Rakuten: Cash Back & Deals 4+

Rakuten Rocks!

I have been a customer of Rakuten since it was eBates, and use them most frequently for Black Friday shopping since that’s when I do most of my online purchases, and since that’s when retailers offer the biggest cash back percentages. However, I have used them a few times for other purchases. Not only have they helped me score some hidden sales, but I have also gotten cash back on rock bottom prices. One of the purchases was on henna for my hair that was out of stock for some reason at all the usual retailers, including Vitacost. Through Rakuten I was able to find my usual Star Botanical organic brand, in stock, and at half the price of the usual price of retailers that were sold out. I was floored! The product was fresh and undamaged, and arrived quickly from the seller. Also, I was recently able to find an expensive fitness item that my son wanted for his birthday for several dollars below both MSRP listed on the manufacturer and big big box store websites, plus get cash back. I can’t always find what I’m shopping for, but when I do, it’s always worth it. I have never had any issues with Rakuten sellers, either. The only small item I wish Rakuten could change: they have a cash back notification for my Mac, but don’t offer that feature for iPhone, so I’m sure I’ve probably missed a few cash back opportunities when I’m shopping from my phone because I forget to check their app. Otherwise, I highly recommend Rakuten for nearly effortless shopping discounts.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the awesome feedback! We're so happy to hear you are finding some great deals. It really is easy to rack up the savings and the Cash Back with Rakuten!

It was better before. The customer service is not good enough.

I’ve been using this app over two years since it was Ebates, it’s legit for the ones thinking it could be a scam. I have saved a lot of money and get some extra from referrals so it is one of my favorites... but... since their change to Rakuten I’ve had a lot of issues about referral bonuses that have been deleted with no reason and their response is always that my friend has another account when it is not true, and it’s exhausting having to make requests every time this happens because my friends think it is not legit. I have had requests for weeks without a satisfactory solution and lately all my friends that had joined with my link disappeared from my referral list. I’ve been waiting for over two weeks for a solution and nothing have happened. Sent again the same request trying to get another agent and quicker response and she said I had to wait for the first ticket to be responded, I understand but two weeks without any clue about what’s happening with my account it’s not a good customer service. Many of my friends already completed the promotion and I still don’t receive my bonuses. It’s very disappointing having to contact the customer service so often because the app is not working well.

Developer Response ,

We are happy to review this for you. Please email us at memberservices@rakuten.com. We are here to help!

More work than it’s worth

Things started out great, as usual. I was delighted to QUICKLY earn $50+ dollars on my first check. Second & third checks, however, were less than half that amount. Which was perplexing so I checked things out. Seems there were A LOT of my purchases going “unrewarded”. Therefore, I started updating the data in “MISSING CASH BACK” which is extremely time consuming. They list EVERY time

you use the app, even when just browsing, as a potential for “missing cash back”. Plus you need order number and subtotal; both have to be looked up from the actual store you made your purchase from. You can imagine the amount of searching and time it takes to file a submission for each MISSING CASH BACK submission. And we aren’t talking 1 or 2, we are talking 9 - 10 monthly that fail to get rewarded. So after diligently submitting MULTIPLE requests things were moving along, although at a much less satisfying rate than my first check (hmm). Finally, the last straw fell when after my last round of Missing Cash Back submissions were all responded to with the same thing: “ your purchase was not coved!” What gives? I’ve been buying the same things the whole time.

I finally gave up, at the urging of my partner, as it’s not worth the .35 cents you get (or not get) for each laboriously completed and submitted MISSING CASH form. The only thing that will be missing from now on is ME- from the Rakuten app!