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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
See positive reviews
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
See critical reviews

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 kennethb252
Ohio
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

I will not waste anymore of my time... writing about how I will never buy anything more from them. I will not waste anymore of my time... writing about how I will never buy anything more from them.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality

Date of experience: June 6, 2019

Thumbnail of user lisar8
Louisiana
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
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June 5th, 2011

I order all the time from buy.com. Never had any problems with their products. I have ordered only elecrtonics. Ranging from laptops to mp3 players. I never had a problem and very fast shipping.

Date of experience: June 5, 2011

Thumbnail of user kirkf59
Maryland
4 reviews
5 helpful votes
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August 15th, 2023
Verified purchase

I have been waiting for my Big Fat Check and the day has finally come(AUGUST 15TH) that I am supposed to receive it AND it's been sitting on processing to my paypal for over 12 hours now!. It says it should only take a "FEW" hours and even the Rakuten Agents even told me that!. But about 12 hours later so far I still haven't been paid and its 4 and a half hours until August 16th the Day AFTER when I was supposed to be paid!. I even emailed Rakuten about this twice and NOONE responds back OR even Resolves the issues!. The ONLY thing I do know is that they took my money as it's not showing up in my Rakuten Account anymore but I never received any of the money!. This is false advertising on Rakutens behalf!. If anyone is reading this and is interested in using Rakuten if I were you I would go with someone else this Company is "VERY" UNPROFESSIONAL. OH AND they don't even have a working Customer Phone number you can call if you have any questions or concerns!. ALL they have is Email to reach out to them on!.

Date of experience: August 15, 2023

Thumbnail of user edwardh62
California
1 review
9 helpful votes
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May 20th, 2016

Placed 4 items totally.
1. they cancelled one of the item without any reason ( found out they raised $10 for the price on that item later). The worst thing is they still charged on my credit card.
2. One of the items, Raukten and seller both charged me for the same shipment. Try to contact Raukten by email, but they only kept saying they had to charge me once the item was shipped? Tried to explain the seller charged me already, but no one listen and no one care either.
3. one of the items-Fingertip Moistener 3/8 oz, the seller put ( set of 4) on the item. But only receive 1 per set. ( I ordered 2 sets for $10.06) Turned out I had to spent $4.50 to return it because I really don't want them to get the business from the deceiving advertisement on their item. I emailed Raukten to request the seller take the wording ( set of 4) from their item page, but never heard from them since either.
Conclusion:
1. Raukten has no control of their seller at all. Not safe to shop from them. You won't have any protection like Amazon.
2. Raukten did not offer customer support and service.
I spent lot of works on disputing the payment with my credit card company. NO MORE - RAUKTEN.

Date of experience: May 20, 2016

Thumbnail of user annw21
New York
1 review
1 helpful vote
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February 18th, 2014

I am now over $1750. In rebates from ebates. I use the $ for lunch out with the grandkids or to buy myself something special. Can't go wrong with ebates.

Date of experience: February 18, 2014

Thumbnail of user kims549
South Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 28th, 2019
Verified purchase

Yay. Good programe. Love that I get money back for the shopping I do online anyway. Wish it could have some more in-store bonus in addition to the online shopping.

Date of experience: April 27, 2019

Thumbnail of user patriciav38
New York
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

Vendor mishandled rebate, Rakuten intervened -- all squared away. There is a thunderstorm rolling in having no effect on this review, but you demanded more characters. TY

Date of experience: July 31, 2019

Thumbnail of user angiem8
Illinois
10 reviews
50 helpful votes
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November 18th, 2014

I have accumulated quite a bit ($900+) from the last 4+ years online shopping through Ebates. They're quick and accurate with posting cashback for my purchases. Highly recommend.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality

Date of experience: November 18, 2014

Thumbnail of user karenw35
North Carolina
1 review
7 helpful votes
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December 31st, 2013

I went through ebates to purchase appliances from Home Depot, still haven't gotten my money! They keep telling me they're are looking into it! It's been almost two months now!

Date of experience: December 31, 2013

Thumbnail of user heatherp14
North Carolina
1 review
1 helpful vote
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December 1st, 2014
Verified purchase

Awesome customer service! Ebates is always quick to resolve any issue or question I have had and they definitely put members' needs first. Thank you very much!

Date of experience: December 1, 2014

Thumbnail of user dyannd
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 10th, 2019
Verified purchase

Every single time ive used rakuten to shop at my favorite stores it has gone smoothly and i am more than pleased... kicking myself for not using this sooner...

Date of experience: June 9, 2019

Thumbnail of user jrflyers1956
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 5th, 2023

They have really gone down hill. Not happy with $ removed weeks after it was earned. Various excuses used.

Tip for consumers:
They do not notify you that they removed money or the reason it was removed but they do notify you by email when it was supposedly put in your account.

Products used:
Rebate purchase on various products

Service
Value

Date of experience: June 5, 2023

Thumbnail of user craigr111
Massachusetts
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 16th, 2019

Easy links to websites and customer service contacts you within minutes from my experience. I also received the twenty five dollar bonus for recommending a friend

Date of experience: July 16, 2019

Thumbnail of user elizabethd96
New Jersey
2 reviews
11 helpful votes
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April 22nd, 2019

I never pay attention when I order from EBATES. Who remembers to write down the amount of the hotel, keep the "order confirmations" etc? Once I come back from vacation or order an item online, I check my credit card statements - I shred all these confirmations.

I ordered something this morning at Bed Bath & Beyond. I ordered via the Ebates site. And, yes I got the credit to my account. But, here is my point, it reminded me that I had NOT seen a check from them in a while. So, I logged onto my account and low and behold, the only thing that was posted was that mornings BB & Beyond credit. I rented a car, and stayed at several hotels and Bed & Breakfasts a few months ago all booked via the Ebates site. Honestly, I was on hold for about 15 minutes and I could barely understand the person at the other end of the phone. I was told however, that since Budget Rental added more money on to my existing booking - that made the ebates credit NULL AND VOID. HUH? Although the customer service person had a copy of my hotel stays she wanted me to provide order confirmations. Why EBATES is doing this and how much more money did they fail to credit back to me - is anyone's guess.

While the representative was a nice person, and agreed to issue me a check for the hotels that were staring at her on her screen, the question is why wasn't this done automatically by Ebates. So, pay attention to what you spend and what they actually send you. I am out the Budget Rental car though which was a hefty amount.

Date of experience: April 22, 2019

Thumbnail of user madelinem22
Tennessee
1 review
0 helpful votes
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August 21st, 2018

I had a purchase I forgot to enter over 2 months ago, as a curtesy the company added it to my account! They are always understanding, and willing to work with the customer.

Date of experience: August 21, 2018

Thumbnail of user susant68
Michigan
1 review
1 helpful vote
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January 25th, 2016
Verified purchase

I noticed that a purchase I made hadn't been credited to my Ebates account, so I emailed Customer Service to ask what happened, and it was credited INSTANTLY!
I love Ebates--it's such a win-win for everyone!

Date of experience: January 25, 2016

Thumbnail of user jennn7
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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February 20th, 2016

Hello, I have a 72.85 dollar check that said it was sent out on feb 8th, and I have yet to receive it. Today is the 19th. Who can I contact about this?

Date of experience: February 19, 2016

Thumbnail of user samrinak
Washington
1 review
1 helpful vote
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December 7th, 2014
Verified purchase

Perfect and ultr a fast customer service response. I feel very comfortable shopping through ebates. I love ebates and would recommend it highly to everyone.

Date of experience: December 7, 2014

Thumbnail of user ruthb223
North Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

I've been a happy user of Ebates for many years, and the transition to Rakuten has been seamless. If you can get a rebate for shopping you need or want to do anyway, why wouldn't you do so?

Date of experience: June 5, 2019

Thumbnail of user lisal79
New Jersey
1 review
4 helpful votes
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November 29th, 2014
Verified purchase

I had two incidences where I had to contact ebates through email. Not only were they prompt, friendly and knowledgable; they fixed my problems both times with no fuss. I love ebates!

Date of experience: November 29, 2014

Thumbnail of user pamelab13
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 18th, 2014
Verified purchase

The Customer Serive representatives are kind, friendly and wonderful. They respond quirkily to inquires. Have saved and earned money at the same time.

Date of experience: December 18, 2014

Thumbnail of user lanicec
New York
2 reviews
10 helpful votes
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October 23rd, 2014

Ebate was good when you first start out. As you continue to purchase through them you then have to stay in contact with them about your "BIG FAT CHECK" is what they call it. Several things I recommend more than five friends to them and I never seen a pay for it. I guess because it was not all at once. I purchase a Disney World trip airfare and all and they did not pay me what was promised. I spent over four thousand dollars. I had to report them to BBB in order to see a check because they refuse to pay me anything. When I did receive a check it still was no where near the amount promised. To top it off they credit my account $20 to return and show with them. When I finally did the $20 magically disappeared. When I questioned that check along with the amount spent at the other stores I was told that I have to present documents of my purchases. By the way they delete activities if it's pass two months. I gave the a record with transaction number but that is not good enough. By the way I've been shopping with them since 2010 I believe.

Tip for consumers:
Good in the beginning but rip off if you use them for a while!!!

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns

Date of experience: October 23, 2014

Thumbnail of user reneew95
Maryland
1 review
5 helpful votes
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July 2nd, 2018

If zero was an option, I'd choose rate zero. I lost $35.50 for a one-day usage. Outrageous experience. Would never buy from this seller again. Would recommend anyone be aware: read all the reviews before giving them your money.

Here was what happened:

I bought a headset BOSE QUIETCONTROL 30 WIRELESS HEADPHONES as a gift. My friend received it and said a button was not working properly. I immediately contacted them, and the manager was reluctant to issue a return, but instead offered to replace it. I told her I can only accept a new item for replacement since this is a gift.

(The product was refurbished, which I was not aware of at the time of ordering. Either I overlooked it or they made it discreet on the website, but I do not blame them for the refurbished part).

Later, the manager agreed to return, but deducted 10% from my original payment. She said it worked on iPhone. I told her that my friend uses an Android, and I stopped by BestBuy the day before to check out the same headset, and I was told by BestBuy staff that the headset should work for both iPhone and BestBuy. Still, she deducted 10% of my money.

Date of experience: July 2, 2018

Thumbnail of user robertp726
Rebecca N. – Rakuten Rep

I am terribly sorry for the experience you encountered. Any customer who is not satisfied by the service offered by a merchant on our site is covered under our worry free guarantee. Please feel free to reach out to our support team on 800-800-0800 or via the following form https://support.rakuten.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

We are here to support you.

Thumbnail of user kimberlyh89
Pennsylvania
1 review
1 helpful vote
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February 5th, 2017

This process could not be any easier! You go to ebates site and it brings you directly to your favorite sites that you normally deall with, easy peasy!

Date of experience: February 5, 2017

Thumbnail of user mesee
California
1 review
8 helpful votes
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February 22nd, 2017

I decided to review after a being scammed exactly as many of these reviews stated. The $10 for purchasing $50 I now know-no matter what they say is a totsl marketing scam! I'M WALKING AWAY FROM BOTH! Suggestion go to the BBB and get a couponsites' rating bedore using!. Won't get scammed again. Caveat emptor

Date of experience: February 22, 2017

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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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