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I won hundreds on lottery but will NEVER play again – I was made to feel like a criminal & had to wait weeks to get cash
Paul Simpson was sent a 'suspected counterfeit' cheque when he won
A LOTTO winner has told how he will never play again after he was made to feel like a criminal and forced to wait weeks to get his cash.
Paul Simpson, from Leicester, was thrilled to win £800 from a HotPicks ticket - before spending weeks chasing down his prize.
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LUCKY DIP
The former government worker, 69, and his wife Pam, 71, matched three lucky numbers on January 31.
But when they tried to claim the whopping cash at a Post Office, they were told to contact Allwyn.
After hours of agonising calls and emails, they received a cheque.
Instead of being able to claim the money, they were told to request a new one or opt for a bank transfer.
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According to his bank TSB, the cheque bounced due to suspected fraud or counterfeit issues.
After threatening with legal action, Mr Simpson was eventually compensated after waiting more than a month.
EYE OFF THE PRIZE
The former government worker revealed his disappointment with the process: "I felt like a criminal. But their procedures are chaotic and feel like a con.
“I won’t ever play that game again.
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"If you win it’s like they want to wear you down so you just give up or lose your ticket.”
Allwyn replaced Camelot as the National Lottery operator on February 1 - implementing new changes to its payout rules.
Prizes between £500 and £50,000 can no longer be collected from Post Offices.
In a statement, Allwyn said: "This is a brand new claims process following the Post Office’s decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.
“The time the process takes will vary depending on whether we need any further information from the player in order to process their claim and how long it takes for us to receive the ticket or scratchcard from the player.
“As people are still unfamiliar with the new process, we’re also experiencing a high volume of players contacting us.
“We’re very sorry for any delays this is causing and have increased the number of colleagues to assist players with their claims, which is helping them get their prizes more quickly.”
'NO-WIN'
But they are not the only punters affected by this issue.
Graham Crerar, from West London, spent five weeks chasing his £800 prize after matching three numbers on February 7.
The frustrated carpenter slammed: “They are just dragging their heels and it has made me feel like I’ve done something wrong.
“They don’t know what they’re doing and are acting really unprofessionally. Never mind Allwyn, they should be called No-win.”
Elsewhere, Peter Wilson, from Nuneaton, also waited for a £800 payout for six weeks.
The retired sales manager fumed: “I don’t know what else I can do to claim my prize. I won’t be doing it any more. I can’t be bothered with the stress.
“It is chaotic and I am worried about the impact it will have on local communities, as well as charities missing out on money.”
Allwyn has contacted Mr Crerar and Mr Wilson to update them.
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It comes as another lotto jackpot winner was left "fuming" after being turned away by the Post Office as she went to collect her cash.
Amelia Barnham, 69, won £800 on a £1 HotPicks ticket but the Londoner has been left with empty pockets a month later.
Allwyn: The UK's new national lottery operator
CAMELOT, who have been in charge since 1994, have been replaced by Allwyn, as chosen by the Gambling Commission.
New operator Allwyn changed the procedure for wins between £500 and £50,000 after the Post Office pulled out a 900-branch deal last month.
Post Office branches were the only shops where cheques for those sums could be given to winning punters — but they have now been blocked.
Instead, the operator, which took over from Camelot at the start of last month, insists winners verify their numbers online or over the phone before sending the ticket by post for inspection.
Allwyn is telling winners it wants tickets sent in for checks by its security operations team.
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