Tote V Bookies ...Customer Service

Titch let me say I can only compare what I receive from my bookie and not from bookies as a collective.

I have played the tote and bookies for many years starting in the early 70's. At that stage the bookies were based in Loveday street and there were many of them. Facilities basic with no television just the blower. You got hard benches to sit on and a "tea room" where you could get coldrinks and snacks. There was also a pub. The tote still had tickets you wrote out and received back "certified". Facilities non existent and you took your bets and left. Totes closed I think a half hour before the 1st race.

In 1984 I think may be wrong could be 85/86 I opened a telebet account. I was one of the first and had a number in the early 1000's. I kept this account for many years and only had two bits of correspondence in the 20 plus years I had it, one to collect my card and two to get FICA'd. I was never a big player but bet often and turned my balances regularly so the tote got their cut from me. I still have the account but it has been dormant from about 2007 never a query never a call why it is not being used. I estimate my TURN was about 200 - 250k in the last year I played on the telebet. The reason I stopped playing telebet was because I retired and made a trip to the books when I wanted a bet/day out. As I said previously the bookies where I bet used to have the tote onsite so I happily bet between the bookies and the tote taking my bets where I felt I was getting better odds.

I started souring to the tote for a number of reasons, the most irritating was the drastic swing in dividends paid due to the overseas MYSTERY PUNTER as described by Phumelela a few years back. One day I had 1000 wins on a horse that was displaying R5.60 for the win and this was after the race was won. When I went to cash I got paid R2900. That was the final straw and enquiries were met with raised shoulders and "eish its a problem" when the area tote manager visited a few weeks later. The end of bets on anything besides exotics from that day on.

When I compare the betting experience between bookmaker and tote there really is no comparison. The bookies where I punt know me by name. I get regular comps on drink and food when I am there. I get nice stretches on price. I get 5% of my open bet spend back on a quarterly basis. i get gifts at christmas - this year johnny walker gold and an engraved biltong carving knife. I feel valued. I feel part of the family. I feel that my money spend is appreciated. I am not just a number.

Over the 40 odd years that I have bet on the tote with amounts running into millions I have not received a thing.

Titch I'm not anti tote , I'm anti folk that are anti bookies

Check the sports thread "the masters" there is two promotions there that can benefit punters if things go wrong

In an ideal world bookies and the tote could work together Tote for exotics, bookies for wins and Yankees etc , pay the bookies commission ( it's all they wanted years ago )

1 million % OTA the one on one service is sadly lacking and could well do with a complete overhaul, with regards to the Mystery Punter scenario i think that initially the co mingling of the tote with Aus created a lopsided betting pattern and with the R/$ difference and the crazy betting mentality of the aussies if just a few of them decided on a horse it would have that affect on the div, much like our influence on Ngong racing where a moderately big player could change the payout of a horse drastically but on the other side of the coin I also remeber odds on shots paying R3 a place after reflecting 80c on the jump...
BTW I remember the Loveday Street Tatts very fondly, in fact I had a bet on your namesake once with a bookie by the name of Wellbeloved (if my memory serves me correctly???) and often had a coffee and sandwich at that same tearoom

Bob I am definitely not anti bookie, i am just very much anti the open bet, there is no reason why Bookies and Tote could work alongside each other and not have the punter caught in the middle as collateral damage so to speak,this whole Open bet debacle has lead to no fixed odd being shown on teletrack no betting moves been reported on the morning shows etc etc and that is only to the detriment of the punter, let the tote offer the Exotics PA P6 J/P etc and let the bookie offer the fixed odds bet where the punter can decide where the value lies, should the win bet be placed on the tote then the bookie will get a commission with zero risk,simple solution, open hand approach as opposed to the current clenched fist situation we find ourselves in thru not fault of the ultimate losers in this war...the punter

Hi titch was waiting for something like this to come up just hope with whteva suggestions come u r in a position to do something with totes tht is.A suggestion wud b to employ 1 or maybe 2 people depending on size of tote ensuring place is tidy at all time incl toilets. They must b supervised cos more often than not we c them on prolonged lunch breaks or nowhere to seen when needed.Simple upliftment of totes like paint walls provide comfortable seating wud b nice.One of the totes I visit thts also occupied by a bookie provides simple stuff like popcorn for guys to snack on on on saturdays platters with samoosas and stuff are given dnt knw if provided bt tote or bookie.One of my pet hates with totes is if u cum to cash tickets after wrk and thts around five or so they always cashing up and close there terminals early.Pls can totes display a copy of computer form rather than std tab forms sometyms we misplace our books and have to rely on whts displayed.My pethate with bookies is waiting to take bets when rc starts in 2min and people r taking mulitiple sportbets or lucky numbers or some crap like tht.Wht I do prefer about tote is tht theres no prefrential treatment a 2000 rand punter is treated same as a six rand punter the cashiers at bookies always do this because the normally get a gud tip if he wins but wht they dnt realize is the small punter is there for years to come.

You also have to remember the bookies have grown their businesses over the last few years

Their horse slippage is now only about 20% of their business

Gambling has moved on and horse racing has stood still and let punters move to other areas

Mr p
I agree with the cleanliness aspect and have in fact suggested in the past that a minimum requirement clause be implemented when issuing a license for an outlet and that fines should be imposed if the standard is not maintained..

Look at how Dev bends over backwards to keep ABC members happy.

Could you imagine the tote assigning someone to have an open communication with the public online ?

Imagine the management of a Company that need to be advised by a forum that their premises, that are open to the public, should be safe and clean and comfortable :dry: .........wow they must be real business leaders...!!!

Agreed, maybe 10% of totes that i have been to are places that one could manage spending a few hours in.
Majority are shitholes of note,also tellers have very poor attitudes in general.

Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, the Totes in traditionally White areas are pretty decent, whereas in traditionally non-white areas they range from utterly disgusting/filthy to barely acceptable.
Maybe its a reflection of the patrons/their culture or that there are no minimum standards like you would get at say a KFC/Mcdonalds franchise etc, I dont quite know