Pokerroom Support

Now we come to one of the most important aspects of a poker site and one of the most controversial. As with any business, and yes on line poker for the site is a business, customer service is very important. A lot of the sites reputation is going to come from what happens when a player has to contact support. The quality is variable depending not only on the site you are using but in the method used to make the contact and the person that is suppose to be giving the player support.

For some time, support in most rooms has been considered below average at best and in a few sites down right non existent. Major sites have been making changes in support to give better service to its players. Maybe it is still not as good as a land based room but improvements are being made all the time. One of the biggest problems has been that the person that is suppose to be helping you doesn’t have to see you face to face and in most cases have no direct contact with you at all. Why should they care about your problem they are going to go home at the end of their shift and get check on every payday whether you get service or not. Sites have recognized this are making ever effort they can to correct problems that are not only being requested service for but in the support service it’s self.

Have you ever called a satellite TV service provider’s customer service number? I use them as an example because years ago, I was a regional trouble shooter for one. They person you call is sitting in a small office miles and miles away making minimum wage to answer a telephone. When you call, they ask you questions on a check list and if your problem is not fixed by the pre determined solutions, then they don’t see why you have a problem at all. It doesn’t matter what your question or problem is, if it is not on that laminated cue card they got when they were hired, you are wrong. You have no problem. Like I said, I was a trouble shooter for a major company and when I called to get information I had to go through the same process that the customer did before they got no service and had to complain enough to get me sent there in the first place. The person simply doesn’t have the knowledge, understanding, or ability to help you even if they wanted to. This is being changed now with online poker sites. If you do get bad service, complain and keep complaining until the site actually helps you. Just be sure you are complaining to the site and not about them to other players that can’t help you either.

The most common methods of support are a help page and frequently asked questions page that are in fact self help. You can try this first, sometimes it works on simply problems. Next is email support. This method is ok but still does not provide the level of service you deserve if you are playing for money and can’t wait hours or even days for help. Most sites have now offered a telephone support number to their players and believe it or not, some are not completely automated. This helps a lot more than email but sometimes is not much faster either due to the process of getting in touch with the right person or the support line not being a 24 hour 7 day a week option. The newest and perhaps the best support service now being offered is live chat help. The wait for a chat operator can be a little while and you still are miles away without a face but you are at least talking to someone that should have immediate access to the site and allows you to keep your access as well.

Regardless of the method of support you use, always keep some type of record. Make sure you document the problem, what you did when you did it, who responded or who you talked to and what they did or said. If it is a problem with a certain hand that was played, the screen should be showing you a number that designates that hand so that it can be saved and reviewed if necessary . Also tournaments usually have a number assigned to them as well and always right down the time and name or number of the table if it is an issue related to that. As in most things, the service isn’t perfect but at least on line poker rooms have recognized its importance and are making changes to improve support services.