CheckNRaise poker (ongame) renegs on WSOP Tickets

[RobDoral]

This will be crossposted on the forums at other sites so sorry for any duplication.

A while back, I, and a number of others were fortunate enough to win tickets to WSOP events through a series of promotions run by CheckNRaise poker, an ongame network (Poker Room) skin. I and a couple of regulars at BW even won ME tickets. The event that I won in particular was listed here, my alias on CnR, is pokerrobr. http://www.checknraisepoker.com/prom...toMillions.php

Well last night I get the following email:
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Hi Rob,

We regret to inform you that CnR will be unable, at this time, to make a lump sum payment for the 10 WSOP seats that were won this year through the “CheckPoints to Millions” and “Freeway to Vegas” promotions on ChecknRaisePoker. However, we plan to make this up to you over the coming months. We will deposit into your player account 5% or more, as cash flow permits, of the value of your entry in monthly installments starting July 31st , 2006 until 110% of the cash equivalent is paid in full.

Unfortunately our cash flow did not allow us to set aside sufficient funds from the time that you won your seat in March. If you plan to attend the WSOP in any event, we wish you the best of luck and we are sure you will have a great time.

Please accept our sincere apologies for having to break this news to you just weeks prior to the event we promised you. Please do not hesitate to contact us by return email, if you have any questions or comments. If you would like to speak to us by phone, please suggest a convenient time and provide a phone number and we would be happy to call you and provide more details and answer any questions that you may have.

Best Regards,

Erez and the ChecknRaise Team
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Now obviously I and the others I've talked to who won CnR promotions are devastated especially so close to the beginnning of the WSOP. Sure I could use the $11K and I most likely would have simply busted out on the first day like most of the field is going to do. But given the choice between $11k and a shot at truly life changing money I would have taken the ticket.

Now the extra $1000 CnR plans to throw our way is fine, but I incurred expenses well beyond this amount. I got a cheap hotel room and that alone is still more than $1000 for two weeks. I bought non-fundable plane tickets, as did my dad who wanted to see me play. I have a baby daughter at home and my father-in-law and a family friend bought non-fundable tickets so they could back up my wife for those two weeks I was gone.

Normally I wouldn't have gone to the WSOP this year, but again, a shot at life changing money was worth it when my wife and I talked it over (and life changing money for me is pretty low, heck, even making it ITM would have helped). We even rearranged work schedules and vacation schedules to accomdate this.

There's no way I can afford to buy my own $10K ticket and certainly not with only vague assurances that I'd be reimbursed. A smaller buy in tournament just doesn't seem worth it to me since I don't care about the bracelet and I could just play one online and not have to leave home.

And frankly the reimbursement rate they suggest is ridiculous. At roughly $500 a month the 2007 WSOP would be long done before CnR was done paying us off. I think $1000 a month is more reasonable and I don't really think an extra $1000 is enough.

There isn't a way to fully compensate us. I don't claim to be a tournament expert though I have some skills but having seen first time B&M tournament amateurs do so well over the last few years, I can't help but feel that a shot at destiny has been torn for me. Even if that destiny was to appear on the NUTS broadcast as the worst loser in the history of the ME (I imagined myself getting tasered in the nuts by Rio security after I slap some old granny for sucking out on me while the rest of the table looks on in horror, hey, I can dream big).

Anyways, it wasn't but a few days ago that I highly recommended CnR to someone in a PM and now they make me look like an idiot. Given the horror stories by folks using the Future Bet skins on the Ongame network it doesn't really seem like Ongame gives a crap what their affiliates/franchise do (CnR is NOT a futurebet skin BTW). I've been a strong supporter of Ongame sites but they really need to start cracking down on these places.

Oh, and anyone want to take odds on whether any of us see a dime from CnR? I expect to get maybe one or two payments and then for there to be a personnel change and no one knows who the hell we all are anymore or why we think CnR owes us money. I am also vaguely curious if CnR intends to run additional WSOP promos for 2007 even while they're still paying off those of us they screwed over back in '06. Keep your eyes peeled for my annual update.