Getting money back from Pledoo casino

[vanillacake]

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone here has played with Pledoo casino and has recently gotten an e-mail from them saying they could be eligible to get a refund of deposits.
I put the e-mail I received as an attachment to this message.

On Casino Guru's website, the casino's representative explained this issue further:

Hello everyone,

Let us explain the situation;

This is an ongoing process that we are undertaking at Pledoo. We are assisting our customers in reclaiming their funds through a chargeback procedure due to issues encountered with the payment system provider involved in processing these payments, which resulted in the funds not being received by us.

We have initiated this process because we firmly believe that it aligns with industry standards and, more importantly, because we genuinely want to assist our customers in recovering their funds.

As previously stated, the funds did not reach us, and therefore the most appropriate course of action is to return the money to our customers. Despite our efforts to resolve the issue with the payment system provider internally and directly, they are unwilling to cooperate. Therefore, the subsequent course of action entails working closely with the customers' banks, and we are ready to provide comprehensive assistance and step-by-step guidance.

We understand the customer's concerns and skeptical mindset about the matter. Still, we want to ensure that everything is legal and we have the customer's best intentions in mind.

Hope this helps!

Best regards,

Pledoo Team

I replied to the casino and they asked me my bank account statement which shows the transactions that I have made to their casino from 01.03.2022-01.06.2022. After this the casino sent me a document which I should forward to my bank (if anyone is interested to take a look, I can show this). This document explains this issue in further detail and also shows the transactions which I should be refunded for. I am really skeptical about this, and definitely do not want to be involved with anything illegal (money laundering, fraud etc.) However, the sum in question is quite lage and I would definitely be keen on getting it refunded to me, if that is possible.

Has anyone else gotten this same e-mail and what have you done so far? Or does anyone else have thoughts about this; does this even seen legal or could this be some kind of scam from the casino's side?

 

[bamberfishcake]

I would tread carefully with this. If a PSP did not forward payments to the casino then why would the casino pay you back?

If a PSP has been involved in illegal activity, who is the PSP and why are they not paying back? I would ask who the PSP was and look for news about them to confirm their story.

Something smells a little fishy to me, but I am a suspicious bugger

p.s. I also can't see how a casino can effect a chargeback procedure for a customer's bank account, but I am no expert in these matters.

 

[Guntis]

The casino has never seen that money and now they decided to shit on PSP shoulder.... I think there is nothing to worry about. The casino simply could have presented the message in a slightly different wording to not scare their customers off.

 

[bamberfishcake]

@vanillacake did you process 5580 in one transaction?

If not, then what happened? Did you process several times with nothing being credited? Just doesn't sound right. Why would you deposit again and again if nothing is being credited at the casino?

Me confused, but me confused daily

 

[Guntis]

To me, it sounds like he used a payment method which is not available at the casino anymore. And now they're offering all players who had made deposits via this payment to get their deposits back since the casino itself has never seen that money.

 

[bamberfishcake]

To me, it sounds like he used a payment method which is not available at the casino anymore. And now they're offering all players who had made deposits via this payment to get their deposits back since the casino itself has never seen that money.

I see. Would love to know who the PSP is.

 

[anddi32]

This case has been discussed in finnish on a finnish gaming forum so the case is somehow familiar.
In that sense an unusual problem case that there is not an actual problem. I know this case is really confusing but let's try...

When player has deposit everything has gone well. The money has arrived at the gaming account and the player has used it.
if I have understood correctly, sometimes the deposits have been lost sometimes the player has won and withdrawal requests to the card have arrived completely normal. So the casino does not owe the player anything

Now there is a big mystery. Why on earth does the casino want to "help" the players get back money that the players have already spent.
The casino itself says that it has not received any money from the payment processor but now the casino wants to somehow get the players' deposits back to the players.

The player has also received from the casino some stamped documents that he should deliver to his bank. I've seen these docs and main point there is chargeback-request. I don't understand this either, if the player has deposited through a payment processor months ago how does the bank have anything to do with this anymore. They can no longer cancel these payment

So quite a few of us on the Finnish side doubt this is some sort of scam. I just don't understand what the point of this whole thing is.
Casinos are not benefactors and if the casino has not received its receivables from the payment processor then isn't this a matter for the authorities.

I guess that OP's main point to post this case here is to avoid getting scammed or getting into trouble.
So the main goal is to think about the operating model. How to react

I didn't bother to share screenshots of the documents without the permission of the OP. But I think it might be good to share them here as well. They are in English so no need to translate

I see. Would love to know who the PSP is.

The OP hasn't figured this out. This would be important information

 

[bamberfishcake]

Perhaps settlement has something to do with it also.

Some PSPs confirm the transactions but settle merchant accounts on a weekly or monthly basis. Or, at least Lloyds Cardnet used to, along with many others a few years ago.

 

[Guntis]

Why the casino is trying to help players to get their money back? They are likely furious about this payment provider, plus they're seeing this as a good opportunity for PR in order to boost its reputation among players. About there the rest it's hard to say without seeing that form and who they're going to send it to.

 

[vanillacake]

Hello!

Yes, anddi32 pretty much explained what is going on here. But just to clarify a few points.

1. All of the deposits have been made with my Visa debit card straight to the casino. At the time I didn't use any online wallets (Skrill, Revolut etc.)
2. The 5580 euros was not processed in one transaction. In fact, the transactions were made between 01.03.2022-01.06.2022. So in a span of about three months.
3. All of the deposits reached the casino and I was able to play with the money normally. At the time, I didn't notice anything fishy or out of the ordinary.

Here are the screenshots of the document that the casino sent me. if anyone is interested to take a look. I blurred my name and card details, as well as the transactions that I made to the casino. There was I think three pages in total just casino transactions that I made to the casino.

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I have asked the casino for the name of the payment service provider, but they have not responded yet. I am definitely interested in getting the money back, but only if there is a proper/legal way of doing it. I'm mostly concerned of being involved with some kind of money laundering, fraud etc.

Casino is so far saying that there is nothing ilegal here, and they fully support their customer's with this but I'm still suspicious. Especially with how I should approach my bank about this?

 

[Guntis]

Hello!

Yes, anddi32 pretty much explained what is going on here. But just to clarify a few points.

1. All of the deposits have been made with my Visa debit card straight to the casino. At the time I didn't use any online wallets (Skrill, Revolut etc.)
2. The 5580 euros was not processed in one transaction. In fact, the transactions were made between 01.03.2022-01.06.2022. So in a span of about three months.
3. All of the deposits reached the casino and I was able to play with the money normally. At the time, I didn't notice anything fishy or out of the ordinary.

Here are the screenshots of the document that the casino sent me. if anyone is interested to take a look. I blurred my name and card details, as well as the transactions that I made to the casino. There was I think three pages in total just casino transactions that I made to the casino.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

I have asked the casino for the name of the payment service provider, but they have not responded yet. I am definitely interested in getting the money back, but only if there is a proper/legal way of doing it. I'm mostly concerned of being involved with some kind of money laundering, fraud etc.

Casino is so far saying that there is nothing ilegal here, and they fully support their customer's with this but I'm still suspicious. [1] Especially with how I should approach my bank about this?

Based on those screenshots. Essentially they're offering you to fill chargeback for the service that you think received as expected (3. All of the deposits reached the casino and I was able to play with the money normally.).

[1] - I would ask the casino what exactly they want me to say to the bank in case I decided to file a chargeback. Because you don't know what 'full capacity service' mentioned on the form is, they were going to provide you had they received the money.

 

[JohnSnow]

Lol. This casino gives deposits back even when its credited and winnings are withdrawn succesfully? That's a first.

 

[vanillacake]

Based on those screenshots. Essentially they're offering you to fill chargeback for the service that you think received as expected (3. All of the deposits reached the casino and I was able to play with the money normally.).

[1] - I would ask the casino what exactly they want me to say to the bank in case I decided to file a chargeback. Because you don't know what 'full capacity service' mentioned on the form is, they were going to provide you had they received the money.

These are the instructions that they gave in a previous e-mail:

"Clarify with your bank that you made a payment for a long-term investment and functionality service. It has become evident that the service cannot be fully provided, hence your initiation of the refund process at this time.

You should also indicate that you made the purchases consciously, but the seller failed to deliver the service for which you are requesting a refund. Specify that everything is outlined in the document prepared by the seller.

Be persistent in this process, as many banks may initially refuse the procedure. You have every right in this situation to request a refund.

Here is a brief rule that outlines the timeline for refunds:
The time-frame doesn't begin with the transaction. Instead, the 120-day time limit starts on the day the Merchant Fraud Performance Program identifies the fraud.

The dispute must be processed within 120 days of the date the cardholder was informed that the goods/services would not be provided (not to exceed 540 calendar days from the transaction)."
However, I'm wondering why can't I just tell my bank that these are about casino transactions? Why do I have to pretend that these are payments for a "long-term investment and functionality service", as they call it. I actually asked about this, and the casino replied that:

"The reason we say this was a long term investment is because we have a loyalty program on our project that is constantly maintained and gives bonuses for activity. You have deposited more than once, meaning you have maintained this loyalty program, then this service will count as an investment."

While I do understand that to some extent, it still sounds a bit strange to me. But yeah, I definitely have to understand this a bit better before I make any contact with my bank.

 

[Guntis]

These are the instructions that they gave in a previous e-mail:

"Clarify with your bank that you made a payment for a long-term investment and functionality service. It has become evident that the service cannot be fully provided, hence your initiation of the refund process at this time.

You should also indicate that you made the purchases consciously, but the seller failed to deliver the service for which you are requesting a refund. Specify that everything is outlined in the document prepared by the seller.

Be persistent in this process, as many banks may initially refuse the procedure. You have every right in this situation to request a refund.

Here is a brief rule that outlines the timeline for refunds:
The time-frame doesn't begin with the transaction. Instead, the 120-day time limit starts on the day the Merchant Fraud Performance Program identifies the fraud.

The dispute must be processed within 120 days of the date the cardholder was informed that the goods/services would not be provided (not to exceed 540 calendar days from the transaction)."
However, I'm wondering why can't I just tell my bank that these are about casino transactions? Why do I have to pretend that these are payments for a "long-term investment and functionality service", as they call it. I actually asked about this, and the casino replied that:

"The reason we say this was a long term investment is because we have a loyalty program on our project that is constantly maintained and gives bonuses for activity. You have deposited more than once, meaning you have maintained this loyalty program, then this service will count as an investment."

While I do understand that to some extent, it still sounds a bit strange to me. But yeah, I definitely have to understand this a bit better before I make any contact with my bank.

You can tell that your payments were for casino games. But remember that any high-level financial institution considers gambling transactions potentially dodgy and they may start looking at it closer. Some banks in certain situations won't deal with it at all. It's also worth mentioning that the chargeback process is different between banks, and i'm guessing, each bank has specific terms for a customer liability in cases when they find customers telling Mickey Mouse stories.

However, if you decide to go with the chargeback, try sending the following letter to the casino and ask them if they have anything to add or if any corrections are needed. This way, you'll see the exact content that you're about to send to the bank, enabling you to better weigh whether you want to proceed at all.

---------------------------

"I am writing to formally request a chargeback for a transaction that I executed with [Merchant's Name] on [Dates of Transactions]. These purchases were made for a long-term investment and functionality service, but it has become clear that the service cannot be fully provided as promised.

When I made these purchases, I was fully conscious of my decision and understood what I was purchasing. However, the seller has failed to deliver the service as promised, which is in direct contravention of the agreement outlined in the document prepared by the seller.

I look forward to a swift resolution to this matter and kindly ask for confirmation of the commencement of the chargeback process."

---------------------------

A good choice i think would be to go to your bank and talk to customer service face-to-face, to see what they have to say about it first, and what are your chances to get your chargeback approved. I reckon they would be able to tell it right away.