O.K I put my foot down..

[gabyyyyy]

I finally put my foot down. Not because I have had any recent problems, just in protest of the way party poker handles things. Here is the entire email. Correspondance to and fro.

Enjoy..



--Original Message--
From: xxxxxxx@yahoo.com
Date: 2004-06-30 01:29
To: info@partypoker.com,manager@onlinecasinoservice.co m
Subject: Closing of my account[#129xxxx]

Hello,

I am requesting my party poker account xxxxxxxx be closed because of your rude and substandard service. I spoke to
supervisors in the past about constant disconnects in sit and go tournaments and other software issues. The replies were always that "it was my problem, and that I should have read the terms and conditions regarding disconnects". One supervisor went on to add that it was my connection and that I would just have to suffer the loss and learn to call support right when a problem occured. I know for a fact that upper management of your company does not condone operating the company in such a poor fashion. I also know personally that the main managers of party poker/star
luck casino are nice people who want their customers to be treated with respect. I was treated in the complete opposite fashion. When I call about a problem im incurring I do not expect to be put on the defensive like I am in a court room. I call support expecting to be helped, a refund was never neccessary, only a solution.

On several occasions your supervisors and customer support staff implied that I was not a "big player" therefore not worthy of any kind of refund or assistance. They would usually offer me a bonus on my next deposit, but that was hardly satisfactory. Simple logic would suggest correcting the current problem before expecting me to deposit again.

I have been a customer for over 2 years, and do not deserve to be treated like a straggler. I especially would not expect to be insulted when I inform your customer service department of issues I am having with YOUR software. For a million dollar company, your support staff does not conduct themselves accordingly. One would think a company of your magnitude would do everything possible to make the customer happy. Not frustrate, and berate them when they report a loss of money due to a software problem.

No one deserves to be treated this way.

Regards,

xxxxxxx

-------------------------------------------
Their response:

Dear xxxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting us.

This is to confirm the receipt of your account closure request. With deepest regrets, we have complied with your wishes.Your account "xxxxxxxx" registered with the e-mail address "xxxxxxx@yahoo.com" has been closed but in the event that you wish to re-open your account with us again, please feel free to contact us so that we can open your account and make any changes to your profile that
you wish.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Department at any time. We are here 24/7 to assist you via email.

Have a great day!!!!

Indira S,
Poker Customer Care


**Can you actually believe they said have a great day?**

[BreakEvenPlayer]

You're nuts.

Party Poker is an offshore business that is providing a service for its customers. If you're good at poker this happens to be a very profitable and enjoyable service.

When you send your money overseas you are taking a substantial risk. If PP decides that I shouldn't be refunded for my $5 Omaha Hi/Lo tourney that was probably the fault of my crappy Internet Service Provider, I will take the hit.

I've been playing on Party for 18 months and I don't have one thing to whine about. Yeah their servers crash every once in awhile. But they are growing and these are some of the pains we have to deal with. They continue to provide me with the best game selection on the internet.

[MicroBob]

gabbyyyy took some drastic measures here....but it is well known that there have been table-disconnect issues related to party's servers that they continually blame on the customers.

several people (including one here tonight) have reported being disconnected on one table and unable to sit back down while having no trouble at all continuing to play at a different table on the same site.
this is obviously not a connection issue.

i have had this happen myself on several occasions.....but not in SNG's (because i haven't been playing too many of those on party of recent).

the disconnects are often related to using the search-feature.
it is incomprehensible to me how so many people can inform them of this problem and they continue to deny it.


again....i think gabbyyyy's measures were a bit over-the-top....but her general ideas on party's treatment of customers as well as their constant denial of their own software issues (and constant placing of the blame on the customer) definately has legitimacy.



if they would only acknowledge that they have a buddy-list disconnect bug in their system (as well as other disconnect problems) then perhaps they could find a way to fix it.

[gabyyyyy]

[ QUOTE ]
If PP decides that I shouldn't be refunded for my $5 Omaha Hi/Lo tourney that was probably the fault of my crappy Internet Service Provider, I will take the hit.


[/ QUOTE ]

I pay about 50.00 for my internet every month and it is certainly not "crappy". Party poker is clearly at fault in the majority of connectivity issues I and many other players have.

[ QUOTE ]
I've been playing on Party for 18 months and I don't have one thing to whine about. Yeah their servers crash every once in awhile.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, that is amazing. You have been very very lucky. Their servers crash a little more then "once in a while".

again: [ QUOTE ]
If PP decides that I shouldn't be refunded for my $5 Omaha Hi/Lo tourney

[/ QUOTE ]

That is like saying that it is ok to steal $5.00 on occasion, but it is not ok if it happens all the time.

[gabyyyyy]

100% agree Bob.

[HavanaBanana]

[ QUOTE ]
I pay about 50.00 for my internet every month and it is certainly not "crappy".

[/ QUOTE ]

I find this kind of funny!

Maybe if the put 50$ in your account you would start playing again Gabbyyy? and not only that, but saying nice things about them too?

ToT

[JAque]

n/M

[Drunk Bob]

It might be your fault. Did you ever consider that?

I have Aol thru a rural phone company and have not been disconnected in months.Several "establishing connection" but it always comes back when I have a hand.


Think about it.

[VeryTnA]

I have DSL. The ONLY time I have EVER been disconected is when the WHOLE system went down, or PP,UB,PTY,WSEX, Etc. went off line. Both very rare. It very well may be YOUR problem. Sorry to burst your bubble. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[BradleyT]

Why is it so hard to believe Party software has problems? Just because YOU don't experience it does not mean it doesn't exist.

Take the disappearing button issue. People kept saying it was a "computer resources issue". Bullshit. My home computer is better than 99% of all peoples computers who play on Party.

Just because you don't have the same problem what gives you the right to blame it on the end user?

[La Brujita]

I am a bit afraid to agree with gabyyyyy but I applaud what he did. I have had connection issues with Party and I know it was on their end not mine and they too have refused to refund me on occasion.

It has happened that I am playing mutitple sit and gos and one gets disconnected while the other plays fine. Other sites and my internet connection all worked fine.

I take it as the cost of doing business but there is no reason to do so. Why should this risk fall on the player rather than the company charging a fee for its service?

I have tried to be a proponent of consumer activism and using our power as core consumers to effect change and I believe that is what gabyyy is doing.

[Syntax]

Dude, you pay a lot of friggin money to Party to play there. They are NOT providing you a service. YOU are a consumer and purchase thier product. You have every right to expect it to be worth the money you invest. Thier software is not up to what your standards should be for paying thousands a year in rake and tourney fees.

For the love of all that is good, grow a set of balls and stop acting like you owe something to them. They are not in business to provide a service. They want your money. Expect better when you choose to patronize them.

[pudley4]

[ QUOTE ]
It might be your fault. Did you ever consider that?

I have Aol thru a rural phone company and have not been disconnected in months.Several "establishing connection" but it always comes back when I have a hand.


Think about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, it's not gabyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy's connection. It is a problem on Party's end. Several people here have had the same issue, but Party refuses to admit it or do anything about it.

[Syntax]

I have the higest speed Cox internet DSL available to residential consumers. I get 300k download. I'm a software engineer student and work with computers all day. I'm not an network expert though, but I have four computers an xbox and a tivo networked in my apartment. Everything works great 99% of the time.

Empire and Pary Poker crash my entire service occasionaly. I havent been able to figure out exactly what causees it, but it seems like if Im playing at more then two tables is when it happens. I usually have other network services on like MSN messenger. It will cause my modem to freeze, and I will have to reset it. This only happens when running Party Poker for a while whith a few tables. The software is full of bugs.

I think in AA they say admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. Party get your a$$ to AA.

[pudley4]

[ QUOTE ]
I have DSL. The ONLY time I have EVER been disconected is when the WHOLE system went down, or PP,UB,PTY,WSEX, Etc. went off line. Both very rare. It very well may be YOUR problem. Sorry to burst your bubble. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You are wrong. This is not a disconnection problem.

Here's an example of what happened to me recently:

Step 1: Open two ring game tables.
Step 2: After a while, sit out at both tables to take care of some things around the house.
Step 3: Sit back in at the tables.
Step 4: Choose "Wait for Big Blind"
Step 5: While waiting, open my Buddy List and see who's on
Step 6: Close Buddy List and go back to the tables
Step 7: Table 1 gets to my Big Blind and I post and get a hand.
Step 8: Table 2 gets to my Big Blind and it sits me out I do not have the option to post my BB. I uncheck the "Wait for BB" box, but when the Button passes by, I do not have the option to post BB+SB. I close and open the table, but still do not have the option to post. I close and reopen Party, but when I get back to the table, I do not have the option to post. The whole time this goes on, I have zero problems at Table 1.

I finally close Table 2 and let myself get picked up after several orbits. I open Table 3 and have zero problems posting or playing.



The problem is not gabyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy's connection. It is a problem on Party's end. I have a 1+ Mb cable connection, and have no problems other than this Party problem (and it happens very rarely). If it truly was a connection problem, it would affect all the tables I was at, including any new tables I tried to join. It would also affect the other sites I was concurrently playing at (TruePoker and/or Poker Club), but it does not.

When it happens in a ring game, it's a minor inconvenience. When it happens during a tournament, it's death.

[cardcounter0]

The software bug is triggered by going into your buddy list and playing multiple tables at the same time.

So if you are in a big tournament, STAY OUT OF YOUR BUDDY LIST.

Kind of like, if you have your Sunday best clothes on, that is not the time to "test" the sign that says WET PAINT.

[Syntax]

Exactly, its your own damn fault for using features of thier sofware that don't work right.

[nbajam]

Yes how dare we expect software that works.

[cardcounter0]

I generally get burned by the hot stove once, then I stay away from it. You can go ahead and keep putting your hand on the hot burner again and again, and yell about people leaving the stove on.

[gabyyyyy]

[ QUOTE ]
I generally get burned by the hot stove once, then I stay away from it. You can go ahead and keep putting your hand on the hot burner again and again, and yell about people leaving the stove on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly my point, I got burned multiple times by party and their problems. Therefore I decided that the only solution to not getting burned again, would be to leave.

Thanks for the great analogy.

[gabyyyyy]

[ QUOTE ]
It might be your fault. Did you ever consider that?

I have Aol thru a rural phone company and have not been disconnected in months.Several "establishing connection" but it always comes back when I have a hand.


Think about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

No it was not my fault. Also AOL sucks, my isp is a thousand times better.

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
Here's an example of what happened to me recently:

Step 1: Open two ring game tables.
Step 2: After a while, sit out at both tables to take care of some things around the house.
Step 3: Sit back in at the tables.
Step 4: Choose "Wait for Big Blind"
Step 5: While waiting, open my Buddy List and see who's on
Step 6: Close Buddy List and go back to the tables
Step 7: Table 1 gets to my Big Blind and I post and get a hand.
Step 8: Table 2 gets to my Big Blind and it sits me out I do not have the option to post my BB. I uncheck the "Wait for BB" box, but when the Button passes by, I do not have the option to post BB+SB. I close and open the table, but still do not have the option to post. I close and reopen Party, but when I get back to the table, I do not have the option to post. The whole time this goes on, I have zero problems at Table 1.

[/ QUOTE ]



this has happened to me on several occasions.
took me awhile to determine that it was the buddy-list or search-player feature.
happens much less now that this forum helped me identify the thread.

but it also can happen if you are downloading a couple of pages and get disconnected for a couple of seconds from the table.
it just won't let you back in some of the time.


i still don't think the problem itself is that big a deal. different online casinos seem to have a different variety of bugs.
the extraordinary part is that party itself absolutely denies that this ever happens. they are continually blaming their customers.

if dozens and dozens of players came to stars or paradise support and told them 'dude.....your software freezes when i use your player-search feature' i am certain they would respond professionally...something like:
'thank you for your input. you are not the only player to have complained about this issue. our tech staff is looking into it.'
instead party says....'no...we have no problem. it is all an issue on your end. your connection must be awful. it is irrelevent that you were able to continue playing on all of the other tables.'

[Stew]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It might be your fault. Did you ever consider that?

I have Aol thru a rural phone company and have not been disconnected in months.Several "establishing connection" but it always comes back when I have a hand.


Think about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

No it was not my fault. Also AOL sucks, my isp is a thousand times better.

[/ QUOTE ]

ROFL, you're ISP is no better than the line it's leasing. If you are using DSL or dial-up. I'd hope for $50 you aren't on dial-up, but given the person, I can't be sure. If you are on DSL, the line is leased from one of your local telephone service providers, same as what AOL does for their customers. But, for $50 it sounds like you're getting raked, but given that I think you're on the East Coast, that's probably just the cost of living difference there.

Anyway, when you get dc'd from Party and unable to get back on, do you ever call them?

I have received a refund every single time I've been dc'd during a tournament and unable to connect (granted, this has been less than a dozen situations0 but still that has never been a problem for me.

One thing you have to understand, if Party doesn't have a known Network issue, they are going to be very relectuctant to offer a refund. The reason for this is that it would be quite easy for someone to dc from a tournament when they are doing bad or have to go or whatever the reason and then just ask for a refund.

I know there's been some known problems with dc's that aren't caused by known network problems with their servers, but you do have to somewhat understand the situation they are in. If they just start giving out refunds anytime someone disconnects from a tourney, then they'll quit offfering them b/c so many cheaters and colluders will pile on that it won't be feasible for them to offer such a service and turn a profit.

[Frozen]

"On several occasions your supervisors and customer support staff implied that I was not a "big player" therefore not worthy of any kind of refund or assistance."

Hey, if it's any consolation, us high rollers get treated like sh*t also.

[HUSKER'66]

[ QUOTE ]
For a million dollar company, your support staff does not conduct themselves accordingly.

[/ QUOTE ]


Party is a multi million dollar compay.

Carry on,

Husker