Beware of Absolute Poker

[trader01]

Just thought I would post this little story about my experience with the morons that run Absolute Poker. A few months ago I decided to try out their site so I deposited a small amount of cash on my VISA card. Decided after a short while that I didn't like it, so I made a request to withdraw all of my cash (which wasn't very much).

They send me an email saying that they can't give me my money either on my VISA card or by bank draft (or by any method whatsoever) until I send them scanned copies of my VISA card and one other piece of ID for a "security check". Never mind that this wasn't told to me in advance before I put the money on their site, but it makes no sense to me how they can take money OFF OF a visa card without a "security check", but somehow can't put it BACK ON without one. Conversations with customer service morons leads nowhere except to the standard "I'm sorry sir, that is our policy" crap.

I give up at that point and decide that they can just keep my money, since it's not a lot and I'm not about to go through this hassle for the amount in question. (Not to mention that I am somewhat uncomfortable with a poker site having scanned copies of my visa card somewhere on their server.) Eventually I decide for the hell of it to log back on to Absolute and throw all the money into a tournament, to see if I win - if I do, I figure I would maybe want to go through the hassle of withdrawing a more significant amount of money... but I find out that my account is still locked, and they refuse to release the funds back into my poker account AT ALL until I send them copies of my VISA card.

So let me get this straight:

1) I sign up for an account with these scam artists, they take money off my card and let me play at their site.

2) I decide I want my money back, they won't give it to me in any way whatsoever until I send them scans of my cards, which is a policy that is posted NOWHERE on their site and in any case was CERTAINLY not made clear at the time I signed up.

3) They now refuse to cancel the withdrawal request and have decided to keep my money "in limbo" indefinitely until I send them this information, not even letting me play on their site with it.

I have played at a number of other sites and never had these types of problems, or encountered such evasive answers from customer service when asking for a simple explanation of their policies and procedures. In short - if you don't already have an account at Absolute, I would be careful about opening one!

[ZBTHorton]

This is all extremely standard, lots of sites require identication in order to cashout. I have no issues with anything they have done thus far. Sorry.

[707782]

Another fish...

[mbpoker]

Not standard at all. On cashout - yes, but why they don't let him play?

[dlk9s]

[ QUOTE ]
Not standard at all. On cashout - yes, but why they don't let him play?

[/ QUOTE ]

He deposited with a credit card and shortly thereafter tried to withdraw the funds. That raises the "credit card fraud" red flag. Once that flag is waiving, they aren't going to let him keep playing until he produces proper evidence that the card is his.

[ZBTHorton]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Not standard at all. On cashout - yes, but why they don't let him play?

[/ QUOTE ]

He deposited with a credit card and shortly thereafter tried to withdraw the funds. That raises the "credit card fraud" red flag. Once that flag is waiving, they aren't going to let him keep playing until he produces proper evidence that the card is his.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo.

[trader01]

It shouldn't draw a red flag if I want the money sent back to the same damn card I took it off of. How the hell is that a red flag? Not to mention that I first requested a bank draft sent to my address, which is the SAME address as the credit card, made out to the SAME NAME as the credit card. That shouldn't raise any flags at all, since I fail to see how that could be a scam. If someone stole my card, wanted to put money from it onto a poker site, then wanted to withdraw money BACK ONTO IT, how the hell is that possibly fraud? How is it a scam if the money is going to the same name as on the card? Not to mention that there is NO REASON they should not allow me to continue playing if I want to in any case. The morons at customer service couldn't supply any answers to these simple questions.

[lucky_mf]

FWIW I've had zero problems with AP over 4-months of play on the site and many withdrawls.

Lucky

[cardcounter0]

Standard.
Welcome to internet commerce and particularly internet poker.
Send the documents and get your money, or don't send the documents and STFU.

[cardcounter0]

I eagerly await the opening of your poker site.