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    Rakuten

Rakuten

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Overview

Rakuten has a rating of 2.7 stars from 2,124 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Rakuten most frequently mention credit card, referral bonus, and family member problems. Rakuten ranks 5th among Cash Back sites.

  • Service
    187
  • Value
    151
  • Returns
    64
  • Quality
    121

This company does not typically respond to reviews

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 18.2%
Positive
2
Neutral
0
Negative
9
View ratings trends
61
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How would you rate Rakuten?
Top Positive Review

“Amazing Rakuten! Thanks so much Susan!”

Tetiana K.
5/7/24

Rakuten team are the best service I've come across in the US. We are refugees from Ukraine and we are very grateful to Rakuten for such joy as excellent service, impeccable work, patience, respect for the client and professionalism. I will be happy to buy everything only through the Rakuten service. This is a great savings and a great pleasure to know them! Thank you Susan!

Date of experience: 5/6/24
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Top Critical Review

“Thieves”

Cory C.
12/11/24

They never pay what you actually earned. I have yet to have a single transaction pay what was advertised. Even after purchases have been verified they just delete the payout for no reason. 100% scam!

Date of experience: 12/1/24
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Reviews (2,124)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (796) customer care (55) shopping trip (51) customer support (36) response time (19) credit card (31) gift card (35)
Thumbnail of user cathya11
California
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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March 14th, 2015
Verified purchase

I have had several instances where I contacted customer service and found each time that there was an instant response and a fair solution. I am really impressed with this company. I wish more people ran their businesses like this.

Date of experience: March 14, 2015

Thumbnail of user shikhas1
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 20th, 2015
Verified purchase

I had some pending cash back from 2012 purchase in my account which I never used again. I contacted customer care regarding my payment, though it was from 2 years back I did not have very high hopes of getting it back but they resolved the issue very fast and I am going to get my check within few days. Very happy with their customer care service

Date of experience: March 20, 2015

Thumbnail of user robinl350
Missouri
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 25th, 2020

Rakuten has been great for my shopping needs! I get what I'm looking for from the stores I shop at, and I get cash back for my purchases. I recently had to contact their support team, and they were so very helpful! I've seen some of the bad reviews, but I can honestly say that I've never had any issues with Rakuten. I would highly recommend them!

Date of experience: June 25, 2020

Thumbnail of user chelsead5
Louisiana
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 6th, 2014

Love this site! Since I have started using it 1 1/2 years ago I have made quite a bit in cash back, right around $1700. It is easy and if you make sure you do it the right way which is so simple as well you will get the cash back. Since starting with them I only had one instance where I did not get my cash back, and I use Ebates often! I do not get all the people that have so many problems with it! It is so simple and provides me with a nice bit of extra funds to use for shopping or other needs by just buying normal items I would buy anyway. :)

Date of experience: July 6, 2014

Thumbnail of user vale1407
Oklahoma
5 reviews
1 helpful vote
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November 8th, 2016

I've received three big fat checks without any problems or issues. When ever I had missed a credit for shopping online, Ebates had my account credited for the missing shopping trip with 24 hours. Great follow through every time. I've found great shopping bonus trip saves too.

Tip for consumers:
Always email customer if you are missing a credit for a shopping trip.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality

Date of experience: November 7, 2016

Thumbnail of user waynes94
New York
9 reviews
49 helpful votes
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February 26th, 2018

This site was OK for a few months, I earned a little on some purchases I made. Then this month I've used it to purchase several items, and have received no credit. The trips are shown, but still no credit. I contacted them and was told I needed to submit a lot of paperwork (dates, receipts, etc) in order for them to investigate. It's just not worth it for the little I might be credited. I'm through wasting my time going through them before I purchase items.

Date of experience: February 26, 2018

Thumbnail of user kristib14
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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November 17th, 2015
Verified purchase

You have nothing to lose by signing up for ebates. Sometimes money adds up fast if you are making larger purchases, and sometimes it accumulates a little slower. Any way you look at it, you are making money off of a purchase that you already plan on making. Plus you can get even more money by referring friends (if they join). They also have excellent customer service. Prompt responses with agents that want to make sure they solve the problem and keep their members happy!

Date of experience: November 17, 2015

Thumbnail of user patriciag33
Ohio
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 26th, 2015
Verified purchase

I have only been using Ebates for a few months, but have found the service to be outstanding. Their customer service is prompt, polite, and detail-oriented, something which is sadly lacking in a great deal of modern customer service interactions. I never felt like my questions were intrusive or an annoyance, and I appreciate that tremendously. I will absolutely recommend the service to everyone.

Date of experience: March 26, 2015

Thumbnail of user susans122
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 26th, 2015
Verified purchase

Customer service should be just that, but in most cases especially on line companies you never even get a response. Not the case when I wrote in for clarification on the refer a friend program. I heard back immediately from Rachel in Customer Service. She asked for further information from me, and within 30 min she addressed and fixed my issue.
Great company with great customer service, Mehta could be better

Date of experience: March 26, 2015

Thumbnail of user es114
California
9 reviews
28 helpful votes
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August 8th, 2022

I've been a member of Ebates, then Rakuten since November 2013. I loved it when it was Ebates. Rakuten is good and easy to use (I click through to shop the store, don't use any apps although they always want me to download their app). Sometimes I notice the coupons available / offered at an online store are not as deep of a discount if I click through Rakuten. And sometimes the store offers such a good deal I don't bother using Rakuten. I have pretty much used Rakuten for stores that I would normally shop at, and need or plan to get some stuff. The rebate deals are not as good as 2 or 3 years ago it seems, but that is normal or true for many businesses recently especially ones that have bought out another business.

Tip for consumers:
Rakuten seems safe to use and have used them since 2013. They email me when I have a check coming (my rebate check) and it is deposited into my PayPal account.

Service
Value
Shipping

Date of experience: August 7, 2022

Thumbnail of user heathery7
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 4th, 2015
Verified purchase

I had to contact customer service because of some missing cash back. My initial response from Heide was super quick. The whole thing was resolved in a day or two, and the correct amount was deposited into my ebates account. Thank you ebates for giving us real people to talk with, and for excellent customer service.

Date of experience: June 4, 2015

Thumbnail of user maggieh16
Georgia
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 17th, 2016
Verified purchase

Somehow I managed to set up two different accounts on Ebates so my account showed no previous earnings and that I had been a member just since Feb. 2016. I wrote Ebates, and received a response and they merged the two accounts in one day. Not the usual response from many companies. Worth saying "good job".

Date of experience: April 17, 2016

Thumbnail of user ka7719
New York
17 reviews
43 helpful votes
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September 26th, 2017

I love ebates! Discovered it years ago and have been using it ever since. It's a shame NOT to use it--sometimes you get just 1 or 2% back, but other times I have experienced 15% back on certain sites! The money adds up... love getting those checks! I also love how they have coupons on the site that you are going to possibly use--it makes it so convenient... love love love this site!

Date of experience: September 26, 2017

Thumbnail of user conniem34
California
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 3rd, 2015
Verified purchase

I rarely, if ever, have any problems with Ebates.com, but on the two occasions that I've written; one regarding a missing credit and the other regarding the Refer-A-Friend program, the response has been incredibly swift and positive. Customer Service took care of my missing credit immediately, and explained the procedure for the Refer-A-Friend program when I had the first opportunity to participate in the program. Ebates.com is one of the best sites on the Internet today. I have personally received over $1,000 in rebates since joining the site and think everyone should use them!

Date of experience: January 3, 2015

Thumbnail of user steveb159
Colorado
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 5th, 2016
Verified purchase

I contacted customer service about not getting Ebates from a certain company. I figured it would take days for them to get back to me but to my surprise, Jason replied to my E Mail in less than 2 hours. He explained what I was doing wrong and was able to get me a rebate the following day. Jason was great to deal with. Other companies need to look at Ebates customer service and learn how to treat their customers. Good job Jason and Ebates!

Date of experience: January 5, 2016

Thumbnail of user kareng46
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 4th, 2015
Verified purchase

When I placed an order on line and used the Ebates code I must have typed the wrong code because the site would not accept it. I e-mailed Ebates and Danielle from customer service got right back to me and settled the problem. She was fast, efficient and knew exactly what she had to do in order to help me.
In todays world that commitment is hard to find. Thank you very much!

Date of experience: April 4, 2015

Thumbnail of user dianeo11
Pennsylvania
1 review
2 helpful votes
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February 21st, 2017

Ebates offers "free money" for simply ordering items online. I had a problem where 3 transactions were not recorded and I didn't get the ebates credit. I emailed them with the problems and they answered my email within minutes. They credited my account within half an hour. Great customer service!

Date of experience: February 21, 2017

Thumbnail of user lindab384
Florida
3 reviews
0 helpful votes
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August 27th, 2018

I love ebates! You also get discounts and codes and they let you know when your getting a % back... if it 1% to 10% it is always good in your pocket then having nothing...
And now you can have them deposit right into your paypal account... love this option too

Date of experience: August 27, 2018

Thumbnail of user janicet9
North Carolina
1 review
2 helpful votes
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October 19th, 2014
Verified purchase

Excellent customer service. Very helpful and you get money quick. So easy when you shop online. Start at ebates. Click your store and shop. No forms to fill out. Sit back and watch your money grow. I love te specialized care I get from real people at their help desk. Best site ever!

Date of experience: October 19, 2014

Thumbnail of user andyk
New York
18 reviews
107 helpful votes
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May 1st, 2009

I had a previous review on this site which I rated at "Cool", but that's mainly for the prices and shipping etc. This is on their customer service which I think could be much much better especially with how big they are.
I wanted to purchase something that had "Free Shipping" but when I was checking out I saw I was being charged for shipping. I contacted them 3 times and they finally called me and asked me about the issue. I told them and they agreed with me that I should be receiving Free Shipping but they don't know how to get around it. They will have a "specialist" take a look and get back to me in 24-48 hours and told me do not purchase the item until I get a call back from them. Well their 48 hours was up last week on Thursday and still nothing from them.

Great site, products and prices. Crappy customer service.

Date of experience: May 1, 2009

Thumbnail of user chrism453
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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January 5th, 2018

I am always impressed by Ebates and I have never had an issue in getting my cash back. If there is ever any question about a rebate that I did not receive, I contact customer care and they have always taken very good care of me. Their representatives are very professional and helpful.

Date of experience: January 5, 2018

Thumbnail of user melaniec64
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
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March 4th, 2018

Theresa was my Ebates rep and was exceptionally helpful, caring and professional. She took the time to be thorough in answering all my questions. A great company is only as good as the employees who represent them. This kind of great customer service is what keeps customers happy & keeps them coming back.

Date of experience: March 4, 2018

Thumbnail of user nityas4
India
22 reviews
142 helpful votes
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May 3rd, 2019

I didn't know that the big name is really short in purpose.
Rakuten surveys as also known as Rakuten Insight surveys really cheat people mentioning big points, but only used to give one point all the time after completion of surveys. That means when one would reach the redemption of point qualification, nobody knows. One should applause Rakuten for continuously sending surveys with big points mentioned that anyone would love to have but all fake.
It's better to get rid of such surveys rather wasting time here.

Date of experience: May 3, 2019

Thumbnail of user happyc12
Iowa
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 19th, 2015
Verified purchase

The customer service is amazing. I had an expired check and within a day, I received a response from Ebates saying they would issue me a new one, gave me the exact date it would be issued, and also reminded me of my other checks expiration date as that was coming up! Tiffany was the gal who helped me and she was so nice and fast at responding!

Date of experience: June 19, 2015

Thumbnail of user maggieb19
New Jersey
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 18th, 2015
Verified purchase

Noticed that I had not received my check from 2/15, so emailed Customer Service. Less than an hour later, received a response from Ebates Rep. Tiffany, who asked to confirm my email address. Almost immediately after I gave this information, got the response that the funds would be placed in my Paypal account, as requested. This is the fastest customer service I have received from any company, ever.

Date of experience: April 18, 2015

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From the business

Rakuten is the new Ebates! Rakuten is the premier Cash Back shopping site that pays you. Join today and start earning Cash Back at your favorite stores. How does it work? We pay members Cash Back when they shop at over 2,500 stores, plus find them the best deals and coupons. With over 12 million members and $1 billion in Cash Back paid out, Rakuten is the easiest and most rewarding way to shop. Become a member today and start shopping smarter. Follow us for the latest sales, member-exclusive offers and more.

Business History

Ebates is the pioneer and leader of online Cash Back Shopping. The company was founded in 1998 by two Deputy District Attorneys in Silicon Valley who used to prosecute online fraud & identity theft before starting Ebates (so you can be sure we are very into secure online transactions!). So go ahead, sign up and start shopping now. Joining Ebates is always free - you'll never pay us anything. And four times a year or more, we'll mail you a Big Fat Check, or transfer the money to your PayPal account if you'd prefer. We can even send the money to your favorite charity. All 100% free.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user ebatess
Ebates S.
Typically does not respond to reviews

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