Need Help With A Sci Fi Cashout

[Pinababy69]

I've already had a word with Sci-Fi. It's the weekend so nothing is happening at the moment, but they promised to review the play, Hopefully we'll hear something on Monday.

Thanks Spearmaster, hopefully they can reach at least some form of compromise with this player.

 

[CROGO]

My own experience with Sci-Fi is that I signed up and for the $15 no deposit bonus and managed a small win. I was in Germany at the time. They refused to honor my payout claiming I was playing from Poland. (I am not a Polish citizen, and can prove it!) They sent me an IP address, which I traced to Szczecin, Poland, which is 6 km from the German border. I tried to explain that my company’s IT dept. uses leased lines, and that Poland is part of the EU, etc. They refused to look at any other factor except the IP address. The customer service was grossly lacking. (I also did receive a condescending email from Harold Ackerman.)


Since they failed to pay a small amount of money, I will never play there.

A very short-sighted operation.

 

[sneakattack]

So Guess what everyone Sci-Fi now owes me not 1 or 2 emails, but 4. Yep ive sent them 6 emails and theyve ignored the last 6.

This is an issue that Sci Fi really needs to deal with. I would personally advise everyone to stay away from the entire Sci Fi Group.

Thanks spearmaster for looking into the matter, have you heard anything yet?

 

[sneakattack]

So im going to pitch a bitch and contact cindy from VPJ, but i realized that they both probably have alot on their hands and im still trying to resolve this one.

While reading casinomeisters page of things to do before pitching a bitch, it says to go to RTG site. RTGs complaint site however requires you to be 21 while Sci-Fi only requires you to be 18. Im 20, is this going to be an issue of if i fill out a dispute form? The last thing i need is to wait 3 weeks to find out theyve rejected my claim because im 20.

 

[chuchu59]

My own experience with Sci-Fi is that I signed up and for the $15 no deposit bonus and managed a small win. I was in Germany at the time. They refused to honor my payout claiming I was playing from Poland. (I am not a Polish citizen, and can prove it!) They sent me an IP address, which I traced to Szczecin, Poland, which is 6 km from the German border. I tried to explain that my companys IT dept. uses leased lines, and that Poland is part of the EU, etc. They refused to look at any other factor except the IP address. The customer service was grossly lacking. (I also did receive a condescending email from Harold Ackerman.)


Since they failed to pay a small amount of money, I will never play there.

A very short-sighted operation.

There was no mention in the terms and conditions(both general and $15 no-deposit) that players from Poland were disallowed. They only oust several Asian countries, including Hong Kong. Hmmph! Even if they exclude Polish players, you are only playing from poland and if you can prove your residency, there is no reason why they should not cough up the measly amount which would be no more than $50.

 

[Linus]

Good luck, sneak attack.

Unfortunately, this shows the dangers of gambling on the internet. Too many casinos think paying their customers when they win is optional.

Apparantly SciFi is one of them.

 

[Linus]

Sneakattack, looking at their T&C's now, I see, "Maximum Cash Out: 5 Times the amount of the bonus."

Did they add that after you played?

 

[spearmaster]

I will check with them today. They indicated to me that they would look at the logs but for some reason RTG's logging system is a bit antiquated so it will take a little time.

CROGO - very weird...

 

[CROGO]

There was no mention in the terms and conditions(both general and $15 no-deposit) that players from Poland were disallowed. They only oust several Asian countries, including Hong Kong. Hmmph! Even if they exclude Polish players, you are only playing from poland and if you can prove your residency, there is no reason why they should not cough up the measly amount which would be no more than $50.

The amount was $34. I sent several emails asking that they call me at my US phone number. The only reply I received was from Harold Ackerman:

Greetings from all at Sci-Fi Casino! As you were informed in the previous email, all the players from Poland are not allowed to play in this casino, your account clearly shows the following IP address: 83.21.60.199, which is registered in Warsaw the capital of Poland. Our Security Department has banned all the players from Poland and many other countries due to security reasons. Therefore, when a player from a banned country attempts to use the software and change the country or address will get the account closed and all the money will be removed from the account. Please understand that this is a serious business with a good reputation within the gambling industry for more than 6 years. We do not appreciate threats or menaces either. For all the reasons explained above you won't get any of the money you used and your account will not be reopened. Have a good one! Respectfully,
Harold Ackerman
Sci-Fi Casino Support
www.sci-fi-casino.com

Again the IP address tracks to Szczecin, Poland on the German border.

If they want to use the IP address as the sole determining fact, then why not just block people from these IP addresses from playing? It would be easy enough. But they want to take money from these people and use the IP address to deny payments me thinks...

Good thing I didn't deposit any real money here!

 

[chuchu59]

CROGO,

I agree with you on the IP address issue. They could have blocked everyone registering an account from these IP addresses. What I dont understand is why there is no mention of the banning of polish players. What if there is a Polish player registering from the US for example. Will he be banned? What if an account holder who plays regularly goes to Poland on vacation and plays from that country? Will he be banned? The list of questions will go on and on.

Spearmaster,

Since you are helping Sneakattack in his case, can you help CROGO as well. The e-mail from Sci-fi just seems too high-handed. I know that this may not be the whole story but as you mentioned in your last post it does seem weird.

 

[sneakattack]

The 5 times max cashout has been there since i signed up, its not new. However I was planning on cashing out the max 1250 or 1500 im not sure which it is and than trying to accumulate lots and lots of comp points.

 

[spearmaster]

sneakattack, expect contact from Sci-Fi soon.

CROGO - looking into this at the moment.

 

[SciFiGroup]

Hi,
We have reviewed this issue, and we are willing to honor this cashout in the amount of $1250. In our opinion, the CS rep made a direction change in the live chat once they knew it was a deposit bonus. However, we see how this could have been a misunderstanding. We also determined by checking the logs that the extra $15 wasn't a factor. We have made sure all reps will be more careful in the future.

We must be clear that the player did, in fact, violate 2 of our terms and conditions, and that this should not be an excuse to violate terms. We are making changes in our live chat support to assure that the terms and conditions are consulted prior to any involvement with bonuses at the casino.

One other thing I would like to have cleared up. In a followup to our post you suggested this to the community:

1. In my conversation with CS i asked if i could also get the 250 match bonus in addition to the 15 free i had been given the code for. The answer was Yes. I was told that i could get the 250 also, meaning in addition. CS told me or at the very least let me believe that both bonuses could be simultaneously claimed.

These are false statements. This was never said in chat. We need to be very clear about that. That is misleading and it pulled other community members into followup accusations based on false information.

I have worked very hard to resolve this issue, and I appreciate your patience. Your payout will be processed shortly.

Thanks
SciFi

 

[chuchu59]

Pleased to see that the casino does the right thing. I liked the part about the $15 not being a factor for arriving at the winnings. Kudos to spearmaster as well.

 

[Linus]

These are false statements. This was never said in chat. We need to be very clear about that. That is misleading and it pulled other community members into followup accusations based on false information.

Sneakattack quoted the CS chat in full. I don't think he was misleading. Had it been me, I would have interpreted the chat the same way he did.


However,

We have reviewed this issue, and we are willing to honor this cashout in the amount of $1250.

I'm pleased you changed your mind about the payout. I think it's a good thing when casinos maintain an open line of communication with players - both the ones they already have, and ones they may have in the future.

 

[Pinababy69]

Absolutely agree Chuchu. Thanks Sci Fi for restoring a little bit of faith, it's been a rough month, lol. And thanks Spear.

 

[paul02085]

Kudos for Sci-Fi working this out. They are a class operation. Thanks to Spear also.

 

[spearmaster]

Sneakattack quoted the CS chat in full. I don't think he was misleading. Had it been me, I would have interpreted the chat the same way he did.

Just to be clear, Linus - SciFi is referring to the fact that Sneakattack literally claimed that CS had said "Yes" he could have both bonuses.

1. In my conversation with CS i asked if i could also get the 250 match bonus in addition to the 15 free i had been given the code for. The answer was Yes. I was told that i could get the 250 also, meaning in addition. CS told me or at the very least let me believe that both bonuses could be simultaneously claimed.

If you read the chat, the word "Yes" most definitely does not exist.

 

[chuchu59]

Just to be clear, Linus - SciFi is referring to the fact that Sneakattack literally claimed that CS had said "Yes" he could have both bonuses.



If you read the chat, the word "Yes" most definitely does not exist.

In the chat, the CS rep almost certainly meant 'yes' when he replied to SA's question as to whether the 100% match bonus could also be claimed in addition to the free $15. In fact, isnt it true that both bonuses can be claimed by the same player although they must be claimed separately and in a sequence ie the $15 first,played through, withdrawal made if any and then the match bonus is claimed and the whole process is repeated.

 

[paul1]

I'm glad I logged on and looked at this thread. I was hoping this would work out. Looks like all's well that ends well.

And it looks like they are a good casino. I'll have to try them some day.

 

[spearmaster]

In the chat, the CS rep almost certainly meant 'yes' when he replied to SA's question as to whether the 100% match bonus could also be claimed in addition to the free $15. In fact, isnt it true that both bonuses can be claimed by the same player although they must be claimed separately and in a sequence ie the $15 first,played through, withdrawal made if any and then the match bonus is claimed and the whole process is repeated.

The CS rep most definitely did NOT say "Yes". I agree that his response could have been interpreted either way, and as you will note I initially indicated that it looked as if he had allowed both bonuses - but then I also saw where the confusion was as well.

Both bonuses may obviously be claimed if they are done in the correct order, just as any consecutive bonuses at other casinos provided each bonus has had the terms and conditions met in full.

 

[CROGO]

OK, so I have learned that the IP address is owned by Telekomunikacja Polska, which in turn is a subsidiary of France Telecom. (You could look it up!)

Does this mean I was really playing from France?

Can’t they route their Internet traffic any way they want?

Thanks for the effort Spearman. I wasn’t going to complain here about a no-deposit bonus, but I saw the topic and wanted to share my experience. I certainly hope you can get in touch with Harold Ackerman’s boss. I don’t think I could get that high, but someone at Sci-Fi should read his emails. I can’t imagine a brick and mortar casino employing anyone who mocks its customers like that.

 

[sneakattack]

Thanks So much to everyone especially spearmaster. Im glad this has been worked out.

The point about the yes, is one i believe of interpretation. It was not as the sci fi rep said outright said, but i believed it was implied, but at this point it seems a null point that should be left to die.

I have recieved 2 emails from sci fi saying my cashout is being processed and being sent to neteller. I cant check my account right now, but i believe the cashout should be processed some time today if it hasnt already.

Once again thanks to everyone in this thread and i hope CROGOs issue gets worked out.

 

[sneakattack]

Ive got to give sci fi credit here: The cashout was transfered directly to my account and the remains of my balance was put back into my accout, which is quite nice now i can try and rack up some comp points.

 

[spearmaster]

Ive got to give sci fi credit here: The cashout was transfered directly to my account and the remains of my balance was put back into my accout, which is quite nice now i can try and rack up some comp points.

Good for you! And good for Sci Fi!