SIERRA STAR CASINO... STAY AWAY!!

[mrracetrack]

I've been trying out some new casinos recently... and thought I would give a new Playtech one... SIERRA STAR CASINO a try...

Posted on the SIERRA STAR homepage...

Professional Customer Service

Our Customer Service personnel are one the most professional and competent customer service teams in the industry. Our managers are highly trained and we only employ customer service staff proficient in the gaming industry. Our personnel monitor all of Sierra Star's activities to ensure a superior gaming experience for all of our customers.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

We aim to exceed your gaming expectations and welcome any feedback you may have. Please feel free to contact our friendly 24/7 customer support team with any question or concern at anytime.

Gee... makes you think if you had any type of problem... they would respond and offer assistance right away...

Well... here's my story...

I downloaded and registered at this casino.

Everything went fine... I even started to install a few of the games.

I tried to log on again about an hour later... and this is what I got... a pop up saying:

THIS ACCOUNT HAS BEEN LOCKED FOR SECURITY REASONS

PLEASE CONTACT CUSTOMER SUPPORT AT support@sierrastarcasino.com for further assistance

I had no idea what this was about... I have only played at one other Playtech casino in the past 2 years... PLAY GATE... where I had no problems... deposited... played... and lost. My account is, as of today, in "good standing" there.)

So I waited until the following day to look into this... I checked my e-mails and all that were there from SIERRA STAR were two e-mails "welcoming me to the casino" and the second one with my password and user ID.

NOTHING about me being "locked out" from their "highly competent and professional" customer support staff...

So I e-mailed support and inquired what this was all about.

My first response from this ""highly competent and professional" customer support staff" was an auto generated reply... interesting, because it says right on their homepage the following... "We always guarantee a prompt human reply to every question or concern and most importantly, our customers always come first."

I did finally get a "human" reply... a few hours later. Here is what this "highly competent and professional" customer support staff had to say about my account being locked:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting Sierra Star Casino.

Our administration system is completely automated and has automatically closed your casino account.

The reason for this may be due to a number of reasons including (but not limited to) the following:

1. Previous activity in the gaming industry and/or affiliated casinos

2. Previous activity with regards to banking and/or credit card systems

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused, but our system will not be able to maintain your account.

We are unable to further assist you, and we thank you for your initial interest in our casino.


Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Sierra Star Casino Support Team. We are available 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week.

With Best Regards,
Kema
Sierra Star Casino

This made no sense to me... and there was NO actual reason listed as I has requested... So I wrote back again and asked for a SPECIFIC reason why I was locked out of my account...

This "highly competent and professional" customer support staff" responded with this...

Dear Bruce,

Thank you for contacting Sierra Star Casino.

Good evening, this is Joshua from the support team. I have received your most recent email and I do understand your frustration. Every business have there policies and Administration system by which guide the relevant company. I am indeed sorry that we will be unable to maintain your account but wish you the best in your future gaming endeavors.

Please enjoy the rest of your evening.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Sierra Star Casino Support Team. We are available 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week.

With Best Regards,

Joshua
Sierra Star Casino

Again no answer to my questions... at least this time the "highly competent and professional" customer support staff" addressed me by name instead of "Dear Customer"...

I sent one final e-mail to these bozo's at SIERRA STAR... which, of course I received no response to...

Here is what I sent:

Is there anyone working for Sierra Star casino that can actually think for themselves and provide me with more than a robotic pregenerated reply?

It's places like Sierra Star that give the online gaming industry the poor reputation it has.

Unprofessional, incompetent and clueless people have no business trying to run a company. Unless the intent is to run it into the ground... which is what I eventually see as your ultimate fate.

There was ABSOLUTELY NO REASON my account should be locked... and tha fact that they won't even give me the courtesy of an explanation really speaks volumes about what kind of place this casino is... not all that surprising really... since they are part of the GIANT VEGAS group... who has had a bunch of previous complaints, and who was involved with the old "rogued" casino that eventually went "belly up"... KISS CASINO.

I'm actually glad this happened... as I strongly suspect there would have been "problems" down the road with this group.

My advice to anyone considering playing at SIERRA STAR CASINO is...

DON'T...

Playtech casinos have been the issue of numerous complaints recently... and a poorly run casino like SIERRA STAR will only add to that poor reputation Playtech casinos are continuing to develop.

 

[The Watchdog]

I totally support you

Thata was a lot of @#%#@#%

The typical emails which give you non sense answers and never help you with anything.


Thats the type of service I despite and makes me want to puke.. After puking it gives me the urge to punch my screen since I don't have that dumb son of #@#@ in front of me.

Sorry for that, but its true. Service like that is exactly why the industry has such a reputation.

What if he played in another casino??? If he has used his card for some other place why should it bother them???

All I can think of is that they are looking for innocent and new customers in the industry to rip them off...

I don't like that at all...

 

[chuchu59]

If they can come up with this sort of customer service as a new casino, I doubt whether they are here for the long run. A most likely contender for the rogue list.

 

[Macgyver]

This is nothing new ...

Did you take a bonus at Playgate? I've had 4-6 different Playtech casinos do the same thing to me and I just associated it with my bonus hunting.

As far as I'm concerned (and this is as a bonus hunter), it's better than a person depositing and then finding out they couldn't get a bonus. Then, the player finds it takes 3-5 days just to get the deposit back?

Now, that would suck. I'm not saying you're a bonus hunter, mrracetrack, but there are plenty of other casinos out there who will happily take your money. At least that's how I look at it ...

 

[mrracetrack]

Posted by Macgiver:

Did you take a bonus at Playgate? I've had 4-6 different Playtech casinos do the same thing to me and I just associated it with my bonus hunting.

Yes... I did get a deposit bonus with Play Gate. That is the ONLY Playtech I've played at in over two years. I lost both deposit and bonus.

3-4 years ago... I played at a few Playtech casinos. No problems that I know of... Just never really cared for them that much... that being why I only played at Play Gate in the past two years.

I don't consider myself a "bonus abuser"... I will take bonuses offered... abide by the T&C... and will deposit without bonuses occasionally.

Whatever the reason is for Sierra Star locking my account... I deserve to be told what that reason is.

 

[unicorn40]

This place should have given him a legit reason......instead of the "may be" due too BS response.What kind of an answer is that?

 

[Freudian]

I actually think this is much better than taking the money, allowing the player to risk losing his deposit and if he wins forfeit the winnings+bonus. At least here you save some time and much grief.

 

[sdaddy]

Yes... I did get a deposit bonus with Play Gate. That is the ONLY Playtech I've played at in over two years. I lost both deposit and bonus.

3-4 years ago... I played at a few Playtech casinos. No problems that I know of... Just never really cared for them that much... that being why I only played at Play Gate in the past two years.

I don't consider myself a "bonus abuser"... I will take bonuses offered... abide by the T&C... and will deposit without bonuses occasionally.

Whatever the reason is for Sierra Star locking my account... I deserve to be told what that reason is.

I'm almost certain that the reason you got locked out is that you're on the so-called Playtech blacklist. All it takes is to win with a bonus and you are permanently not welcome at a lot of Playtechs.

I completely agree that you deserve a straight-up answer when this lock out happens. It's highly unprofessional to be getting canned answers that leave you wondering if you are being accused of some sort of banking fraud.

 

[mrracetrack]

SIERRA STAR RESPONDS...

Well... isn't this interesting...

Within an hour of me posting on here about this "issue"...

Sierra Star Casino decided to e-mail me a reason for locking my account...

This is, of course, AFTER they had told me:

We are unable to further assist you, and we thank you for your initial interest in our casino.

Macgyver was correct... :notworthy

It is for "what they claim" is bonus abuse...

This is the e-mail I got...

Hi Bruce



Im sorry but it appears that you have been flagged by playtech (our service provider) to be abusing the bonus system in other Casinos that are run by Playtech. Please note that this is our Service Providers decision and is not a decision made by the management of the Casino.



Im sorry for any inconvenience caused.



Kind regards



Sandra

Sierra Star

I have no objection being "locked out"... that is their right to do so... but I DO experct to be given a reason when I asked.

It seems that only after someone posts something negative on the forums will a casino respond. That's not the right thing to do, and they know it.

Hardly what I'd expect from a "highly competent and professional" customer support staff"...

And they now deny it was them... it was Playtech who made this decision...

All I can say then is this... Playtech or Sierra Star "both" have the right to reject me as a customer if you choose to. I can accept that.

But to refuse to give me ANY SORT of explanation about this when I nicely inquired about this... is totally "unprofessional" and a poor way to "conduct business" in my opinion.

And to be honest... your accusatations are TOTAL BULLSHIT... if I'm a "bonus abuser" as you claim... why am I not locked out of Play Gate Casino? (not that it would matter... as I will NEVER play at any Playtech casino again)

It is apparent that Playtech deserves the "poor reputation" they have gotten... and ridiculous decisions like this will only enhance the "shit" reputation they continue to develop.

 

[mrracetrack]

Posted by sdaddy:

I'm almost certain that the reason you got locked out is that you're on the so-called Playtech blacklist. All it takes is to win with a bonus and you are permanently not welcome at a lot of Playtechs.

I never won anything. Never cashed out at ANY Playtech casino...not even a dollar.

 

[chuchu59]

Posted by sdaddy:



I never won anything. Never cashed out at ANY Playtech casino...not even a dollar.

Well, the only other reason I can think of is that you took a bonus but although you lost both the deposit and bonus, you never went back to lose too much so it made 'sense' to them to think that you tried to take 'advantage' of the bonus given to you. The fact that you have lost is irrelevant to them as you never went back to become a loyal and consistent losing customer.

Chatmaster(chathead), if you are reading this, it's why so many players detest the term 'bonus abuse' as this very term is abused by the rogue casinos.

Mrracetrack,
Yeah, the casino rep, Ivosh did visit this forum today and that explains why they gave you that answer right after your post although they might as well have it unanswered with that sort of a reply.

 

[mucullus]

I’m sorry but it appears that you have been flagged by playtech (our service provider) to be abusing the bonus system in other Casinos that are run by Playtech. Please note that this is our Service Providers decision and is not a decision made by the management of the Casino.

At least their reply is straightforward. I think most online casinos try to hide the fact that they are solely a marketing agency which outsources several functions one would consider to be fundamental to a casino, like customer service, risk management, payment processing, etc.
Disclosing such structures would probably take much of the glamour out of online casinos. On the other hand, hiding behind these practises can lead to frustration and misinformation on the player's side.

 

[silkprint]

Thanks for the heads up Mrrace. I won't even sign up there . I can't be bothered giving my money to casinos that treat their customers this way anymore . Been there and done and never even GOT a tshirt .

 

[The Watchdog]

Sierra Star

When I first saw their site and their advertisement I thought they were on the right road..

I would like to hear about them on this thread..

 

[paul1]

Sorry about your frustrating experience Mr. Racetrack. Some of these Playtechs are getting pretty scarey nowadays. My advice, stick to a couple of the good ones and pass on any gray areas.

I like Kiwi and I know they are reputable. But if you are not a member already, you might get tripped up by the same "system" that automatically booted you from Sierra.

Try Bet365. They use Playtech software. (which I think highly of) And I have never seen any complaints about Bet365 that I can remember. As far as I can tell Bet365 is very very reputable and they are rated A+ at Sportsbook Review. And they do not apparently work on the same system that booted you from Sierra. When you're dealing with Bet365, you're dealing with them and them alone.

 

[mrracetrack]

Paul1 posted:

Sorry about your frustrating experience Mr. Racetrack. Some of these Playtechs are getting pretty scarey nowadays. My advice, stick to a couple of the good ones and pass on any gray areas.

I like Kiwi and I know they are reputable. But if you are not a member already, you might get tripped up by the same "system" that automatically booted you from Sierra.

Thank you for your suggestions, Paul.

But to be honest... I will not bother with any other Playtech casinos.

If I ever was lucky enough to win and cash out a few dollars... I could easily see another "problem"... due to my name being on whatever "list" they are using.

Playtech software has never been one of my favorites... and the fact that they obviously don't wish to have me as a player at their casinos... is just fine with me.

There are far better places to play at that have shown me that they appreciate my business.

 

[johnwater]

appreciation...

Hi

I would like to be appreciated, which ones appreciate you, if its not too personal a question that is

JW

 

[ivosh]

Sierra Star response

dear mrracetrack

I wish to point out the following

1. As protection to all, Playtech monitor the conduct of all casinos on their platform and if any single casino locks a player out for an apparently legitimate reason, then that player is automatically barred from all Playtech casinos. This is standard practice in the industry and is not peculiar to Playtech.
2. That is why when you tried to sign up with us, you were automatically frozen out by Playtech. We did not even know you had tried to sign up with us;
3. Your initial queries went directly to Playtech and were not seen by us. This is why at that time, you did not receive any response from us. Our aplogies for Playtech not giving you a reason for your lock out.
4. The first we knew of this issue was when you emailed us directly. We responded IMMEDIATELY with the reason for your being locked out.
5. You acknowledged this response and thanked us for the reply.
6. If you feel you have been treated unfairly, please take up the issue with the casino that locked you out initially. Please do not blame Sierra Star Casino for something that is not of our doing.
7. We remain committed to upholding the principles of fair gaming and of treating our players with the utmost of respect.

Sierra Star Casino

 

[chuchu59]

Standard practice? Ya gotta be kidding. I remember that several years ago, some roguish RTG casinos tried to pull off a similar stunt by voiding winnings of players who took up a bonus by stating they were on a blacklist. The former operators of Windows casino was one of those. The interesting thing was that the players concerned were not blacklisted at many other RTG casinos.

Even if you now claim there is a blacklist, wouldnt it too much to ask the player to contact the casino he played at before. Incidentally, I dont think Mrracetrack was 'locked out' of the 'other' casino as he claims he is still in 'good standing' there. Furthermore, he signed up at your casino so you should take this up with playtech instead of merely stating it aint your business. The initial mails welcomed him to Sierra Star so it can only be assumed that the e-mails came from the casino and not playtech. Actually, the player is conducting business with your casino only. As far as he is concerned, he doesnt care a damn about the software provider as far as claiming of bonuses is concerned.

Ivosh's response must be one of the prime 'couldnt-care-less' replies I have ever seen.

 

[unicorn40]

Geezzzzzz,talk about BS......I'm so glad i never made any deposits here....

Ivosh's response must be one of the prime 'couldnt-care-less' replies I have ever seen.

Ain't that the truth!!!

 

[mrracetrack]

Response to ivosh

ivosh posted this:

dear mrracetrack

I wish to point out the following

1. As protection to all, Playtech monitor the conduct of all casinos on their platform and if any single casino locks a player out for an apparently legitimate reason, then that player is automatically barred from all Playtech casinos. This is standard practice in the industry and is not peculiar to Playtech.
   
   BULLSHIT... I have an active account with Play Gate casino... (as of July 3rd... when I deleted it from my computer)
   
   
2. That is why when you tried to sign up with us, you were automatically frozen out by Playtech. We did not even know you had tried to sign up with us;
3. Your initial queries went directly to Playtech and were not seen by us. This is why at that time, you did not receive any response from us. Our aplogies for Playtech not giving you a reason for your lock out.
   
   More Bullshit... How would an e-mail to support@sierrastarcasino.com go to Playtech?
   
   And I DID get "numerous" responses from Sierra Star casino... unless Playtech's new signature is this...
   
   

   With Best Regards,
   Kema
   Sierra Star Casino

4. The first we knew of this issue was when you emailed us directly. We responded IMMEDIATELY with the reason for your being locked out.
   
   More lies and Bullshit...
   
   You responded with a "standard prewritten response" that did NOT give me a "specific" reason for locking my account... it offered a "bunch of possibilities" why my account was locked.
   
   

   Subj: Re: Important Account Information 2 [#1243013]
   Date: 6/29/2006 10:13:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time
   From: support@sierrastarcasino.com
   To: XXXXXXXXXXX@aol.com
   Sent from the Internet (Details)
   
   
   
   Dear Customer,
   
   Thank you for contacting Sierra Star Casino.
   
   Our administration system is completely automated and has automatically closed your casino account.
   
   The reason for this may be due to a number of reasons including (but not limited to) the following:
   
   1. Previous activity in the gaming industry and/or affiliated casinos
   
   2. Previous activity with regards to banking and/or credit card systems
   
   We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused, but our system will not be able to maintain your account.
   
   We are unable to further assist you, and we thank you for your initial interest in our casino.
   
   
   Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Sierra Star Casino Support Team. We are available 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week.
   
   With Best Regards,
   Kema
   Sierra Star Casino
   

   
   
   
   
5. You acknowledged this response and thanked us for the reply.
   
   After receiving a 2nd e-mail from Sierra Star... an "exact duplicate copy" of the first response I received... this time from "Joshua"... this was the "Thank You" I replied with...
   
   

   Subj: Re: Important Account Information 2 [#1243013]
   Date: 6/30/2006 5:35:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
   From: XXXXXXXXXXX
   To: support@sierrastarcasino.com
   
   
   
   Your response to my questions was an exact copy of the previous e-mail I received from you... a standard "cut & paste" generic response.
   
   Is there anyone working for Sierra Star casino that can actually think for themselves and provide me with more than a robotic pregenerated reply?
   
   It's places like Sierra Star that give the online gaming industry the poor reputation it has.
   
   Unprofessional, incompetent and clueless people have no business trying to run a company. Unless the intent is to run it into the ground... which is what I eventually see as your ultimate fate.

   
   Interesting that you view that as a "Thank You"...
   
   
6. If you feel you have been treated unfairly, please take up the issue with the casino that locked you out initially. Please do not blame Sierra Star Casino for something that is not of our doing.
   
   Only after I posted on this forum, and you read about this issue, did I receive a legitimate and factual response from your casino. It was from Sandra... who I did thank for writing.
   
   
7. We remain committed to upholding the principles of fair gaming and of treating our players with the utmost of respect.

Sierra Star Casino

 

[mrracetrack]

Sierra Star Casino... SUCKS

Hey ivosh...

The more I think about, and reread what you posted... the more annoyed I'm getting with it...

Sierra Star response

dear mrracetrack

I wish to point out the following

As protection to all, Playtech monitor the conduct of all casinos on their platform and if any single casino locks a player out for an apparently legitimate reason, then that player is automatically barred from all Playtech casinos. This is standard practice in the industry and is not peculiar to Playtech.

You really seem to be not only "pompous"... but clueless, too... did you actually READ any of what I posted?

You obviously assume that I am "guilty" of whatever Playtech has used as a reason to lock my account. Instead of perhaps offering me some insincere apology for the way I was treated... all you seem to want to show is how "innocent" Sierra Star was in this... by "passing the buck" and blaming Playtech.

You're nothing but a "house shill" for Sierra Star... and your attitude leaves a LOT to be desired...

I only hope everyone that reads this thread can see the same thing I see about you and Sierra Star casino.

You have certainly added credence to my thoughts on Sierra Star that I sent in my e-mail...

Unprofessional, incompetent and clueless people have no business trying to run a company. Unless the intent is to run it into the ground... which is what I eventually see as your ultimate fate.

 

[ergopro]

I got that same diiba-daaba-yadda-yadda-blah-blah...but received those emails after I asked them to close my account...They just made it sound like I'm not welcome in that casino as a typical bonus abuser...Would like to point out that I wasn't locked out...But received those "bonus abuser" emails afterwards...
Strange place...

 

[Pearland]

SIERRA CASINO

Not to feel bad, the same happened to me. Did not bother to even email them why they locked me out, wasn't interested in playing there depositing my money. Tried downloading to get the bonus. Oh well.

 

[The Watchdog]

I really don't buy that

The answer from that guy is not good.

I know playtech very well. Unless, they are part of a group of casinos where the customer has opened several accounts. there is no reason to ban him.

In case he has opened an account with an affiliated casino of Sierra where he chargebacked or pull some trick, then that will be a reason to ban him automatically.

I would like to know if there is a spokesman from Playtech to support this guy's post.

I honestly find the answer unprofessional and with no background to rely.