Sunday Outage - Refused Refund from Bodog

[djgdjg420]

I noticed there were some posts on here about this...on Sunday, my internet was working fine (pages loaded and everything), but my Bodog connection crapped out and I could not get back on in the middle of a Sit and Go tourney. I emailed them twice for a refund and they refused, said it was not their problem but "internet issues in the United States". But how could this be if all the other websites but theirs worked fine? Has anyone else had any success with getting their money back on account of this crap?

[a nonymous]

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I noticed there were some posts on here about this...on Sunday, my internet was working fine (pages loaded and everything), but my Bodog connection crapped out and I could not get back on in the middle of a Sit and Go tourney. I emailed them twice for a refund and they refused, said it was not their problem but "internet issues in the United States". But how could this be if all the other websites but theirs worked fine? Has anyone else had any success with getting their money back on account of this crap?

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Some web sites working is not an indication that there weren't internet issues in the United States (there were, btw).

[Albino Lord]

I have not much to add for your particular situation, but BoDog does have a good reputation for customer service. You may want to ask about the specifics as to why you are not entitled to a refund, beyond "internet issues". If they are denying you it may be for good reason (vs other sites that seem to do so on a whim).

Just keep asking about it. The worst that happens is they tell you no.

[tech49]

I was screwed by Bodog a few weeks ago. I was disconnected from a Sit and go due to a local internet outage. My connection came back up a few minutes later and I was able to take my seat back at the table. The "autofold" option was not checked - (I may have unchecked I don't remember), however, my hands were instantly folded! This happened for 4 or 5 hands - I had good hands. At this time, there was nothing wrong with my internet connection, as browsing worked, and I was able to watch the table! I logged out of Bodog and re-logged in. Then, I was able to take me seat and the hands were not auto folded. Unfortunately, I had missed too many opportunities, and I busted out, out of the money.

I wrote an email complaint, requesting a refund. Bodog customer service replied:

Dear Name,



Thank you for contacting Bodog Poker Customer Service.



We understand your concern that the issues may be originating from our end; however, when one player is disconnected, yet the game continues on with all other clients still playing, the problem obviously originates from, and is isolated to, that one player. If it were an issue with our servers, all players would be affected. In that case, we would take full responsibility and refund all buy-ins.



Between your computer and our servers, our messages go through several hops/routers (often in the dozens, all over the world). If at any of these stops there is a technical issue or a spike, this can cause a disconnection with the game server. Thus, the software will recognize you as being disconnected from the tournament and will automatically fold you until your return.



Lags and disconnections are a frustrating but unavoidable part of online gaming. For the most part, these issues do not originate on either end of the connection, but somewhere in between. When you connect to an online site, your connection will go though a number of servers, all across the country. If any one of these servers has a technical issue, you will feel it on your end. The best thing to do when this happens is log off and back into the software to establish a new route to the site. If you are still experiencing problems, try restarting your computer as this will usually solve any system-based issue.



Thank you very much for writing. Should you have any questions, or require any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.





Regards,





Poker Customer Service


The email served a purpose, as I now realize that If an internet outage takes me away from a table, I need to close and re-open the software when my connection has been established. However, I should have received a refund. Not issuing me a refund, as the there is a bug in their software, (auto folding players after they return from an outage) was really ******* scummy behavior.

Bodog is generally regarded as honest with good customer service, however, I in this instance, I was clearly screwed by them. We all make decisions on where to play based upon peer reviews. Perhaps this post will help influence decisions.

[Backspin20]

"I was disconnected from a Sit and go due to a local internet outage."

why would they refund you if it wasnt bodog server that messed up? You should not get any money

[tech49]

My point was that the local internet outage was resolved. I then took my seat and saw all of the action, including my cards! However, my hands were still auto-folded. The original post influenced me to email Bodog again and request my refund. Their reply was very fast - 5 minutes or so. They blamed my "autofold" issues due to lag. It appears to me that the problem was with the interface not being able to handle re-connects, as my hands were no longer being autofolded after I closed the software and re-logged in via the software. The only way that their reply makes sense, is if the "lag" went away at exactly the same moment that I re-logged in. Here is their reply:

Dear User,



Thank you for contacting Bodog Poker Customer Service.


From what we see you're getting Timed Out - that is, you experienced a lag in your internet connection, and therefore your responses were not received by our servers in time. When this occurs, the software places you on autofold until you can return to your seat. The Disconnection Protection will not kick in because you have not been disconnected - you are simply running slightly behind so you are unable to respond in the time allotted.



While you are looking at your screen, when you believe it is your turn to bet, everyone else has received the updated information and had actually watched you time-out of your hand. The software cannot tell when a player is simply lagged behind in their connection, or if they have actually stood up from their computer. Thus, if it does not receive a signal within the allotted time, and you have not actually disconnected from the network, you will be folded as if you had stood up from your computer and also put on auto-fold until your return.



Thank you very much for writing. Should you have any questions, or require any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Unless I am missing something, if others watched me "time out." Why did I see my hands autofold instantly and I saw the other table action without delays?!

Sometimes I am I not too bright. If I were brighter, my hourly win rate would be higher. If I am missing something, could somebody please refute the argument that I made in my last paragraph.




Regards,





Poker Customer Service

[BanZaY]

it happened to me before...is a bug from bodog software...the faster solution is close the process and start bodog again....

[PrimogenitoX]

Yea, the connection may have appeared to be fine but was still lagged and thus playing "catch up" so these hands were actually already folded but looked like it was still in real time

[tech49]

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Yea, the connection may have appeared to be fine but was still lagged and thus playing "catch up" so these hands were actually already folded but looked like it was still in real time

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Your reply doesn't make sense. If my connection was playing "catch up.," I would have seen a time delay between the time I saw my cards, and the time my hands were folded. If I were seeing a delayed broadcast of "real time," like a vcr playback, my hands would not have been folded until my allotted time ran out. There was no time delay, as the hands were folded instantly. While I was watching the action, I saw that other players took different amounts of times to make their decisions, while I was given no time to make mine. If a feature of Lag was that all decisions were sped up, I would have seen all calls, raises, and folds happen instantly. This was not the case. I was clearly at the table in real time and my hands were folded due to a bug in the Bodog poker software.

[Legend27]

Bodog does not give refunds for anything, even it is 100% their fault. Don't waste your time talking to customer support for hours like I did. Cash out now and save yourself time, money and headaches.