• CardPool

CardPool

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Overview

CardPool has a rating of 1.9 stars from 761 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about CardPool most frequently mention gift cards, customer service, and phone number problems. CardPool ranks 121st among Gift Cards sites.

  • Service
    75
  • Value
    71
  • Shipping
    62
  • Returns
    44
  • Quality
    63
30
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How would you rate CardPool?
Top Positive Review

“CardPool Worked Fine For Me! These Other Reviews Are Probably Stupid lol”

John C.
2/13/18

I'm not sure why this site has so many bad reviews. As a person who used to own a survey site, it's probably from people not following directions, or trying to use the card after they sold it. It worked perfectly for me, I sold two cards, a Macy's card that I got from swagbucks and a Victoria Secret card that I gave to a Tinder chick and took it back from her after I found out she got some more side dudes without asking me first. Got my check in about 5 biz days.

Top Critical Review

“Scam! They take your money and take forever IF they send you your gift card!”

Megan P.
4/1/19

I bought gift cards for one merchant and they were electronic but took too long to get to me through e-mail (which should be almost instant)... the item I was trying to purchase went out of stock and then back off sale back to its original price which was double the amount. $300 instead of on sale for $150 when I bought the gift cards. I've been e-mailing for a month now and NO responses, not a single one! Then I purchased a gift card last week and still have not received it. Other sites I've used I get the gift card within 15 mins... this one I'm lucky if I get it at all and definitely no refunds whatsoever... don't waste your money even if they price for a bigger discount it's not worth losing a couple of hundred dollars or more. The screenshot shows their one automated response saying they will get back to me... but when? In a few years?

Reviews (761)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

gift card (481) customer service (161) gift cards (481) phone number (54) business day (81) credit card (76)
Thumbnail of user fredp9
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 28th, 2012

Just got scammed real hard by this company. I mailed seven gift cards to them using Priority Mail with tracking. Two of these gift cards were to Home Depot. Once receiving my package they tell me a check has been sent for the other five cards... I contact them and they claim the other two gift cards were not in the package when I am 100% sure they were. After accusing me of not mailing the gift cards in, they then claim the package was "damaged". They show me a picture of the package where it is ripped and re-taped back up. They then blame it on the USPS who monitors everything especially Priority Mail. After contacting the post office where there P. O. box is located several times, three days later I receive a call from the post office and I am told the cameras were reviewed and the package was delivered to them WITHOUT DAMAGE. It seems very mysterious why only two out of seven gift cards would be missing- especially ones that were in the middle of the pack. Luckily I was able to recover some of the balance by using the gift card numbers online, however over $200 was used on one of the cards and they are "not responsible" for it. Now I have to wait for stuff from Home Depot to come and go to the store and return it to recover the rest of the balance. Complete scam, use another company for sure.

Thumbnail of user toms200
1 review
5 helpful votes
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February 2nd, 2016

I do not submit reviews unless the service/product is exceptionally good or bad. Unfortunately, Cardpool's customer service is exceptionally bad. I received some bad gift cards from them and tried to reach them by phone and email. It was hard to find a working phone number for them but eventually I did, however, I never received a reply. I was able to reach them by email but I've sent a total of 5-6 emails to them the past three weeks and the only replies that I receive back are automated statements. I guess they are not concerned about people contacting BBB or social media sites to share their experience? FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH: I WOULD ADVISE OTHERS TO AVOID CARDPOOL!

Thumbnail of user destinyo4
1 review
3 helpful votes
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March 28th, 2019

First GIANT RED FLAG is there is NO customer support, just an automated email saying they will get back to you in a few DAYSSS. No phone number, no online chat, nothing. Second GIANT RED FLAG they have OLD/MISLEADING/FAKE reviews posted on their website saying people gave them 4 stars on trust pilot but looking on there it's wayyyyy lower. I bought an e-card which should have been delivered within 10 mins at the MOST 1 business day and I STILL haven't received it. I tried to cancel because by the time I get it I won't need it anymore but there's NO CUSTOMER SERVICE! Based on my experience and the reviews the owners /employees no longer care about running this business and they should just shut it down if they are not going to take business seriously.

Thumbnail of user michaels416
1 review
2 helpful votes
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April 1st, 2016

Purchased 10 HomeDepot cards equaling $1600. 9 of them worked fine, the last one had a balance of $0 on it. Contacted support via email, as they don't have a customer service phone number. Received a response that day asking if the problem was resolved since the card is showing no balance when they checked it. Duh that's what the problem is, and I felt I explained it pretty clearly. Didn't hear anything back for a week, despite emailing them every couple days asking for an update. I was just about to contact my credit card company to report fraud when they emailed me back apologizing for the mistake, and said they would be issuing me a refund for the bad card. Took another week to actually get the money. Overall I'm happy it turned out ok, but if you use them be prepared for slow customer service, and possible issues. I don't think they are a scam like over reviewers are saying, just a small company that needs to make some improvements. Would probably use them again, but for smaller purchases.

Thumbnail of user carolg35
1 review
4 helpful votes
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June 16th, 2015

Ordered $2300. 00 worth of Home Depot cards for $2115. 00. Before I finished entering my credit card info, I got a message saying some of the cards had just be sold (total less than $100). Didn't say if I had to search for replacements or what to do. Credit card was charged for full amount $2115. 00. Called 2 customer service numbers, left name and number on each one. Also sent email with questions about purchase. Only response came from emails, which didn't answer why I was charged full amount but message said some cards were not available. Finally 4 days later, got an email saying the entire order was voided by them. WHAT? WHY? Still have no answer from them. Will NEVER use them again and will warn everyone about this unprofessional company. Their FAQs do not address this situation, nor is it discussed anywhere on their site. What kind of company uses only email for customers? Why are there 2 phone numbers when they are not answered? Terrible customer service. Found another online company called GiftCardBin.com. They have a phone number and live people who answer it. I was successful in ordering the $2300 worth of Home Depot cards from them.

Thumbnail of user joea53
2 reviews
14 helpful votes
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August 25th, 2014

SCAM SCAM SCAM - Terrbile customer service, no phone number to contact and they never answer emails.

I repeat do not buy from here. They say one day - it takes about 5 days for a response and its automated. SCAMED ME OUT OF $400...

Thumbnail of user marianl3
3 reviews
8 helpful votes
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June 10th, 2015

I have been buying gift cards from Cardpool, Cardcash, and Gift Card Rescue for little over a year and have not had a problem until now. I recently purchased a number of Macy's gift cards from Cardpool. I always check on the value of the cards as soon as they arrive, thinking I will find any problem there might be. They all had their value as stated. But, when I went to use one of the Macy's cards, there was only 2 cents left on it. I called Cardpool and they will refund my money as the card was within their 45 day guarantee but in the future I will only purchase cards if I plan to use them immediately. If you buy these cards, be aware that the person that sold it to Cardpool (or other company), may get their money for selling the giftcard and then use the card numbers to buy something online. The buying customer (like me) could be out of luck if you use the card past the guarantee date. And check when the 45 day guarantee starts - when you buy it or when it arrives. Love the discount but be aware!

Thumbnail of user scammedc1
1 review
12 helpful votes
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March 24th, 2015

I initiated transactions on Cardpool.com to send gift cards in exchange for checks. The amounts offered were about 85% of the cards value which sounded too good to be true (and was) however, I agreed to these amounts, printed the shipping label provided by the site and sent the cards including the invoices. As this is now two weeks after I sent the cards and I have not received any confirmations the cards were received, also the info on the site indicates the cards weren't received so I sent an email to *******@cardpool.com and got a response that the cards weren't received. The person responding also asked if I had the tracking number. No tracking number was provided on the shipping label documents which should have been a red-flag. The folks at Cardpool are well aware of this and unfortunately I'm just now realizing this is why this scam works so well. No way for the "customer" to track the shipment and they can take the cards and simply claim they never received them. Only after I shipped my valuable cards to them did I find negative reviews of others claiming this same issue happened to them. This may have started as a legit business but after profits weren't increasing to someone's liking, they may have adopted a more fraudulent operating model. Any positive reviews are probably written by they're own employees. Stay far, far away!

Tip for consumers:
Don't buy or sell here! If you sell you very well may get scammed and not receive payment for your cards. If you buy you may be receiving essentially stolen property, if you receive it at all.

Thumbnail of user christopherm339
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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July 22nd, 2018

Just waiting for them to complete my order send me a check.it ant the first time I sell them a gift card and when I did I got my checks so they legit.

Thumbnail of user andrewl345
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 15th, 2019

I almost never review anything, but this is an actual scam. I'm going to be going to the authorities and would recommend anyone who has been burned by the scam do the same.

Thumbnail of user couponl
1 review
2 helpful votes
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June 25th, 2015

I love cardpool and the only reason I'm here is because when I googled cardpool "complaints" was one of the top results. That really surprises me. I've been using cardpool for 3 or 4 years now and have never had a problem unresolved. One time I bought a Christopher and Banks card and the number didn't work on the C&B website. I emailed cardpool and my purchase was immediately refunded with no problem. I typically buy Home Depot printable cards and receive the card number at virtually the same time as the order confirmation. This last Sunday though I bought $150 of printable PF Chang's cards thinking I would use them the same day. Unfortunately, I didn't. I don't know if they don't work on Sundays or what. I emailed them on Monday morning explaining I no longer needed them. The canceled the order with no problem.
My one complaint is that physical cards are now being sent via registered mail which is a pain because I'm never home when the mail is delivered so I have to go to the post office. I now stick with printables and electronic only.
I have never sold gift cards through Cardpool so do not have any experience with that aspect of their business but buying has been great. A wonderful way to save money on home projects!

Thumbnail of user robinl236
1 review
4 helpful votes
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July 6th, 2019

I sold them a Whole Foods gift card. Got a letter better saying they could not process with anything checked off. It was processed alright - gift card I got back in return had $0 on it.

Thumbnail of user jessb193
1 review
1 helpful vote
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July 15th, 2020

Stole my money. Acted like they were providing a gift card of another payment but never did. Then acted clueless about our transaction details. Never had a worse transaction.

Thumbnail of user aubreyd26
3 reviews
28 helpful votes
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February 15th, 2018

Back in June I ordered a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card while in the restaurant thinking they were as good as their competitors. The gift card never came. Neither that night or at all. Fast forward almost 8 months and I mad the mistake of ordering from them again while in the same restaurant. I realized I never received my other one so I wrote to them. It took them a couple of days to send both. Two days ago I ordered Lowes gift cards to order home renovation stuff for my dad who is currently helping me finish my house for a rental while I am stationed in another state. Again, it did not process in 10 minutes like they say. It took over 24 hours. Finally I get one of the cards in my inbox along with another email that said they shipped my other gift card to my old house. They were both electronic. I sent them an email around the 24 hour mark for these cards to cancel them. Of course their reply time on the site is different than what they include in the autoresponse email. Stick with more well reputed sites like GiftCardZen. I also do not recommend GiftCardSpread. They are very slow.

Thumbnail of user lisag168
1 review
5 helpful votes
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November 16th, 2016

Saling cards to them all bad. This morning my gift card worked now it says no balence. Im worried now because i gave my credit card info. Whats going on with cardpool beware

Thumbnail of user ryana140
1 review
1 helpful vote
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March 26th, 2019

I was cautious after reading reviews, but I sold my best buy gift card anyways. I got confirmation and my new amazon gift card in less than 10 hours. What's the fuss?

Thumbnail of user lauraw151
1 review
0 helpful votes
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August 26th, 2017

Sold them a best buy gift card $119.00, got $107.00 check in the mailbox for it. Easy, and I really loved getting a good price for it.
I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Thumbnail of user kathleenm90
1 review
2 helpful votes
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January 11th, 2017

Not what I expected. Gave them all the gift card info.
They email me a week later saying they do not have
A record of my transaction. Someone cashed it in?
Do not trust them.

Thumbnail of user kp271
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 16th, 2020

I sold a $25 red lobster gift card to cardpool in exchange for a $18.13 amazon gift card. I received cardpool's email with my gift card redemption code on June 11th and tried redeeming the code on June 15th. When I enter the code they gave me it says the card has already been redeemed.

I contacted customer service and sent them screenshots showing the "already redeemed" message and another screenshot showing my account was never credited. They responded by saying I was the only person who has the code. I told them that can't be true because I am the only one with access to my email, and that $18 is not worth lying about. They responded by saying my email could have been hacked and I should run an antivirus scan. This seems unlikely because I use a vpn and a web-based email server.

Furthermore, I also sent a screenshot that shows the code my amazon account has not redeemed a gift card in months. I understand that this does not "prove" that I (or someone I know) did not redeem the card. But, like I said, I would not lie to defraud a company let alone go to this amount of trouble for $18.

Bottom line is that this company took my gift card and did not even make an effort to correct the issue.

Thumbnail of user reedb16
2 reviews
10 helpful votes
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April 17th, 2018

I have six defrauded cards (bad cards with no balance) now with them totaling about $300 that I am currently out, and now about 2 months later since I initially contacted them, and not a single response! I am a long time customer, but apparently this doesn't matter. DO NOT BUY OR SELL ANYTHING TO THEM! THEY NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN! I'm assuming they are on the verge of going under. I have filed a claim with the BBB, and just contacted my credit card company today.

Thumbnail of user estellah
1 review
1 helpful vote
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September 30th, 2013

I REALLY wanted to like this service, but realized that I was receiving 10 or more emails a day from them, notifying me that the cards on my wishlist were available, only to get on the site and see that they were gone. The only cards I could EVER purchase from Cardpool were the ones that were always available (like they had 100 of them). If a card was popular, even if I got on literally SECONDS after it came up as available and actually got it IN MY CART, the transaction would freeze, and someone else would get the card--maybe someone with a faster internet connection? I don't know. What I do know is that not even once was I successful in getting a card on my wishlist, my mailbox was filling up with useless notifications about cards that were never available once I tried to purchase them and that, FORTUNATELY, there are other card-purchasing services out there that actually work! I would suggest to any and all that you skip this one!

Thumbnail of user caj
1 review
1 helpful vote
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August 31st, 2019

I sold CardPool a brand new gift card in exchange for an Amazon gift card. They took my gift card but never paid me for it! I sent four emails over 3 months and even filed a BBB complaint, to which they never responded. Needless to say, if you want to hand over your gift cards for free to a scamming company in exchange for nothing, this is the company for you! Otherwise, AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Tip for consumers:
Don't use this site!!!

Products used:
Gift card sell

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user kristenh46
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 1st, 2017

A few months ago I received about $900 in gift cards from my mom for a furniture store we dont have in my town. So I decided to sell. I sold some of the smaller ones to a store - cashier option - as they said - who only gave me half of the gift card. I understand this because of the middle man part they play. Was bummed but my issue was they didnt take the ones for higher values. Only the smaller ones. Not sure how the kiosk would do as I dont have one in my town. But wish I had tried just to see when I visited family.

So after reading reviews i figured Id play my luck at selling for a amazon gift card. I sold on a Friday and based on their website it said 1 business day, or 2 in holiday season. By Tuesday I had heard or seen nothing. I emailed them 2 times. Neither emails were answered until Thursday AM. However Wednesday someone called to verify the card to make sure it wasnt a fraud card. Thursday a reply to email said they would process it and I had the gift card to amazon that night.

I gave 3 stars based on the cashier option being really low- and them not following their time length. Otherwise wasnt a terrible experience and the fraud watch people were really nice!

Thumbnail of user dannya9
1 review
3 helpful votes
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January 22nd, 2014

I will save all the fine readers some time. If you are on this site, you are already having issues with Cardpool as I just did. Same as so many below- sold them a card, printed off their label, sent in my card and waited. Then the emails... first from them. "We haven't received your card yet." I immediately replied that I had sent it the next day after I used their web site, and advised them to please check their records, as it had been two weeks since being sent by me.

Seems they magically found it the next day, HOWEVER... sorry bad news, seems the USPS just delivered us our mailing label and SO SORRY no envelope nor card, bad luck for you, please try again later. Shocker... the card had already been used.

So I send an email questioning their integrity and point out that they can open envelopes all day long and use our cards and then simply report them to use as LOST?

What I got back is a five paragraph email explain to me the finer points of how to pack a card in a better envelope, use better tape, insure the package and buy tracking and signature require services... BECAUSE SENDER BEWARE.

Crooks... BBB call being made.

Thumbnail of user mikem1190
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 4th, 2019

I originally send in two gift cards on 1/2/19. I finally got my check on 4/30/19. Anybody out there who is having trouble, here is what I did to get my money...

Like so many others, I send an email to their support team. No response. I tried again, still no response. I filed a complain with the BBB. No response.

So I got fed up, and starting to completely bombard their customer support inbox with messages. I just kept copying, pasting, and sending. In all, I probably spammed them with over 100 emails. Sure enough, I quickly got a response from their customer service team after that.

They asked me a few questions, which I answered. Then they stopped responding again. So... I send another big load of emails. Sure enough, they quickly responded again. They re-sent my check on a Thursday, and I had it in my mailbox on Tuesday.

It's ridiculous that I had to do that. But waiting five months is completely unacceptable. So my advice to anyone who can't get a response from Cardpool is to just spam the heck out of their inbox.

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