[PAPSMEAR]

Papsmear,

I agree with you in general. Many more questionable books put in writing, that they can do pretty much anything they want at any time. I don't find that a reasonable, and I don't accept that as a reason to find in favor of the books.

In this case, I have told The Greek that if they want to use discretion and not lay out the terms exactly, then make the bonus terms more strict (higher rollover and longer hold) and use discretion to let some players withdrawal earlier than the terms. It is better to give the players something, than to take something away through vaugeness.

Agreed. Just to clarify Josh that the last line in my previous post was NOT directed at you but The Greek

[GELATINOUS CUBE]

It looks like JoshW pointed out the problem.

So, The Greek, in the fine print, can forfeit the bonus, if the player is pro. Or if the player plays just to get the bonus, and then cuts out.

Kieran should've maybe left a little in the Greek. I would say $100. And cut out with the rest. Or keep playing if the Greek is the best...

Kieran played to get the bonus and then cut out, which in the fine print, allows Greek to cancel the bonus.

[GELATINOUS CUBE]

But who cares about bonuses, do you guys all suck that bad?

[GELATINOUS CUBE]

Right now, its like, so The Greek will actually send you money??? if you win???

If so, then they are ahead of all the other books, from what I've read on this site!

[thespeculator]

Right now, its like, so The Greek will actually send you money??? if you win???

If so, then they are ahead of all the other books, from what I've read on this site!

totally agree, bonuses aren't worth the hassle, they only thing that matters is you win , you get paid, and the check clears(oops , i think there was a problem with that), difference is greek will fix the check bouncing asap

[lost4]

Breach of their own rules is standard policy at TheGreek.
This is what I experienced so far:

About MoneyBookers withdrawals, their rules say:

Fees: Flat $15 USD charge - FREE - If the following conditions are met:

• Previous deposit(s) were made through MoneyBookers
• A withdrawal of any type has not been made in the previous 14 days
• The account has been open and wagers placed each week for the last 30 days

After my first month with them and placing a wager each week I wanted to withdraw for free.
I was told that my withdrawal is not free because I had to place 2 or 3 wagers each week.

Once I wanted to withdraw EUR 10,000. They forced me to split the withdrawal in two parts and pay the fee for the second part.


Their rule about mistakes in placing a bet is:

If the Customer has made a mistake entering a play, the play can be deleted if 1. The mistake is reported no more than 30 minutes from the time the wager was placed. 2. The wagered event has not begun. 3. A line or odds change on the event has not occurred.

Once this worked fine. The second time they told me: "We do not delete soccer bets."

Their rules about reload bonuses:

• Accounts are only eligible for bonuses if no withdrawal has been made within the previous 30 days.
• If a withdrawal has been made in the previous 30 days, subsequent deposit amounts must cover withdrawals before qualification for bonuses would apply. Overall loss amounts (subsequent to withdrawals) can also be used to cover withdrawals.
• Re-load bonuses are not eligible on credit card or express money deposits, unless otherwise specified.
• Re-load bonuses are not eligible on deposits made into an account with sufficient funds already existing for average wagering activity.

No mention about required wagering activity before getting it, but my first reload bonus was refused. "An account has to be active to be eligible for bonuses. Active means placing 2 or 3 wagers per week".

So I kept placing at least 2 wagers per week since. Some months ago Wally refused to give me the bonus saying this: "I do not consider your account active because you made those wagers only to keep it active."

My latest withdrawal was July 4th, I subsequently lost all my balance, my account is active. According to their rules I should get the reload bonus for the deposit I did yesterday. Now they refuse the reload bonus with this explanation: "Please be informed that subsequent deposited amounts must cover withdrawals
before qualification for bonuses would apply. We will not be able to grant
you a bonus otherwise."

Josh, do you think it's possible you can make them comply with their own rules in this case?

[thespeculator]

the bottom line is the greek pays, for me that is all that matters, a 15 dollar withdrawal fee is a pain in the ass , but nothing compared them saying , sorry we can't pay you . When you sign up for a book by reading certain things they offer and then they don't it certainly is wrong. Considering the other things i will stick with greek, even if it became legal in my canadian casino's to bet single games

[oiler]

On 21/6/09 I opened an account with The Greek Sportsbook depositing £740, and received a “21% sign up” bonus of £151.34. Over the course of the next 5 weeks I placed bets totalling £4,987.05. My balance, on 27/7/09 then stood at £1,141.41 and I contacted customer services to ask whether I was allowed to withdraw the full balance from my account. My last bet had been a £1,101.53 loss at The Greek (Honduras – USA match, various bets made on Honduras at various odds) and I wanted to thus withdraw keeping my winnings to date. The agent advised that I could make a full withdrawal if I chose to & made the arrangement for this. On 28/7/09 I received an email from Customer Services (shown below) stating they were keeping the bonus from my account. The argument Wally (of Customer Services) appears to have given to steal £151.34 from me is my "account clearly fits the description of only doing the minimum to get the bonus". This is not even close to the truth and I have made the following points

- Wally admitted that I have turned over £4987.05, and that the minimum required turn over to get the bonus is £2960 (also verified in the terms and conditions, printed below) - and so I've done a staggering 68% more betting than the minimum required.
- According to Wally account must be opened for 4 weeks before a withdrawal can be made. I can’t see this in the terms and conditions, but none-the-less, I have had the account open in excess of 5 weeks - over 25% longer than Wally’s minimum.
- I checked with the customer service team before requesting the withdrawal that I was allowed to withdraw my full balance. They said yes. If I wasn't allowed I wouldn't have withdrawn.
- The agent who handled the withdrawal confirmed that the full £1,141.41 was to be withdrawn & I will receive all the funds the next day.
- I haven't requested the closure of the account, simply a withdrawal.
- I lost £1,101.53 on a bet after I had fulfilled all the wagering requirements of the bonus. I wanted a gap from further gambling with The Greek at this point to avoid further addiction and the temptation to chase losses.
- No indication is given of what I should do / should have done differently. Am I simply to bet with them until I lose all my money?


I am so angry with this. Please help me. What can I do? All I ask is that The Greek play fair, just like I have. E-mails from The Greek & terms and conditions of the bonus are below.

Appreciate your help.
Kieran Bailey



Message 1 from The Greek:

"Dear Mr. Bailey,

Please be advised that the bonus amount of 250 USD will be forfeited from your account, reason being Management reserves the right to make final decision regarding bonuses. Bonuses and fee reimbursement will be forfeited if it determined that an account is established just to make the minimum bonus requirement, and then closed. Valid identification may be required to claim bonuses.

Therefore you will recieve 990.07 GBP.

Thanks for choosing The Greek.

Regards,
Venisha
The Greek Customer Accounts"


Message 2 from The Greek:

"It is not our intend to give a 21% bonus to have the customer request all his funds after 5 weeks. That is the reason we have the rule posted on our
website:

a.. Management reserves the right to make final decision regarding bonuses.
Bonuses will be given to recreational players only. Bonuses and fee reimbursement will be forfeited if it determined that an account is established just to make the minimum bonus requirement, and then closed.
Valid identification may be required to claim bonuses.

Your account clearly fits this description. Withdrawing all your funds is the same thing as closing the account. Sorry but the decision stands.

Wally"



Promotional/Bonus Rules

• Promotional credits/bonuses can be used for sportsbook wagering purposes only. Promotional bonuses have no cash value until four times (or fifteen times if casino play) the original amount deposited has been placed on wagers. i.e. $500 deposited = 21% signup bonus = $105 bonus. If any withdrawal is made before $2,000 has been placed in wagers, the bonus ($105) will be forfeited and withdrawn from the account before the withdrawal request is honored.
• Maximum bonus amount is $250 USD (the total of all bonuses received, ie. signup, reload, etc.) per calendar month per person unless otherwise specified.
• Accounts are only eligible for bonuses if no withdrawal has been made within the previous 30 days.
• If a withdrawal has been made in the previous 30 days, subsequent deposit amounts must cover withdrawals before qualification for bonuses would apply. Overall loss amounts (subsequent to withdrawals) can also be used to cover withdrawals.
• Re-load bonuses are not eligible on credit card or express money deposits, unless otherwise specified.
• Re-load bonuses are not eligible on deposits made into an account with sufficient funds already existing for average wagering activity.
• Rollover requirements for casino play accumulated via low-risk roulette, baccarat, and craps bets will not be eligible. Examples would include betting both red and black on same spin in roulette or betting both pass and don't pass at the same time in craps.
• Bonus amounts must be claimed by either phone or email.
• Management reserves the right to make final decision regarding bonuses. Bonuses will be given to recreational players only. Bonuses and fee reimbursement will be forfeited if it determined that an account is established just to make the minimum bonus requirement, and then closed. Valid identification may be required to claim bonuses.

see thats why i stay with only one sportsbook.ive been playing with bodog for a few years now and since there payouts are a lot faster.i totally happy staying with them.and if u play poker on there site and deposit money they will match up to 500 dollars if you accumulate enough points,so im happy as kell to stay with them

[shooterman]

After reading this thread I would not go near these clowns with my money. Any book that puts their hard earned reputation at risk for chump change is heading in the wrong direction. A rating? They must be grading on a curve...

[GELATINOUS CUBE]

They gave the guy his bonus though after he bitched.
I mean, that's buisness homie. Nobody's gonna give you $250 if they can find a loophole, like withdrawing you're entire account.
Business. They probably hoped he wouldn't trip, and when he tripped, they said ok ok , here's your bonus money.
One thing is, they don't give reload bonused if there is adequate money to wager left in the account.
How do they define adequate money to wager? 100? 500? 5000?

But Kieran got paid his money.

[Shinobi]

Hi guys
So looks like it’s my turn now, same story as Kieran except the figures and details. Here goes:
I’d seen The Greek as a good solid book, rated A+ here and it’s regarded as safe with the “Sweat the Game, not the Payout” slogan. So I signed up and chucked in £750 & a $250 bonus was duly applied to my account, which is around the £150 mark. I chucked my balance about a bit; sometimes racking up a tidy sum, others seeing the balance dip L. All in all I’ve wagered just under £4k and my final balance is around £700 credit.
I figured its summertime, let’s get a holiday sorted, so I asked The Greek for my cash. Immediate response was give us some ID, so OK I sent them adequate ID. And then it turned the same way as Kieran’s, the reply came:
The Greek: “Please be informed that you will be charge a fee 9.xxGBP ,also the bonus of 14x.xx will be forfeited reason being, bonuses and fee reimbursement will be forfeited if it determined that an account is established just to make the minimum bonus requirement, and then closed.”
Me: “Why am I having fee’s applied to my account? I signed up with yourselves, deposited £750, placed just under £4k worth of wagers (which after checking just now well exceeds any kind of bonus restrictions) and I’m actually down a bit of cash. I want my account left open and I’ll no doubt be re-depositing after I’m back from holiday.”
To which I get:
The Greek: “Now that you are aware of our policy, let us know of we should deduct the necessary fees and process your withdrawal, also please verify your MoneyBookers email address for withdrawal processing. Thanks for your understanding.”
So I replied:
Me: “Please CANCEL MY WITHDRAWAL request then until we get this resolved because I still don’t understand where I am breaching any kind of policies?
I am not looking to close my account, I DONT want to close it. What if I withdraw £700, will that still incur fees/deductions?”
The Greek: “Please be advised that if you request 700 GBP the fees still apply, also we are not implying that you close your account, we are simply saying that on several occasions clients open accounts and once the minimum bonus requirement has been met they withdraw their entire balance and close the account.”

Have I done any wrong here?
-----------------
UPDATE
-----------------
Management have reviewed my acc and I'm ok to withdraw fee-free now. Whether this is a result of this post or not who knows

[firedawg]

the greek has been going backwards for the last year. customer service is a joke. i left them 6 months ago

[Chopsticks]

Could one expect something like this to occur with BetJamaica as I know they are somewhat related? I am considering a transfer to Matchbook but I don't want to sacrifice hundreds of dollars in bonus money and potentially my betjam account if doing so.

[tomcowley]

It's really ****ing lame when the book admits that it's done something wrong, then turns right around and does it again intentionally.

[Toit]

I just can't believe they keep doing this.
Why ask for a roll over and not honour it once it's met?

Who cares what the reasons are for taking your balance home?
Maybe you don't like their CS, maybe you're disappointed with their lines.
Hell, maybe the colour scheme of the website makes you nervous.

Some punters are supersticious and think they win more playing at other bookies.
Tough shit, they won't come back if you treat 'em like this and it stops other people depositing at a book that doesn't honour their promises.

Just treat people right and they might come back and recommend the book to others, this is just really bad publicity.

[Igetp2s]

Come on Wally,

Just raise the rollover requirement to the absolute minimum you can live with, and get over this nonsense. And then honor that amount whatever it is. This isn't rocket science.

[RonPaul2008]

I hate to say it...but wagers is plural...so one a week doesn't fit the rule.

Breach of their own rules is standard policy at TheGreek.
This is what I experienced so far:

About MoneyBookers withdrawals, their rules say:
After my first month with them and placing a wager each week I wanted to withdraw for free.
I was told that my withdrawal is not free because I had to place 2 or 3 wagers each week.

Once I wanted to withdraw EUR 10,000. They forced me to split the withdrawal in two parts and pay the fee for the second part.


Their rule about mistakes in placing a bet is:


Once this worked fine. The second time they told me: "We do not delete soccer bets."

Their rules about reload bonuses:


No mention about required wagering activity before getting it, but my first reload bonus was refused. "An account has to be active to be eligible for bonuses. Active means placing 2 or 3 wagers per week".

So I kept placing at least 2 wagers per week since. Some months ago Wally refused to give me the bonus saying this: "I do not consider your account active because you made those wagers only to keep it active."

My latest withdrawal was July 4th, I subsequently lost all my balance, my account is active. According to their rules I should get the reload bonus for the deposit I did yesterday. Now they refuse the reload bonus with this explanation: "Please be informed that subsequent deposited amounts must cover withdrawals
before qualification for bonuses would apply. We will not be able to grant
you a bonus otherwise."

Josh, do you think it's possible you can make them comply with their own rules in this case?