Warning to Fellow Bettors

[terry-shep]

MAYFAIR RACING SERVICES

I'd like inform members of my experiences with a system and service seller called Mayfair Racing Services. About a month ago I received an unsolicited email which I thought quite plausible, so I clicked on the link provided. This took me to the site of Mayfair Racing Services and an offer to join a greyhound tipping service. It was authored by Tim, who claimed to be retired from the lifelong position of grading greyhounds for their racing abilities, a similar position to the handicapper in horse racing. Tim claimed his expertise was such that if shown any greyhound racing card, he would be able to pick out two dogs which would include the winner 80% of the time. He went on to suggest that he could supply two selections in the races of each day which one should back at equal level stakes, the odds never being less than 3/1 on average. A quick calculation will show that a strike rate of 66.66% would be break even, or around 70% if betting with Betfair for convenience and better odds, taking into account the commission.

The way you would pay for this service was that on every Saturday, he would total the winners at SP to a stake of £5 and charge 5% of that amount. You were required to deposit £20 to cover him against defaulters, this to be returnable if you decided not to take up the service after the 14 day trial.

I thought this was a fair way to charge for a service, so I signed up for the 14 days trial, depositing the required £20. Unhappily, the 80% strike rate turned out to be in the high 50s so I mailed him to cancel my membership at the end of the trial. He certainly received that mail because the selections ceased to arrive but that mail and 5 subsequent mails have gone unanswered and there is no sign of my refund. I can only conclude that he is going to stay silent, never answer my mails and keep the £20, despite the solemn promise to refund.

It is perhaps significant that this subscription model has now been changed, the percentage fee has been dropped in favour of a monthly subscription, which suggests that this percentage method didn't produce any fees, which by the poor level of selections is not surprising. Surely, if there was any truth whatever in his claims, picking 2 dogs from six with this enormous wealth of professional grading experience shouldn't have been beyond him? You could do pretty well as good with a pin as he managed. You can forgive a poor tipster but not a dishonest one.

Just another salutary lesson for us all. The only way we can fight these creeps is to shine a bright light on them.

[Fixador]

terry-shep , sorry you got turned over by a tipster - but look at it another way : i reckon , in the bigger picture you got off lightly - only £20

Hasnt this made you more wary of tipsters ?

I packed in tipsters a few years ago. Because i decided if things went pear shaped, then it was my problem, and not something i could wine at the tipster about - ie blame them.

There is a school of thought , which asks , Why if the tips are so good - are they for sale ????? ( however, a rule of thumb - if they supply a postal address - not a po box, not just an email address , they maybe genuine - but only maybe )

Going on from tipsters , are systems for sale - and i did , and i did, and i did .

Same rule applies : if the system is so good - why sell it ? Every system i have brought - is crap, but some of them have a possible element of usefulness . Or a limited application - ie works in NH but not AW, or works in Hcap Hrd , but never Maidens - its for you to find out

good luck mate

[terry-shep]

Thanks for your comments, Fixador, but I am so cautious, so wary of system sellers and tipsters - and yet I fell for this one. It was one of those mails, carefully crafted to sound like a genuine bloke - and the payment model was different , too. Ah well, another notch on the cynicism ratchet!

I agree, I got off lightly, £20 is just something to remind me; I have heard from someone to whom I retailed this story that he was taken by these people for £1500 and even tried to help someone else who had lost £5000 with them. Despite efforts by the fraud squad, there was no resolution, apparently.

Just have to keep up our guard.