Betfair don't want me!

[InsideSix]

After betting on the Betfair Exchange for over 13 years, it is clear they no longer want me as a customer or the commission I have been paying them! I do not know what I have done wrong. I tried to deposit some funds yesterday but I have now been told my account is closed. Below is an abridged version of my interaction with Betfair Customer Support. I am sure many of you have had similarly infuriating interactions of this nature:

------------
Betfair: Welcome to Betfair. Please let us know about your query, the more information we have the faster we can help.
Me: I wonder if you can help me. I am trying to log on to my Betfair Account but it is saying that it is closed. i tried to deposit some money a short time ago and that did not work either. Then after that I got the message that my account has been closed.
Betfair: Unfortunately, the exclusion type set on your account was a permanent one, therefore you would be unable to ever reactivate this account, this also means that you would not be able to hold any other account with Paddypower and Betfair and any attempt to open future accounts will result in an immediate closure, my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Me: oh would you be able to give me any further information?
Betfair: What information please?
Me: If there was a reason that my account has been permanently excluded and when this happened?
Betfair: It was done in 2009 for your safety against gambling
Me: Ah I self excluded from Betfair Casino and Betfair Games in 2009 but I have been safely betting on the Exchange since then. Have I been excluded from that also?
Betfair: Yes you were excluded from virtual sports on 13 Oct 2015
Me: But what about the Exchange? I was betting on that this month. A few weeks ago.
Betfair: Exchange would be part of sports
Me: Is there anything I can do to fix this? I was betting on the Exchange up until two weeks ago?
Betfair: There is nothing Rory as it is a permanent exclusion
Me: And that has happened today?
Betfair: You were not even meant to be able to bet on the exchange. Maybe some of your details were changed and matched to another account. I’ll close our conversation for now. If you need anything else, feel free to get back to us at any time. Have a nice day!
Betfair: We would love to get your feedback with one quick question Based on your experience today, how likely would you be to recommend Betfair to a friend? (Where 10 is most likely and 0 is not at all likely.)
--------------

Listen, I am the "serial loser" that was earmarked on these forums a few months ago. I am that punter. I am sure I have donated to Betfair a vast amount of commission over these 13 years. Despite having a few provably long-term profitable automations in my arsenal, I cannot help myself deviating, entertainment betting, bankroll indiscipline, flaws in my character etc. I used to pay £35 a day to sit in the London Docklands Bunker Betfair shop back in the day - if only I knew then what I know now....

Unfortunately, I am also the kind of punter that foolishly values loyalty and is too foolishly proud to email cap in hand to Betfair's CEO because a) having to do this is a ridiculous state of affair, b) what good would it do anyway? and c) if the Betfair Customer Support Team are happy to treat me like this, I'm afraid there is only one place they can stick it.

Many years ago a Macdonalds employee was unbelievably rude to me and after that I vowed never to eat Macdonalds again. But just like Macdonalds, Betfair do not care a jot that they have lost one customer. They know that realistically they are the only show in town. And just like Macdonalds, Betfair know who is losing out. I salivate at the mere thought of eating a Big Mac Meal again one day but I know that principle prevents me ever eating one.

Somebody said on another thread that Betfair was penalising customers who had previously self-excluded from parts of the platform. I wonder if this has happened to me?

In some ways, I count myself lucky that I am a small player and losing player and that I can walk away. I also know many have had far worse experiences than mine. That said, I feel absolutely devastated that Betfair closed my account. It is the only place to bet, isn't it? It feels like a marraige break up - I haven't been getting along with my wife for a few months but now she has finally left me and I feel completely bereft.

Worst of all, I am no longer a Bet Angel subscriber. Bet Angel's software, as we all know, is awesome, industry leading and peerless.

So I am going to give Betdaq a try. The liquidity in their Racing and Greyhound markets is high enough that I think I can convert my automations even without Signals and Stored Values. That is the challenge that lies ahead anyway.

Apologies for such a long and whinging post as my first post on this forum, on of all days, Christmas morning! But I hope you understand! In fact, can I wish Peter, Dallas and all the guys on the forum (particularly Jimbit, Gazunty and ODPaul whose posts are always very very helpful) a very Merry Christmas.

[Euler]

The only advice I can give is to read this thread and see if any escalation paths are open to you: -

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22527

I spoke to Betfair some time ago about self-exclusion on subsidiaries and they said then it wouldn't port across to other platforms. But maybe you fell foul of this, or there was a mistake in here.

I excluded myself from all the crappy stuff on Betfair, just to ensure if my account was compromised in anyway nobody could use it on stuff I wouldn't use. But that never stopped me from running an 'normal' account.

[bennyboy351]

After betting on the Betfair Exchange for over 13 years, it is clear they no longer want me as a customer or the commission I have been paying them! I do not know what I have done wrong. I tried to deposit some funds yesterday but I have now been told my account is closed. Below is an abridged version of my interaction with Betfair Customer Support. I am sure many of you have had similarly infuriating interactions of this nature:

------------
Betfair: Welcome to Betfair. Please let us know about your query, the more information we have the faster we can help.
Me: I wonder if you can help me. I am trying to log on to my Betfair Account but it is saying that it is closed. i tried to deposit some money a short time ago and that did not work either. Then after that I got the message that my account has been closed.
Betfair: Unfortunately, the exclusion type set on your account was a permanent one, therefore you would be unable to ever reactivate this account, this also means that you would not be able to hold any other account with Paddypower and Betfair and any attempt to open future accounts will result in an immediate closure, my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Me: oh would you be able to give me any further information?
Betfair: What information please?
Me: If there was a reason that my account has been permanently excluded and when this happened?
Betfair: It was done in 2009 for your safety against gambling
Me: Ah I self excluded from Betfair Casino and Betfair Games in 2009 but I have been safely betting on the Exchange since then. Have I been excluded from that also?
Betfair: Yes you were excluded from virtual sports on 13 Oct 2015
Me: But what about the Exchange? I was betting on that this month. A few weeks ago.
Betfair: Exchange would be part of sports
Me: Is there anything I can do to fix this? I was betting on the Exchange up until two weeks ago?
Betfair: There is nothing Rory as it is a permanent exclusion
Me: And that has happened today?
Betfair: You were not even meant to be able to bet on the exchange. Maybe some of your details were changed and matched to another account. I’ll close our conversation for now. If you need anything else, feel free to get back to us at any time. Have a nice day!
Betfair: We would love to get your feedback with one quick question Based on your experience today, how likely would you be to recommend Betfair to a friend? (Where 10 is most likely and 0 is not at all likely.)
--------------

Listen, I am the "serial loser" that was earmarked on these forums a few months ago. I am that punter. I am sure I have donated to Betfair a vast amount of commission over these 13 years. Despite having a few provably long-term profitable automations in my arsenal, I cannot help myself deviating, entertainment betting, bankroll indiscipline, flaws in my character etc. I used to pay £35 a day to sit in the London Docklands Bunker Betfair shop back in the day - if only I knew then what I know now....

Unfortunately, I am also the kind of punter that foolishly values loyalty and is too foolishly proud to email cap in hand to Betfair's CEO because a) having to do this is a ridiculous state of affair, b) what good would it do anyway? and c) if the Betfair Customer Support Team are happy to treat me like this, I'm afraid there is only one place they can stick it.

Many years ago a Macdonalds employee was unbelievably rude to me and after that I vowed never to eat Macdonalds again. But just like Macdonalds, Betfair do not care a jot that they have lost one customer. They know that realistically they are the only show in town. And just like Macdonalds, Betfair know who is losing out. I salivate at the mere thought of eating a Big Mac Meal again one day but I know that principle prevents me ever eating one.

Somebody said on another thread that Betfair was penalising customers who had previously self-excluded from parts of the platform. I wonder if this has happened to me?

In some ways, I count myself lucky that I am a small player and losing player and that I can walk away. I also know many have had far worse experiences than mine. That said, I feel absolutely devastated that Betfair closed my account. It is the only place to bet, isn't it? It feels like a marraige break up - I haven't been getting along with my wife for a few months but now she has finally left me and I feel completely bereft.

Worst of all, I am no longer a Bet Angel subscriber. Bet Angel's software, as we all know, is awesome, industry leading and peerless.

So I am going to give Betdaq a try. The liquidity in their Racing and Greyhound markets is high enough that I think I can convert my automations even without Signals and Stored Values. That is the challenge that lies ahead anyway.

Apologies for such a long and whinging post as my first post on this forum, on of all days, Christmas morning! But I hope you understand! In fact, can I wish Peter, Dallas and all the guys on the forum (particularly Jimbit, Gazunty and ODPaul whose posts are always very very helpful) a very Merry Christmas.

Hey there, in my humble opinion, you're not "Whinging" just putting your case across!
I've 'lent' a silly amount of money to the market over the past few years but will - I hope - get it all back (with interest!) in the next few months.

As I see it, there are several problems with the 'trading' markets that we are using these days:

First off, they are not 'straight!' By that I mean, they don't just rely on outside customers/punters to provide their income. No, as I understand it, they also have their own 'inside' traders involved in the markets - and I'd lay odds that they aren't subject to the inplay delays that us mere mortals are restricted by!

Second, taking Betfair as an example, they - and Betdaq - are pretty well the 'only show(s) in town!' Therefore, you either trade through them - or you don't trade at all! (No prizes for guessing which platform of the mentioned two is the most liquid!)

Third, with so many people these days looking for a quick route to financial security - and with betting company's having some of the 'best(?!!!) marketing ploys with which to drag in those poor sods - I feel that people such as you and I may just as well p*ss in the wind when complaining!

I'd guess that you are no fool, so no doubt you'll be aware that there ARE ways you can get around your problems with our heroes at Betfair - and I wish you the very best should you decide to follow such a path.

In closing; may I send season's greetings to you and yours and also send to you my condolences with regard to your marital issues.

Kindest regards
George.

[lion42m]

I tried to deposit funds in my Betfair account this morning. I obviously hadn't accessed my account details for some time because I noticed both my address and card number were both three or four years out of date. So, I decided to update both at the same time. What a mistake to make.
First they suspend my account whilst they look into it. Then they give me a friendly massage to speak to their online customer service representative who will assist me in re]opening my account.
This was when I discovered my account was now closed due to business reasons. He couldn't tell me what those reasons were, but my account could never be reopened and I wouldn't be allowed to open another account.
I looked up the business reasons why these accounts are closed and was flabbergasted to discover they included: Fraud; Money Laundering; Betting Irregularities; etc.
I'm a retired maths teacher simply seeking a way to enhance my monthly pensions.
Betfair are making me out to be public enemy number one
And they admit there is absolutely nothing I can do about it
Has anyone overcome this problem and able to continue trading on Betfair?
Thank you in anticipation

[Euler]

Even my account was closed when I updated my address details. Held desk gave me 'business reasons' also but I managed to get some help and was told that because I updated by address is matched another account and therefore was automatically closed.

So I suspect you may have two accounts, or Betfair have on their system with the same address.

[lion42m]

Yes, I understand that. However, it doesn't explain why they would permanently close my account and refuse me opening another.
How did you find the help to sort your problem out?

[Kai]

Has anyone overcome this problem and able to continue trading on Betfair?
Thank you in anticipation

Yes, many. Betfair make all sorts of mistakes, I know it's hard but try not to take it personally and just escalate the issue properly.

There really should be a sticky thread with escalation paths that have been proven to work, like a link to the BDP support ticket and Peter Jackson's socials etc

[Euler]

Has anyone overcome this problem and able to continue trading on Betfair?
Thank you in anticipation

Yes, many. Betfair make all sorts of mistakes, I know it's hard but try not to take it personally and just escalate the issue properly.

There really should be a sticky thread with escalation paths that have been proven to work, like a link to the BDP support ticket and Peter Jackson's socials etc

That's a good idea. It's all a bit scattered at the moment.

[lion42m]

I am interested in how I cam escalate this issue until it is resolved
Every time I chat to a Betfair representative I get the same reply:-
"I'm really very sorry, but I have spoken to the security team and they assure me your account cannot be re-instated
They also tell me you cannot apply for another account."
I seem to have reached an impasse with them

[Kai]

I am interested in how I cam escalate this issue until it is resolved
Every time I chat to a Betfair representative I get the same reply:-
"I'm really very sorry, but I have spoken to the security team and they assure me your account cannot be re-instated
They also tell me you cannot apply for another account."
I seem to have reached an impasse with them

Doubt you will get anywhere talking to customer support or the security team as their hands are pretty much tied, people usually solve their issues by contacting BDP ([email protected]) or Peter Jackson ([email protected] or [email protected], not sure which one is in use).

See this post : viewtopic.php?p=276828#p276828