be extremely slow, I sent them all details in may 2006 and they still didn't solve the case. The communication with them was also very slow, they did not answer for ages.

BETFAIR abusively blocked my account and kept all my money. All the money were funded from my own moneybookers. I never retreated any money from Betfair.

This is a huge abuse, and they did it just because it depended on only one man (Alex Taylor from betfair Team) and he decided to keep my money. Without any explanation, just like that: "your money will not be returned".

Because he thinks there is nothing i can do, being from eastern Europe, far away from UK. I cannot even sue them because i cannot get a UK visa.

I have account with betfair since September 2005, and the following amounts were loaded from my own Moneybookers account
During this period of time I made NO withdrawals, and only funded my account with more than 5,000 euros, as follows:
17 Apr 06 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 1000.00
05 Mar 06 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 480.00
11 Jan 06 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 450.00
07 Jan 06 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 400.00
31 Dec 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 550.00
14 Dec 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 300.00
30 Nov 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 600.00
24 Nov 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 400.00
12 Oct 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 580.00
01 Oct 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 300.00
28 Sep 05 Send Money to moneybookerseur@betfair.com 380.00
(i edited out the exact hours)

In mid April, they sent me an e-mail with the Know Your Customer procedure, to which I replied that I was never requested any paper from any other bookmaker (and i have account with almost 10 other bookmakers) and to explain why they need my passport and all the other details. Betfair did not reply.

I had around 400 euros on a game (Bastia - Caen) which ended with Caen victory at 3.45 odds, 0-2 was the final score at all the bookmakers, for the France Football Federation and for everyone else, EXCEPT for Betfair. This is why i posted on the forum and i was pretty angry about what they did. The second day, they froze my account and said nothing at all why.

I called their customer service number and they said that I should send all "Know Your Customer" papers, and afterwards my account will be back without any problem. Which was just another huge lie from Betfair part. And I did send them all the papers they requested. But , huge surprise, i never expected such a big company to act like complete ordinary thiefs, and after they received all the papers, to email me that my account is locked and no money will be returned to me (my Betfair balance was around 3,400 euros at that time., considering the open bets for UEFA Cup Winner I had also : with big green plus for Sevilla as a winner).

I am sure someone can help, I will repay him 500 euros if i get my account balance back. I was hoping IBAS will do something about this,
but they seem to take forever. Already 3 months passed and they did nothing. So my hopes are on you guys, I know this is just a huge abuse and Alex Taylor simply kept my money, just because i am from far away.

Thank you guys
Andrew

[isetcap]

Don't worry, Andrew. It's Betfair so all you need to do is call them. They'll take care of the problem lickety split if you just give them a call.

To be serious, though...apparently there is a problem in that they will not discuss client accounts with anyone from a watchdog organization. That will make it very difficult for someone other than yourself to recover your funds.

Although I am no fan of Betfair tactics, I would be genuinely surprised if they didn't have a better reason for locking your account than "you are far away". You may want to start by attempting to discern the real reason your account is locked if you don't already know it. Once you have that information, then you can make a better assessment as to whether or not you'll ever see your money again.

There are several Betfair apologists at this forum. They may have a good feel for the various reasons why Betfair might think this is an appropriate action. Two of them, Tacomax and Santo, are great guys (even though they love Betfair), and hopefully we'll hear from them shortly.

Here's a thread for you to read...
Betfair don't payout money

[Santo]

Obviously it's impossible to say from the facts given why they locked the account, but I know many Eastern Europeans who use Betfair without problems and who've recieved payouts, so I doubt it's just your location

I also am 100% sure that the CS Team member had no say in whether to keep your money -- I know people who work for Betfair support and they have literally no powers, everthing has to be referred to their legal or finance departments.

I agree that finding the real reason is the best course of action. Alternatively, wait for IBAS, they are slow but they will give you a report. 3-6months isn't uncommon for an IBAS investigation.

[pjesnik24]

well, I come from one of the worst European countries (Bosnia) and I never had problems with betfair. They take about two days to process my withdrawals but I find that ok so no problems for me there.
Try calling them as the email correspondance could really take ages and it is quite a lot of money you have there.

[JoshW]

It is within their right to request ID. I would recommend you provide said ID to them one way or the other. If you can't I recommend you contact them and look for an alternative. As isetcap says, BetFair doesn't really seem to work much with third party sources to resolve issues, but you can still send an email to assistance@sportsbookreview.com and we will email them asking them to respond to you. In the end, if you won't provide them the ID they ask for, not much that can be done.

[andrew21]

ok, it seems that i was almost completely wrongly understood.

1.i provided them with IDs, utility bills and everything else they requested.

2.They said that because of "actions that i performed when using my betfair account that contradict with betfair rules" they locked my account and MY MONEY will not be returned. They did not epxlain anything and they said that i should not contact them by any means.

I wrote them probably 10 diffferent e-mails and they did not reply anymore. If everyone here loves Betfair so much, it seems that my money will stay stolen and i am just alone against such a big company that i do not stand any chances.

The real reason was that i was commenting too much on the forum about their lack of customer service and that the rules are not correct and fair for everyone.

And Betfair thought of punishing me by keeping all my money, because they know that i am practically with my hands tied and they saw i am not someone powerful enough to sue them. But this is want i want to do, because it is a complete abuse and they are keeping without any reason my hard earned money.

[andrew21]

i agree that there are others eastern europeans who use the account without any problem, but

1.they probably hav less money than how much i had (over 5,000 euros funded, and over 3,400 total balance)

2.they didn't criticize the lack of customer service, and did not complain about the strange rules that Betfair has and the abuses Betfair does.

Just to show me that they can do that, Betfair keeps my money and does not reply to any e-mail. And you guys continue to believe that Betfair is ok. They are below F, a F- rating.

[isetcap]

I think I understood you perfectly clearly. I was well aware that you had provided the necessary documentation. What you should be trying to figure out is what "actions" you performed using your Betfair account that "contradict" with their rules. There must be something there whether it be legitimate or not. It would have to be something fairly serious if they are confiscating your deposits. Are you a terrorist?

[JoshW]

Send us an email then Andrew. Be sure to attach the one you mentioned where they said you wouldn't be paid. Betfair may be unresponsive, but I have never know them to be that vauge when shutting down an account. I personally have no love for Betfair as I don't play with them and I have found them less than responsive in trying to help players, but that said, have never seen them respond that quite extreme. We can work from there.

[Santo]

What rule, specifically, did you break that led to them keeping your money?

As you know, with regards to your soccer match, there is no gain by betfair if they declare the result wrongly. Betfair do not liquidate the exchange.

The match you cite was abandoned due to crowd trouble, and quite rightly was declared void under Betfair rules that the match must go a full 90 minutes to have action. Betfair actually lose money by declaring it void (no comission). If you didn't read the market rules, then that's not their problem.

[JoshW]

Also since you did take this to IBAS, would be interested in what they ruled. Very rarely have I seen them rule in the player favor, but they usually provide a written decision in the end to at least explain themselves. I don't want to seem doubtful, but books like BetFair don't just go around taking money without a reason. It might be a wrong reason, but I will bet you it has nothing to do with you complaining in the forums.

[TheRealAK]

You need to get in touch with the Tasmanian Gaming Commission in Australia. Here is there email address.

betexchange@treasury.tas.gov.au

AK

[natrass]

Dribble, dribble, dribble ....

.... haven't we seen posts like this before kiddies?

If I can quote myself from almost three months ago. The proforma is ...

1. Make loud and degenerate remarks about the bookie (thieves, liars, etc)

2. Rant against said bookie with a lot of venom

3. However, do not divulge what the real disopute is

4. Keep all personal details to a minimum.

Andrew, in one of your later posts you eventually refer to an accusation of rule breaking. What exactly is that about?

BTW, apparently the general consensus seems to be that ohoning is better than emailing betfair.

I agree betfair leave a lot to be desired and we need some competition BUT I also think you are discovering that they are not retarded when it comes to investigating fraudsters like yourself.

[Lucas]

Call me stupid, but how can someone, who is depositing via Moneybookers (not card), cheat an exchange, which has money from every action?

[isetcap]

Originally Posted by Lucas

Call me stupid, but how can someone, who is depositing via Moneybookers (not card), cheat an exchange, which has money from every action?

I am trying hard to discover the deception myself, Lucas but perhaps this is his 34th account with Betfair? Obviously Betfair is under the impression he has done something significantly wrong.

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by isetcap

I am trying hard to discover the deception myself, Lucas but perhaps this is his 34th account with Betfair? Obviously Betfair is under the impression he has done something significantly wrong.

Why should someone have 34 accts there? Exchanges are the worst place for bonuswhores... And if someone has 34 accts - then what? Betfair must love any action... The only reason could be that they are suspicious that the money were not clear...

[Santo]

Well that's the thing... if he'd tell us what rule they accused him of breaking, we wouldn't have to guess ;o)

[ourbet]

Originally Posted by Santo

What rule, specifically, did you break that led to them keeping your money?

Yes indeed, what was the specific rule you are accused of breaking please andrew?
Welcome to the forum too btw!

[JoshW]

Agree with Lucas, has to be money issue. Chip dupping to move money around or some issue on the money transfer side. Aside from rare bad line issues, only BetFair issues one ever really sees.

[diamond]

But that Mr. Taylor is a tough guy I know some people with issues with him..if he is not just another group of people, like wally at the greek

[hobby punter]

Their are some news in this case ?
In every case I believe andrew21 when he tell that Betfair don't answer to emails. Betfair often just don't reply to emails or reply only after days. But to call them by phone isn't really an good alternative, because they will not allow you to speak with financial department, they just tell you that they write an email to financial department and that they will send you an email when they have an answer. Obvisouly they get no answer from financial department in every case I received no answer after this phone conversation (like Betfair promissed).

[hobby punter]

Just the question:
Is this case solved ?

[hobby punter]

Just silence. Nothing new or is the case solved ?

[natrass]

hobby ... I think he was just scamming.

[andrew21]

The case is far from being solved. I see that betfair is a monopoly that afford any abuse, and stealing 3400 euros is just a normal thing for them to do.

While you trust Betfair so much, they did block my account WITHOUT GIVING ANY REASON and saying that they reserved the right to TERMINATE ANY ACCOUNT AT ANY TIME without any explanation, in their Terms. The problem is that they do not give back my money. After the way they acted - horrible in every way, I do not even want an account with them anymore, BUT I WANT MY MONEY BACK. I funded more than 5000 euros from my moneybookers account from 2005 until the day it was blocked.

[acw]

Any news?

[acw]

Bump

[tacomax]

I've paged Natrass - he will be here shortly to provide his verdict.

[acw]

Bump

[acw]

Still nothing on this one?

[tacomax]

andrew21 hasn't logged into the forums since 18th August - you're better off contacting him directly for an update rather than bumping the thread.

[isetcap]

Originally Posted by tacomax

andrew21 hasn't logged into the forums since 18th August - you're better off contacting him directly for an update rather than bumping the thread.

I think the BetFair people "took care of him".

[tacomax]

I'm thinking a la Joe Pesci in Casino.

[pags11]

yep out in the dessert...

[tacomax]

Originally Posted by pags11

yep out in the dessert...

Indeed - death by ice-cream.

An English major, you said?