my check from Harrah's bounced.

Dragonball · #1 06-26-2007, 12:36 AM

So I got second place in Event #12, $1500 6-Handed NLHE. (Dude hit a two-outer on the river when I had him all in for the bracelet, but that's another story).

When the tournament ended, they asked me if I wanted my $269,000 in cash, casino chips, or a check. Ummm, "check please." I flew home the next day and walked into my bank and proudly produced then deposited the check, which roughly doubled my net worth. So far so good.

Three days later I get a call from a guy at my bank. WTF? He tells me the check bounced. I asked him if he was sure, and he said yes, he was quite sure, there was only one check for a quarter million dollars that I tried to deposit recently, and that's the check that bounced. I found it very strange that a check issued by the largest gaming corporation in the world would bounce, so I once again asked him if he was positive. He was positive.

Next I called the WSOP cage at the Rio and talked to a supervisor. He was already aware of the situation, was waiting for my call, and said it had something to do with a sequencing number error (???) and that he was very sorry. He said to re-deposit the check once I received it in the mail and it would go through. Fine.

I waited a few days but the bounced check didn't show up in the mail, and I was flying back out to Vegas to play more events the next day. I did receive something else in the mail, however: a letter from my bank confirming what I already knew--that the check bounced--and saying that my account was being frozen until the situation was resolved. OK, now i'm annoyed. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

I flew back out to Vegas and went and saw the supervisor in person. I produced the letter from my bank and I must have looked pissed, because he was apologizing profusely. I had them put in a stop payment on the check and asked them to just wire the money into my (now frozen) checking account. It took another three days, but the money finally cleared about ten days after I won it.

I asked him if Harrah's intended to do anything for me. I said that there would be a bounce fee, that the money would have earned a decent chunk of interest in those ten days, and said having my account temporarily frozen was rather inconvenient. He said he was not authorized to do anything for me, but would reimburse the bounce fee once I could provide proof of it. Sweet, how generous.

I'm not real impressed with Harrah's at this point, and I'm thinking of firing off a nasty letter asking for some kind of compensation... like a free room for one night during the main event would be nice, or just a free dinner or something.

Am I being a douchebag for complaining at all after I won $269k, or do I have a legit beef here?

and yes, i know... tl;dr.

Papa Perry · #2 06-26-2007, 12:43 AM

Not at all. I would be talking higher up in the chain of management. I am not a person who goes to lawyers, but I might in this case....

Cornell Fiji · #3 06-26-2007, 12:48 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Not at all. I would be talking higher up in the chain of management. I am not a person who goes to lawyers, but I might in this case....

[/ QUOTE ]

He is a former lawyer (see profile) so I am sure he knows the right words to say.

You might be better off (in regard to getting compensation) if you talk to the right people and allude to the fact that you want to take your new found money and stay at their casino for some gambling.

I would think that your score alone could probably get you some comps (I am by no means a Vegas veteran so I am curious if I am correct in this assumption).

You do have a right to be annoyed but this is also a pretty minor inconvenience all things considered.

Congrats on the score!

Jurollo · #4 06-26-2007, 12:54 AM

My check went through fine. Weird.

shaniac · #5 06-26-2007, 12:56 AM

[ QUOTE ]
My check went through fine. Weird.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lol it's weird when the check goes through like it's supposed to? I'm sure it was a sequencing error or whatever they claimed it was, the problem is that it spiraled into a bigger problem with his bank.

I think Takeover's check from Foxwoods bounced, too, in 2005.

CincyLady · #6 06-26-2007, 11:26 AM

Hmm ... Moral of the story here gang, if you win a big amount of money from the WSOP events, do NOT take a check, because it WILL bounce!

P.S. If I was the OP and I'd been treated the way he was, I'd be writing letters to Harrah's HQ and putting a CC letter on there where I was at the same time, issuing press releases to the media about what happened (they eat up stuff like this), as I'm sure Harrahs would be mortified if that happened.

Dragonball · #7 06-26-2007, 01:02 AM

[ QUOTE ]
My check went through fine. Weird.

[/ QUOTE ]

it happened to me and two other players that won a small amount of money. the rest of the poker playing world didn't have any issues.

thx for the 'grats, guys.

i'll probably write some kind of letter but i'm not super motivated about this.

when I go out for the main event, i'll also bring a copy of something showing the bounce fee and they'll probably give me yet another $10 food coupon, with which I will purchase four 6 oz. bottled waters. I will then walk over to the satellite area, uncap the bottles and pour all 24 oz. of water on Brandi's upper torso. Then I will be featured in NVG and my life will be complete.

PITTM · #8 06-26-2007, 01:13 AM

[ QUOTE ]
they'll probably give me yet another $10 food coupon, with which I will purchase four 6 oz. bottled waters. I will then walk over to the satellite area, uncap the bottles and pour all 24 oz. of water on Brandi's upper torso. Then I will be featured in NVG and my life will be complete.

[/ QUOTE ]

you are cool.

MaverickUSC · #9 06-26-2007, 05:08 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My check went through fine. Weird.

[/ QUOTE ]

it happened to me and two other players that won a small amount of money. the rest of the poker playing world didn't have any issues.

thx for the 'grats, guys.

i'll probably write some kind of letter but i'm not super motivated about this.

when I go out for the main event, i'll also bring a copy of something showing the bounce fee and they'll probably give me yet another $10 food coupon, with which I will purchase four 6 oz. bottled waters. I will then walk over to the satellite area, uncap the bottles and pour all 24 oz. of water on Brandi's upper torso. Then I will be featured in NVG and my life will be complete.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOLOLOLOL

Devo

shaniac · #10 06-26-2007, 12:55 AM

dragon, you definitely have a legit beef, but you have to consider if it's worth your time and energy to hassle the guy at Harrahs for a refund on your bounce fee, and I doubt they'll step up and offer you any more compensation. If you really feel like pestering them, I'm sure you could get a hotel night or three out of them, but again, it all depends on how much the principle matters to you. (They're not going to pay you interest). I'm pretty sure my father would write a letter and be on a mission to get compensated, and I'd probably just forget about it and go on a shopping spree with my 250K or something.