Best and Worst Customer Support for MG Casinos...

[johnsteed]

Hello "Casinomeisters"!

I was curious about other posters opinions about the BEST and WORST customer support teams for all MG casino's. I would extend the list to RTG's, and PlayTech's, but I think the regular names such as Black Widow, Grand Banks, Connect-to-Casino, and various other rogues would just appear. Back on topic, I just want to keep this thread with MG casino's in mind.

If I had to pick THE BEST 3 (which I'll obviously be doing ), I'd take:

- Trident Group
- 32Red
- RoxyPalace

Reasons why:

1) Always prompt replies. Generally (not always) respond in as little as 15 minutes.
2) Friendly. They generally listen to me when I complain or criticize, and don't give me the standardized "percentage payout" press-of-a-button mumbo-jumbo.
3) If I lose, and if I truly didn't do well, I'm generally credited with a decent bonus with minimal playthrough requirements (of course, I could just be lucky as maybe this isn't the standard).
4) They don't push my buttons, and start calling me "sir" when they're trying to shoo-me-away. Sometimes, IMHO, trying to understand the player and listen to them (not necessarily trying to give them a great deal on their next deposit), is the best way to create a friendlier player-casino atmosphere.
5) I never have to re-ask the same questions, because they ACTUALLY read my profile, and are updated on what's going on (eg. withdrawals, bonuses, comps, random questions, ect...)
6) They're good at calling you back, free-of-charge and promptly. Sometimes, lots of time and energy is saved by using the phone. I used to prefer live-chat sessions, nope, not anymore.

My least favorite customer support teams for MG casino's are (or the "Me No Like" list):

- Fortune Lounge
- VegasPartnerLounge
- Bellerock

Now, I happen to love VegasPartnerLounge casino's, because I have GREAT!!! luck there. :notworthy Despite their ways (online support), I will continue to go as long as I win there. Hey, I suck at 32Red , but their support is great. Don't know how much longer I can keep that up though. But, I ALWAYS have to stay on top of things with these people for payouts. I know that they're a great operation, ditto on Bellerock and Fortune Lounge (despite the spamming and REALLY tight games when using bonuses), but their support teams could all be MUCH better.

For me, VPL NEVER inform me about any query I throw at them. Thus, I never get replies. I've had 3 withdrawals this month reversed without my knowledge (again no emails). Why? Because they threw in a small bonus (w/wagering requirements). Hmmm, they couldn't simply have added the bonus to my accounts without the pending withdrawal credit, 3 days after I made those cash-ins. That sucks, and in my opinion is unethical. For all 3 of these casino's, I always have to re-send information (hmmm, like the evil Golden Palace), I always have to remind them (update) about what my situation or query is about. So, that means about 30 minutes of unnecessary dialogue in live chat mode.

And FL and VPL are notorious for asking me to send emails to their support teams when I'm chatting with them, despite that they generally don't respond to my queries. What's the point of having online support in the first place? For greetings? Just to say hi, what are you up to? How's the weather in South Africa? Or my all-time favorite...

"Sir, the pitboss makes all of the authorizations."
"We'll, I'd like to speak to him/her?"
"He just stepped-out 20 minutes ago."
"Well, if there's no pitboss, who's in charge?"
"Sir, do you have any more question I can assist you with?"

Just to be clear though, I think all of these operations are great, I just feel that the customer support could be better.

I'm curious to hear about what others think, and again, please stick to the theme. That being, MG casino's.

Thank you.

 

[rudepete]

Trident is #1

I have been playing online for quite a while and have dealt with customer service at a lot of different casinos and I just opened an account at Trident a couple weeks ago and I want to tell you they have the absolute best customer service I have ever dealt with. They are quick with answers and quick with fixing anything wrong.
The small deposits I make there last a long time and sometimes I even get ahead enough to cash out. They have great promotions going on all the time and great loyalty bonuses.
Ok Trident, you can send the check to..........ONLY KIDDING
Seriously, I have 3 different Fortune Lounge accounts and their customer service lacks big time. Royal Vegas,Platinum Play and 7 Sultans.
32red also has good customer service but I can't make my money last there very long so I don't play there anymore.
The RTG with the worst customer service is King Solomons, takes them forever to answer emails, actually the only person that gets anything done from there is their affiliate. That just amazes me. I have won there and cashed out,but took them off my computer.
Inetbet is a little long on answering emails or redeeming comps but do pay quickly. Up to 24 hours.
Casino Extreme,of course their live help,when available is great and very courteous, thus I continue to play there but never hit anything big there.
So that is my take on that. Hope it helps.

 

[johnsteed]

Solid response...

rudepete

Some great answers there rudepete, thank you kindly.

Seriously, I have 3 different Fortune Lounge accounts and their customer service lacks big time. Royal Vegas,Platinum Play and 7 Sultans.

I agree. I hoped for more when I signed-up at these casino's originally. It took them forever to clear me to deposit (ID, at least they did this BEFORE I deposited), and after 2 weeks of constantly sending and re-sending my information, I had to re-explain the situation about how my information was cleared. Big headache.

32red also has good customer service but I can't make my money last there very long so I don't play there anymore.

As said earlier, ditto here. But, I'm going to give it another go tonight. I'm hoping that it FINALLY pays off. They're tops in my book (online support), just no luck.

Casino Extreme,of course their live help,when available is great and very courteous, thus I continue to play there but never hit anything big there.
So that is my take on that. Hope it helps.

I definitely agreed with this at first (IOW, I thought the same thing months ago). I did fairly well on my first couple of deposits, but that was the end of winning. I didn't even see a glance of winning, getting "extremely" unlucky on Aztec Treasure and Ronin (great slots). And while the cash-back bonus is okay, it's instant losses. When you win, the service would be considered "great" because the player is payed promptly. But for me (and my experiences with Henri), when it comes to other questions, I find them to be quite stern and quick to get out of chat sessions (oh yeah, this is an MG thread... sorry ).

Great info though...

 

[venetian]

If MG software is the same at all casinos...then isn't it all about support? But wait, I love 32RED but agree with you that my deposits are gone in a flash there but I can play all day somewhere else. I find it curious. So is it really all about support or where one can win? Are they mutually exclusive?

 

[johnsteed]

venetian

So is it really all about support or where one can win? Are they mutually exclusive?

For me, I really have to seperate the two categories. I view it like this. If I were losing at ALL casino's (not so far fetched):

- Which casino was being the best at being able to contact (eg. email/chat/phone) me.

- Who's support team would be the most understanding with the players concerns WHILE trying to make the player feel better (good listeners, and sure, free comps and credits).

- Response time to all queries without an obviously automated standardized message that doesn't necessarily get into any specifics.

- And at the heart of the matter, above all else, how do the operators/reps. make you feel about their casino while you're corresponding with them. That's a gray/grey area I suppose. Maybe I'm a sucker, but whenever I correspond with either 32Red or various Trident Lounge casino's, I walk away (or click-off the window) feeling good about them.

One can win and cash-out instantly at Phoenician, and to most of us, that equates to being great support. I for one, love prompt payouts, but that's not the end-all either. There's got to be more than JUST one criteria to complete the whole definition of what good customer support should be. I can wait 12-24 hours as opposed to 5 minutes IF the benefits are greater at another casino.

Again, I win at other casino's that I don't even list here, but I don't necessarily feel good about their support teams.

 

[Slotmachine]

support vs payouts

Very good topic. Talk about the two most important things a casino can offer - fast payouts and good support. That's it. Reading these comments, I'm tempted to have a go at Trident casinos. Sounds very good indeed. I think I'll give them a try soon.

As for the payouts - how do you suppose you lose at one MG casino and win in another? I don't get it. Just look at their PW&C payout charts. They're the same. It makes no difference whether you play at 32red or VPL casinos. Your chances of winning are the same. Hey, if you want to know the payout% of individual slots, Lasseters/AusVegas is your Casino.

Back to the topic at hand, here's my list of good experiences with CS:
32Red (great support, fast payouts, simplicity, no hassles) this is where I spend 80% of my gambling $$
888.com (+good support, +surprise rewards, -slow payouts -not on Meister's list anymore),
Lasseters (good support, +government licence, +individual slot payout%)

...and bad experiences:
Belle Rock group (lousy support, otherwise OK with good bonuses etc)

My advice to any online Casino newbies: Stick to Meister approved, and FROM THOSE, select the ones with favorable reviews here on the message boards.

Cheers,
SM

 

[johnsteed]

Slotmachine

888.com (+good support, +surprise rewards, -slow payouts -not on Meister's list anymore)

I used to spend a great deal of money at Casino-On-Net (before 888.com), and I would still be going there if it weren't for their unreasonable and lengthy payout schedules. It was my 1st "home-base" for an online casino for the better part of '01-02. I agree about the nice surprise bonuses. They likely gave me about 20% in surprise bonuses, and they were always prompt in responding to my queries (hmmm, we're supposed to be talking about MG casino's people) .

The part about sticking with casino's that are on the accredited list, I couldn't agree more. This year, I have drifted beyond the approved list (Casino Extreme, Sci-Fi, Classic Casino, Ladbrokes, and Harrods), but I'd say no more than 15% of my total purchases for '05. I think most of us are quite happy to be able to come to this site. I know for me, it's saved TONS of money and time and headaches wasted on some of the casino's I didn't know much about (namely, some of the less reputable PlayTech's and RTG's).

Thank you Venetian and Slotmachine for your insight.

 

[rudepete]

Here's one for you

Bellerock gambling,ie; Riverbelle. Just sent me an email with my name but wrong account number, saying they were replying to my email (which I didn't send )and told me I had depostited $85 (which I hadn't) and wagered (some wierd figure and that I had a $1 in comps in my account. Now how bizarre is that. I wrote them back an email stating they are screwed up and better find the person that actually wrote them. Makes you really wonder.
I have nothing bad to say about 32 red, they are on the ball, customer service is great and courteous but I just don't last there long enough to make it worth playing. If really makes you think, aren't all MG's the same? I would say catergorically NO. I have played at a lot of them and it is not.

 

[rudepete]

actual email from them-not me.

Hi there Peter,

Thank you for emailing Belle Rock Entertainment.

We are pleased to confirm that you have deposited $45 in your River Belle Online Casino account to date. You then wagered 1326.09 on your account to date, which earned you a cash back bonus of $1.00.

We can confirm that this amount is sitting as a bonus on your account as we speak.

Our Cash Back Points system works in the following way:

If you wager 10 credits, you will earn:

1 point if you wager on Jackpot Deuces Video Poker (Progressive), Craps, Blackjack, Triple 7s Blackjack (Progressive)
Baccarat, Video Poker
2 points if you wager on Roulette, Roulette Royale (Progressive); Video Slots, Pai Gow Poker, Casino War
3 points if you wager on Poker, Red Dog, Slots, Scratch Games, Sicbo, Keno, all other Progressive Games

Once you've accumulated 2,000 points, you'll be eligible to receive a $10 Cash Back bonus. You're easily able to earn these points, depending on the games you wager on. Your cash back bonus, from points earned, will be paid to you during the first week of each new month.

You'll also be earning one FREE Auction point for every Cash Back point you earn. These Auction points will allow you to bid on a wide variety of goods on the Auction application in your Belle Rock Buddy. Auction is exclusively available in your Belle Rock Buddy, and is one of the most exciting programmes that Belle Rock Gaming has ever launched.

Your Auction points will be available to you at any time during the month, and you may use them to bid on any item you wish. For more information about our Auction Programme, simply visit www.bellerockentertainment.com/cashback

We trust that we have been of assistance to you, and we wish you the best of luck in your future gaming with us.

Should you require any further assistance, feel free to contact Belle Rock Entertainment, as we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience.

Kind regards,

Viwe
Entertainment Executive
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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[tim5ny]

32Red... nuff said!

 

[slotchik]

32Red... nuff said!

but their comps suck and they dont accept neteller instacash...that's why I hardly play there... ( frustrating )
Rarely do I have money just sitting in neteller.

I also wrote an email to your friend over there, Tim, and got no reply This was over a week ago. ( 2 weeks maybe )

 

[caliban]

Two best MG Casino groups when it comes to customer support AND promotions AND fast payouts:

Palace Group (Ruby Fortune, Spin Palace), and Vegas Affiliates (Colosseum, Grand Hotel, Vegas Joker, Vegas Poker, Vegas 7, Vegas Slot, Vegas Country(Floridita Club clearly has some connection with them but they don't appear officially amongst the Vegas Affiliates Group)).

After these come closely Vegas Partner Lounge and Capital Casino (Both have professional support and very fast payouts).

32RED comes clearly behind these (no comps, scarce bonuses, but fast payouts).

Caliban

 

[johnsteed]

$1

Hi Caliban,

Thanks for the responses.

Palace Group (Ruby Fortune, Spin Palace), and Vegas Affiliates (Colosseum, Grand Hotel, Vegas Joker, Vegas Poker, Vegas 7, Vegas Slot, Vegas Country(Floridita Club clearly has some connection with them but they don't appear officially amongst the Vegas Affiliates Group)).

I would agree that these are also very good affiliates (customer service-wise). I've always received prompt replies from these groups. When I think about it, I've had some pretty decent luck at the Vegas Affiliates (I should make more visits to that sector of MG casino's).

After these come closely Vegas Partner Lounge and Capital Casino (Both have professional support and very fast payouts).

Oddly enough, I've been doing quite well at Maple Casino, Dragon 777, and up until last week, I was KILLING :notworthy until I was the one being KILLED over at Capital Casino. I've ALWAYS had great luck playing there. But, while I've been doing well at these places, and while I do feel that Capital Casino's customer support is quite decent (although they don't have live-Chat or international numbers for players calling from South Korea), one of the main reasons I was thinking about this thread was specifically about VPL. Again, great Affiliate, but their customer support in my experience, has given me lots of headaches, no replies, and while I do get paid, there's ALWAYS a bump. I'm hoping that after more withdrawals that these problems won't crop up.

tim5ny

32Red... nuff said!

Ditto I suppose that you and I are both Club Rouge members, thus we probably get some of the best service and benefits in the industry (and I say some because I know for anyone who goes to a specific casino long enough, USUALLY will see lots of benefits in the long-run). For all the times I've used their live-chat, I've only had one bad experience (which wasn't THAT bad), with an original dispute over the original (or rather, the old...) initial deposit bonus of $32 (match). I was thinking at that time that "Why on earth would this casino get such high-praise over at Casinomeister?" But, shortly after, I received some personal emails from Pat (Harrison), and I feel welcomed whenever I do have any questions. I wish that many of the other members shared the same experiences that I've had with 32Red (specifically customer service), but what's gold for some, is fool's gold for others.

To rudepete,

You ask for them to transfer that $1 comp over to your account.

Belle Rock Entertainment is passionate about delivering exceptional service, and we rely on feedback from our clients to tell us how we are doing.



All I can see is that your customers are passionate about writing, and re-writing, and writing again, and then some more, in hopes of some day getting a response. The "promptest" reply I've ever received from this group was a bounced email

 

[johnsteed]

About the Jackpot Factory...

MEDIA RELEASE (VIA Casinomeister)

Karen S., a seasoned online casino player, was already very impressed with All Jackpots Casinos bonus system, vast selection of games, and playing environment. Following her jackpot win, she pointed out that All Jackpot Casinos staff was professional and proficient, and that within days she had her money.

They credited the [welcome] bonus immediately, as they said they would. In fact, everything they advertised, they ethically delivered. I was most impressed with their staff. [They were] able to verify my win. I won on a Friday night, and by Tuesday morning, the money was in [my] bank account, said Tunzamunni winner Karen S.

David Brickman explained further, Jackpot Factory Group casinos are known throughout the entire online casino industry for fair play, honesty, and fast payouts. The fact that Karen S. has already been credited proves these points yet again.

While I've often read wonderful things about the Trident Group, 32Red, RoxyPalace, and to a lesser extent Vegas Partner Lounge, BelleRock, and Fortune Lounge, how great is Jackpot Factory's reputation?

I've not been overly successful there, thus I've yet to make a withdrawal. Having said that, I'm curious as to how others have done there. I know that they're on Casinomeister's prestigious Accredited Online Casinos list (a list I trust), so they're obviously reliable/worthy. How would others rate their customer support?

 

[tim5ny]

but their comps suck and they dont accept neteller instacash...that's why I hardly play there... ( frustrating )
Rarely do I have money just sitting in neteller.

I also wrote an email to your friend over there, Tim, and got no reply This was over a week ago. ( 2 weeks maybe )

Hi Slotchick! I'm sorry to hear that. Sometimes it's easier to get a hold of them through a pm right on this board.

 

[Slotster!]

32RED, obviously. Email CS, and you'll get a response within minutes. Live Chat even quicker... They'll flush anything you request, pay you when you like - in the way you like. Really cannot be faulted in any way.The benchmark that ALL online casino's should strive to even come close to.

All Slots deserve an honourable nod too. Following a few hiccups at the beginning, they've performed exceptionally well CS wise...

Nightmare (in my experience) - Belle Rock, purely from a speed of customer service perspective, although they seem to be picking up a bit judging by this board.

 

[Ivy29]

MG's

I only play at All Jackpots now. I think their customer service is great. They flush your withdrawal for you and process it a few hours later. I've never had one bit of problem with them or any Jackpot Factory casino.

Another thing I like about them is you can cash in your comp points and its yours, no wagering. You can do it yourself and its instant.

Also, no "surprise" bonuses show up in your account. I like to deposit and cash out when I want, rarely take a bonus. And no spamarama like Fortune Lounge (got 5 more in the last two days).

 

[rudepete]

Ok they PM'd me

Bellerock pm'd me but I already took Riverbelle off my computer so I will reply just that. I am sorry but any casino that can't keep their players straight,scare me.
You all really need to give Vegas Spendido a try. I have never had my money last so long or able to play my favorite slots for so little. I love this place. I haven't had to contact CS so I can't comment on that.
Good Luck to all

 

[johnsteed]

Jackpot Factory has solid reputation...

rudepete

Bellerock pm'd me but I already took Riverbelle off my computer so I will reply just that.

Who's in charge of customer support over there anyway? I used to think that this was THE most prestrigious affiliate in the online gaming world. I'm sure they're still successful, and are one of the (if not THE) most recognizable group, but why not try to improve things with your CS already. I've been reading for about a year now, how many posters (including myself) aren't getting responses to whatever queries they may have. That's just not right, and it should have been rectified months ago.

rudepete cont...

You all really need to give Vegas Spendido a try. I have never had my money last so long or able to play my favorite slots for so little. I love this place.

Hey rudepete,

Are you still playing off of that original deposit of $25? If so, this is one streak that I should be following for a long time (or for your sake, hopefully so).

Ivy29

I only play at All Jackpots now. I think their customer service is great. They flush your withdrawal for you and process it a few hours later. I've never had one bit of problem with them or any Jackpot Factory casino..

Hello Ivy29,

While I believe the Trident Group is likely the best MG affiliate, I'd think that Jackpot Factory aren't necessarily that far behind.

Sidenote: For what it's worth, one of the pluses about PlayTech over MG, is the availability of their CS. By this, I would be quick to point out that PlayTech casinos generally have the online chat icon available to the player without having to leave the casino. I'm not sure why other software providers don't do this. I know it's not a major thing, but it's a nice tough if you ask me.

Thank you all for your participation in this thread!

 

[tombomb]

business plan

"Sir, the pitboss makes all of the authorizations."
"We'll, I'd like to speak to him/her?"
"He just stepped-out 20 minutes ago."
"Well, if there's no pitboss, who's in charge?"
"Sir, do you have any more question I can assist you with?"

I run up against it alot.What are the chances that CS can be so lame at so many different casinos? I think its part of their business plan.Stall or reverse withdrawals so the player may just play it off.Be vague and useless on the phone or live chat in hopes that the player will just give up and play it off.Take 2 to 10 minutes to respond on live chat with an answer that doesnt address the question in the hopes that the player will just give up and play it off.On the phone put the player on hold for 5 to 30 minutes in hopes that the player will just give up and play it off.Then come back with a useless answer and put them on hold again.Whats wrong with coming back on the line every 2 minutes to say we are still checking? Same with emails, dont respond or respond 3 or 4 days later with a lame canned response.Its not coincidence, its part of their plan.I saw on 60 minutes last night that 80% of the business for online casinos comes from the U.S.If all U.S. players boycotted online casinos for a month they would be up sh*t creek.

 

[twiddles]

I saw on 60 minutes last night that 80% of the business for online casinos comes from the U.S.If all U.S. players boycotted online casinos for a month they would be up sh*t creek.

I am not sure that you would be able to boycott the online casino indsutry as a whole. The casino's will just retaliate and offer better bonuses that regular players just wouldn't be able to resist, and you cannot stop new players from stumbling upon sign up offers and wanting to "give it a try"

 

[The Dude]

I think 80% is an inflated amount. I'd say it's closer to 60%. The UK and Europe is a huge market. Asia is looming on the horizon.

And to think US players would boycott gambling? That's like saying Americans get crap beer, so all US beer drinkers should boycott beer.

Yeah, right

 

[tombomb]

I think 80% is an inflated amount. I'd say it's closer to 60%. The UK and Europe is a huge market. Asia is looming on the horizon.

And to think US players would boycott gambling? That's like saying Americans get crap beer, so all US beer drinkers should boycott beer.

Yeah, right

yeah I dont see it happening anytime soon, like ever.Now I need beer. Excuse me

 

[johnsteed]

Capital Casino & Phoenician Casino

***


I just wanted to dust the cobwebs off of this sucker, and breathe some life back into it.

Really though, I wanted to give Capital Casino my testimonial for providing me with great service time & again (part of the Bellerock Gaming - although not heavily advertised like their sister casinos such as The Gaming Club).

Funny thing is that my very first win off of a MG casino came at the hands of Capital Casino (back in '01), I didn't go back in almost 4 years for reasons unknown, and I've only started depositing there (again) over the past couple of months. I never hear anything about them (positive or negative), but from my own experience, they've been quite good. Their response time could be quicker (lighting fast like Roxy/32Red/Trident Group), they could offer instant chat from their homepage, but nevertheless, they do respond at a decent speed when you send them an email. They're relatively generous (with bonuses), and I get my winnings back generally within a 24-hour period (even on weekends).

Another casino I've been going to for some time now, is Phoenician Casino (Adriches affiliate - Nostalgia Casino). I can't say too much about their Customer Support in a negative light, as it's been reliable (easy to contact, respond to queries at a respectable speed, ect...). I have found their support to be slightly impatient though. If the player has comments concerning payouts, no problem (which makes most people happy). But if the player has questions concerning something else, they're not the best (they CAN/WILL magically disappear at times). Their payouts (instant) are the fastest for any MG casino, so that's a definite plus (although I suck there... wins are far and few IMHO). Overall though (specifically CS), pretty decent. As far as winning, that's another story altogether.


***

 

[Ivy29]

Phoenician/Nostaliga

JohnSteed--I have felt that way about P/N group even when they were RTG. Just not quite as "nice" or "accomodating" and certainly not into doling out free chips, which I was spoiled by iNetBet and Vegas Magic. If you took a sign up bonus at their RTG, you can't have one at the MG for signing up either, not that that matters to me really. Never won squat at either version of either casino so I won't be going back. I get Jackpot Factory payouts same day usually so I'm happy with that. They throw me a bone now and then, too, just out of the blue. That's pretty nice.

I like the CSR's at Casino Extreme. I just use email for cash back or cash out requests and it just takes minutes. I have had surprisingly good luck on the VP, even though they have some lowered paytables compared to iNetBet.

I've been burned enough times that I just stick with my favorites now that I can depend on. I'm over getting bonuses pretty much, too, because the WR's are getting ridiculous.

 

[realwtfsup]

Roxy Palace

This is the only microgaming casino I play anymore. Always been good to me.

I live in the Northwest so we have lots of great beer here!

 

[johnsteed]

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly...

***

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

As expected, the forum is all-too-quiet. So, I thought since I have too much time on my hands (from living far away from family, and by being hit hard by a losing streak that's lasted TOO long), I'd like to talk about the good/bad points of certain customer support groups.

Over the past month, I've deposited/played at the following casinos:

(C-) - Littlewoods (Cryptologic)
(A+) - 32Red (MG)
(C-) - Phoenician Casino (MG)
(C+) - Bet365 (PlayTech)
(A) - King Neptune's Casino (MG)
(B+) - Capital Casino (MG)
(D-/F) - 777Dragon Online (MG)
(D-/F) - Maple Casino (MG)
(A) - VegasUSA Casino (MG)


I've also graded them on how well their customer support teams were. These grades are based on a multitude of factors. Examples would include promptness, availability, information regarding your account information & their own sets of T&C's, and online or live-chat etiquette.

***

Littlewoods (C-) Why? Well, it sure takes an effort on their part to reply to the player. I've sent out maybe 4 queries thus far over the past 4 weeks (or so), and I've received only 1 response. Not good. But, when they DID respond, they were very straightforward and clear. Just my perspective, but if casinos are not going to offer live-chat to assist the player, then they best reply pronto like a RoxyPalace (and ALWAYS respond). Great casino, nice promos and such, but the customer support is relatively weak.



32Red (A+) Why? Okay, you're sick of hearing about it, understood. But I MUST repeat why they deserve so much praise for their customer support. They respond to emails quickly, and I'd say just as quickly as a RoxyPalace or a Trident Lounge. Very prompt. And they're always available via live-chat (which to me, is the best method). And IF you require to speak to them in person, you can get them to call you back. All-in-all, their availability is outstanding. In terms of etiquette, they don't try to roll-over you with automated crap. They talk to you, and they never make the player feel little... never. They respect the player, and listen. I've never heard about any problems with payouts or with 32Red changing their terms & conditions. Compared to the rest of the playing field, they're amongst the best if not the best in the industry.



Phoenician Casino (C-) Why? Well, they could very well get anywhere from a B+ and up, but... Okay, wait, before I get to that, talk about the good points of their customer support. Readily available. Big plus. They're pretty good at responding to emails as well. They DO pay, and despite wavering rules, instantly. Great!!! But, there's lots of negatives as well. Changing their T&C's, not being clear enough about those changes. Hey, if they're going to advertise instant payments, at least warn the customers that it must be for a minimum deposit of $100. IMHO, if you're going to credit the player with a bonus, and clearly state the parameters of those bonuses prior to the person playing, you shouldn't alter the conditions on-the-fly. They did so twice in a 24-hour period, and they've changed their conditions with me on two seperate occasions with the only bonuses that I was credited with (or claimed). Not good at all. Also, misinformation. Speaking to each online rep there, I found that they're all giving me different information. No continuity. And at last, etiquette. At this casino, VERY dependent on whom you're speaking with. My guess is, that they might be slightly moody for good reasons. Perhaps they too are angry about the information being passed-around by one-another, and their changing T&C's. Lot's to learn on-the-fly. Who knows?



Bet365 Casino (C-) Why? The good first. Their staff via phone are friendly enough. Their payment transfers (NeTeller merchant accounts) are quick (and tedious for new players), and there has never been a hold-up because the player is essentially doing the work (our responsibility I suppose). They respond to emails, quickly no, but they respond within a 12-24 hour period (generally). The bad is simple. Speaking to their telephone rep. and via email, when asking about future promotions being offered at Bet365, they ALWAYS tell me about the initial deposit match bonus. That's super, but I'm inquiring about "future" promotions, not something that happened almost a year ago. And they keep trying to pump-up that initial deposit bonus. Got it. It was swell, AND it's over... long over for me. But they keep re-selling it to me, despite that I can't reclaim it. Puzzling to me. Very puzzling. And basically, what that all boils-down-to is this, their promotions for the casino are nil. Got it? Good! They keep telling me how they offer wonderful bonuses/ongoing promotions for their sportsbook and their poker room. Great! But I'm a casino player. And as I'm told again, and again, like the initial match bonus (which is no good to me anymore), that the Bet365 group pumps a lot of money into their sportsbook AND their poker room, but NOT their casino. Wonderful. Talking to their support (or reading their emails) is like chatting with a doll where you have to pull-the-string. Funny, and useless. Wonderful casino that offers live-BJ, but the customer support has nothing to talk about. You're better off going to their live-BJ and talking to the wonderful Filipino ladies.



King Neptune's Casino/VegasUSA Casino (A) Why? Great response time, great etiquette, fair, you know you're going to be paid (and this from what is very well known, not based on my experience, because I NEVER win at these casinos). They offer live chat, and they have a long list of international phone numbers (although I think the call-back method has it's benefits). I would gladly give this group an A+, but I feel they are the absolute slightest shade below 32Red, as I seem recall a couple times getting the automated RNG response while chatting. I hate that, but I really like this group (just not for my BRUTAL luck there).



Capital Casino (B+) Why? I have a slight bias towards this outfit, not because I generally do well there, but because they're under-promoted (to the max), and they are so-so-so generic (which is so boring, I somehow find it interesting... a polarized effect). If you went to all the sites main pages for each and every casino listed at Bonusrating.com, I'd have to think that Capital Casino would have to rank in the bottom 10% in terms of eye-candy (it's like a G-Fed or something). But, they respond very quickly to my emails, and have done so for years. I have no idea who's in charge (perhaps trainees for The Belle Rock Group), but the support has been quite generous with me. In fact, more than EVERYONE say for 32Red (which comes as a major surprise to me). Maybe they're desperate for any kind of contact, I haven't a clue. Fast payouts, and on weekends. For a casino I would have assumed was 99.99% automated, isn't. Their responses are pretty good, and they always respond. Where they lose some points, is for not supporting live-chat (which every casino should be doing). Heck, pretty much all PlayTech's offer live-chat (it can't be that hard to do).



Sidenote: I'd love to write a book about Capital Casino. How the hell are they still in operation after all this time?! How come they aren't being promoted like all of their Belle Rock brothers 'n sisters? Why aren't they gettin' the Belle Rock love? Why are they oh-so-much better at responding to queries, unlike their "Prince" and "Princess" sibblings. This casino is a survivor.



Maple Casino/777Dragon Online (D-/F) Why? Is it just me, or did the education system decide to drop the "E" for grading? Because, "E" would have been THE best grade for VegasPartnerLounge. Now, hear-me-out. VPL has a great reputation (I believe so...), and I happen to love my luck at their casinos (especially Maple Casino). But, their support is absolute crap/junk/atrocious/garbage... or basically anything not good. They shouldn't be this awful. But they are. The good. Live support that's idle. I suppose that if you call them, they'll pick-up and talk with you. They will pay their players. The bad. They hardly ever respond to queries via email. Whenever I do chat with them live, they always indicate that they could better serve me via email. Whenever I do chat with them, in regards to their not replying to my queries, they tell me to wait (for prolonged intervals), and ALWAYS tell me that they didn't receive anything, and to re-send the email. I tell them THAT is WHY they have online chat, so we don't have to use email. And even so, they NEVER respond. Fine, that's that.

Now, withdrawals. They routinely pull some of the cheapest tactics in the book to delay payments (or to screw the player). How? By inserting small bonuses into your account. Sounds good? It would be, if they DIDN'T reverse your withdrawal, put the money back into your account, attach a meager "surprise" bonus, wherein if you didn't know any better, you might start playing with it and ITS wagering requirements WITH your once-was winnings. Lovely. And they don't relay any of this pertinent information to you, specifically about them reversing your withdrawal. And do they reverse your cash-in immediately after it's pending? No, they'll wait a couple of days after-the-fact for good measures. The way to avoid that mess, is to have them remove any future bonuses to your account. Nice. I caught them doing this twice, and they act all innocent, like they were doing a wonderful thing by attaching a $15 bonus to my $500 in winnings. Sure, who wouldn't like that $15 with dynomitesque attachments that come with it.

Want another good story. Last week, I was told by the online rep. to put in a request for a bonus (his suggestion), via email to the pitboss. He assured me that I would likely get something (as I generally NEVER claim bonuses there BECAUSE of bogus withdrawal problems), and that they would respond quickly. Didn't. I sent out multiple emails, nothing. Talked to live-chat for a wasted hour Wednesday, they didn't get my emails, told me to send them again. Did that. Nothing again.

Went to live-chat again today, asked them to put me through to the pitboss. Pitboss tells me that she knows that I'm looking for a bonus (oh really, how did you know if you're NEVER getting my emails), but she can't give me anything. Fine, but it's been a week of this nonsense, wherein I was told that I'd likely be up for something, in which in fact I wasn't. She then told me that I've made no purchases recently. I told her, that JUST last week, I did make purchase of $100 at Maple Casino. She then said that players must show "loyalty" in order to obtain bonuses. I then pointed-out that in fact, I'd made purchases of about $800 over the last several weeks. She then said that by "loyalty", she meant that for players who deposit more than $1,000 a month. My jaw dropped.

She then started informing me that people who play poker online are making millions (yes, EVERYONE is a winner, casinos are just throwing away all their money that they make from their casinos back into the poker players pockets). My jaw is still resting in my lap. She's willing to give me $10 to try-out poker. With jaw still resting in lap, I typed, asking why couldn't I get that (lowly) $10 for the casino.

After going back-and-forth on that one, she reluctantly said she'd credit my Maple Casino account with $10. She then told me that she would see to it personally, that I will no longer be entitled to future bonuses. Sweet. Despite not actually receiving or claiming many bonuses in the first place BECAUSE of useless withdrawal stall-tactics, despite NOT replying to any of my queries (while slipping-up that they did in fact receive them), despite being redirected here and there for no legitimate reason, at the end of the day, she's going to take away my bonus "privileges"?

Sorry, but IMPO, the customer support for this group blows. Overall, they're good, customer support, they're a mess.


Sidenote II: VPL "loyalty" points. "Loyal" IS the player, and he/she'll have to be to be able to redeem a penny-of-it. What's up with that vile? I'll never be able to gain that many points in my lifetime.



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Live-Chat HangUPS​

By John Steed​

#1 Automated responses. You know when it's happening. You've been doing the chat method for years now, and it's insulting.

#2 "Sir, I'm..." Insert anything you want, but to me, when they start dropping my name, and start giving me the "sir" treatment, I know we're not making progress. That 3-digit word is to defense what "but" is to negative. Both "technically" are used to be polite, but their true meanings are "door-closed".

#3 "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" Okay, so some times, this is fine. But half the time, this automated response pops-up while we're in the middle of (at least I thought we were) a discussion. I guess this is the polite way to not abruptly ending the chat session.

#4 Never responding to any question and telling me to send an email WITH that very question. If it's a pretty standard question, this is not good. True story, one time, I KNEW that the person was being lazy. So I asked him what time it was? He said that I should send an email with my query to their support team. Tsk-tsk.

#5 How the RNG works/private auditors/payouts/ect... This is okay, if I'm brand new. But if it's a casino I've been doing business with for 3-4 years now, c'mon!!! If I dare say boo about being unlucky, they launch paragraph after paragraph of this stuff at me. I'm getting this VERY vivid picture in my head of an alarm system going off at the casino headquarters, men in uniforms running around the corner, blast-shields going up, staff scrambling into position, bumping into each other, papers flying, absolute chaos.



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I'd love to hear about other people's experiences, specifically about their experiences with customer support (not about game fairness or fastest payouts).

John Steed


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[Simmo!]

Blimey JS. Were you up all night typing that?

What is interesting is that the 3 casinos you mention early on (32Red, Roxy Palace and to a lesser extent King Neptunes) are the 3 i play most regularly, if not fairly exclusively. An interesting correlation? Or just coincidence?

Interestingly, the one's you'd expect to be the best equipped to handle CS, the UK bookmakers, seem to be the worst for CS in general terms, with the possible exception of VC. To be fair, Corals and Ladbrokes seem to be heading in the right direction recently.

Those aside, i think you'll find a link between CS service and number of properties supported too. It's all about "Scalability". Similarly to the principle rules of viral marketing, a concept most casinos have to rely on in a competitive industry and one that the presence of this here forum suports, the best business plans allow for scalability. Maybe some - certainly not all - are lacking that.

And finally, as you infer, when CS call you by your first name, you do feel as if they care more.

 

[johnsteed]

Showdown of the MG affiliates...

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Simmo!

Blimey JS. Were you up all night typing that?

You could say that I was burning the "mid-afternoon oil" (South Korea ).

cont...

What is interesting is that the 3 casinos you mention early on (32Red, Roxy Palace and to a lesser extent King Neptunes) are the 3 i play most regularly, if not fairly exclusively. An interesting correlation? Or just coincidence?

Well then, I think I should ONLY go to the casinos you go to, because those 3 would have to be in the Top 1% of all online casinos. Funny though, how 2/3 of those operations mentioned are relatively small, yet deep-pocket operations/affiliates like Belle Rock, VegasPartnerLounge, and Fortune Lounge have (IMO) far from optimum CS teams. I might even think that affiliates like Jackpot Factory, Leisure Casino Group, even (GULP!) Grand Prive or Casino Rewards (that lime is hard on the eyes, ain't it?) offer better customer support (not Adriches though). I know a lot of forum members would be quick to argue against that, but those perspectives are shaped from my experiences dealing with each affiliates customer support.

You had mentioned Ladbrokes, and while I like this casino, like you, I'm not overly crazy about their customer support either as of late (several months ago, I found it better).

My only guess about why some of the smaller outfits do a better job, is that everything is being micro-managed properly. When some of those large affiliates have too many casinos under one umbrella, management (and everything within the pyramid) gets watered-down. Perhaps 32Red is like Merlot, and a place like Showdown Casino is like Baby Duck. They're both delicious (yes, I like Baby Duck), but one's been babied-with-care (Merlot... not the duck) while the other is produced by giant machines with no love at all (cue the duck crying).


Thanks for the feedback Simmo!


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[Johnny Casino]

"#3 "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" Okay, so some times, this is fine. But half the time, this automated response pops-up while we're in the middle of (at least I thought we were) a discussion. I guess this is the polite way to not abruptly ending the chat session."


I hate that one! Right in the middle of a conversation. It doesnt have to be a casino either. Telcoms, ISPs, web hosts.... etc etc

 

[johnsteed]

Some nice touches added to PlayTech's...

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I went to go check-out the new PlayTech's that have been accredited recently (seeing how I've not gone to them in some time), and I like the newer "Flash" being offered, as well as the upgraded Live Support. I'd say that the layout is much superior to the chat-boxed used for MG casinos.


While I don't have the funds to be depositing anytime soon, the Main Street Vegas Group's casinos main pages look much more aesthetically pleasing than in years past. If and WHEN I'm back in the game (with the exception of a few MG casinos... and I'll always go to 32Red ), I'm thinking of making a return to my old stomping grounds (PlayTech), where I had much better luck.


Sidenote: It's nice to see that some PlayTech's have been added to the accredited list, and hopefully more will do a better job of paying their players in a more appropriate time-frame. I never really had a problem with their software (although I don't care for those "sticky" bonuses), and in some ways, it rivals that of MG.


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