[livesinhope]

My Dad opened an account, he lives in spain, after he had deposited 50 euros for his first bet, they stopped him logging in and put a stop his account, apparently because they thought he lived the USA for some reason, so he said to them that if they cant offer the service then to put the money back into the account it came from, they point blank refused and demanded proof of who he was, he provided the proof and they wrote back demanding all the edges of the documents he sent be visible....."crazy"... my dad is 80 years old and a pensioner, I went over to spain and did the copies of the documents they wanted myself, he does not have a computer I have done this for him I cannot go back to spain to appease their silly demands, it strikes me they are just out to make life difficult. Yes I understand money laundering and crap like that, but we are talking about an account that has not even had the chance to bet a thing, and they are arguing over 50 euros. Its a matter of principle now, they have just been bloodyminded over this, and apparently according to the FSA (the top financial institution in the UK) they are in breach of service.

Just be wary of William Hill, they may be big, but that doesnt make them right, or fair.

[livesinhope]

William Hill are not the solid reliable company you think they are, the FSA are now investigating on my behalf for my father who also started an account with them, deposited 50 Euros, he lives in spain too, errr is that a coincidence. He didnt even get a chance to make a bet, they blocked him from using the account as soon as the money was deposited not giving a reason, he asked them to put the money back into his account if he cant bet it, they refused, they are in breach of FSA rules, if they cant provide the service that the money was sent for, they are legally obliged to return the money. He has been in constant contact with them, have sent them all the documentation they requested and got no where. As for all those profits they have hmm makes you wonder how they got it thru all the contact we have had with them it seems they are out to make life as difficult as they can when you want your money back. I would NEVER deal with William Hill again, their customer service is probably the worst I have ever dealt with.

[allin1]

William Hill are not the solid reliable company you think they are, the FSA are now investigating on my behalf for my father who also started an account with them, deposited 50 Euros, he lives in spain too, errr is that a coincidence. He didnt even get a chance to make a bet, they blocked him from using the account as soon as the money was deposited not giving a reason, he asked them to put the money back into his account if he cant bet it, they refused, they are in breach of FSA rules, if they cant provide the service that the money was sent for, they are legally obliged to return the money. He has been in constant contact with them, have sent them all the documentation they requested and got no where. As for all those profits they have hmm makes you wonder how they got it thru all the contact we have had with them it seems they are out to make life as difficult as they can when you want your money back. I would NEVER deal with William Hill again, their customer service is probably the worst I have ever dealt with.

unless your father speaks to them personally to convince them he is actually a gambler then you are a clear suspect of fraud, trying to open multiple accounts to benefit from their bonus.

All UK books are solid but they have dealt with so many fraudsters over the years that they are very cautious with anyone that is doing something fishy. I am from a country in Eastern Europe where a lot of fraud attempts come from, but I have never encountered a problem with these UK books, william hill, bet365 you name it. Yes I had to send documents, answer phones, receive codes by mail so I could validate my identity but after that, no problems what so ever. If I was running a business offering free bets/bonuses to customers I would be suspicious too in similar cases to yours.

[livesinhope]

He is from the UK originally, and I am from the UK, he has spoken to them, although he is slightly deaf at 80 years old, and handed the phone over to me, speaking does no good, sending the right documents does no good, they widen the goalposts by asking for all edges of documents to be shown. I see from the post above that they were asked to supply "photos" not scan or pdf, I supplied photos, and was then asked for scans, it seems whatever you supply is never enough. This is why I phoned the FSA which is the governing body for these kinds of institutions, we were getting no where, they fully agree that William Hill are in breach of the rules and so they are fighting this case for us.

[guttatur]

Hi LivesIH,

Did your dad open the account on his own from Spain or did you open it for him from your location? Where was the first deposit come from?

You mention that you dad does not own a computer so that rises a few questions regarding why he would want to have an online book...?

Have been asked by WH a few times to verify the account and normally 5 min with live chat(uploading the needed docs) take care of that.

I can understand that there if a few red flags popping up if there sing up/deposit/email communication comes from different countries.

Regardless i believe your dads money is safe and the case will be resolved in the end.

[livesinhope]

Hi Guttatur, All communications have only ever come from my computer here in the UK, my father was here at the time when we opened it for him at his request, he even spoke to them after they had taken his money and immediately locked him out, he was well annoyed, and we cannot understand why the money was not put back on the spanish CC that it came from, he was not asking for anything different to happen, just for his money back if they cant provide the service.

My dad had wanted me to operate the account for him, he is 80 years old in December need I say more, and lives out in the mountains in spain, so to toddle off to a bookie for him is not really feasible, all this was discussed with WH, they were well aware of all circumstances after we spoke, yet still will not let him have is money back.

We have jumped thru hoops for this company, produced the documents they request and still receive emails asking for the same documents again, even after they have acknowledged receipt of them, we are going round in circles getting nowhere. After I read what another person has been thru on this site I decided I needed to know exactly what they can legally get away with. The FSA in the UK have advised that they cannot legally keep the money if the service it was intended for is not forthcoming, my dad did not even get a chance to look at games, the FSA are taking this up for us. I know there is security but the attitude from WH just stinks, and just smacks of a department being run by a bunch of kids intent on making life as difficult as they can.

I am sure he will get his money back, but after the hell that we have been thru I would never recommend such a company as William Hill to anyone, I know we are just one in many that have had the same thing happen to them, try googling it, its amazing and a little disturbing that a big company like WH gets away with it, but I guess there are many that will just roll over and take the defeat and let WH keep their money rather than go thru this. Thanks for your reply.

[allin1]

You have to put yourself in their shoes for a minute: two accounts from the same computer in UK with residential address in Spain? This sounds like fraud attempt to anyone who has been around for enough time in this business.

[livesinhope]

I can appreciate that but I dont bet with William Hill, I use 5Dimes, so only one account.