File the complaint with Cysec and the Cyprus Financial Ombudsman. Even if you agree to the $6000, it's probably just a tactic to stall you from filing formal complaints.
Then, tell them you'll drop the complaints after 100% of what you are owed arrives in your bank account.
I have since received two more emails from Allison James, Customer Care Initiative. The first dated the 11th Feb 2016,is very long. and contains claims and lines of reasoning which are either inaccurate or spurious and many key facts which are simply avoided.
Perhaps of particular interest is one paragraph which says:
"It is in our best interest to settle any complaint with CySec regarding Optionrally. Regardless to the fact that you are not covered under CYSEC nor does it appear on optionrally.com platform nor website, that any kind of CYSEC regulation is offered to its traders (which does appear for European clients in optionrally.eu) and despite the fact that optionrally.com and optionrally.eu are operated by two different companies, we acknowledge that we need to maintain a high standard of compliance on both companies and are always inclined to follow the set protocols. Therefore, we are willing to reimburse you a part of your initial investment in the amount of $6,000.00USD, not due to being complicit in any wrong doing nonetheless simply to provide you with some remedy to your financial strains, and help you recover somewhat from the choices you have made and the road you followed."
I replied to this email on 13th March 2016 (a delay as my computer was out of action for three weeks) as follows:
I am not interested in entering into debate with you, although I could easily refute your claims and lines of reasoning, which are either inaccurate or spurious, to say nothing of all the facts you have chosen to avoid.
I will drop the complaints after 100% of the money I am owed is in my bank account.
The amount owed is at least all of the capital I invested with you, namely $26,490.51 AUD (Currently $20032.79 USD) less the $1000 USD (Currently $1322.36 AUD) which was returned to my account on 15.02.2015 .
ie $ 26,490.51
_ $ 1,322.36
TOTAL AMOUNT OWING $ 25,168.15 AUD (Currently $19,032.78 USD or 17059.82 Euro
I will not negotiate this amount.
This evening, 15 March 2016, I received the following reply:
"We are prepared to increase the settlement amount to $9,500.00 USD, it will not be much higher than that. We have inspected your account, saw your trades and as stated before, a full refund will NOT be made possible. I can see that you would rather spread a bad message about OptionRally and our names rather than settle the issues at hand. You traded with your funds, until the last moment, every decision was made by you and even every computer IP for your account log in shows yours. We understand you are trading and were trading simultaneously with a different company and confusing the two. I understand you have made some bad choices previously financially, well, this is your opportunity to get reparations for your negative experience, and start something better. Please consider this as the final attempt for settlement, at this point Ms. ...., I would really think twice before turning it down, there will not be another chance."
It is interesting that they are now claiming that I traded though two companies! This is apparently some kind of smoke screen. I traded only through the Optionrally site and have done no other trading at all anywhere!
I would welcome a further comment and/or advice from you Pharaoh, along with any other input from others reading this who who are interested in these issues.
