ComeOn Casino - Fake self-exclusion system!

Comeon has always had a non-functioning self-exclusion system. Up until last year if you self-excluded through the site and logged back in there was a button to re-open you account regardless of how long you self-excluded. They removed the self-exclusion system through the website and then they made you contact support to self-exclude. I have a severe gambling problem and I am in treatment for it so I mailed them to close my account permanently. After a while I tried logging in again ,and again there was a button to reopen my account. I did so and lost a lot of money!!! I specifically asked to be excluded permanently why are they doing this?! Even my gambling problem therapist says this is illegal. I want my

account shut down permanently and my money back!

Hi. My name is Jenny and I’m writing from ComeOn's Customer Support team. I would like to explain how the self-exclusion system works. Most online communities allow us to inactivate our accounts these days. One familiar example is Facebook where we can choose to have our account active or inactive when we want. We want to give the same option to our players, in a responsible way.

It is correct that we used to have an option to inactivate the account on the site, but we removed this a few months back, and as you say you now need to contact customer support in order to inactivate your account. On the 13th of February you sent us an email in order to close your account. We inactivated the account for you and asked for some of your feedback including the reason for the closure. We did not hear back from you at this point. On 18th of March you asked to reactivate the account, and this prompts you with a message to approve or decline the reopening. We heard from you again on 3rd of April where you asked us to close the account due to the fact that you unfortunately have a problem with gambling. At that point the reopen button was removed completely from your account and you will not have the option to reopen the account.

The following organisation offers great help and support to people who feel that their gambling have turned from something fun and exciting into a problem: http:/­/ww­w.c­lin­iqu­edu­jeu.be/

I urge you to contact them, or speak to a close friend or family member in order to get their support in returning to a good balance in life when it comes to work, family, friends and hobbies.

Sincerely,

Jenny

This long explanation drawing parallels with "Facebook" should be obvious "dodging the issue" behavior to anyone. A casino is not comparable to a social media platform, and gambler protection guidelines issues by licensing authorities are not dependent on "an explanation" in order to be valid and enforceable. Nowhere have I ever heard you are required to provide a reason for self-exclusion, but that is besides the point - ComeOn's ToS does not state this is required, hence, their argument false flat based on that assertion alone. Plus, I have a copy of the mail I sent to ComeOn to ask to be self-excluded. As you can see, they simply want to know the reason, option­all­y/a­ddi­tio­nally, to "improve their system" (a standard message almost every company such as Microsoft or Google asks when you close an existing account); Van: "ComeOn's Customer Support"

Datum: 13 februari 2014 21:51:29 CET

Aan: [email protected]

Onderwerp: Antw.: Chat Offline Message - Reference: LTK12155011679252X

Hi XXXX,

Sorry to hear that, but I have now closed your account. We would also like to hear the reason so we can improve our site, and if there is something we can do.

Let us assist you the way you deserve to be helped, with care and speed. Forget the emails and contact us via our Live Chat support.

Yours Sincerely,

Jaakko - ComeOn's Customer Support

Message History:

[Your username (if exists):] imabutterfly

Hi. I'd like to close my account permanently please. Thank you

"

As you can see, it was a standard request to "improve their services".

So I repeat - I want a refund. I can prove I am in therapy for gambling problems, and if this issue is not resolved, I have a letter already typed up to go the the LGA, since their self-exclusion guidelines are pretty black and white and I'm sure they will be able to assist me further.

Hi. This situation is unfortunate indeed, so first thing first – we will send back any deposits that you made after 18th of March to your bank card. I would like to state that this is an exception, since you decided to reopen the account and leave it open and play for 17 days. It is unfortunate that we were not aware of the reason sooner. Still, we failed you in this case and hence the money will be returned to you. I will make sure that we improve certain flows in our team.

As a side note, my previous reply was not trying to avoid the issue, but simply explain the system. Let me explain a bit further. The reason we are asking for the reason is so that we can improve, as you also mentioned. Let’s say something has gone wrong on the site (which happens online from time to time), then it is very important for us to find out about this and correct the situation in order to provide a good gaming experience. Sometimes our players will tell us straight away what the situation is, but sometimes they don’t and then we need to ask. If we don’t ask, we can’t improve. As you said, a lot of companies do ask their customers for feedback. We avoid asking about gambling issues directly as this can feel a little bit strong to some players if it’s not the case. What we are essentially offering is entertainment in the form of exciting games, the chance to bet on your favourite teams and have a shot at some really nice jackpots etc. Online casinos are of course a special type of entertainment and we are not directly comparable with social media sites, even though we are a community for betting and playing games which means we adopt some similar systems. As you mention, we do have a different type of responsibility than for example Facebook.

I hope you see this fairly long answer as a sign of respect, rather than aiming to avoid the issue at hand. The reopen button was completely removed from your account since 3rd April. We will reverse your account reopening request on 18th March and return the funds you deposited after that date to your bank card.

Sincerely

Jenny

The refund has being received.

It's an empty victory as it's going to therapy bills but regardless of that, I must thank Askgamblers and ComeOn for handling this so professionally and quickly.

The problem was always with me - I should have never started gambling in my life, I'm just glad this exception was made and that self-exclusion will be upheld more rigidly in the future. Problem solved - Thanks!

Hi. We wish you all the best for the future!

Sincerely

Jenny and Team ComeOn

Thank you! Problem solved!