Have Ladbrokes Gone Rogue?

[Stevesharpe]

EDIT

Please see post 14 where I realise my mistake. I still think the thread has raised some good points from other contributors though so may well be worth a read



I had 2 Ladbrokes accounts, this I was told was ok so long as I only claimed any given bonus on one of them. 3 weeks ago both my accounts were locked and I had to call them to have them unlocked. I was told I could only have 1 account and given the option to choose which one I kept and the other would be closed and all monies refunded to me, which I received quickly.

Skip forward to last weekend and the mini games bonus on the bingo site. I played dynamite digger and lost £9 in £50 wr. On Tuesday I wasn't credited my £10 bonus so I emailed to enquire why and received a reply (I'm paraphrasing a little here)

"Having checked your play history it has become apparent to us that you only play at our site for bonuses. Therefore it has been decided that unless we see an increase in your level of play for fun you will be excluded from future promotions" It goes on to explain that people abusing their promotions costs them money making it more difficult to offer bonuses for genuine recreational players.

I can't argue with this as it's the truth, I am a bonus abuser and have been for 13 months. I emailed them back and stated I accepted their decision and fully acknowledged their right to bar me from future promotions. I did however question their right to bar me from a promotion retrospectively. I pointed out that if they were unwilling to give me the bonus they had enticed me to play for they should at the very least refund my losses, after all I wasn't aware when I was doing the qualifying wagering that I wasn't eligible for the bonus as they hadn't contacted me to tell me this.

They replied stating their T&C that they could withhold bonuses from anyone for any reason and again I replied questioning the legality of this term. I simply asked whether it is legal to offer someone a promotional deal, take their money and then refuse them the promotion. If this was a retail transaction they would at the very least have to refund my money if not allowing me to avail of the promotion.

That's the background but not the reason I accuse them of going rogue. This is the email I received after questioning whether they could legally refuse me the bonus retrospectively. It's copy paste directly from my browser word for word. I have put in bold the part of real concern

Dear Mr ****,

Thank you for your e-mail.

Your comments have been taken on board and the decision has been made to
not offer any promotions whilst your account is being investigated for
potential bonus abuse. Because of this we are also unwilling to credit
the bonus you have requested.

I have audited your account and have confirmed that you have received 6
bonuses during April on our games site that your are not entitled to,
totaling £55.00. I have spoken to our security team regarding these
payments and can confirm they have now been removed from your account.

We will contact you again once our investigation is complete.

Kind regards,

Ben
Ladbrokes promotion Team

Best Odds Guaranteed is available on all UK and Irish horse races via
the Internet and Mobile channels.

Gamble Aware

I would imagine anyone on here would be furious at this. Once that bonus has been awarded and I have done the necessary wagering to convert that bonus to cash it is my money. To remove £55 in cash from my account is no different to taking that money off my debit card or from my wallet. To make matters worse since the incident where I had to close 1 account I have been unable to withdraw money from the account I kept pending a "review period".

[soton50]

If you go to MSE and search on the Blue Square fiasco of last year, you will see some really sound advice that sadly, Ladbrokes are acting completely unlawfully here. They cannot offer you a bonus, allow you to play it, and then try and take it back.

[bella]

They use to be good, but since maybe February, they have gone downhill BIG time.

Think Munk a while ago used the term rogue, and I said myself that I had lost trust in them.

Changing their terms and conditions after an offer had been online for a few days, and then denying when you questioned them, that the terms had changed.

I've had to chase and chase and chase bonuses, and some I have only got after sending 3 or 4 replies and sending in screen shots and telling them I would take the matter further.

My suggestion would be to email them and tell them you were going to take matters further as this is THEFT from your account..

Good luck...

[soton50]

The Blue Square Cheltenham fiasco - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

Steve, here it is, several pages but the guy here knew what he was talking about (I can vouch for some of his legal comments but not all).

Edit.. to clarify, this was about Bluesquare deciding to back out of an offer after being hammered. They decided that they would retrospectively cancel the offer and refund all bets. Don't get tied up in the specifics which are different from yours, it is the principal that matters - you can't make someone an offer, allow them to play it, and then decide to change your mind

[srh1984]

They swiftly removed their facebook fanpage as unlike what they probably expected they just had people questioning there '100' people will receive etc and bringing doubts to their practise....

Also never heard anything more about the £2000 they were splitting...hmmm....poor show by ladbrokes and hope you get it sorted Steve at the very least they should give your £55 back

[bella]

yeah good point srh.. they actually said they would list all winners.. But the page disappeared the day that was suppose to happen..

Ok, has anyone on facebook received anything from this promo?

I bet the answer's a no!

[goroovy]

Is this for real?

Very plausible telling of it btw .. not the ususal poor little lamb thing ... so I believe you but this is bizarre from laddies.

But personally I have long had reservations over the fairness of their games/promos (based on nothing other than gut feel .. to lose £45 wagering £100 pro-rata on slots is not suspicious .. but its routine in my experience .. i am sure others have had different)

And their "lucky draws" are clearly not random .. eg pay tuesday and friday .. nothing the other days.

I wouldnt panic though ... they just have to see sense and will I am sure .. just be polite and get a final decision then (sadly) hit the regulator and tell them you have done so with a case number. They wont take this to the wire I am sure.

[goroovy]

The legal term is "bait and switch" btw which is specifically illegal in the UK since 2008. Ladbrokes plc are UK whatever their online arm is so youre safe Id say .. just need to prod.

[Stevesharpe]

I'm on Ladbrokes.com now checking over T&C's. I'm sure we all remember Ladbrokes moving offshore. I found this

8.1 These Conditions shall be governed by the laws of Gibraltar and you irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Gibraltar.

Threatening to take the matter further may not work

[Stevesharpe]

Very plausible telling of it btw .. not the ususal poor little lamb thing ... so I believe you but this is bizarre from laddies.

Thank you. I figured if I set it out straight from the start everyone would see I'm not simply bleating about being caught.