Pokerstars Security - is this normal?

strewelpeter

I signed up to stars last night for the first time.
Tonight I'm running well in two tourneys, just coming to the bubble with above average stack in one when all of a sudden I get a pop up box with an internal error and a messsage to contact support .
It won't let me log back in so I'm being blinded away FFS!
When I opened my email I see a mail from their security department:


As part of our security procedures, we request that you please fill out
the form below and send it to us along with the information requested
at your earliest convenience.

Pending your reply, your account has been deactivated.

Thank you for your co-operation.
Followed by requests for scans of driving license, utility bills , credit cards something else and a list of disclaimers..

WTF ? How stooooopid is that?

Chucky the tree

ring them up and ask them too allow you access until the tourney is over. I'd go ape if they did this to me.


Asking for scans for driving license etc is fine, but too close your account during a tourney is a disgrace.

davidgti

Chucky the tree wrote:

ring them up and ask them too allow you access until the tourney is over. I'd go ape if they did this to me.


Asking for scans for driving license etc is fine, but too close your account during a tourney is a disgrace.

have to say that is a disgrace:eek: good advice chucky you should do that straight away...

strewelpeter

The only number I have came in the security email it is a +508 number , wherever the fcuk that is , and it answers as a fax.
Its been an hour now and no reply to any mails ...I can write off the tourneys now.
Does anyone have a number for them so that I can vent at the poor unfortunate eejit who takes the call !!!
I'm absolutely steaming right now.

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

Chucky the tree

i dont have a number but make sure you get your entry fee refunded and get a **** load of tourney tokens. I'd even ask them for free entery into the stars sunday million.

If they dont do anything, post a thread on 2+2 about it.

davidgti

Chucky the tree wrote:

i dont have a number but make sure you get your entry fee refunded and get a **** load of tourney tokens. I'd even ask them for free entery into the stars sunday million.

If they dont do anything, post a thread on 2+2 about it.

good idea sorry about your loss hope you get all you can off them after that:rolleyes:

strewelpeter

Nothing from them last night, then four different Muppet's all sending the same form letter: Thank you for your email. In order to fully reinstate your account please complete the form that we have sent to you and return this to us signed.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Luckily for them the phone number still doesn't work.
Anyway feckit, looks like I've met the Eircom of the poker world...but little do they know that they have just run into the most obstinate legalistic obnoxious customer from hell... This is gonna be grrrrreat :cool:

zuutroy

Yeah, I wasn't happy with how they dealt with some dodgy dealings during an MTT last week. I'll be giving them a wide berth from now on. I wish I had the interest to push them, but I cant be bothered.

White Knight

strewelpeter wrote:

I signed up to stars last night for the first time.

what payment method did you use? Im trying to think of the reason they would do it ... Poker sites do not do this without a reason as stars especially have thousands of sign ups a day

strewelpeter

I deposited direct by cc. I was traveling so I had logged in from probably 3 different IP addresses in the two days - but hey its the Internet and we do use dynamic IP's !!!

So eventually a lad called me an hour ago said that this is something that they do from time to time when there is 'suspicious account activity' Fair enough but...
Then he says that it was unacceptable and a mistake that I was locked out while in a tourney and then he says "All I can do is apologise for the mistake" :eek:
I left him in no doubt that he would want to do a whole lot better than apologise.
He offered to refund my buy in's - Big deal! I gave them a choice they can compensate me to the amount I specified in tournament tokens or they can refund my deposits, close the account without refunding the tournaments I'm entered in and we'll let the Irish courts decide on compensation and costs.

bohsman

lol I love when people threaten to take poker sites to court.

Shouldve taken the refund it is the best site out there for tournaments and they look after their players a lot better than most other sites.

Ace2007

strewelpeter wrote:

we'll let the Irish courts decide on compensation and costs.

Do the irish couts have any say in matters like this?

bohsman

Its the Costa Rican courts you want to be going to.

valor

Good Luck With The Court Case

cardshark202

goodluck2u

strewelpeter

bohsman wrote:

lol I love when people threaten to take poker sites to court.

Shouldve taken the refund it is the best site out there for tournaments and they look after their players a lot better than most other sites.

You'd accept a refund of $50 after getting locked out of a tournament you have about $250 equity in ?

I know the customer service is pretty rubbish on most poker sites but this is down there with Eircom and the likes.
I can fire writs at them and have them run up costs. I cannot imagine it ever seeing any court.
I'll be surprised if they don't pay up.

cardshark202

I would expect them to give you a fair refund tbh, keep at support, maybe they will make you a better offer. It could be worse though, some sites will only refund you half the buyin.

5starpool

I wouldn't have been happy, but your reaction strikes me a lot of being a bite/nose/face situation.

Bandara

strewelpeter wrote:

You'd accept a refund of $50 after getting locked out of a tournament you have about $250 equity in ?

I know the customer service is pretty rubbish on most poker sites but this is down there with Eircom and the likes.
I can fire writs at them and have them run up costs. I cannot imagine it ever seeing any court.
I'll be surprised if they don't pay up.

Sorry mate but if you think a few nasty letters to an offshore based company are going to even be opened your living on cuckoo land.

I'd suggest you request a FULL set of the T&C's and you'll find that the legal people at PokerStars have their arses covered tighter than Micheal Barrymores pool cleaner.

strewelpeter

I got disconnected from Betfair during this week (one of the reasons I signed up with PS) when running in the 16K and registered in the 11K before it started.
They payed out everyone left in the 16K according to a formula that paid your buy in then divide the remaining according to chip counts.
They then paid out the 50 odd people registered in the 11K with the full overlay to meet the guarantee! All the refunds were paid within an hour.

Maybe your right Dom, I know PS have good tourneys that suit me thats why I signed up but if they don't look after me then I'll spend my money somewhere else. I mean putting a Monkey in there on a first time deposit is already giving up a bonus I could grind off somewhere else...

bohsman

Pokerstars do the same as betfair in the rare occurence of the site crashing. Most other sites youll be luck to even get a refund.

Threatening them with court is not the way to go, email them explaining what happened, say you play a lot of online poker and have heard great things about stars etc but you think itd only be fair to get more than just a refund as you were going well in said tournies.

strewelpeter

They're handing over:D Fair play to them.
We are at half what I asked for which was more than I expected and negotiating
It was a really stupid thing for them to do, probably someone just pressed the wrong button.
Now all i have to do is take down this million thing!

Rb

I'm surprised to hear this, Stars has, or at least in my experience, the best customer support of any site.

Also, LOL @ bringing them to court.

Misneach

Hey Pokerstars dont have a contact number, Im pretty shocked at this to be honest, Pokerstars are pretty good with regards to customer service and dealing within the poker site. There's be numerous occasions when I needed to make quick transfers to accounts which never been played and fast cashout and they've helped me on most occasions. Once they become familair with you, I would think you will see they are streets ahead of anyone else's customer service.