Complaint #565
Bovada Casino
Check cashing debacle
5 years ago
On March 1st, 2020 I made a withdrawal from my bovada account for $364. I chose check by courier (will never do this option again). I received the check March 10th in a fed ex envelope. The check was from some obscure Canadian entity called Pacific Rim Enterprise LTD.
I immediately tried to deposit it in my banking app (as I do with any check I receive). No matter how I took a picture of this check, the app always came back with some random error about "lighting". I can assure the image was crystal clear. I tried a few more times over the coming days, no success.
So I'm thinking, ok I'll bring it to an ATM machine to deposit. So I tried that, and the ATM rejected the check as well. I don't exactly remember what reason it gave for not accepting it. I tried in a different ATM, rejected as well.
At this point, I'm worried this check is invalid and is going to be a problem. So I reached out to bovada support on March 15th. I told them their check isn't cashing and I'd like the money credited back to my account. They assured me that the check is perfectly fine (I don't know how you can make that claim since it wasn't cashing). They said I needed to bring it into the bank branch and ask them why it wasn't cashing. Ok annoying, and a little awkward that as a customer I have to go through this much effort to cash a check.
A few days roll by, and then the covid pandemic is hitting full swing. A lot of stuff was shut down, so I wasn't planning on waltzing in to bank anytime soon. So I set the check on the kitchen counter and kindve forgot about it. Fast forward to September, I find the check and decided to bring it in to my bank. They take the check, put the money in my bank account. All is good. Until the next day the bank takes the money back out of my account under the category "intl remittance". I have no idea what this means, but doesn't seem good.
I contacted bovada support, to ask them why the money was taken out of my account. Did they issue me a bad check? They said the issue was between me and my bank. Ugh.
A few days later the check was returned to me via mail. The explanation from the bank was: "We debited your account today for the reason: Stale dated. The item is over 6 months of age. Please refer to the maker of the item for replacement or alternate form of payment."
Well shit. I suppose it has been that long.
So I contact bovada support again, to tell them that I can't cash this check anymore. But I do have the original check in my posession. I ask that they reissue a check or credit my account so I can withdraw the money a different way. After about 2 hours of discussion with the original agent and then their supervisor. I was basically told, sorry we know you didn't get your money, but we aren't going to help you. The original agent actually offered me 15% of the value as compensation. What a joke. I told them that I do not accept those terms, and want my full payment.
As a simple example: If I write to check to someone, and they forget to cash it and it expires. The money is still in my bank account, and I can easily reissue a check. It should be the same for bovada. I honestly don't understand why they are being so stubborn.
Aside from the fact that the original check may have been a "bad" check from the start, I feel like I'm being stolen from. The money still has to be in bovada's (or subsidiaries) bank account. Why not return it to me.
Attached is a snapshot of bovada's stance in a nutshell, and my reply.
What recourse do I have?
I immediately tried to deposit it in my banking app (as I do with any check I receive). No matter how I took a picture of this check, the app always came back with some random error about "lighting". I can assure the image was crystal clear. I tried a few more times over the coming days, no success.
So I'm thinking, ok I'll bring it to an ATM machine to deposit. So I tried that, and the ATM rejected the check as well. I don't exactly remember what reason it gave for not accepting it. I tried in a different ATM, rejected as well.
At this point, I'm worried this check is invalid and is going to be a problem. So I reached out to bovada support on March 15th. I told them their check isn't cashing and I'd like the money credited back to my account. They assured me that the check is perfectly fine (I don't know how you can make that claim since it wasn't cashing). They said I needed to bring it into the bank branch and ask them why it wasn't cashing. Ok annoying, and a little awkward that as a customer I have to go through this much effort to cash a check.
A few days roll by, and then the covid pandemic is hitting full swing. A lot of stuff was shut down, so I wasn't planning on waltzing in to bank anytime soon. So I set the check on the kitchen counter and kindve forgot about it. Fast forward to September, I find the check and decided to bring it in to my bank. They take the check, put the money in my bank account. All is good. Until the next day the bank takes the money back out of my account under the category "intl remittance". I have no idea what this means, but doesn't seem good.
I contacted bovada support, to ask them why the money was taken out of my account. Did they issue me a bad check? They said the issue was between me and my bank. Ugh.
A few days later the check was returned to me via mail. The explanation from the bank was: "We debited your account today for the reason: Stale dated. The item is over 6 months of age. Please refer to the maker of the item for replacement or alternate form of payment."
Well shit. I suppose it has been that long.
So I contact bovada support again, to tell them that I can't cash this check anymore. But I do have the original check in my posession. I ask that they reissue a check or credit my account so I can withdraw the money a different way. After about 2 hours of discussion with the original agent and then their supervisor. I was basically told, sorry we know you didn't get your money, but we aren't going to help you. The original agent actually offered me 15% of the value as compensation. What a joke. I told them that I do not accept those terms, and want my full payment.
As a simple example: If I write to check to someone, and they forget to cash it and it expires. The money is still in my bank account, and I can easily reissue a check. It should be the same for bovada. I honestly don't understand why they are being so stubborn.
Aside from the fact that the original check may have been a "bad" check from the start, I feel like I'm being stolen from. The money still has to be in bovada's (or subsidiaries) bank account. Why not return it to me.
Attached is a snapshot of bovada's stance in a nutshell, and my reply.
What recourse do I have?
Screenshot
